Snape saw the party go and had mixed feelings. He was glad of the ward-free time, he needed to keep on brewing and needed time to prepare ingredients. But Potter had looked so exited and he felt… envious, Albus and Minerva would enjoy the boy, they would allow him to eat and do everything.

The last week had been an emotional rollercoaster. He had had literally to fight with the child to make him accept that he needed clothes, that he could swim or use a bike. He was the responsible adult that had to make him eat healthy and sleep on time.

And today they would enjoy themselves regardless of the boy’s behavior, and they would eat what ever crossed their path. He would have liked to go with them!

He placed his thoughts in the back of his mind to study later and started chopping ingredients and brewing his potions.

By 5 he had 8 different cauldrons boiling and the potions were about to be ready. He went to the kitchen for a cup of tea, he had had a light lunch, he felt hungry and decided to have a sandwich, he would wait until Harry arrived to have dinner with the boy.

At 9,  when dinner time arrived and passed without news he was worried. He was about to go to Hogwarts when the floo chimed and he found Dumbledore and McGonagall in his living room. He felt bile rising from his stomach as panic started to invade him, he could not manage to ask where his ward was. A moment latter Harry stood at his feet. Well Harry was not standing, he was splayed in the floor, as was his custom when floo traveling. Why didn’t Dumbledore or Minerva travel along with him? Why was he not sent first?

“Harry, my boy! I’m glad you decided to join us at last.” Dumbledore was smiling as if it was usual to lose the youngest party member.

“At last? Did you part company?”

“Not at all Severus. Just this last leg of the ride. Mr. Potter traveled first, but was not clear enough about his destination.”

“Where had you been, Mr. Potter?” McGonagall asked.

“I don’t know professor, as soon as I get out of the floo I realized it was not home, I mean Prince Manor, I… found some floo powder beside the chimney and… came back here….”

“Well done, my child.” Beamed Dumbledore.

Snape was livid, he couldn’t talk. Harry saw his face and stood up beside him. He was also pretty shaken.

“Well Severus, Harry, we’ll see you next week. Please keep me posted about the potion, Severus. I wish to give the good news to our mutual friend as soon as possible.”

Mutual friend indeed thought Snape. “Would you care for some tea?” He knew he would never dare to poison the old man, but it did not hurt to think about it.

“Thank you, Severus, but we have to go.” Dumbledore said. “I saw half a dozen owls waiting for me at my office. “But we may stay for tea next week.”

Harry was quiet, but he remembered his manners.

“Thanks a lot for taking me, Professors, it was really fun.”

“I am glad you enjoyed it, Harry, we will do something else next week.”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.”

“We’ll goodbye, after you, Minerva…?”

“I’ll stay for a moment more, Albus, Severus do you remember that paste that you made for me last Winter, I need to ask you for a refill…”

“Of course…”

“In that case I’ll see you later, Minerva.”

Dumbledore disappeared in the chimney.

“Mr. Potter, your dinner is served, go ahead and start eating.”

“But, Professor I’m…”

“Now, Mr. Potter..”

“Yes, sir.”

Minerva and Severus saw him leave.

“Do not press him to eat Severus, he ate twice his weight in sweets, he had everything, from popcorn to pretzels, to fish and chips, to cake and ice-cream.”

“Couldn’t you stop him?”

“It was not really his idea….Have you tried to say no to Albus…? He just wanted to gave Harry a taste….”

“At least he is in one piece… I presume he behaved himself, did he not?”

“Yes, he did, he was obedient and eager. May be a little afraid of crowded places. He stood by us all the time. We got separated for a while as we were walking out of the Museum, it was just a few minutes, but he was sensible enough to stay put in a visible out of the way place, until we found him. He did not want to eat that many sweets, he barely asked for anything. Just look at the souvenir stores. But you know Albus, he insisted that Harry should try the sugar cotton and the ice-cream, and the apples with chocolate….It seemed that we were walking through London just to find all the nice things to eat. Harry got to see the Zoo and the Tower and Albus was amazed by the food courts. Next time I will insist on visiting just one place. I’m too old to walk this much.

Snape had opened a cupboard and was looking for Minerva’s’ paste, he asked “Did he had fun?” He wanted to make it pass as an after thought, he couldn’t see her face.

“Yes, of course. He enjoyed everything with marvelous ingenuity. He had never had a real outing in his life! He told us that it was in the Zoo where he first talked with a snake, a Boa. He was a little shaken after we got separated at the museum, or maybe he was tired, he kept quiet all the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Albus decided that it would be faster to use the floo there and we got to Hogsmeade. He apologized profusely for getting lost. It really was no more that five minutes, but he was very sorry. Albus told him not to worry. And then he got confused in the floo. We come through Albus office, you know he couldn’t be in danger.”

“Here is the paste you wanted, remember to clean the surface before using it and keep it away from your eyes.” Minerva placed it in her carpetbag.

“Thanks a lot.”

“I would appreciate it if you hold on to, Mr. Potter while floo traveling. He still has to get the hang of it.”

“We’ll do that.. You should come next week with us.”

“I’m busy.”

“Well, think about it. You could do with some leisure time. I’ll see you later,” She took out some packages from her carpetbag. “Here, these are Potter’s souvenirs, Albus bought everything he saw. Harry just said that he wanted to bring you something.”

Severus saw the older witch out on the floo, he couldn’t believe the quantity of packages in his sitting room. He left them there for later inspection and went to the dinning room. Harry was not there but arrived a moment later.

“I went to wash, sir. I got very dirty in the floo. I should have spoken clearer, but I had a candy in my mouth...”

“Sit down, Mr. Potter.”

“I am not really hungry, sir.” Snape could see that Harry looked a little green. Harry’s stomach was upset, he smelled a little of the fish soup in his plate and bolted to the nearest bathroom.

Snape went after him. He could hear the retching from the hall.

Harry saw his boots and dark clad figure on the door. He sat in the tile floor.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Snape helped him up.

“Hush. Mr. Potter, here rinse clean your mouth with some water.” He gave him a glass of water. And saw the boy at the sink cleaning his mouth. “Is that better?”

“Yes, sir… I’m sorry.”

“You ate more that what your stomach is used to processing, Mr. Potter and then you shook it well.”

“I was so frightened when I left the floo…. The first time that I used it.. I was with Ron’s family, I arrived in Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley, I…did not know how to go back…. Hagrid found me. I thought I was lost…”

“You were in no danger at all, Harry.” Snape walked out of the bathroom with the boy.

Harry did not understand. He just looked at Snape.

“Come with me, Mr. Potter.”

Harry followed Snape upstairs and to his study. He wondered if he was in trouble. Snape opened the door and showed him in, he did not stop in the study, he opened a door that took them to a room with chairs in front of a chimney. There was some floo power and dust in the rug.

“Does this place look familiar, Mr. Potter?”

Harry looked around then stood in the chimney.

“This is the place I came out in the floo, but… I don’t understand….Sir.”

“Prince Manor was isolated, there was no connection to the floo at all, we wanted to keep it safe but able to communicate and go to Hogwarts, so we established the connection. It only goes from the Manor, in two chimneys this one in my room and the one in the living room. And it only goes to Professor Dumbledore’s Office in Hogwarts, or my rooms in the school. As you were not clear about the destination it brought you to my room.”

“I thought I was lost! I thought that no one would find me! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I do not have to tell you about every little detail, Mr. Potter, you have to follow instructions…..”

“But I should have known….!”

“If you are going to throw a tantrum, Mr. Potter, It’s better that you go to your room and get ready for bed….”

Snape saw him run out to his room and heard the door slam. ‘Merlin protect him from emotional pre-teens!’ He went back to the diningroom and vanished the food.

The distress wards were not going off, so he decided to leave the child alone.

He needed to add more ingredients to his potions, so he went to the lab. He concentrated bottling his work, he would go to the green-eyed child before going to bed, just to check on him.

A little after midnight He felt the presence of his ward at the door of the potion’s lab.

“Do not stay lurking in the shadows, Mr. Potter. Come inside.”

He saw that the child was wearing slippers and robe with his pajamas.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, Mr. Potter?”

“I can’t sleep, Professor.”

“Come and sit here.” He placed a stool beside the table. The boy obeyed, looking around to the boiling cauldrons.

“Is something bothering you, Mr. Potter?” Asked Snape as he chopped some roots. There were only two cauldrons in the fire. Three were empty beside multicolored vials and there were three more on a sink nearby.

“Did you make potions all day, sir?”

“I have to re-stock the infirmary, a lot of these potions need time to simmer to gain their properties, I had to start with some of them if I wanted to have them before the term begins.” Snape let the chopped root fall into one of the cauldrons. “You also had an interesting long day, didn’t you, Mr. Potter?”

“It was great. I had never visited London like that, Professor Dumbledore wanted to see it all. It was really fun…. Have you ever traveled in the Knightbus? That was the craziest…. And we walked a lot, Professor Dumbledore liked the automatic doors… and the food courts! He wanted to try everything…! Professor McGonagall has the souvenirs we bought for you…”

“To much excitement to let you sleep, Mr. Potter? Or to much junk food?”

“I feel a little nausea still… Sir”

“Open the cupboard behind you, third shelf, in the middle, white vial, it is a digestive potion, drink half of it, wait 5 minutes and then drink the other half. You’ll feel better... Mr. Potter, you’ll find glasses in the lower shelf.” He saw Harry trying to drink from the glass vial.

Harry placed down the potion and found the glass, he poured half the content and he drank it, it had a mint flavor. He felt the freshness going down to his stomach and felt better.

“I bet that Madam Pomfrey is glad that you prepare the potions for the Infirmary, Sir, they work very well.”

“I am sure that you have experienced them more than enough times. Mr. Potter”

“Yes, sir.” Harry drank the other half.

“I bet that she wouldn’t ask for so many small doses if she were to help bottling them.”

“How many vials are filled from a cauldron, sir?”

“It all depends on the consistency of the potion. Mr. Potter, but it’s too late in the night for you to try to calculate the formula, if your stomach is better, you may go back to bed.”

“May I help you, sir.” Snape look incredulous at him. “I can pour the potion in the vials or I can cut and chop if you tell me what to do.”

Snape thought that Harry was trying to makeup for his little tantrum, but it was not the moment to talk about that.

“Not tonight, Mr. Potter, I appreciate your offer, but the only thing left to finish these potions is to let them boil a little longer. It’s a boring task, get back to bed.”

“May I stay here with you for a while, sir?”

“Did you have a nightmare, Mr. Potter?” Snape had not felt the wards go off, but… maybe the nightmare had been mild…

“No, sir, I… I don’t want to fall asleep…”

“As I explained, you were in no danger in the floo, Mr. Potter. I would have preferred if you had used it with Albus or Minerva, I guess it upset you, I thought that with your little outburst up in my room and the slammed door you had gotten it out of your system.” Harry placed the glass in the table and started looking at the floor. “Get back to bed, Potter, and try counting brooms.”

“Brooms, sir? The usual is to count sheep.”

“You may count whatever you want, Harry, sheep, kittens, snakes… brooms are quieter and stay put.”

“Unless you want them to fill a tank of water… Sir”

“What are you talking about, Mr. Potter?”

Harry explained about a movie he once saw about the Sorcerer Apprentice. Snape could see that the boy was tired, he heard the story, and was reminded again that this child was 12, and he was telling him the story to prevent being sent to bed. Why was the boy scared?

“Did you talk to the snakes in the Zoo, Mr. Potter?

“No, sir. Since the Boa escaped the Serpentaire, it’s very popular, I visited it, but I couldn’t speak with them. They look fine.”

“Did the serpents make you remember the Basilisk? Are you afraid of dreaming about it?”

“No, sir. I have not dreamt about it…” Yet, though Harry as he turned and tried to look interested as he looked at the cauldrons. Snape allowed the silence to spread. Harry released a sigh, Snape was not sure if it was a sign that the child was going to speak or if he was going to go back to bed. The boy did not move.

“Clearly you are upset about something, Mr. Potter, is it related to your outing? Or is there something else in your conscience that prevents you from sleeping?

Harry did look guilty. What was the child hiding?

Harry look at his professor, he knew that the man did not like to play games or loose his time, he had to tell him, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

“I… I…I saw them… when I got lost in the Museum… I…”

“Could you be more specific as to whom did you see Mr. Potter, a Pack of Wolves, a Murder of Crows… a Pride of Lions?” Snape liked to use his words.

“My relatives… Sir, they were in the store…, at the Museum…, my cousin wanted to buy something big and my aunt was calling for help to the assistant, I didn’t see Uncle Vernon, but I heard him….”

“Where were Albus and Minerva?”

“They were…. We left the presentation together, but I wanted to buy something, so I let them walk ahead… I thought I would find something for you… But… I saw them and I froze, sir.” The boy was shivering with the memory.

“Did they see you, Potter?” Snape did not want to panic, not just yet.

“No, sir, I don’t think so, I ran to the lavatories and hid in one of the stalls, I left after I didn’t hear any noise outside. I found Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall looking for me outside the door. I didn’t tell them.”

“And why is that, Mr. Potter? Don’t you think they are able to defend you?” Dumbledore and Snape had thought that Muggle London would be safe for Harry, he never thought that they would have to monitor his family’s whereabouts.

“Not that, sir, Is that…. I was told to stay close. And…I was scared.”

“Your recklessness placed you in danger, Potter, once again….”

“Yes, sir.”

“Were you scared that they were going to scold you, Mr. Potter?”

“Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall? No, sir, I mean… I thought they would, I didn’t want to be scolded, they would have been right to lecture me…, I had to stay close to them and they thought I was lost and said it was good I had stayed in the lavatory, I was ashamed …. I couldn’t tell them, sir.

“And now you cant sleep….”

“I am sorry, sir. I was scared of them seeing me, and now… every time I close my eyes I think I’m in the cupboard and this is only a dream. Do you think I should have faced them?”

“Of course not, child, you know them better than I do, but I do think that they would have made a spectacle in the middle of the Museum, no one was supposed to know where you were and a scandal wouldn’t have been a good idea. You took yourself out of their range, that is always wise. You hid until it was safe to go out. You met with your party as soon as possible. Potter, I do think that you handle it better than your usual way.”

“I was such a coward! I don’t want to be scared of them….”

“They can’t hurt you now, Harry, and you will be able to face them. There will be a moment when you will be able to look them in the eye and say ‘I’m not scared, you can’t hurt me any more’ until then, my advice is that you stay close to your companions and stop tempting luck.” Snape took the empty glass and placed it in the sink a little too hard, so it smashed. Harry heard a reparo and with out looking at him asked:

“Are you angry with me, sir?”

“Yes, I am. We want you to be safe, Harry, the least you can do is cooperate with your safety.”

“I’m sorry.” The boy looked penitent enough, and judging for all that he went through…

“You will apologize to Professor Dumbledore and to Professor McGonagall, Mr. Potter, you will write them a letter explaining your doings. I will ask them to place a toddler’s charm to your shoes on your next outing, your shoes won’t let you get away from them, if you try, you’ll get stuck to the floor until the caster is back in range.”

“That doesn’t sound like fun, sir.”

“It’s not fun, Potter, but it’s worst to lose a child, any child. And I can assure you, Harry, we do not want to loose you.”

“Do you think they would want to take me out again, sir?”

“Yes, they would, you will apologize and you will have served your punishment by next week, Mr. Potter, you may mention it in you letter.”

“Punishment… Sir?”

“Do not tell me you did not expect to be punished young man, actions got reactions. That is why you came to see me this late, didn’t you?”

Harry just nodded, Snape could see that he was not so nervous any more.

“No dessert or sweets for you tomorrow, Mr. Potter. You will write your letters, I will review them and I want you to explain to them what you did. Then I want a 2 foot essay relating all the things that you did today, all the places and all that you saw, you’ll have an early bedtime so you’ll have to finish it before dinner. And for your little tantrum and the slamming of the door… you’ll stay in the corner for 15 minutes after breakfast. Do you think that you can go back to bed now, Mr. Potter? Or should I keep on being creative?”

“No need to be creative, sir.”

“Get going, I won’t allow you to stay late in bed tomorrow.”

Harry stood from the chair and walked toward the door. Once there he said:

“Sir…”

“Good night, Mr. Potter.”

“Would you teach me how to do a light sphere like the one you left in my room the night I had the nightmare, sir?

How could he say no to the child that owned those green bright eyes? Snape turned off the fire from his cauldrons. And went out with Harry.

“It’s easy, Mr. Potter, you create a bubble and place a lumos inside, it will stay lighted for one hour. I’ll show you.”

Snape walked the boy to his room, he placed the sphere on the night table, as the boy lay down on the bed and was covered under the comforter, then he turned to leave, Harry was asleep before he arrived to the door.