“Harry!” Bellatrix pulled him into a hug once he burst in through the doors. “Nice to see you.” She put down her marking. “The summer assignments are terrible to mark!”

Harry smiled. “Good luck.” He pulled out of her embrace and dropped his book bag in his room before heading back to the sitting room. Severus had arrived from the Great hall and was slumped tiredly in a chair.

“Fifth years are a nightmare. I've got no idea how they're ever going to be ready for OWLS. Even the Slytherins were a nightmare to teach.” He groaned, trying to rub a headache out of his head, groaning again when the pain simply increased.

Bellatrix waved her hand and summoned a headache relief potion. Severus had been teaching her Occlumency and wandless magic but the summoning was as far as her abilities had developed. She handed him the vial. “Just take this instead. I've already had one.”

Severus knocked back the potion. “Thanks.” He said, standing back up. “I'm going to lay down for awhile. Harry, you probably want to do the same.”

Harry glanced at the clock, then back at his father. “It's only 6:30! I'm not going to bed now!” He didn't want to be treated like a child, it wasn't his fault he hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. “I'm eleven.” He reminded the adults.

Severus cuffed the back of his head gently. “I know how old you are. But we'll be up late and it will be very tiring.” He gave Bellatrix a significant look. They'd set up schedules for Harry's lessons, but neither of them had shared their curriculum with the other.

At the reminded of the lesson Harry stopped complaining and changed into casual robes that would be fine for anything he had to do later. Then he crawled into bed and drifted into sleep, waiting for his father to wake him for his lessons.

The school was dark and quiet when Severus took his son through it. He'd cast a very strong disillusionment charm over them and only the ghosts and animals would be able to see them. Mrs Norris stared at them but she recognized Professor Snape and let them pass without alerting her master to their presence.

“Where are we going?” Harry asked. They were quite aways away from any place he was familiar with. It reminded him of the day his father had brought him to the pool.

Severus glared at him. “Hush. We're almost there.” He stopped in front of what appeared to be just another section of blank wall. “Nemain.” The wall disappeared, for it was only an illusion. Severus herded his son out into the dark of night.

Harry followed his father for another long stretch. He was almost certain that they were in the forbidden forest, but the clearing his mother had brought him to on Wednesday had been in the forbidden forest too, so it probably wasn't cause for alarm.

“Stop and take out your wand.” Severus told his son. He moved to the other side of the clearing they had just entered and once he stopped moving blended in with the dark tress behind him.

Harry took out his wand and looked around. “Dad? Are you still here?” He held his wand in front of him. “Lumos.”

Once Harry cast the spell, Severus could clearly see where he was. He circled around to the side and cast a silent body bind on Harry before stepping out into the light. “Never lose sight of your opponent.” He scolded then reserving the jinx on Harry.

Harry was scowling when he stood up. “You never told me we were dueling!” He complained. “And it's dark, how am I suppose to see anything?”

Severus glared back at his son. “Do you expect your enemies to explain what they're doing before they attack you? Do you think they'll wait until you're ready for them?” He waited for answer. “On your feet!”

After clambering off the ground Harry faced his father with his wand up. “Now what?”

“We try again.” Severus stepped into the trees. He didn't depend on the darkness to hide him this time and moved quickly through the underbrush emerging on the other side of Harry.

But this time Harry was listening for the rustle of branches and whiped around when he heard a slight sound. He was luck and just managed to get a shield up before the tickling charm hit him. The force of it made him gasp and he defected it into the ground.

Severus wasn't finished with him. He circled him, not losing his concentration on Harry's wand arm. If Harry fell into the habit of moving his arm before he cast a spell it would give his actions away to his enemies.

“Langlock!” Harry cried, stepping forward and waving his wand. His father blocked the spell and sent one right back at him. Harry didn't attempt to block it, he just moved out of the way and let it fly past him harmlessly.

Harry tried to concentrate as he moved in slow circles around his father. His head was busy thinking of spells and ten billion other things, he just couldn't focus! Eventually he grew tired of the waiting game. “Confundus.” He said the spell softly, hoping that Severus wouldn't hear it and it would slip past through his defences.

Severus blocked it with a lazy flick of his wand. “Turbo.” Harry was sent across the clearing in a funnel of air. He crashed down on the other side of the clearing. His wand had gone flying and Severus's accio'd it and tucked it into a pocket.

“That hurt.” Harry groaned. Turbo was a dangerous spell for practising. If one hit the ground too hard all sorts of nasty things could happen. He was certain that he'd have a few bruises tomorrow. “But I think I did better that time.”

“It will take practice and hard work.” Severus offered him a hand to help him up. “But you've gotten much better than the first time. Just remember not to let your mind wander.” He took a step back from Harry.

Harry felt through his pockets and wand holster, his movements growing more frantic when he couldn't find his wand. “Da,” he turned to his father, “have you seen my wand?” He asked nervously, losing his wand always angered his parents.

Severus smirked. “Summon it to yourself.” He'd decided to teach Harry wandless magic through necessity. It was a very useful skill to have, even if only to summon your wand back to you. Bellatrix could only summon things and do a little bit of levitation and fire starting. But both Potter and Lily had been magically gifted and Harry had their powers in him.

“Okay.” Harry held his hand out in front of him. “Accio Harry's wand.” Nothing happened. Severus didn't even feel the wand move in his pocket.

“Give it another try. Visualize your wand and it flying to you. Then cast as you imagine it coming into your hand.” Severus instructed Harry. Wandless magic came easily for him, he wasn't sure how to teach it. But Bellatrix had a much easier time than Harry. Of course she had a larger amount of energy to call on as an adult.

Harry imagined his wand. The cool wood in his hand, he tried to see it flying through the air and thudding into his hand. “Accio Harry's wand.” He called again, willing his wand to jump into his hand.

Severus felt the wand move in his pocket. Definitely some power. “Better, try it again.” He ordered.

“Accio Harry's wand.” Harry tried to have his hand remember what it was like to hold his wand. The rush of heat that came up it and the warmth it left in his body.

This time the wand leapt out of Severus's pocket. But it didn't go any further, simply falling to the forest floor. “Much better.” Severus wandlessly summoned the wand to him and handed it to Harry. “We'll try the exercise again next week. Practice during the week if you can. But only in private, you don't want everyone knowing you're learning wandless magic.”

Harry nodded. “Okay. Is the lesson done?” It seemed like not much time had passed, but he felt exhausted. It would be nice to go to bed right about now.

Severus took out his own wand. “Not yet. We're going to work on a few new spells.” He held his wand in front of him. “This one is for repelling insects.” He moved his wand carefully in the pattern and said, “Morphus Arachnid.”

With a puzzled expression on his face, Harry repeated the spell. “Does that mean, look like a spider?” He asked, his Latin wasn't very good, but simple things weren't beyond his understanding.

“Essentially. The insects believe that you are a predator. They stay away after that.” Severus told him. “It's a very useful charm.” He put his wand back in his holster and walked to the path that lead away from the cleaning. “We're going to run back to the castle. You will run in front of me.”

Harry nodded and took out his wand, incanting a Lumos charm. When his father frowned he asked, “is there something wrong with my spell?”

Severus kept his face blank. “No, you may start running now.” He didn't take his wand out. The path was relatively straight and the energy to continue the spell would make him run slower. But it was an easy run. Bellatrix had started him running it when they began to come out to the clearing for her classes in wandless magic. She said it was good exercise and built stamina. Severus just thought it was a good way to end sessions. The lessons were loosely structured and there wasn't a lot of repeating procedures, so the run helped build structure and let Harry know that the lesson was almost over.

Harry ran in front of his father. At first it was easy but as he continued to run he started to pant and struggled to keep his wand arm high. His whole body felt like it was made out of stone and he wanted more than anything to collapse to the ground and fall asleep.

“Come on Harry. Keep running.” Severus stepped off the path and ran beside his son. He was moving very slowly now, almost walking. “Almost there.” Bellatrix had needed encouragement to finish running the first few times. Wandless magic was very taxing.

After what seemed like hours, Harry saw the wall of Hogwarts in front of them. He collapsed against the wall, letting the cold stone sooth his overworked muscles. “Finally.”

Severus concealed a smile. Harry looked so young and pouty. It reminded him of the way Harry used to complain when he was younger. “Nemain.” He told the wall to make it let them in. It wasn't very late but he let them return to their quarters without the disillusionment charm. It would take to much energy to keep up. Even through he was older and had stronger magic than Harry he was still tired. And he was meeting with Filius the next afternoon to practice endurance exercises. He definitely needed to be well rested.

Bellatrix had waited up for them and she pushed away her marking when they walked through the door. “I was starting to worry. It seems so much longer when you're waiting alone.” She got up and half carried Harry to his room. “Are giving him a sleeping draft?” She called over her shoulder.

Severus didn't bother to answer. He just summoned the potion and entered Harry's room. Bellatrix spelled Harry into a pair of warm, flannel, Slytherin pyjamas with a warming charm on them. She tucked him into bed.

“I'll wait for you Severus.” She said with a kiss before leaving the room and dosing the sitting room's lights.

“Here Harry. Don't sleep yet.” Severus waited until the half asleep boy pulled himself up.

“What's that?” He asked as he yawned. “I don't need anything.”

“A sleeping potion.” Severus didn't wait for Harry to argue that he didn't need any help falling asleep. “It will let you get enough sleep and help replenish your magic. Just drink it.”

Harry tipped the vial back and swallowed the sleeping potion and magic replenisher. “Night dad. See you tomorrow.” He yawned again and rolled away from Severus, pulling his blankets around him like a cocoon.

Severus waited and watched the sleeping boy for a few minutes. He still remembered the night that Bell had burst in through his fireplace and asked for help. The Unbreakable vow she'd sworn. But that night wasn't all good. It was the night that Lily died and no one could ever replace her in Severus's heart.

The sitting room was dark, but Severus didn't linger in it. He headed to his office and found some ink that wasn't read and a quill that he hadn't angrily destroyed when he did the summer marking. Sometimes it seemed like everything the brats had learned was forgotten over the summer.

He got a piece of parchment and wrote two quick notes.

Miss Granger,

Please come to my office at 4:30 Saturday. Dress nicely and be prepared with your class supplies.

Professor S. Snape.

He sealed the letter and placed a charm on it to deliver it to her the next morning. He wasn't sure how to invite her to dinner, but a letter seemed like a good idea, so he wrote the second one.

Mr Cornfoot,

Please come to my office at 4:30 Saturday. Dress nicely and be prepared with your class supplies.

Professor S. Snape.

He put his things away, making a mental note to bring the youngest Weasley boy to his office so that Harry could apologize to him. Then he headed to the bedroom to get so much needed sleep.