Harry really hated the unexpected, and what was more, he hated it when the unexpected was a truth he'd been keeping from himself. Case in point, he hadn't expected the Dursleys to call the police on him the day after he'd gotten back from his fifth year at Hogwarts. Furthermore, he hadn't expected the police to haul him away and stick him in a cell with three other teenage boys just because an anonymous call had come in about a teenage vandal. The truth was, he should have expected this from his family. He shouldn't have expected to have an easy summer after Sirius death.

After eyeing his cell mates wearily, Harry had sized them up and equated them to people he was already familiar with, as he didn't care for the unfamiliar either. The tallest boy, who was just about as wide as Dudley seemed similar in nature to Draco Malfoy, keeping a keen eye on those around him. Harry wondered briefly what he'd done to end up there, before thinking about what Draco would have done to end up in jail if he were a Muggle. The answer was something sinister, and Harry moved on to the next boy. He was short and scrawny and looked like he'd been through the ringer, with a black eye and cracked upper lip. Harry wasn't sure why he thought about Seamus as he watched this boy. Perhaps it was the fortitude that he seemed to take his situation in with. The third boy hung his head in shame and seemed rather depressed, and wasn't making eye contact with anyone. This teen Harry thought might have been somewhat like himself, and might have ended up here after doing nothing at all.

"You, come here." Harry turned at the sound of a turning key and an older male voice and found a guard unlocking the door.

"Me?"

"Yes." He waited for Harry to come to him and Harry eyed the firearm at his side warily as he moved out of the cell. He couldn't imagine where they were taking him. Surely the Dursleys hadn't come for him so soon after they'd gotten him arrested in the first place? He nearly scoffed then. No, the Dursleys wouldn't come for him at all.

"Where are we going sir?" Harry asked quietly as they walked down a long white hallway away from the juvenile cells.

The guard raised his brows, perhaps at the sir Harry had added on to the end. He couldn't help it. It had been engrained in him since going to Hogwarts.

"I've got more paperwork to fill out on you, and you're going to call your guardians."

"Yes sir," Harry said, uncertainty filling him about who he would call.

If the Weasleys had a phone he would have tried them first, but he knew Mr. Weasley would never be able to pull off his guardian with that red hair of his. Not only that, but Harry didn't want to think about the expression he'd get when the man showed up to bail him out. He really didn't want to be known as 'Harry the convict' to his friends.

He supposed he could call Hermione, he did have her number, but they lived a good four hours off, and he didn't know her parents or if they were the type of people to bail out their child's friends from juvenile detention. Harry doubted that they were, and knowing Hermione's character, doubted that they would lie for Harry about being his guardians.

After being lead into a tiny, cramped office, he was directed to sit in a worn wooden chair. The guard's desk was piled high with paperwork in various shades of yellow, white, and occasionally pink. There was a computer, but it looked old and useless, despite the fact that the man was typing away on it.

"Name?" He asked in a monotone voice.

Hesitating, wondering if he should lie, Harry opened his mouth and said dully, "Harry James Potter," figuring that he didn't have to live in the Muggle world, so it couldn't matter too much.

"Age?"

"16 next month."

"Address?"

"4 Privet Drive Surrey."

They continued on in this vein for some time before the man pointed to a phone on his desk and told Harry to call his parents. He still had not yet come up with an appropriate person to call however. Mind scrambling, he thought he remembered the entire number to Order Headquarters, which was still at Sirius' house. Not that Sirius' pureblood family would have ever allowed a Muggle phone on the premises, but the Order had set one up in case of emergency, especially since there were several members on assignment in the Muggle world at any given time.

He picked up the phone and carefully dialed the numbers, praying that he'd gotten the right phone or else his only call would be wasted. It rang on the other end and that bolstered Harry's hope a little knowing that the call went through somewhere. One ring. Two. Three. Four. Hope slipping away with each ring that went unanswered, Harry was about to hang up when someone on the other end picked up, but said nothing.

"H, hello?" He was uncertain if he had dialed Order headquarters or not.

There was silence for a long moment, and then, "Password?" Harry gulped. He didn't know there was a password. He could tell that he'd gotten Snape on the other end, and stiffened. This man, was in part responsible for Sirius' death a few weeks ago. More than that, he'd given Harry detention on his last night at school for being out of bed after hours, never mind that he was mourning over Sirius.

"This is Harry Potter," he said.

"Password."

Harry glanced up at the guard, who was waiting patiently. He hoped the man didn't want to talk to his parents, because that wasn't going to happen.

With no password to give, Harry hoped Snape would send someone for him. "I'm in jail in Surrey... dad," he practically ground out, seeing the guard's raised eyebrows. "I know mum's on holiday with aunt Minerva, and uncle Albus can't come and get me." He waited for an answer, but none came, not even another bid for a password. Click. Harry sighed and hung up the phone. Snape had hung up on him.

"Well?" the guard asked.

Harry shook his head. "He hung up. I guess he'll be here to get me soon."

"All right, you can go back to your cell." He motioned for Harry to get up, and he did. As they made their way back towards the block of cells, the guard said, "Watch out for the big one. He's in for assault. I'd give you a cell to yourself but they're all full."

Harry looked up at him. "Why would you do that?"

"I checked your record. You're a first timer. Besides that, you don't seem the type to vandalize a park."

"Why'd I get arrested then?"

"A boy your age and his mother said they witnessed the event."

"Oh," Harry said. "Dudley doesn't like me very much."

The man looked down at him in surprise, and Harry's suspicions were confirmed that his cousin and aunt were indeed the ones he had been referring to.

Harry sat down next to the depressed boy and soon after, followed suit, putting his head in his hands as he waited. After two hours, he doubted Snape had taken him seriously and decided that he might have to call Hermione's parents after all, that is if he could get the guard to give him another call. He was just about to stand up and call down the hall to ask for the guard when he heard the heavy metal door open in the distance, followed by a set of footsteps.

They all looked up, hoping to be called out of the cell, but three were to be disappointed. "Your dad is here," the guard said, pointing to Harry. Harry swallowed, but stood up and followed the guard out nonetheless. Mixed emotions welled within him. On the one hand, he was getting out and that was a good thing... perhaps they'd even take him back to Hogwarts or let him spend the summer with the Weasleys. But on the other hand, if it really was Snape that had come to take him away, he didn't want to think about the punishment he'd receive from this man.

Down the long hall again and past the guard's office, Harry was lead to the front desk where an angry looking Severus Snape stood with his arms crossed. He was wearing black slacks and a button up black shirt, but was thankfully without robes.

"Here he is. You'll need picture ID so we can release him to you, and you'll have to sign the paperwork." Snape gave Harry a glare that he shrank back from. Harry averted his eyes as Snape withdrew a Muggle driver's license, presumably a fake one with the last name Potter, and handed it across the counter.

"Ok, just sign these Mr. Potter," the elder woman told him, and Harry looked up to see Snape's rigid form. Oh yes, he would definitely be paying hell for that, Harry thought. The last thing Snape wanted to be called was Potter.

After a few minutes, the forms had been signed and Harry had been released into Snape's custody. Harry kept quiet until they were out on the sidewalk in the bright daylight.

Thinking he should at least thank him, Harry started to apologize, but was cut off.

"Don't- speak- to me." Snape told him in a deadly tone. Harry swallowed and followed him as he hailed a cab. It was a quiet, tense ride back towards the Dursley's house, and Harry frowned. He wasn't really taking him right back to the Dursleys, was he? They'd just call the police on him again. But it was true. The cab pulled up in front of 4 Privet Drive, and Snape got out, giving Harry a look that just dared him to say something, anything at all. Harry clamped his mouth shut again.

At the front door, Snape rapped smartly with his knuckles five times, and then waited. After long moments, the door finally opened to reveal Vernon Dursley.

"What's this?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I am a professor at this boy's boarding school," Snape said sternly. "I have just retrieved him from jail. He was being held for vandalizing a neighborhood park."

Harry wondered briefly if Snape was actually mad at uncle Vernon, but was disappointed to see him smile appreciatively when Uncle Vernon cuffed him about the ear and said, "Inside boy!" through his teeth.

"Thank you. It won't happen again," Vernon said. Harry was behind his uncle and could not see his Professor now, although he heard the man bid goodbye as uncle Vernon closed the door. As he rounded on Harry, Harry shrank back and wished he was still back at the juvenile detention center with the nice guard.

Severus Snape shook his head in disgust. The Potter menace had finally gone and proven his point for him, he thought, as he apparated back to Grimmuald Place. Let the other staff continue to say what a little angel the brat was. He'd produce the paperwork to show that he wasn't and had gone and gotten himself thrown in jail for vandalism. From his pocket he withdrew the fake ID he'd made, and used his wand to incinerate it. The gall, he thought. Being called Mr. Potter. In truth if that snot nosed heir of Potter's was his own child he'd have hided the boy so bad he wouldn't be able to sit for weeks for pulling a stunt like that. No child of his would disrespect other people's property in such a way. At least he was satisfied that Harry would be properly punished for his actions. Dursley seemed to realize the seriousness of Potter's actions when he'd dropped him off. Even more galling was the fact that Potter hadn't expected to be taken back to face his punishments. What, had the boy thought he'd get a vacation with the Weasleys instead? Hardly.

Severus scoffed as he picked up the pile of parchments he'd been working on when the phone had rung hours ago. He'd almost gotten off scot-free because he was on his way out the door when Potter called. He'd seriously considered leaving the brat there as punishment for his juvenile stupidity, but being the only one at headquarters at the time, he knew there was no one else to pass the information along to, and the boy wouldn't have called unless it was a last resort, especially not having the password.

Hand on his hip, Severus set the papers down again and sighed. Dumbledore was out of country, McGonagall was on assignment, and most of the rest of the Order were out in the field. If Potter got into trouble again and called Grimmuald place, there would be no one there. Eyes narrowed, he said to himself, "Damn you Severus. Just see if the little imbecile doesn't ruin your vacation." Grabbing a clean parchment and pen Snape quickly scrawled down a new phone number, knowing he would regret it, and added a quick note at the end, before stomping out the door to look for an owl.

* * *

Cars zoomed by the decrepit neighborhood, and the boy who sat on the crumbling stone wall looking defeated. He'd been out of jail for three days, and all three days he'd wished he'd stayed in.

Harry Potter eyed the payphone that was falling apart a few feet to his left, crumpled parchment in hand. There would be hell to pay if he called that number... Snape had told him so in the note. Harry frowned down at the parchment, wondering why he had sent it at all if he didn't want him to call it. Maybe it was something Dumbledore had made him do, Harry thought. Maybe Dumbledore was on the other end somehow... some fancy bit of magic that would put him through to one of those trinkets in the Headmaster's office. Hm, Harry thought. Perhaps he had smashed the trinket that would make it possible.

With a long sigh Harry looked out over the cracked sidewalk to the people who were passing him by, mostly in run down old cars. He really had no idea where he was. Uncle Vernon had driven him to another city and dropped him in the worst part of town, saying that it was punishment for bringing someone else that was 'unnatural' around the house. Never mind the black eye and broken ribs, and the fact that he'd burned most of Harry's things. Harry really had no idea if his wand was still intact or not. He'd only been allowed to throw a few items of clothing into his backpack before being hurried out of the house.

He'd been walking all morning since he'd been told to get out of the car, and then parked his body next to the phone booth so that he could debate calling Professor Snape.

'Ok', he thought to himself, 'let's weigh the variables. On the one hand Voldemort or a death eater can walk along and find me, or I can call Snape and get my head chewed off.' Hm, that was tough. Thinking he would try again, Harry thought to himself, 'a Muggle can mug me and shoot me, or I can call Snape who will chew my head off and then give me an all summer detention for bothering him again, and then send me back to the Dursleys.'

Harry closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. Truth time. He had no wand, no money, and he couldn't call the night bus because he'd been warned at the end of the school year that Stan Shunpike, who worked for the Knight Bus, was now a death eater. He needed help, because it would be dark in just a few hours.

Dragging himself off the stone ledge, Harry stood and faced the phone, steeling himself to be yelled at. Well, here goes. He dialed the number and waited for Snape to answer, but was surprised when on the third ring a woman picked up and said, "Hello?"

"Um, hello," Harry said uncertainly. "Is Professor Snape there please?"

"Just a moment."

Harry waited. Maybe he'd been given the number to a new Order hideout. He had no idea what they were going to do with Sirius' house now that he was dead. Another thought struck him as well... the thought that he might have just called a Death Eater hideout, since Snape often went undercover and into the ranks, but his thoughts were cut short when Snape answered, "Hello?"

"Professor Snape... I need your help."

Harry heard an audible sigh on the other end, and then an irritated, "What is it this time Potter?"

Biting his lip, Harry was confused when a number of emotions suddenly threatened to overwhelm him. Maybe it was just the day's events finally getting to him, and the fear that he really was going to get shot or captured by death eaters. He felt extremely vulnerable without his wand, and also lacking in control right now.

"I don't know where I am sir. It's not a very good part of town."

"Explain yourself."

Harry glanced down the street as three unsavory teenage boys rounded a corner and one lit up a cigarette. The man would never believe him if he told him his uncle had just dumped him here.

"My family went on vacation sir. They left me with a neighbor, but the neighbor got mad at me during an outing and left me on the side of the road. I'm not even sure what city I'm in."

Harry was sure the man was thinking over the story and trying to detect the lie, as the only response Harry had gotten was silence. After a few more moments however, Snape asked, "What street are you on?"

Harry looked around and then said, "Um... Middle and Park I think." Unexpectedly there was a click, and Harry frowned. He had hung up. Uncertain Harry hung up as well and sat down on the stone wall again, feeling defeated. It was looking more and more like he would need to call the Grangers, although if he couldn't even tell them what city he was in, he doubted they'd be able to find him. He could try to get to a police station, but he had no desire to do that either for fear they'd lock him up again for no good reason.

"Potter."

Harry startled so bad that he nearly fell off the ledge as he turned to find Snape behind him, surveying their surroundings.

"Sir." He couldn't help but feel relief that someone had come for him.

"How long are your family on vacation?"

Harry swallowed. "Three days sir."

"And they left you because?"

"Punishment." Given that the Professor knew he had just gotten out of jail, it seemed a plausible explanation.

"I cannot take you back to a neighbor who would leave you on your own. You will come with me until your family returns."

"Thank you sir." Harry could not remember very many times, if any, that he had actually thanked this man who would seek to torment him, but he truly was thankful for the rescue. Snape glared at him in response, before turning to go towards the dark alley he had apparently come from, motioning for Harry to follow. In the alley, Harry barely had time to think before Snape had grabbed his arm, apparating them away to a strange and unusual place.