Severus Snape had never had to live with a child before and simply daydreaming as he walked down the stairs towards his potions lab. May as well check on supplies now to ensure he was well organised and stocked over summer because one thing he did know from his years of teaching was that children did have a habit of getting into things that they shouldn’t and injuring themselves. However since he had been perfectly straight forward with Harry he thought no reason why the boy would get into trouble, at least for tonight.

Back in his bedroom, Harry was feeling completely beside himself with joy. A huge king sized bed just for him in what could be a wonderful bedroom, if he could only add a few pictures and posters around the room. He wondered how Snape would react to a giant quidditch poster being put onto his wall and smiled...that could be interesting. Harry opened his suitcase and took out the photo album of his parents...well the people he thought to be his parents...that Hagrid had given him after his first year. Thumbing through it slowly. Lots of pictures of James and Lily, the people that everyone believed to be his mum and dad, the Potters. Harry wondered how on earth his mother didn’t know that James was not his father...did she know? If she knew then why didn’t she leave some trace of her knowledge...somewhere. Harry sighed putting the photo album in the top drawer of his bedside dresser. He wandered around his room for a little while just thinking and looking outside, it was too dark to explore much now but he would take a better look at it in the morning.

Harry left his bedroom, closing the door behind him. There was a big house to explore! Harry turned to try to remember where his bedroom was and he noticed a picture which he hadn’t noticed before. “Hello!” said the girl in the picture, she seemed to be just standing there, with vibrant red hair holding a lily flower. “My name is Lily, what’s yours?” she asked.

“Um....Harry,” he said finding himself lost in those vibrant green eyes, which reminded him so very much of his own.

“I haven’t seen you around before,” Lily said, then shrugged, “Welcome to Snapdragon Manor.”

“Yeah, thanks!” Harry said nervously as he looked around noticing some quite large pictures of people who must have existed a long time ago, judging by their clothing, reminding Harry of old books which he had thumbed through when expected to learn History of Magic. It surprised him to see just so many pictures of people who strongly resembled the evil bat of potions master. Just imagine...a whole family full of Snapes! Harry felt himself shudder. He hoped that he would never be like him.

“Come on! I have something to show you!” Lily said as she started running from portrait to portrait. “SLOW DOWN you insolate little brat!” roared a large picture of a man wearing imperial clothing, if Harry didn’t know better he would think it was a picture of Snape himself! But he knew that Snape wouldn’t be likely to wear anything else but the classic black he had always known him to wear.

Lily stopped, out of breath, outside a room. “Go look in there,” she pointed to a closed door. Harry thought about it as he regained his breath, the one thing Snape had said was to not open any closed doors. But the fact that the portrait had brought him to just this spot surprised him enough that he pushed those thoughts away and opened the door. He entered the room to find walls of portraits, each of them containing a picture of someone who looked like Snape, some had his unmistaken hair, others had his physical build, that is size and weight, some had black hair like Snape’s own and others were blonde or red or even brunette, Harry even noticed a poor little girl who looked like she had a nose like Snape’s!

“This is why I brought you here,” Lily said.

Harry looked and found his new portrait friend, standing in one of the bottom portraits on what looked like a quidditch stadium, standing next to...but it couldn’t be...could it? A picture of him?!?

“This is also called Harry,” Lily said. Harry noticed three pictures to this Harry’s right. A picture of a younger looking 10 year old Harry, one when he was maybe 6 or 7, a toddler, and there was a picture of his mother holding him in her arms with Snape proudly looking down at him from behind the chair his mother was sitting on.

“That’s....that’s me!” Harry said. A hand touched his shoulder and Harry felt his heart jump up into his throat.

“I thought I told you that doors which are closed are to remain that way!” Snape stated furiously, but then he looked at what Harry had been looking at.

“Lily, you little scamp!” Severus stated, but without his previous anger, “Harry did you come here on your own or did a little imp help you?”

“Um...Lily wanted to show me something sir,” Harry stated guiltily.

“Harry, we shall speak about what you have seen here later,” Snape stated, “for now GREVLY shall take you to the library.”

A house elf appeared taking Harry by the hand and led him off to the library.

Harry looked into the library, the very first thing he noticed was a picture of a truely beautiful woman. Her long black hair and tall statue reminded him of Morticia Adams, a woman on a tv show that his cousin Dudley had watched quite a lot when he lived at the Dursleys.

“Hello dear,” the woman said. Harry couldn’t help but to smile. Whilst the woman seemed quite fierce and elegant there was something in her eyes which reminded him strongly of Molly Weasley.

“The books you will probably want to read are on the first three shelves. Severus keeps his potion making books and dangerous elements books on the top shelf. Don’t touch them as some books can attack when provoked.” Harry gulped but looked around at eye level to see if there was anything that interested him.

There he found an interesting book entitled Muggles. Why they don’t see what’s always been there. By Gretel Bouveniser.

It turned out to be an interesting read. Gretel was a squib and her family, to prevent her from feeling embarrassment at Hogwarts had in fact home schooled her and sent her to the local muggle high school where she had learned how to harness what little magic she did have and only allow it to appear when she had great use for it. Like the time the school burst into flames, or the time that a monster had attacked the school, or the time that the school had actually started growing legs and walking off down the street! Harry giggled as he wondered if Gretel ever had anything to do with those occurrences. After all what student hasn’t wondered what would happen if they set their school on fire..at least once! Harry put down the book and sighed. Feeling a little hungry he asked the portrait if she knew the way to the dining room. She did.

Snape was sitting in the lounge reading a potions magazine when Harry walked past. “Dinner was 6 hours ago Harry,” he stated,
“you should be going to bed.”

Harry was amazed, he had no idea that it was that late. But the potions master had never been one to not notice the time. “Why weren’t you here?” Snape stated as he indicated Harry’s now cold dinner. It had been a lovely meal of fried chicken and chips with a little salad. Now...it looked like a mess. The chicken and chips were obviously sagging into the gravy which had been put neatly onto the plate and he there was a mug of chocolate beside his plate.

“Eat your dinner and go to bed,” Snape said. Harry sighed as he sat down. At least the man wasn’t starving him like the Dursleys would. But..couldn’t he at least have used a heating spell?

“You should have been here in time for dinner Harry, whilst your meal was still warm,” he stated as if reading the boys mind. Harry continued to shovel in his meal wanting to get the process out of the way with as soon as possible. Snape waited patiently whilst the boy ate his meal and started on his cold milk. As Snape walked towards the table he cast a heating spell on the cup. “Allow that to be a lesson to you on what happens if you do not stick to the expected time table Harry. You may not be expected to do much in this house, but come to meals with me and talk about what you have been getting up to is something that I must insist upon and enforce quite strictly. Now I shall be in my lab and do not want to be disturbed. I’m sure you know how to get ready for bed on your own. Shower first I don’t want your dirty body on those nice clean sheets and wear something that you can get dirty in the morning I want your help in the garden.”

“Yes sir,” Harry said raising his mug to his lips again, “and thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Snape stated, “reguardless of what people may think of me I am not a completely heartless man.”

Snape walked out of the room with a single thought on his mind. If this is the way that Harry behaves maybe things can work out well here, for all of us.