Much later, Harry was sat next to the window gazing outside at the night sky. He hadn’t left his room since the argument earlier although he longed to be outside of the suffocating house and far, far away from Snape.

He couldn’t go back to the Dursleys. He simply couldn’t. Uncle Vernon would rip him apart.

Harry leaned his head against the window feeling somewhat dizzy after all the upheaval earlier. It occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten in almost seven hours but although he’d laid in stores of food there was no way he could stomach anything now.

Perhaps he could run away? He could wait for the knight bus and it could take him somewhere else.

But where would he go? Sirius had buggered off and left him. Dumbledore had already proved to have little concern for Harry’s welfare. His next thought was the Weasleys, but although he knew Ron would be on his side, he suspected Mr and Mrs Weasley would send him straight back to Snape when they found out he had ran away from him. And then he really would kill him.

And that would only be if the wards didn’t do the job first. On Harry’s first night here Snape had given a long spiel about which rooms Harry could go in. The next day, in a genuine accident, Harry had tried to open the door of one of the restricted room but been thrown backwards violently to his surprise. Who knows what would happen if he were to try to sneak across Snape’s boundary wards? The floo was also out, Harry realised. The git would hardly have forgotten to ward it. It would probably be singe him or something.

So it was useless, he realised. He had no where to go, no way to get there and no one to help him.

Harry choked back a sob with success born from a lifetime of knowing that crying never makes things better. Instead he carefully spelled his usual silencing spell around his bed, changed into his pijamas and covered himself in his blanket, waiting for sleep to eventually come for him.

Three hours later...

 Severus had been asleep for little more than an hour when he first heard Harry’s piercing scream cutting through the night. He leapt out of bed, grabbing his wand. He arrived at Harry’s door almost tripping over a terrified Leenie who looked up at him with big, round eyes. He cast a quick revealing spell to reassure himself before turning to Leenie.

'It’s nothing, no intruders. No one can get in because of the wards. Go now.’

Leenie nodded and disapparated immediately, leaving Snape to cautiously open the door and approach the boy, who was still thrashing about in anguish.

‘Potter. Potter, wake up.’

There was no response and instead the boy tensed before letting out another tortured, scream.

Impatiently Severus shook the boys shoulder slightly. It must be a vision from the Dark Lord to get the brat in such a state. He had heard from Dumbledore about the boy’s visions and the sensations his scar sometimes held. In some ways he was curious: the child’s link to the dark lord was much stronger than his, his mark would only burn when he was being called. Potter on the other hand witnessed the Dark Lord’s actions at other times and Severus knew that knowledge could prove useful. However, he reminded himself the bond was, by it’s very nature, immensely dangerous. With so little skill at occluding the brat had no control over what he saw and exposed his mind to.

He shook him again and this time Harry sprang up, snatching his wand and immediately backing up against the wall defensively.

‘Calm yourself boy.’ Snape commanded. ‘What did you see? What was the Dark Lord doing?’

Harry breathed rapidly. Gulping back his tears.

‘Was it a death eater meeting?’ Snape asked, wondering to himself what it would mean if it had been and he hadn’t been summoned.

‘No.’ Harry said bluntly, beginning to feel embarrassed as he slowly regained his composure.

‘Well then?’

‘It w-wasn’t Voldermort. It wasn’t a vision. It was just a dream.’

‘A dream?’ Snape asked sounding disbelieving.

‘A nightmare then. About my uncle.’ He added as an afterthought.

Then as all the events of the previous day flooded back to him, he apologised hastily.

‘I’m really sorry I woke you... I don’t understand what happened, I set a silencing charm.’

Snape ignored his apology. ‘Your sleep is often disrupted then?’

‘I uh get the visions every couple weeks. Usually when there is a meeting. Though therehaven’t been any in ages.’ Harry sounded matter of fact.

He hesitated and then decided to be honest after all Snape would find out anyway if his charm wouldn’t work.

‘The nightmares- more often, though not when I’m at Hogwarts.’

Harry winced as he remembered the nightmares he’s had at Sirius’ when he first arrived there. Every night he’d woke repeatedly. Sirius had been great though. He’d sat with him, and though neither of them ever said much, he’d known his Godfather was there for him and he hadn’t been angry or upset at being woken up.

Snape stared at Harry who quickly realised that he would not be as patient. In fact he would get really mad. The thought of what Snape would do to him sent a shiver down Harry’s spine.

‘Can you help me spell my room? Then I won’t wake you again.’

‘The wards would hardly offer protection if they allowed silencing charms.’ Snape snapped.‘Honestly Potter how do you think I am supposed to protect if you if I was unable to hear if you cry out?’

The professor was still staring intensely at him again in a way that vaguely unsettled Harry, who looked back at him in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that. It never occurred to him to think of Snape protecting him. Tormenting him more like. He hugged the thin blanket towards him and sat in silence. He had nothing to say in response.

Severus stood up abruptly and went to the cupboard reaching up for the spare blankets tucked away at the back... and then looked more closely at the shelf below. Harry held his breath as he saw Severus lift the t-shirts out of the way and jumped to his feet to dash over to stop him but it was too late.

‘It’s just a bit of food.’ He muttered.

Severus raised his eyebrows looking at the shelf which was tightly packed with hoarded bits of meals, crackers, cakes, and fruit. If it was just a few items he would have thought little of it and just rebuked the brat for cheating on his punishment, but it was the sheer quantity of it which got to him. Most of it didn’t even look at all appetising, stale crusts of bread and scraps of meat.

‘Why have you been stealing food?’ He said quietly.

Harry looked at his professor with something akin to dread in his eyes.

‘It’s not stealing. I just saved bits from lunchtimes.’ Harry protested weakly, he hadn’t realised the supplies had built up so high.

‘At the Dursley’s I always kept bits of food in my room. You know... just in case.’ He realised he was making himself sound crazy.

Snape glanced at the piles of food again uneasily.

‘You were expecting a siege perhaps?’ He suggested quietly.

Harry shrugged embarrassed.

‘No... you know: for the days when I wasn’t allowed out for meals and stuff.’

The days when he wasn’t allowed meals. Merlin- no wonder the brat was skin and bones.

‘I see.’ With a wave of his wand Snape banished all the food. ‘Well I trust you have had your fill tonight Potter. Unless there are any other items you would like to steal from the kitchen whilst you are missing a meal in disgrace?’ Without waiting for an answer he continued sharply. ‘So let me make myself abundantly clear. I do NOT expect you to be having picnics up here. Or to be inviting vermin in with all that food. Understand?’

Harry nodded frantically in response.

Closing the cupboard door sharply the professor then conjured a steaming mug of hot chocolate and whipped out a vial which he poured in before thrusting it towards the boy ungraciously.

‘Here, take this, it will help you sleep.’

Harry took the mug uncertainly.

‘Drink it. Neither of us want any more disturbed sleep.’ Snape reminded him testily. ‘And you’re still shaking.’

Harry drank it apprehensively.

‘Now lie down.’ Snape ordered. ‘Close your eyes.’ And almost at once Potter was lost in a deep sleep.

Which left Snape wide awake with his thoughts. He’d briefly legilmised Harry very subtly to check the boy wasn’t lying about his screams being unrelated to the Dark Lord. In doing so he’d caught the edge of many frantic strands of thoughts. Chiefly amongst them were the memories of that brute with his belt but there was a resounding thought pattern which was equally panicked in anticipating his temper. After many years of building up a fearsome image quite deliberately it suddenly didn’t seem quite as successful. Not when a hysterical child cringed away from you even as you tried to be patient. Nor when the child was making ridiculous plans to run off in the middle of the night to merlin knows where.

The next morning Harry woke feeling rested but then the memories came flooding back. He felt like he would expire with embarrassment at the thought of Snape witnessing his tears, then he remembered Snape’s earlier threat to send him back to the Dursleys and began to panic again.

Sitting down at the breakfast table the sight of food made him feel slightly sick. He’d thrown a book at Snape last night, tried to assault him. He’d topped that by waking him up screaming in the night and then to round everything off Snape had found the food. Stealing he’d called it. Harry hadn’t thought of it like that. Snape had never restricted what Harry ate at the table so he’d justified taking bits which he could have eaten anyway. Though he’d known Snape wouldn’t like it hence taking the food secretively and hiding it away.

Snape seemed in quite a good mood this morning. He hadn’t snarled at Harry, ordered him to hurry up or anything. And in spite of last night he was allowing Harry breakfast. Maybe he wasn’t as furious as Harry had thought.

Harry began to eat cautiously until a new terrible thought struck him. Snape had decided he was too much trouble and was going to send him back. That was why he seemed ok this morning, he was happy knowing he would soon be rid of Harry.

A wave of pure fear ran through Harry and he abandoned any last traces of pride as he tried to persuade his professor to give him another chance.

‘If you’re let me I’ll try really hard at occlumency.’ He started. ‘I’ll practise 3 hours a day, I won’t go flying or anything until I’ve mastered it.’

Snape didn’t bother to glance up from the papers he was reading as he replied sarcastically,

‘I’m glad to hear it.’

‘Honestly I’m going to be completely different... I’m going to work so hard at all my assignments. I’ll get up at 6 every day to finish them quickly and then I’ll do chores for you around the house the rest of the time.’

Severus finally dragged his eyes from his papers. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Potter so contrite.

‘I’m really sorry about waking you up last night. I promise it won’t ever happen again. I’ll clear my mind before bed for an hour, no two hours every night...’

Snape opened his mouth to speak but Harry knew what he was going to say, he had to change his mind. Uncle Vernon would kill him for sure. He wasn’t above begging.

‘Please. I’ll do anything you say. Whatever you want. Just don’t send me back there.’

‘Potter.’ Severus finally cut through the boys endless drivel in a cold harsh tone.

‘Yes?’ Harry replied hesitantly.

‘Shut up and eat your breakfast.’ Severus ordered him and turned back to his papers.

Honestly, was there ever any peace with this idiotic child?

Harry looked back at his professor uncertainly. Did this mean he would let him stay? He’d expected Snape to tell him start packing his bags. He picked up a piece of toast and nibbled it.

Severus delved into the pockets of his robes while Harry was eating and pulled out a brown sack which was attached to a short rope. He dumped it on the table next to Harry who looked up at him questioningly.

‘Your punishment for yesterday.’ Snape said in a clipped tone. ‘You will take your broom this morning and find certain plants outside which I need for potions. You need to find Planters fireweed, Acilians root and Weatherberries. I trust you know what each of these look like?’Harry nodded they were all pretty standard potions ingredients which he’d seen many times before.

‘Go then.’

Shell shocked Harry rose from the table. His punishment... was to go flying?

‘Oh and one more thing Potter.’ Snape called after him in a bored tone as he was about to leave the room. ‘Be careful along the ward boundaries. If you were to accidently stray over them it would set off the tracking motion charms. I would soon find where you were and bring you back, but you might not like the mood I’m in when I did find you.’

Harry nodded inching towards the door as he did so. Grabbing his broom, he was outside and flying in no time, with the wind running through his hair and all thoughts of his uncle and Snape a million miles away. He remembered in time not to start practising his quidditch tricks, concentrating instead on scouring the ground for the plants. After all perhaps if he did a good job he could do this again another time.