The next day entered brightly through Harry’s bedroom window, he had left the curtains opened. And he knew that he had woken because he had sensed the light. He look at the clock and it showed 7.30, he had time to take a bath and be ready for breakfast.

He was fighting to fix his hair when he heard Snape knocking at his door. He asked to enter.

“Good morning, Professor.”

“Good morning, Potter. We’ll have breakfast in the dinning room downstairs. You have been cooped up inside this room too much.”

Harry followed him out of the room. He looked curiously at the closed rooms they passed. Snape noticed and said.

“Those are my rooms, Potter, the first is my bedroom and the second my study, you are not allowed to enter them, unless I’m inside. Even then, I expect you to knock and wait for permission to enter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“This rooms are bedrooms” Snape walked by the corridor, they are empty, you may enter them, but not to cause any mischief. Down stairs you already know the parlor and the entrance, the kitchen and dinning room are together. There is a library that you may access when doing your homework. I will show it to you later, along with the books you are allowed to consult or read.”

At the table Harry found the usual spread, he felt hungry.

“Professor, do the vitamins I am drinking make me hungry?”

“Maybe, Mr. Potter, they make your body crave nutritional food, be careful with the sugar ingestion.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry finished as Snape was drinking his tea.

“I will show you to the yard, Mr. Potter, a boy your age needs sun and exercise to grow healthy.”

Harry followed Snape through a glass door to the yard. There were some one floor buildings on the side.

“This is the entrance to my potions Lab and stock room, they may not be accessed from the main house. You may enter only if I am with you. Round here is a pond, it's warm as it's feed by a warm water source.

They kept walking and Harry saw that the pond had a blue tint. He kneeled beside it and felt the warm water, it was nice. He had always envied his cousin taking swimming lessons.

“You may swim in it, Mr. Potter, there is a small shed that you may use as changing room, leave your swimming trunks and a towel there permanently, as well as your plastic slippers. I have to work in the garden several days a week, so I will be here to supervise you. You may not swim unsupervised ever. And as it is warm water you may not swim for more than an hour at a time or your muscles would be hurt.”

Harry suddenly paled. Snape noticed and asked.

“What is it, Mr. Potter? You do not have a problem with swimming, do you?”

“I don’t really know how to swim, Sir.”

“Well, we’ll have to remedy that, child, you’ll find it easy enough. If you feel like starting now…”

“Yes, Sir. I mean.. I don’t have swimming trunks, but...”

“You don’t? I’m sure they were on the list I gave you, Mr. Potter. Well, I may transfigure a sports short until we get the trunks.”

“Sir… I… don’t have short pants.”

“Did you not compare the list I gave you with the things we bought, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir, but… the list had too many things… And they were expensive… I didn’t really need all those things…. So I… I asked them to give me just some of the things in the list. I didn’t realize that I would be able to swim or I would have brought the swimming trunks.”

Harry saw as the anger crawled up Snape’s face. He had to make him see that he didn’t need all those clothes…!

“Mr. Potter, You are going to get inside the house and stand upstairs outside the door of my study. I’ll deal with you in a moment.”

Harry ran inside, he knew it had been too good to be true. Snape had realized that he didn’t want him any more. May be he would be able to go back to the station and live in the train…. He felt tears pricking his eyes. He had only been here for three days, he shook his head, he couldn’t be serious, did he really want to stay with Snape?

He stood by the door, should he stand with his nose to the wall? He had to stand like that when his Uncle was too busy to deal his punishment immediately. Or may be kneel holding a book on each hand… that would be torture, may be Snape wouldn’t be above doing that. He had only tried to save Snape some money. He knew that taking care of a boy was hard enough with out being expensive as well. What would Snape do to him before sending him back?

Snape found him there ten minutes later. How would he handle a boy that couldn’t even follow the simplest instructions? What was he doing with his nose to the wall?”

He opened the door and went inside.

“Come in, Mr. Potter. Stand still.” Harry was looking at the floor. “Look at me.”

Snape lean on the top of his desk, he was looking Harry in the eyes. With a dangerously soft voice Snape said:

“Would you explain to me, Mr. Potter, what part of ‘Buy everything in the list’ you did not understand? Explain the reasons that you had to contravene my orders and choose what to buy from the list I gave you? ”

Harry look up to Snape’s angry face. And wonder where was his famous Gryffindor courage when he needed it?

“There were too many pajamas and underwear and socks, Sir. I don’t really need them, they were… expensive, Sir.”

“Didn’t we talk about your need for appropriate garments…Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir, and I… But you wouldn’t let me pay for them. I…didn’t want you to regret having me, looking how expensive I was. You had already given me a safe place to stay and those great rooms and all the toys. I just wanted…I mean, Sir, the list was so long…”

Snape choose not to address Harry’s fears of being rejected.

“Mr. Potter, do you think I am so stupid as to give you a list to buy and regret the expense later? That list was practical. The house elves would do our laundry once a week. How do you plan to change your underwear daily?”

“I can wash my clothes, Sir.”

“This attitude Mr. Potter, is what has got you in so many problems. Thinking that you know more or better than the people who are in charge of you. And the notion that you can solve everything alone.” Snape paced in front of him. “Tell me, Mr. Potter, did you disobey your relatives? Did you ignore their instructions?”

“No, Sir.”

“Why not?”

“It was hard enough to get them to feed me, Sir, even when I obeyed.”

“You were made to obey out of fear, Potter, and that fear also made you try to fix your problems alone, disregarding your safety and the rules.”

“They didn’t care for my safety, Sir, and… and their rules were easy to follow, I had to do my work, stay out of their way and don’t do freakish things.”

“If it was so easy, Potter, why do you have all those marks on your back? and what is the reason of the broken bones that healed by themselves?”

It was not fair! Snape should send him packing not pick on his relatives treatment.

“I can’t stand this! I’m sorry I didn’t follow your list, Sir. I didn’t want to be and expensive nuisance, but you have no right to bring up my relatives treatment of me! You said…. You said that this was a safe place… I’m sorry I disobeyed and wanted to save your money! Now punish me and finish with this! The day is running and you surely have a lot of things to do after getting rid of me!”

“If you are going to throw a tantrum you may stand in the corner until it’s over, Mr. Potter.” Snape conjured a glass of water, as Harry was standing with his fists clutched by his side and his eyes closed, he didn’t see when the dark man put two drops of calming potion in it.

Snape got close to the trembling boy and touch his arm. Harry flinched. He expected a slap and maybe being taken to the corner by his ear…

Snape saw the scared eyes.

“Here, Mr. Potter, drink this and take deep breaths. Sit down.”

The child took the glass and drank, the water felt fresh and he felt the dread dissolve. He couldn’t understand why Snape was being so nice. He sat down and waited for Snape to continue.

“There is something I regret about this situation. Mr. Potter. I regret that we did not find out about your treatment with your relatives sooner. Even last Summer. They received an infant from their own blood and treated him as a drudge. You are a smart child and you seem to have survived them with cunning and ingenuity, but with a lack of self-value, you did not matter in their eyes and believe that you do not matter to anyone else. That is why you place yourself in harms way. But you deserve to have things, not only necessary things like everyday clothes but superfluous things like silk sheets or overcoats or swimming trunks. Just because you like them. That is no way to treat a child. I know you are old enough to understand that it was not your fault, you did not cause it, you have to trust that now you have a new life.”

Snape saw that Harry turned his eyes to the floor. Very gently he used his hand to make their eyes meet.

“I won’t explain the reasons behind what I ask you to do. You have to trust me and obey. Not choose to obey partially or not at all. And I won’t ask you to do anything that would harm or be bad for you. You are a child Potter. A child that must trust that he is being taken care of.”

Harry looked a Snape. He couldn’t understand. Snape continued.

“You have also to realize, Mr. Potter, that you will have to face consequences if you disobey. They won’t be agreeable, but you won’t be starved or degraded in any way.”

“I will follow your rules, Sir.”

“There won’t be too many rules, Potter.

First. You should be polite and respectful always with me and with any other adult that you relate with. In return I would not disrespect you or allow anyone else to.

Second. You should obey my instructions. Even if you do not like them. You may express your concerns and ask for clarification, but once you had been given an order there won’t be a good excuse for disobeying.

Third. You will be truthful. In every aspect. I want to trust you and I won’t be able if you lie. I want to know if you feel sick or in pain or if anything bothers you. And even if I may get angry if you disobey me I will be angrier if you try to cover it with a lie. I do not take it well if you suppress part of the truth either.

Fourth. You will be on time. You won’t skip any meal or sleeping hours. If you do not like the food it may be changed. I won’t starve you or allow you to starve yourself. If I sent you to your room as penalty for something I will expect you out for meals. If we can not be seated at the same table, you will eat in your rooms.

Starting next Monday we will follow a schedule, I will instruct you in the mornings. Your results for the last term are not ready yet, but I know for a fact that you almost did not make it in Potions, so we’ll go over the basics in Potion making, as well as the most relevant potions from the last two terms. I plan also to go over your books in defense and if you are not reckless some dueling, I know your latest teachers were nothing near good and knowing you, you will need to defend yourself. Also I guess that you could do with everyday charms, something your classmates grew up with, and that won’t be covered in your lessons. I expect you to be on time in the class and with any project or homework that I assign you.

Fifth. Your safety. You should not place yourself in harms way. Be it a monster or a cold air. It could be done easy if you listen to my instructions and do not follow your nose. This is the last rule but the most important one. It includes all the others and it's the reason we ended up together.”

Harry had seen the black cloaked man recite the rules, at the end Snape was standing in front him and looking at his eyes. So he said:

“And if I do not follow them I will be punished.”

“Yes, Potter, I will not send you away, it won’t be that easy for you to get rid of me.” Harry smiled it was nice to have a secure place for once.

“If you don’t, you may be sent to your room for a period of time. You may be restricted from some diversion, you may be sent to think in a corner for a while. Or you may be spanked.”

Harry’s eyes went out. This was not what he had bargained for.

“You said it was safe and you are going to beat me, Sir?”

“You faced a Basilisk, Mr. Potter, are you scared of a few smacks on your backside? If you do not place yourself deliberately in harms way you won’t feel my hand at all child. And if you manage to gain a trip over my knee, that is all you will feel. My hand on your rear, nothing else. Just for gross disobedience or endangering your life. Mr. Potter.”

Harry stood looking at Snape. He felt so many things inside his mind. He had so many things to think about… One thing was sure he was going to be punished for not following the list of clothes.

“Are you going to spank me now, Sir?”

“The possession of more or less underwear won’t endanger your life, Mr. Potter. For this misunderstanding you will have to review the list of what was really bought against what was in the one I gave you. Once you have it, we’ll go back to Hogsmeade and get what it’s missing. We’ll have lunch before leaving. And get tea at Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, I have to pick some things for my lab. You will go to bed as soon as we arrive back. Is that simple enough to follow, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sorry.”

“It’s hard to trust some one when everyone has proved so untrustworthy, Mr. Potter. I understand that. Now go to your room and do as I told you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry retrieved the list that Snape had given him. At first it had seemed so foolish. So many things…. he took the recipe and compared them. He felt the tears coming out as he was reading. His punishment was to get more clothes! All these things were for him, and he was not going to pay for them, and Snape was … was so confusing! He had a good cry. He was not used to it. His uncle didn’t like him to make a fuss over his punishments, he had learned to keep quiet while being walloped, his uncle would punish him further it he cried too much or screamed, it would not be good if the neighbors heard. And now Harry was crying over a lecture, and it hadn’t even been a very hard one. Snape had not even shouted! He had been clear and understanding. He called his disobedience a misunderstanding! He wouldn’t be able to walk after his uncle finished with him if he had chosen not to follow the list of his chores at his relatives house…. He was being a baby.

He finished the comparison and washed his face. During lunch Snape asked him only if he was ready and asked him to bring a jacket, if he noticed Harry’s red eyes he did not comment on them. They used the floo to go to Hogwarts to Snape’s rooms and walked to Hogsmeade. Snape noticed that the boy was unusually subdued, he hoped that they could keep getting along with out any more trouble. In these four days they had run from a werewolf, gone shopping, slept for a whole day, gone through the rules and gone shopping…

Harry surprised Snape by asking for the items on the list efficiently. Any way it took them almost 2 hours to find all that was missing.

“Is that all, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Won’t you try them, Potter?”

“No, Sir. I guess I am the same size as the day before yesterday. Do you want me to try them, Sir?” Maybe here was the punishment that Harry felt missing.

“No, child. We may go now.”

They asked the store to shrunk the items and to keep them until they were back.

“I have to pick up some ingredients in the apothecary, Mr. Potter. It will take me a while and you may be bored, as I have to handpick them. Would you be able to amuse yourself alone or should I ask the clerk to mind you while I buy?”

“I can stay out of trouble, Sir.”

“You have still to prove it, Mr. Potter.”

Harry didn’t want to go near the potions ingredients, he asked. “May I go to the Quidditch store, Sir?”

Snape turned to look at him. Should he let the boy out of his sight? With the Glamour he would be safe enough.

“I’ll pick you up inside the store when I finish, Mr. Potter.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Snape placed a slight monitor charm without the boy noticing, he would be alerted if the boy was in danger or out of the store.

Half an hour later, Harry saw Snape as he entered the store. He had looked at almost everything by then. The Potion Master stood beside the boy.

“Did you find anything that you like, Mr. Potter?”

“A lot of things, Sir.” Snape couldn’t understand the need of so many things for a game that was played with brooms. But it make the boy happy to see them.

“Do they happen to sell helmets in this place, Mr. Potter?” Why would Snape need a helmet for?

“Yes, Sir. There is a whole section of safety implements over there.”

“Let’s go see them, child.”

Snape walked around the display. Harry stood looking at him. When Snape returned to his side he said:

“Pick one of each of this things that would fit you, Mr. Potter.”

“But Sir….?”

“I won’t have you breaking your neck when you fly, Potter.”

“But, Sir, I know how to fly….!

“I’ve seen you flying, Potter, now follow my instructions or instead of shrinking the packages you’ll wear the gear, on our way back.”

“Yes, Sir.” Reluctantly Harry choose a Helmet, elbow and knee pads and Snape even insisted on gloves, the gloves were great. Snape made his hair rise in his back when he asked the dependent about safety charms for toddler brooms and how they worked. It seemed that they could be used to regulate the height and speed of the broom, and they came with a cushion charm….! Harry felt relieved when Snape stop asking and said they had all they needed.

“Now you may choose one more thing, Mr. Potter.”

“What, Sir?”

“Any thing you want.”

Harry smiled and choose a book that explained the more daring seeker moves. Snape hope that he wouldn’t regret buying it.

“Thank you, Sir.”

They went to the ‘Three Broomsticks’ for tea and once more Harry was amazed about the magic place and the food and the people they found.

“Would we be allowed in here during the Hogsmead visits, Sir?”

“Certainly, Mr. Potter, third years are deemed mature enough for unsupervised visits to this place, there is a returning time that must be observed, but the town is secure enough. Some teachers like to come during those days just to be sure about the behavior of their charges.”

“Ron’s brothers say that Zonkos’ is the greatest place… May we…”

“Not today, Mr. Potter, you need some incentive to behave and gain your permission slip for Hogsmead visits.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“It’s time to go back.”

They returned to Snape’s rooms and Snape removed the disillusioning charm from both of them. Harry thought that if felt like a light breeze of water. Snape and Harry used the floo connection and went back to the Manor.

Snape took out the packages from his pocket and placed them in the sofa at the leaving room. Then he turned around to the expectant child and said.

“Well young man. It’s up to bed with you now.”

“Shouldn’t I unpack the new things, Sir?” Harry was not really tired.

“Tomorrow would be soon enough, Potter. Get ready for bed, I’ll show you the spell to un-shrink them tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Breakfast at 9.”