Severus soothed the child as best as he could, he knew that Harry probably needed to cry the hurt out. He’s not sure how long they sat there; he only noticed the change when the sobs turned into regular crying before those were changed to hiccups. At the moment, the child in his arms was silent; and as he looked down he saw that the boy had cried himself to sleep.

Having spent just all of last night feeling like he would never find him; Severus never moved from his place on the couch. He was content to hold Harry, never wanting to feel that type of fear again. He shook his head knowing he should have never taken his emotions out on Harry. He was very lucky that the child had decided to come and seek him out on his own accord, for reasons he still didn’t know.

 He knew what he had to do and though he hated apologies he would do it because it was the right thing to do. Not to mention Harry didn’t deserve that. He also needed to speak with him on just why he cleaned up. Not sure how much time had passed when he felt his bundle move in his lap. He didn’t say anything Severus just held him tighter so he wouldn’t fall.

"Snape," Harry mumbled sleepily.

"Yes child?" He asked.

"Not mad at me anymore right?" Harry asked quietly.

"Not in the least child," Severus replied.

"Good, don’t like it when you’re mad at me," Harry confided.

"I owe you an apology Harry; I didn’t mean to treat you that way." Severus nearly whispered.

"It’s alright," Harry said awake enough, but not sure at all how to reply. He had heard the man apologize once, why was he doing it again?

“And though you did a great job on the sitting room, it is not your job to clean the house.” Severus continued not wanting him to feel like a house elf here, like his relatives had clearly done. Speaking of which; they still needed to have a talk about his so called family.

“But what about my chores, how am I supposed to earn my keep?” Harry asked confusion in his tone. If Snape didn’t want him to clean how was he supposed to show that he was worth keeping around?

“Why do you think you have to earn your keep?” Severus asked quietly.

“So you won’t think I’m lazy and that I don’t know how to do anything. I can do pretty much anything sir, and I’m really good at it.” Harry replied, trying to plead his case.

“I’m sure you are child, but I don’t need a house keeper. If I did I would get a house elf, which you are neither. You will not be responsible for cleaning the house Harry, that my child is not your job.” Severus answered.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Harry asked confusion all in his tone.

“If you insist on chores, then you must keep your room clean and clean up after yourself but that is it. What you are supposed to do; just be is a child,” Severus said with a sigh.

Harry sat in the man’s lap thinking that over; Snape really didn’t want him to clean his house? Well this was new, and Harry really didn’t know how to react to that. What did he mean he was supposed to be a child? Was he saying that he was supposed to act like Dudley?

“I don’t understand what you mean sir,” Harry said dejectedly.

“Which part child?” Severus asked kindly.

“The being a child part; how am I supposed to do that?” Harry asked, feeling a bit stupid for a moment.

“Flying, playing with your friends, reading, having fun. The same things you do at Hogwarts when classes aren’t in session.” Severus explained.

“Can I go flying today?” Harry asked after a moment.

“After we’ve eaten something you can.” Severus responded.

Harry nodded eyes lighting up in excitement at that. He smiled to himself before pulling himself out of the man’s lap not wanting him to get annoyed with him again. Harry was going to try his best not to make the man angry with him, until he figured out a plan where he could stay here permanently.  Harry waited for the man and they walked into the kitchen together and sat down.

Not wanting to invoke the wrath Harry forced himself to grab a piece of bread before the man had even taken his seat. He hunched his shoulders instinctively before looking up to see Snape looking at him in approval and he smiled before fixing his plate. When Harry was done he rinsed his plate out and headed upstairs to get dressed and grab his broom. As he grabbed his broom he stopped and stared at. His firebolt had been a gift from his godfather in his third year, back when everything was ok. What had changed and why?

He couldn’t stop the memories from coming, the first time he found out that Sirius was innocent and how he wanted to live with him. He shook away his thoughts when his vision blurred and he hastily wiped the tears away before making his way downstairs. Harry didn’t see Snape as he walked downstairs but he knew where the man was; his lab. Opening the backdoor Harry stepped outside.

He shivered as the air hit him; he hadn’t realized how cold it was. And since he only had the sweater Mrs. Weasely had made him last year, he was feeling the cold quite clearly. He rubbed his hands together and blew on them before quickly mounting his broom. He knew that flying usually warmed him up and he took off into the sky, unaware of those dark eyes checking in on him.

Severus couldn’t stop himself from looking out the window of his lab when he saw Harry flying. A part of him wanted to be out there with him, but flying wasn’t his element so he was content just to watch him. He reassured himself that the only reason he kept looking at the window was because he was worried about the boy breaching his wards. Never mind that his wards couldn’t be broken by a 5th year who didn’t even carry around his wand; but that what was he was going with.

He turned back to his potions occasionally checking in on Harry as he worked on something that the Dark Lord had wanted finished by the next meeting. He couldn’t afford to be disturbed at the moment, knowing how dangerous this potion was. Like usual he lost himself in his work, forgetting to set an alarm for lunch, he found himself working straight through it.

Harry flew around for hours, losing himself in the air. After about the first hour he abandoned his sweater on the ground and continued flying oblivious to how the weather was changing. The wind had gotten chiller but still he flew, he was always happy when he was in the air and he relished in it. As he stopped for a break in mid air he sniffled and wiped his nose on his shirt. He was kind of thirsty and his shirt was drenched in sweat, but he was happy.

Deciding to come in, he flew down to the ground and grabbed his sweater and broom and headed inside. As he entered the Manor his teeth chattered, was the house colder then outside or was that just him? He shook in his t-shirt, the sweat on his back cold; as if someone had poured water on him. Harry hurried up stairs to change into something dry, before pulling on another sweater. He headed back downstairs and looked at the clock over the stove to find it 5:00pm. He was kind of hungry, would Snape mind at all if he ate without him?

As the food appeared on the table, Harry took a seat happy that they were having soup today. It seemed to be the one thing he actually wanted. Turning around and not seeing Snape he took a deep breath and started in on his food without the man. As the minutes ticked by, Harry slowly relaxed as he ate. Hadn’t Snape said that this was ok? He smiled as he ate the rest of his dinner. When he was done and after washing his plate he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

All through his shower, he was feeling a bit weird but he wasn’t sure at all what was going on.  He didn’t look any different from normal as he gazed into the mirror and his reflection stared back at him. Getting dressed he walked to his room and dove into bed. Placing his glasses on the dresser he shivered underneath his blankets wishing he had a warming charm over his bed. He sniffled a few times, not really thinking much of them before he drifted off to sleep.

Severus was nearly finished with the Dark Lord’s potion and as he looked outside he noticed that it had gotten dark, and that the child was nowhere to be found. Severus placed a stasis over the cauldron before washing up and heading upstairs. Walking into the kitchen he saw clean dishes on the rack, and he smiled knowing that Harry had finally eaten without him. Though progress was slow, they were making it and that’s what mattered. Shaking his head he ate his own dinner, the first time alone since Harry was here.

Strangely even though the boy barely talked at the table he missed his company. He scoffed at that, the boy really was making him soft. By the time they got back to the school his reputation would be in shatters. Speaking of school; he needed to talk to the Weasleys and then inform Albus and Minerva just what Umbridge had been doing right under their noses. He also still needed to buy the child some winter clothes, the weather looked like it might give them a couple inches of snow the next few days. He figured that Harry had a coat of some sort so he wasn’t that worried, unaware that the child didn’t.

Severus finished his meal, and headed upstairs to check on Harry. The boy was unusually quiet this evening, not that the boy had been loud all the other days. The manor was still as he knocked first before opening the child’s door. Stepping in he noticed that there were clothes on the floor, as well as some books and he found himself picking them up and putting them in their correct place. He wasn’t aware that he was even doing until he placed the last book on the shelf. He turned towards the bed, wondering why the boy was going to bed so early when he had a nap earlier that day. He shrugged before assuming that flying had worn the boy out. Once again unable to help himself he found himself standing over Harry, and he gently brushed his raven locks with his hand. He was a little worried to find that the child’s forehead felt a bit warmer then he would have liked. Promising to keep an eye on him tomorrow he headed out the room and back towards his lab.

Harry woke up the next morning wishing that he could stay asleep. His throat was on fire and his eyes felt like lead as he peeled them open. He knew the moment he sat up that he was sick. He shook his head in denial, not wanting to believe this. This was bad, very bad he couldn’t afford to be sick here. The ‘sniffles’ that he had last night were gone and in its place was a stuffy nose and his chest felt congested.

Sure Snape was willing to care for him, but Harry was sure he didn’t sign on to take care of a sick child. What if he sent him back to Grimmauld place? Feeling a cough coming on, Harry quickly buried his face in his pillow, trying to make it as silent at possible. The Durselys had hated it whenever Harry had gotten sick, they were always afraid of catching his ‘freakishness’.

Sighing softly Harry swallowed and winced, and wondered if the man had something in the bathroom cabinet that could help him. He stood up and held onto the bed post as his body suddenly swayed. Once he was sure he wasn’t going to fall he grabbed his clothes and got dressed as quick as he could.

Which wasn’t all that quick; the movements making Harry feel more and more nauseated. Walking to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take away the horrible taste in his mouth, he hoped that Snape was planning on spending another day in his lab. Harry was sure he could hide this from him, if the man never saw him. Snape was a spy for a reason, the man tended to notice things when no one else did.

“Harry, breakfast is ready,” Severus called up the stairs.

“I’ll be right down,” Harry called back, trying to keep the croak and how stuffy his nose was out of it.

His eyes filled with tears as his throat burned from the abuse he had inflicted by replying. He grimaced before rubbing his throat with his hands as he opened the cabinet in the bathroom. He didn’t find anything that would be of help and shook his head, hoping that he had nothing more than a simple cough. After making sure that he didn’t ‘look’ sick he headed downstairs, holding tight to the banister.

As he walked into the kitchen his nausea returned as he both smelled and saw the food on the table. He sat down and quickly reached for his cup of pumpkin juice hoping that would help settle his stomach.

“Did you sleep well Harry?” Severus asked as he read the paper.

“Yes sir,” Harry said quietly. Though the coolness of his drink was helping his stomach it wasn’t doing a thing for his throat, in fact it seemed to make it worse. It really hurt to swallow and he frowned.

“We’re going to the Weasleys right after breakfast so make sure you’re ready.” Severus said.

“I will,” Harry replied softly as he bit into some dry toast.

This morning the food looked revolting to him, he couldn’t even look at the eggs without feeling like me might be sick right there at the table. He was happy that Snape was reading the paper; knowing that the man couldn’t see how little he was eating. If he could just hide his cold from Snape a little bit longer, when he got to the Weasleys he could always take a nap in Ron’s room. He only had to pretend for just a little bit longer.

Severus drank the last of his coffee and put the paper down before standing up and looking at Harry. He looked at the child curiously glancing down at his nearly empty plate, before looking back into those green eyes. Was it just him or did they look a bit glassy at the moment?

“Harry, are you feeling ok?” Severus asked gently.

“I’m fine sir, are we leaving now?” Harry asked with a smile and a nod, the complete opposite of how he really felt.

“If you’re ready, their expecting us,” Severus said resisting the urge to go and feel the child’s forehead.

“I am,” Harry said before standing up slowly, he didn’t want to sway in front of Snape. His vision tilted but he stayed upright thanks to the table.

Severus raised an eyebrow wondering why the boy was gripping the table so but he shook it off before gesturing for Harry to follow him into the sitting room and to the fireplace.

Harry nodded before turning and trying to walk as swiftly as his aching body allowed him. He felt another cough coming on only this time he held it in and got a bit dizzy. Why did his chest hurt so badly? He looked at his Professor as the container of floo powder was thrust in front of him. Harry grabbed some in his hand and stood in the fireplace.

“The Burrow!” He said loudly wincing automatically before disappearing in the flames.

He landed with a thud on the floor and he groaned, he hated flooing so much. He lifted his weary body up off the ground and stood up to find a Ron and the twins looking amused.

“Well thanks for offering me a hand,” Harry said sarcastically, before clearing his throat.

“I was gonna, but you seemed like you could do it yourself.” Ron said cheekily as he grinned at his mate.

“Where is old Snapey?” Fred asked just as soon as the floo flared again.

Harry stepped away not wanting to get bumped again as Snape landed smoothly out of the fireplace. What he wouldn’t give to land like that? He shook his head, hating traveling through the fireplace.

“Mr. Weasely, where are you parents?” Severus asked as he dusted off the soot.

“In the kitchen Professor,” Fred replied, not sure at all who he was referring too.

“Good, when I get done greeting them I will be speaking with you.” Severus said before walking into the kitchen with Molly and Arthur.

“Ron, what did you do? We’re on break, how did you get in trouble?” George asked, looking at his little brother in wonder.

“How do you know he was talking about me? Fred was the one who answered,” Ron replied, voice indignant as he thought back. He hadn’t done anything, so it couldn’t be him could it?

“If it is you Ron, I’m gonna be in your room alright?” Harry said quietly, feeling like he was gonna pass out on the spot.

“Sure thing mate; Harry are you feeling alright?” Ron asked in concern.

“Just a little tired is all,” Harry nodded before slowly making his way up the stairs.

“He looks a bit flushed; do you think he’s sick?” George asked to no one in particular.

“I don’t know, wouldn’t he tell us if he was?” Fred answered.

“No, he wouldn’t,” Ron replied quietly vowing to check on him as soon as he could.

Harry forced his exhausted body up the steps and all but collapsed on Ron’s bed. He barely had the energy to take off his shoes, but he somehow managed it. He coughed loudly before turning into the pillow not wanting anyone to hear him. He was feeling horribly sick, and he was so thirsty. Knowing he couldn’t make himself walk downstairs to the kitchen he pulled the covers up, trying to figure out why the air conditioner was on in the middle of the winter before passing out into a fevered sleep.

“Come in into the sitting room,” was all Severus said as he walked pass the boys.

“Who sir?” Ron asked.

“Are you an owl Mr. Weasley? And I was referring to all of you.” Severus said gesturing for them to hurry up.

“What did you guys do?” Ron asked his brothers who were staring at each other in shock. He shook his head before walking into the room and sitting across from his Professor. Why in the world did Snape need to speak with all of them? Did something else happen to Harry?

“Recently I found out something, something that had no business ever happening at Hogwarts.” Severus started off, keeping his tone calm.

“What was its sir?” George asked softly.

“Harry has a scar on his left hand that quotes ‘I must not tell lies’. I want to know who made him write with a blood quill and why.” Severus said tone moving lower and more dangerous.

If Ron was honest, that tone had sent a chill down his back, even though the anger wasn’t directed at him. He could tell by how tensed his brothers got on either side of him that they had felt it too.

“Umbitch, I mean Umbridge made him do it,” Ron said face flushing at his mishap in front of his Professor.

Severus allowed a small smirk to grace his lips before he turned serious again.

“Why did she make him use one?” Severus pressed.

“Because he wouldn’t take back what he said about Vold…I mean that you know who was really back,” Ron said hastily changing the words after receiving a glare.

“I see, and was Harry the only one or was there other who also suffered from the blood quill?”Severus asked, feeling like he once again failed the child. How could they not know this? How in the hell did none of the Professors not realize what was going on?

“He wasn’t the only one; there are quite a few of us. Gryffindor has the most because we all backed up Harry. Hufflepuff has one or two and Ravenclaw has a handful or so.” George replied.

“And my Slytherins, what about them?” Severus asked, having noticed that they had left them out.

“The Slytherins are safe because most of them have parents that are close with the Minister.” Ron replied angrily with the shake of his head. His father worked at the Ministry but since the Weasleys were known as ‘blood traitors’ that did him more harm than good.

“Very true Mr. Weasely. You said we, when you were telling me how many students have had detention with her. Do any of you also bear a scar from that awful quill?” Severus asked quietly, hoping that they didn’t.

“Well Fred and I do, I’m not sure if Ron has one or not.” George replied lifting up the sleeve on his right hand to show his Professor his ‘sin’.

Severus looked at George’s hand and his eyes narrowed as he saw the lines ‘I must not pull pranks’ on the child’s hand. It was well known all through Hogwarts that the Weasely twins loved mischief and pranks of all kind. Severus didn’t mind them, because they never used a prank to humiliate or hurt you. They tended to prank every house evenly, and if you were closer to them you were pranked more often than anyone else.

“Does yours say the same as your brother?” Severus asked with a shake of his head.

“No, mine says ‘I must control myself at all times’, “Fred replied softly.

“Why are they different?” Severus asked in confusion.

“She wanted to be able to tell us apart,” George replied before pulling his sleeve back.

“Ronald, do you also have one?” Severus asked conversationally, though inside he was seething. How dare that woman do those to his students? What did she think gave her the right?

“Yes sir,” Ron replied eyes downcast as he glared at the ground.

“May I see it?” Severus asked as gently as he could.

Ron didn’t bother answer as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal the thin red lines on his left hand. He knew what they said without even looking at them, and he hated them. How could she do this to them? Wasn’t school supposed to be a safe haven? He held his hand out so his teacher could see the whole the thing clearly. It read; ‘I must learn to use my brain and think for myself’.

“You do you use your brain Mr. Weasely, do not believe a word of this.”Severus found himself saying. He could literally feel the hurt coming off the child. Maybe Harry had made him a tad more sensitive, because he couldn’t ever remember feeling this ever.

Fred and George were staring at their brother’s hand in shock, having thought that he hadn’t been given a detention from her. Fred had an immediate realization and quickly spoke.

“Did Hermione get one?” He asked Ron.

“Yes, for defending Harry,” Ron replied softly, trying to keep his gaze down not wanting anyone to see his bright eyes.

“She gave Miss Granger a detention for that? What does hers say?” Severus asked appalled. All the teachers and the students alike knew that Granger never got a detention. The only reason she usually got in trouble was because of Weasely and Potter.

“Hers says ‘I must learn my place’,” Ron replied angrily, as he remembered how hurt she had been when she showed them.

“What does that even mean?” Fred mused quietly to his brother.

“She’s a muggleborn, think.” George replied with a frown.

“Oh,” Fred replied getting angry.

“I’m going to check on Harry,” Ron said nearly running out the room.

“Why didn’t any of you tell someone?” Severus asked, he couldn’t fathom why they all kept quiet about this blatant abuse.

“Because Harry tried to tell McGonagall but she told him to keep his head down or something. She disregarded everything; we figured she knew about it, she just couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything about it.” Fred replied honestly.

“We weren’t aware of this, only that the majority of the student body hated her. We didn’t think anything of that because we hate her ourselves,” Severus replied in an even tone.

“Oh,” George answered stupidly, not really knowing what to say at that point.

 “Thank you for your cooperation,” Severus replied dismissing the two boys.

He could not believe the nerve of that woman. He was itching to floo over to Hogwarts and curse her good; but that wouldn’t solve anything. He needed to do this the Slytherin way; he had to think of a good enough revenge. But before he did that he needed to have a little chat with Albus and Minerva.