"Ready?" Draco asked Harry and he nodded, giving the empty classroom a glance over nervously.

"Mr Potter, are you having any trouble at home?" Draco asked in a deeper voice.

"Snape wouldn't ask that" Harry rolled his eyes.

"This is for anyone, just answer the damn question...imagine I am a prying teacher" Draco growled.

"Fine" Harry sighed. "No."

"Too short, sounds false and directed" Draco said. "Ask me the question."

"Mr Malfoy, are you having any trouble at home?" Harry asked in the same tone Draco had used while sitting on a dusty desk.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, playing his part well. "Things are fine."

"You're a good liar" Harry sighed.

"My parents were Death Eaters, Harry" Draco said quietly, lowering his gaze while he spoke. "I suppose it's in my genes or something. Now you try" He hastily changed the direction of his words. "Mr Potter, where did you get that bruise?"

"I fell" Harry said lamely.

"Argh!" Draco threw his hands up in annoyance. "You're not even trying, Harry! Imagine this is real like we used to imagine dragons guarding over us when we were little!"

"Fine" Harry growled and huffed, closing his eyes to visualise for a moment. "Ask me again."

"Just answer the question" Draco refused and crossed his arms.

"Oh, Draco shoved me earlier" Harry said loudly and sarcastically while giving his brother a slight glare.

"That works" Draco shrugged. "Okay, ask me one."

"Mr Malfoy, you barely mention your living situation...is there a reason for that?" He asked, glancing down at a book they had borrowed from the library on how to get children to talk about situations.

"Not really" Draco shrugged. "They're just rather boring and we don't have much in common."

Harry glanced up and nodded. "We're doing heaps better than an hour ago."

"You are...I happen to know how to lie already" Draco said although he had a bit of trouble at first in how to word his replies.

"Alright. Mr Potter, you seem rather skinny...were you getting enough food at home?"

"No one would ask that" Harry replied with a scoff.

"You are skinny" Draco said. "Just answer it!"

"I don't know how to answer that!" Harry said but thought for a moment.

 'Um...it's fine, I just lose weight really quickly no matter how much I eat, how's that?"

"Yeah, fine" Draco sighed and grabbed a book, peering into it for another inspiration.

Snape had been searching for the boys for some time now but almost assumed they were in their common room when he heard their voices.

He had overheard the librarian telling McGonagall that the boys had borrowed some rather sugestive books involving psychology and methods of talking to children, making some lame excuse about homework and wanting to be psychologists when they left school. So Snape went in search of them to fullfil his own curiosity and concern.

He paused briefly as he was mere meters from the door of an empty classroom on the second floor and listened in, so sure that it was the boys he had been lucky to finally come across.

"Okay, try this one" Draco said. "Mr Potter, is there a reason that you don't want to go home during the Christmas holidays. It is a time for family, don't you miss yours?"

"Good one and as if" Harry said with a snort. "Um...I prefer to spend it at Hogwarts because my family usually go away during Christmas anyway."

"Nice" Draco nodded and handed the book over.

"Mr Malfoy, you seem rather anxious when startled, is anything bothering you lately?" Harry asked, deepening his tone again while Snape listened in, fearing that he knew what they were doing.

"Had to bring that up, didn't you?" Draco frowned.

"Fine um...no, I just have a lot on my mind and didn't get much sleep" Draco said. "See, we're fine now...and this is drying my brain out."

"What about the reflexes?" Harry asked, slamming a book shut.

"I don't know..." Draco pondered and Snape chose that moment to sweep past, pause and then enter the room.

"And what is going on here?" He barked, purposefully loud, seeing the way they tensed and Harry dropped his book. "If you wish for a place to study than take it to the library or your common room!"

"Yes sir!" They replied in union and gathered their books before rushing past, hushing whispers between each other as they did so.

Snape had enough evidence now and directed himself to Dumbledore's office right away, not even staying to watch the boys dissappear out of sight while they whispered hurridly to each other.

"Severus, and what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" Dumbledore asked as he looked up when Snape entered.

"I merely wish to enquire about Potter and Malfoy's living situation" Snape said.

"And just what details does this enquiry include?" Dumbledore questioned curiously as he studied the man before him and wondered what had brought this on.

"I have a reason to believe that they are perhaps not...well cared for" Snape said as if he was struggling with something inside, in which he was. What he had heard and seen today went against everything that he had previously believed about the boys; that they had been spoiled and over-cared for. Well perhaps he had thought those things of Potter, but not so much about Draco.

"I placed them under the care of Harry's aunt and uncle" Dumbledore said, even thought Snape was well aware of that fact.

"I have members from the Order of the Phoenix check on them regularly since. There is yet to be a report of the boys being treated too poorly."

Snape seated himself in front of the headmaster's desk and pondered on how to get a more straight answer from the man.

"I recently witnessed Malfoy reacting abnormally to a simple touch, upon this observation I paid more attention to their behaviour and the results were not pleasing, Albus. Malfoy's reaction was quite unsettling" Snape said with a stressed sigh. "One would think I had slapped the boy" He said in disgust.

"I also came across them previous to this current meeting and they were studying a number of suspicious books involving muggle psychology and appeared to training themselves to answer certain questions involving their home life" He added, stressing the importance of his words.

Dumbledore watched him for a period of several minutes before nodding and getting up from his seat to begin pacing the office. Snape said nothing as he watched, unsure if the man was actually considering or aware of what he'd said or if he was about to feed him some pathetic reason as to why he should ignore what he'd witnessed with the boy.

Snape was beginning to wonder if he should've of come to the headmaster afterall when the man suddenly spoke, almost startling Snape as he did so.

"Are you intending to take action on this matter?" Dumbledore asked. "If the situation is to be judged as something truly concerning?"

"I am merely indicating that something is amiss; I do not wish to involve myself in their problems" Snape said. "My past with their parents and the boys themselves is not something I wish to indulge in."

"Ah" Dumbledore nodded. "Explain to me again how the boy reacted" He requested while seating himself once more behind his desk.

"Rather violently" Snape said. "I simply place a hand on Draco's shoulder and he flew from his seat as though his chair had hexed him. After investigation, Irma Pince informed me that Potter has reacted in a simular manner when she found him in the library in an emotional state. She also claimed that he had given her an expression simular to the one a person would give if she had sprouted five heads" He said, repeating her description.

"I see. That would be a desturbing sight indeed" Dumbledore nodded.

"And what do you intend to do with this information?" He questioned again as though he was worried that Snape would kidnap the boys or something equally desturbing.

"Do not lead yourself under false implications that I will confront the boys or continue this matter of concern, I will not" Snape said and crossed his arms.

"I intended only to inform you in the rare chance that you are not already aware of the situation" He said, voicing his suspicions that Dumbledore was indeed knowing on the topic although it didn't make him feel any better at all.

"I'm afraid that I am aware of the neglect the boys are shown in their home" Dumbledore sighed sadly but was still perfectly composed in Snape's eyes.

"The extent in which they are mistreated, I am however uncertain with. Perhaps you could keep a closer eye on the boys?" He asked.

Despite the fact that he had disagreed to any involvement, Snape felt himself nodding in agreement to Dumbledore's suggestion, although he was no fool and knew it was in fact an instruction.

"And if there is a cause for concern?"

"I do not believe that there is anything to be concerned about, Severus" Dumbledore told him.

"I am merely unsure of the cause for such reactions from the boys, curious perhaps as well for why no other members of the staff noticed such behaviour."

Snape narrowed his eyes and then stood from his chair. He gave a brief nod and left the office without another word, wondering if he really was over-reacting to a simple startle from each boy or if the headmaster was being ignorant and misleading him off the topic. For whatever reason, Snape had a few theories...each as likely and unlikely as the next.

No matter what Dumbledore had said, Snape had every intention to not only be more aware of the boys" behaviours but also confront the pair with it should he be suspicious. Of course, he didn't care for either of them...he was merely doing his job.

But Snape knew he was trying to fool himself for what possible reason should he have to be as concerned as he was for two Gryffindors that didn't even remember him from the one encounter he'd had with each of them over ten years ago?

Snape usually did things on his own but decided that the best course of action would be to also test the boys in a way where it wasn't coming from the teacher they disliked.

So twenty minutes after his discussion with Dumbledore, Snape found himself knocking on the office door of Gryffindor's Head of House, Minerva McGonagall.

"Yes?" She asked and he stepped into the room. "Severus? Which unlucky member of the Gryffindor house has crossed your path this time?" McGonagall sighed as she removed her reading glasses and surveyed him with a curious expression.

"This is not a matter of punishment, Minerva" Snape said. "Although I confess this is a rare moment" He said, mostly to annoy her as well since he still was no fan of the house in which his school bullies had belonged to. "It is involving Potter and Malfoy."

"I suspected as much" McGonagall nodded. "I have seen you paying more attention to the boys during meals, is there a need for concern? Or are you coming to give me a compliment on how great my students are?" She smirked.

"Hardly" He said in a dull tone and then they both dropped the usual Gryffindor vs Slytherin tease they have had going on for years and got down to business.

"Have you noticed anything...amiss with their behaviour since their arrival at school? Perhaps the way they interact with others?"

McGonagall glanced down at her paper-cluttered desk for a moment as she pondered on his words and tried to remember an incident that could be considered "amiss".

"They work quite well together in Transfiguration, I do also believe that it is Draco's favourite subject. They're a bit distant and untrusting towards others, even Ronald Weasley who is seen to be their best friend. There is a rivalry between Mathew Lark and the boys from your house, but apart from that I do not see what you mean."

"You and I are above such coddling in classrooms and abide by reasonable discpline" Snape said and she almost considered that a compliment but remained quiet for he rarely sought her out with serious issues and it was clear that he hadn't come to her office on a whim.

"Has there been such an occassion in which you have perhaps given them a detention, expressed loud displeasure to their behaviour or had any proper contact with them at all?" He asked, unsure of how else to phrase it.

"The boys are usually quite well behaved, only striking my attention when Mr Lark gets into an argument with them; you really must talk to that boy about trying to start fights" She frowned.

"I have never felt the need to raise my voice at either boy, although I do recall a moment when Mr Potter was talking to Mr Weasley instead of working and I placed a hand on his shoulder to redirect his attention..." She trailed off in memory.

"And how did the boy react?" Snape pressed.

"He almost fell out of his seat" McGonagall sighed. "I had clearly startled him. But I cannot see how this is of any importance, Severus?"

"The boys are rather simple to startle; I was merely curious if there was a reason behind it. Thank-you, Minerva" He nodded and left the office, leaving a worried and confused Professor McGonagall behind.

While Snape studied the boys and tested them occasionally, he began to think that perhaps the boys simply caused trouble at home for they only jumped at sudden actions and were otherwise quite fine.

They had no obvious injuries or issues with being socialised, so he forced himself to ignore the matter and convinced himself to stop over-worrying about nothing.

McGonagall however found his visit rather nerving and set out to check on the boys herself but didn't want to be obvious about it so awaited until an oppurtunity presented itself. The chance she had hoped for arrived in the form of her holiday collection list.

She wandered around the Gryffindor table during lunch one early afternoon to see who was staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holiays and who would be returning home. She paused and took her time as she reached the desinated section of the table.

"Mr Weasley?" She questioned and he had to swallow his food before answering.

"My parents were going to Romania, but there's been a change of plans" Ron said. "I'll be going home for the holidays."

"Very well" McGonagall nodded as her self-notes quill crossed his name off her list. "Mr Potter and Malfoy? Will you boys be returning home for the holidays? I am sure you would like to spent it with your family?"

"No Professor" Harry replied. "We'd like to stay here for the holidays."

"Yeah, they probably won't be home anyway" Draco added while glancing at Harry with an odd expression.

McGonagall nodded and checked that their names had been written down before speaking again.

"Is there any other particular reason that you boys wish to stay? Judging by my list you may end up being the only ones left from Gryffindor. Surely it will be too vacant?" She questioned.

"We don't mind" Draco replied.

"We have each other" Harry added with a nod. "Please Professor...we want to stay."

"Alright" She replied and moved on without another thought to Snape's meeting as she too saw no obviouss signs that anything was wrong involving the boys and wondered what Snape had been refering to anyway.

The man himself was actually eyeing the boys as they spoke to McGonagall and he just knew they would be staying over the holidays.

Normally he had no intention of doing so as well but if the boys were staying...he wanted to take the chance to keep an eye on them for it was a fact that almost all the teachers would be going away for the holidays.

He also did not like the idea of a Malfoy and Potter spending a week or two alone in the castle.

Snape lowered his gaze to his mostly-empty plate and knew that it wasn't entirely his reason for staying over the holidays, but he had nothing to go home to anyway.

Normally he did it only to avoid Dumbledore's Christmas mood and the over-decoration of the place, but this year he decided that he would endure it just to see the looks on the boys faces as they enjoyed their Christmas...like all children should.