So morning lessons would be with Hermione and Ron and evening lessons would be Quidditch led by Fred and George who would spend their mornings working with Hagrid with some of the creatures he took care of. This is how things continued for a couple of weeks with Harry still remaining in his father's dorms during the night. There was something comforting about being with his father, and nights were the only times that he could spend with him due to Snape having to work with his potions during the day. However this left Ron laying by himself at night in his dorm room. He told his brothers that he really didn't mind that they wanted to work on their experiments in their dorm room but…truth be known…he did.

Harry was always with Snape, Fred and George had each other, even Hermione had Ginny. Who did he have? Nobody. He felt like he was left all on his own and this caused him to feel quite resentful towards Harry. However he tried to affirm himself that he had the morning lessons that he could try to make as enjoyable as possible for Harry. Maybe if he gained his trust again he would come back to their dorm room to sleep and things would go back to normal.

Snape suggested more than once that Harry sleep in his old dorm room again, just to get used to it. But Harry kept coming back to Snape's office when it was time to go to bed. It got to the stage that Harry could find his way to the potion master's office from anywhere within the castle and was always there promptly at 7.

"Harry," Snape said one night, "as much as I love having you with me, I think it is time that you go and spend time with your friends. When school starts in a few days you will not have the option to stay with me anymore. Not because I don't want you here son, never think that way. But…life has to be different when the others come back to school. Very different."

Snape knew it was too close to when the others would return to Hogwarts and it was time that he had to tell his son the truth.

"Harry, you know that I am Potion Master at Hogwarts, what you don't know, or more to the point, don't remember, is that I am not one of the most favoured teachers at the school." Snape looked at Harry and just waited for him to respond.

"why not?" Harry said, "you're great with potions, I've been in here every day and you always seem so focused, you're always nice to me I'm sure you'd be a great teacher!"

"that's one of the things that has to change also Harry," Snape said with a heavy heart, he didn't want to say this but he felt he had no choice. "Harry, I have made some friends during my life, some of these friends would like to hurt you and I don't want to give them the chance."

"Well if they want to hurt me why not stop being friends with them? Then they couldn't get to me and they would have to stop trying to hurt me right?" Harry asked.

Snape smiled for a second, thinking of just how innocent those simple questions truly were, then became very serious again, "No Harry, you see these people I have been friends with, are people who will try to harm you with, or without, my knowledge. I must try to ensure their loyalty remains with me, to ensure that I know what they are doing and it is not hurting you. Only by staying informed can I hope to save you son."

Snape sighed thinking, with "friends" like these…who needs enemies! Still he waited for Harry to process this information, he knew that his explanation of being a spy for the light side held a lot more information than just that, but for now, just knowing that, would have to do.

"When everybody returns to Hogwarts I must continue to act the way I have in the past. I know you do not remember this, so let me try to explain. Harry in order to keep these people happy I must cater to their children. I am the head of Slytherin, one of the houses that has a tainted reputation, the dark lord was in Slytherin so people think that everybody who is a Slytherin must therefore be evil like him."

"But that's so wrong! Just because one person is evil doesn't make everybody evil!" Harry said.

Again Snape smiled at the innocence of his child.

"No Harry it doesn't, however a lot of the dark lords followers were also from Slytherin, these friends I used to have are from Slytherin and as head of Slytherin house I must favour that house and show hatred towards everybody and everyone else. Including you!"

"No…you couldn't…..you….you wouldn't!" Harry said tearing up.

"Harry, I could, I would, and I have. I could show you memories of how I treated you and it shames me to say this, I showed more hatred towards you than the rest of the entire student body," he stated, "I'm sorry son, but when school starts up we can't be so open about our relationship."

"What are we going to do then?" Harry asked.

"well that's fairly simple…how would you like to have detention every week with me? Nobody would even think twice about it," Snape stated.

"Detention? Why? I haven't done anything wrong!" Harry said clearly upset.

"No son, you haven't, but by giving you these special detentions I can give us a chance to spend some time together and as I said, nobody would question it," Snape stated.

"Could it be more than once a week?" Harry asked.

"Sometimes son, that'd be easily done," Snape said with a smile.

"Why can't we just be open about our relationship?" Harry asked.

"Because if we showed our relationship these people who I was telling you about could use that relationship to get what they want. For instance, they could torture me to get to you, or kill you to get at me, it is far too dangerous Harry and for that we shall have to play our part in three days when school starts again."

"But that's not fair why can't we just be open about our relationship and everybody be fine with it! Mr and Mrs Weasley know…and Hermione knows, I'm sure her parents wouldn't care," he said angrily.

"Harry James Potter, it is just not that simple! We cannot take a risk with your life and even though it pains me to do it we must play our parts. Hopefully after the Dark Lord is no longer a threat we can go on with our lives and be open. But until then we…" Snape was interrupted by Harry who cut in with

"then why can't we just kill this fucking dark lord and be done with it!"

"Harry," Snape stated, "go stand in the corner for that language. Otherwise I am fine with using that bar of soap in the bathroom to wash out that dirty mouth of yours!"

"FUCK YOU!" Harry roared as he got up and ran out of the room in tears.

"Well that could have gone better," Snape stated at the slammed door.

Harry just ran and ran as far away from that door, from that area as he could possibly get. He turned round a corner and ran THUMP straight into Ron!

"Mumf Bloody hell mate where were you going like a steam train?" Ron asked.

"Snape he…." Harry said running.

"What is it Harry? Is he trying to hurt you? I swear if he hurt you I'll bloody kill him!" Ron said as he started chasing after his friend.

Harry kept running out the entrance door and into the dark. There he let himself go, letting out a beastly ROAR into the night and started to cry in earnest.

"Oh my god he did hurt you didn't he!" Ron yelled.

"No he didn't!" Harry screamed at his friend, then he sat down and started to cry.

"Come on mate, tell me what it is?" Ron said gently kneeling down in front of Harry and trying to look into his eyes. Harry's face was covered by his hands so he gently tried to pry them apart.

"Ron," Harry said, "I…I'm sorry…I just have to get myself together. I knew I couldn't really have someone love me."

"What do you mean Harry?" Ron asked gently, "you are the most attractive, loving, gentle and supportive guy I know. I love your sensitivity and your compassion. You are the perfect guy and would make someone a wonderful boyfriend."

"thanks Ron," Harry said, "but I didn't mean like that. Snape, he…he told me that he loved me and now he tells me that he has to change to be like he is usually at school and I don't even know what that means!"

Ron shuddered thinking about the regular every day image of the potions master that he knew.

"Harry, it's not like he doesn't love you any more, it's just that he needs to do his spy duties to ensure that everybody is safe. He wants to keep us all protected and Dumbledore uses the information he has about the death eaters to stop them before anybody gets hurt, if he can," Ron stated.

"He says he has to pretend that he hates me to keep me safe!" Harry said looking at Ron confused.

"Yes Harry," Ron said remembering what his mother said about telling Harry things slowly or he might get frightened, "the evil wizard talks to Snape sometimes and tells him what he is doing. He then tells us so that we can do something about it. This evil wizard is also the one who is after you, I suppose Snape believes that if he keeps this up he can help keep you safe. You mean a lot to him you know."

Ron wasn't sure if he meant a lot to Snape or not but he knew that was what Harry needed to hear at this time to be reassured that he was still loved. "my mum and dad love you too Harry, like you were their own son! You are so loved Harry you don't have to think that nobody cares. We all care," he said gently.

Harry just turned and gave Ron a hug. Those were the very words that he needed to hear.

"Thank you," he said. Then he continued to tell Ron all about what he did when he got upset with Snape.

"You used the f word in front of Snape? Are you mental?" Ron asked shocked.

"Yeah…I guess I'm going to get it," Harry said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed looking at his friend, "he…he….he"

"What did he do Harry, I swear if he's hurting you," Ron stated worried.

Harry shook his head, "He…he sp…sp…spanks me,"

Ron's reaction shocked Harry completely. He burst out laughing and wacked Harry gently on the shoulder.

"That's all it is?" Ron asked when he finally stopped laughing. All the while Harry was going redder and redder in the face with embarrassment.

"My god mate! I thought that what happened to us at the beginning of last year would have shown you that there is no need to be embarrassed about something like that in front of me. Geez if I had a penny for every time I've been over my father's knee…or mum's and her wicked spoon…I'd be a millionaire by now! How on earth do you think they handle having kids like Fred and George? Man! But I can tell you that personally…I'd prefer a spanking over these long discussions and grounding that Hermione says she has. Gets it out of the way quick smart. Although…there are times when grounding is needed. …like when Fred and George tied me to a tree and died my whole body blue cos they thought the smurfs were so cool and wanted to see a real live one. Or when Fred tried to make me swear a wizarding oath to give him all my deserts for the rest of my life. Still…mate, it's better than those long nights of resentment that some kids have!"

"How did you see the smurfs?" Harry knew what that was due to how many times he had seen them when Dudley had been watching them as a child. Harry of course, had to clean the house instead of sitting down and enjoying them. A life with the Dursley's was little more than being treated exactly like a house elf!

"Oh well you know how Dad likes muggle stuff. He just came across them in his work with the ministry and told us all about them and Fred and George thought they were really cool. Of course now they just think it was stupid but they were five then," Ron laughed, "Boy I did enjoy eating those deserts for a month though!"

Harry laughed giving his friend a hug, "thanks for understanding mate."

"Anytime!" Ron said smiling. This was the first time that he felt like he had someone who resembled his best friend with him, and he liked it.

"Come on I'd better go and apologise to Dad," Harry said. Ron just stopped there for a minute. It was such a strange thing for Harry to say the word "Dad" but he would just have to get used to it. His mate having Snape as a father had changed their lives for good. Honestly? He didn't know if Snape was a good father or not, but he felt that all of the things Snape had been doing so far was fairly understandable.

"You do know you're going to get it when you see him don't you?" Ron said.

"I know, but it's better to talk to him now than later," Harry said thinking of when he had run from Uncle Vernon once, the longer he took to come back, the angrier the man got. Maybe his father would be like that.

"I wouldn't want to be you when you face Snape again mate, that's all I'm saying," Ron said.

But there was no way that Harry would be capable of avoiding Snape's wrath forever and he knew that. So he decided to go straight to the potions lab and speak to him now. Instead of later.

Before he knew it he was at the door and his father was standing angrily at the door, "do you have any idea what time it is young man? You should have been in bed a half an hour ago, if not here in your room than in your dorm in Gryffindor tower!"

Secretly Snape had hoped that his son had decided to go to sleep in Gryffindor tower. After all it would only be a matter of days before he would have to do that anyway. But he also knew that Harry's behaviour had to be dealt with and now was as good a time as any.

"I've come to say I'm sorry," Harry said, "the behaviour I was showing earlier was not reasonable. All I can say in my defence was that I was really upset and I'm sorry for the way I behaved!"

"That was very well said Harry," Snape said crossing the room and sitting on the couch, he patted his knee three times and no words needed to be said for Harry to know what he wanted.

He pulled down his pants and underwear and laid himself across his father's lap.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," Harry said again.

"Not half as sorry as you will be by the time I get through to you," Snape stated as he raised his hand, "You –SPANK- shall –SPANK- never –SPANK- swear –SPANK- in front of me –SPANK- again!" Snape was spanking Harry hard enough that his bottom soon was a light colour of pink.

"Get up and go to the bathroom, now Harry. I want to clean out your mouth with soap!" Snape ordered.

Harry did not argue. He knew that he was already in deep trouble and he needed to remember not to misbehave like this again. His father was not happy with his behaviour and Harry knew he had a right to be. He simply kicked off his pants and underwear and walked into the bathroom.

Snape picked up a bar of soap knowing that it might make the lesson stick just a little more than the liquid soap he often used and it didn't have quite as many nasty chemicals. He lathered it a little under the water then turned to his son.

"Open," he ordered. Harry obeyed. He had thought about not opening his mouth but the mere thought of soap getting stuck between his teeth was a thought that was too nasty to bare. Snape put the soap into his mouth and washed it thoroughly, tongue, top of the mouth and bottom. Harry had no choice but to stay still whilst the nasty soap lathered inside his mouth, the taste of it was worse than he could ever have imagined.

"Now you shall hold that inside your mouth for a full minute and think about what you have done! Over my knee!" Snape stated sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

Harry bent down over his father's lap who held one hand around the boy so he wouldn't fall and continued to spank his bare bottom into a deep shade of red. This would not be a lesson Harry would soon be forgetting.

"Now you may rinse!" Snape stated to him and Harry eagerly got off his lap and ran to the sink, spitting and coughing.

"If I EVER hear you use that kind of language again I shall use hot pepper do you understand me?" Snape stated angrily.

"Yes Dad," Harry stated.

"Now into bed with you!" Snape stated allowing the boy to rise and walk towards his bedroom. Snape spent a few minutes just calming himself down after that experience. He never enjoyed disciplining Harry, in fact it was one of the most hated tasks of being a parent. But he knew what kind of a man Lily had always wanted Harry to grow up to be and he swore on the day she died that he would do all he could to make that possible. Even if that wasn't much. But now as Harry's legal guardian he was truly able to keep his word, to his Lily flower. The kettle boiled and he poured a nice cup of tea for himself and his son adding a few chocolate biscuits to Harry's plate. He knew that Harry would be upset but he also knew the awful taste of soap and knew that Harry would appreciate that before bed.

He just sat on the edge of Harry's bed sipping his tea and talking to him reassuring him of what the new school year would bring.

"Whilst I might not be able to be open about our relationship in public Harry you are never far from my heart. If you are in trouble it is still alright for you to come to me," Snape stated, "I love you son!"

He stated and Harry putting his cup down gave a weak smile, "I love you too Dad, I'm sorry."

Snape pulled up Harry's blankets as he lay down into the bed. He kissed him gently on the forehead.

"I forgive you son," Snape said, "just don't do it again."

With that he walked to the door, turned out the light and returned to his potions book. He'd be in bed himself soon.