Snape rubbed his temple, trying to get rid of the headache. Tired and sleepy, he would gladly go to bed. Unfortunately, he still had to have a talk with Potter. The man yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. Another hour and he'll be able to get some sleep. He'll just ask Theo to check on the irresponsible Gryffindor from time to time.

He hoped Potter would take the news relatively well. If this kind of news could be taken well at all.

Opening the door, Severus startled the boy so much that he jumped on the bed and looked at him as if the Potion Master were a Boogeyman who killed his parents, and in a moment, he was about to get him. The irony was, it was not far from the truth. At least as far as the parents were concerned. Fortunately, Potter was unaware of that fact.

Severus looked at the scrawny kid. He looked innocent, and at first glance, no one would have guessed that he was the worst terror in school. It was because of him that the man had not slept in more than thirty hours, trying to save the boy from his own stupidity. The Potions Master thought he should have strangled the kid for the idiotic tattoo. Still, since brewing potions all night would then be a waste of time, he dismissed the idea immediately.

"You jumped as if you had something on your conscience."

"What? I didn't touch anything! I didn't even get out of bed!" shouted the boy.

Severus sighed.

"Potter, it was just a joke. Calm down."

The boy looked at him doubtfully, as if not believing that the man knew the definition of the word "joke" at all. But, hey! Out of the two of them, it wasn't the Potions Master who was linguistically ignorant here. Despite Severus' inept attempt to start a conversation in a friendly manner, the boy still looked as if his every muscle was tense, and he would rather fly out of the room as soon as possible.

As Severus handed him the sandwich, he took it without a word and began to eat it slowly, never taking his eyes off the teacher. At least the teen didn't make a scene like the last time Severus wanted to feed him. After several minutes, the boy finally finished. When the Potions Master wanted to take the plate from him, Potter cringed abruptly.

"Potter, what's wrong with you? Relax a little."

"What's wrong with me?" He asked, confused. "With me?" He repeated louder. "Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with you, Snape?! Why haven't you started yelling at me and getting mad and calling me names yet? Why are you so... so..."

"So what?"

"So…kind of normal!?"

"Wait a moment. I want us to understand each other absolutely. You want me to shout at you and insult you?"

"Yes!" The boy snapped. "I mean, no! I don't know... That's not the point!

Severus rubbed his temples with his fingers again. Potter's behaviour was definitely not helping him to get rid of the headache. Still, at least he felt a little less sleepy.

"Potter, take three deep breaths and explain to me, what are you on about again?"

"I don't know. I heard you were brewing potions all night… And I'm kinda' imposing on you. I mean, not at my own request, of course, because I wanted to go home, but Nott advised me not to."

"He did the right thing. And I still don't see the point.”

"And you always yell at me for nothing, and now, when there's really a reason, you're not, and suddenly you're playing…nice?"

"Potter, first of all, I never yell at you without reason." The lie easily passed his throat. Of course, Severus more than once lash out unfairly at the kid, which of course, he reasoned to himself by the necessity of reduction of Potter's enormous ego. "Secondly, I promise you that I will not yell at you, as you put it, today, so calm down a bit," he added.

The news he was about to pass onto him was bad. Even very bad, and Severus knew that he was unlikely to avoid another scene, so there was no point in adding more drama to it. The man promised himself that he would grit his teeth and survive another boy's hysteria.

"And what are you going to do?" Potter asked, eyeing the potions distrustfully. "What are these?"

"Antibiotics, blood purifying and strengthening potions."

"I'm fine now," the boy said, glancing nervously at the door. "Actually, I really have to go," he added.

"I'm not going to poison you, stupid child. I assure you, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it last night."

"Well, I don't know. You look like the one who likes the victims to be aware that you are the one who kills them," the boy muttered, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Merlin's beard, Potter..." Snape rolled his eyes. "Just drink it, I'll change your bandages, and we'll talk."

"About what?"

"There is something I need to tell you."

"Something happened? Something happened to Sirius?" he asked anxiously.

"No, your mutt is fine."

"The Weasleys? Hermione?" The boy was becoming more and more alarmed.

"They're fine as well. Stop with the questions." Severus slowly grew impatient. "Take the potions and turn around."

"But what's going on?"

"The sooner we get it over with," he said, nodding his head to the vial, "the sooner I'll tell you everything."

After a moment's hesitation, Potter drank all the potions one by one, wincing ostentatiously at their taste, then slowly turned around. Snape capably changed the dressing, and the kid didn't even groan. As soon as the Potions Master finished, the boy sat facing him again and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

Severus looked at him searchingly. Even though he had done many bad deeds in his life, he still didn't find it easy to convey such information. No matter what others thought of him, he wasn't a heartless bastard.

"Yesterday evening, your aunt and cousin...they had an accident," Severus said, carefully examining the teenager's face, from which all the colours had drained.

"What happened?" the boy asked. "Are they all okay?"

"No, Potter, I'm sorry." To his surprise, the boy neither broke down in tears, nor his eyes were even a little wet. The only sign that he understood what the man told him was the fact that his face went a little green.

Severus leaned over to put his hand on the teen's shoulder to show him his support somehow. Potter or not, the kid had just lost the last surviving family members—if not counting Tobias and him. However, the boy could not rely on his father's support, and obviously, he did not share any common ground with Severus. Potter, however, jerked away abruptly, and Severus withdrew his hand. Evidently, the kid didn't trust him. Looking back, he couldn't tell that he felt especially surprised by that. He knew that he was one of the worst possible people to comfort the Golden Boy.

"But what happened?" Potter repeated, it might seem in a calm voice.

"Dementors have appeared near your aunt and uncle's house. Unfortunately, both your aunt and cousin ran into them yesterday evening, and they failed to escape.”

"Dementors sucked their souls out?" The boy paled even more, and his voice trembled.

"I'm really sorry, Potter." Severus felt really out of place. Instead of starting the conversation with the boy, he should go against Dumbledore's order and bring the kid to Grimmauld Place for Molly Weasley to inform him about the Dursley's deaths and then take care of the devastated teenager. The Potions Master was entirely unfit for this. He wasn't good at comforting people, let alone those who hated him. "I know you had an argument with your family lately, but I'm sure your aunt didn't resent you and still loved you." He finished awkwardly, staring at the boy intensely.

Potter closed his eyes, and then his mouth twitched into a mocking smile.

"Yeah… sure... Loved me." Suddenly the boy threw back the covers. "I'm better now. I'm going home. Thanks for the potions. They helped."

"Don't you even dare to move, Potter," Severus growled. "Nott did let you know you were staying here until Tobias returns, didn't he?"

"I'm not staying."

"Yes, you are, Potter. Get back under the covers."

"You have no right to trap me in here," he said, trying to get up.

"Potter!" the man growled out. "I'm warning you. I understand what you are going through right now, but I'm slowly losing my patience.”

"That's the thing, you understand nothing! You think that what? That you put me up and gave me some potions, and suddenly you know everything about me?"

"No, Potter, I think you are a spoiled, little whelp with no gratitude for the woman who took you in and spent years raising you. Even though the results are rather poor."

"You can think whatever you want, Snape," the boy sneered. "I don't care at all."

"Potter, your insolence is beyond all limits!" The boy just shrugged and looked away. "You won't leave this room until you rethink your behaviour. And tomorrow, whether you like it or not, we'll go to the hospital where your aunt and cousin are. You will say goodbye to them and express your condolences to your uncle."

Saying this, Snape left the room, slamming the door.

Potter raised his pressure more than a double espresso. There was even no point in trying to go to bed now. He knew the conversation wasn't going to be enjoyable, but he was surprised at the direction it took. He decided to go to Spinner's End and get some of Potter's things. Luckily, Noah left Severus the key this morning. The kid couldn't spend the next few days wearing one set of clothes. Also, he will get the chance to explore the anti-magic field that Dumbledore had thrown up around the area near the house. He was sure he had heard of something like this before, but he couldn't remember in what circumstances.

HPHPHPHPHP

Friday, August 4th, 1995

The anti-magic field turned out to be extremely advanced magic. Only a very powerful wizard could cast in one. None of the spells Severus cast worked, and they only caused a slight tingling sensation in his fingers. The field was located only to the edge of the park. No wonder Potter got an infection. He was sure Tobias knew nothing about the tattoo, so he doubted the kid would get it in a professional salon without the guardian's approval. There was a good chance the kid had gone to some sleazy place where the hygiene standards didn't exist. Severus sighed. He still had to have a conversation with Potter about it. Anyway, the kid's body should be able to fight the bacteria on its own. Severus hadn't heard of wizards who actually had symptoms like the Gryffindor. Muggles did, but even though they didn't have any magic in them, usually even they could handle it. The only reason Potter's skin refused to heal or did it exceptionally slowly and infection got into his blood system could be because of Dumbledore's barrier. He didn't know why, but he was convinced about it. Unfortunately, information on anti-magical fields was not easy to find. Very few wizards have heard of them, and even fewer have conjured it up. He himself had no literature on this subject in his library. He would have to investigate the problem at Hogwarts.

"Good morning, professor. Do you need help?" Nott's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Good morning, Theo. No. Just sit down at the table." With that, he waved his wand, and a bowl of hot oatmeal with fruit and honey flew towards the boy. He poured some orange juice into a glass for Theodore and a cup of coffee for himself. Then he sat down in front of the boy.

"I need to take care of something with Potter. We will be away for a few hours, and I hope you will find something to do during this time.”

"I wanted to make a peace potion," the boy said after he swallowed a piece of orange.

"That potion is quite unstable, and while I'm sure you'll do it right, I'd prefer you to wait until I'm around. However, if you want, you can brew an ointment for burns." When the boy nodded, Severus added, "and how are your lines going?"

"I have almost five hundred." Theodore made a suffering face.

"It's only twice as much. See? You’ve got something to do." Severus smiled, teasing him a little. "You've only yourself to blame," he added, seeing the boy roll his eyes.

"Yes, I know. And how is Potter?"

"Better than expected."

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus knocked on the door, mentally preparing himself for another day of "being nice to Potter." Hearing no answer, he stepped inside. The boy was sitting on the bed, his hands hugging his knees, his bangs all damp, probably with sweat, and tears running down his cheeks. As soon as he saw Severus, he began to wipe them off hastily.

"What's going on, Potter?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." The boy sat up straight and gave the man a furious glare in case he dared to doubt his words.

Snape raised his eyebrows, disbelieving every word that came out of the kid's mouth but decided against saying anything. The man tossed on the bed a new toothbrush, towel, the boy's wand and clothes that he had brought from Spinner's End the day before. This time, when he entered Potter's room at Tobias' house, he noticed that the room was well-kept and repainted. There was a new rug on the floor and a cover on the bed. All this, although of dubious quality, was new. It meant that Tobias did try at least a little.

Among Potter's things, it was challenging to find anything suitable for a hospital visit. The kid didn't have a single shirt. So, Severus took the sweater that would make the boy look the least rebellious. He also found a wand and an invisibility cloak which he chose not to take. He didn't need to tempt this idiot to start wandering around the house invisible.

"Take a shower, get dressed, and come downstairs. You will eat breakfast, and then we'll go to the hospital."

"For what?"

"I told you. To say goodbye to your aunt and cousin."

"They're in the hospital? A Muggle one?"

"Yes, Potter. Tonight the St. Mungo's employees are coming in, and, well...they will make their bodies cease to function."

"They will kill them?" The boy asked, visibly paler.

"No. They are already dead. St. Mungo's staff will only kill their bodies.”

"I really don't want to go there," the boy muttered.

"Potter, don't be a child. I have no idea what your argument was about, but I know one thing. If you don't say goodbye to them now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Exactly, you don't know that. You don't know anything."

At that moment, Severus remembered Black's words about the Dursleys. He looked at the boy searchingly.

"Potter, was it really that bad there? Did they...abuse you?"

Harry's eyes widened involuntarily. He looked at his hands, then back at Snape.

"No, of course not. I…" The teen swallowed. "You are right. I should say goodbye."

Snape nodded. Were it not for Dumbledore's insinuation repeatedly that the boy was fine with the family, and Figg had been watching over him, he would have thought…but no, it was impossible. Potter never looked timid. On the contrary—the kid was confident, insolent and arrogant. Besides, it was impossible that Severus, an experienced teacher and spy who prided himself on his perceptiveness and intelligence, could be so wrong.

HPHPHPHPHP

They appeared at a dead end behind the hospital. The shade of green on Potter's face clearly indicated that the boy felt nauseated, as it usually happened with the first few Apparitions. And even so, the boy tried to pretend that he was okay again. Severus was slowly getting tired of guessing what was wrong. He handed him a vial.

"No discussion. A potion for nausea," Snape said before the boy could protest. Harry grimaced and reluctantly swallowed vial contents. There was a visible surprise on the kid's face. Not only did the potion taste quite nice, but also it started working right away. The next moment, Severus conjured up a bouquet of flowers in a vase and gave it to Harry. "For your aunt."

"What for? You said yourself that she is…you know…" The boy was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking like he was trying to twist a hole in the sidewalk with his foot.

"Yes, she's dead. Still, it's customary to bring flowers. Take it." Snape shook his head. "Does everything have to be so difficult with you? Stop questioning every single little thing."

The boy opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but changed his mind and closed it. He just mumbled a soft "thanks" and took the flowers. Harry looked up at his teacher, but the man had already turned around and started walking towards the main entrance. Whether he wanted to or not, Potter followed the man.

Snape headed for the reception desk, where he found out which room the Dursleys were in.

Right outside the door, the kid hesitated. He was pale and glanced uncertainly at his teacher again and again.

"Could I go in there alone?" he stammered out finally. "It's a private moment. I don't want any witnesses when I tear up or something."

"Yes, Potter, of course. Go."

The boy took a deep breath, knocked and pressed the door handle. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he peered into the room, then stepped inside.

HPHPHPHPHP

There were two beds in the brightly lit room on which Aunt Petunia and Dudley lay. They looked as if they were asleep, not dead. He stepped closer and set the vase on his aunt's bedside table by his aunt's bed. There were already a few bouquets of flowers and get-well cards.

The teen didn't know what he should feel. He realized that both his aunt and his cousin had always hated him. Harry, on the other hand, as a child, had sought the love of his aunt, who had not only never loved him but, what is worse, had treated him despicably. However, he never wished them dead.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled.

He reached out to touch his aunt's cheek but quickly withdrew it. She hated when he touched her. She always scolded him when, as a small child, he had not learned that he should not try to hug her.

"You...you..." A voice interrupted his reverie. He turned to only see Uncle Vernon making his way toward him. The man looked like he hadn't slept in days. He was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and now he was furiously heading towards him. Harry instinctively reached out to shield his face, but the angry man grabbed his throat. Two purple hands tightened around his neck. "It's...it's all your fault...how dare you show up here!" Uncle Vernon shouted, pure madness flashing across his face.

"Let go of me!" Harry gasped, slowly running out of air.

Harry struggled to pull at his uncle's sausage-like fingers with his right hand and reach out his wand with his left one.  The lack of oxygen caused the boy to see the dark spots before his eyes, but suddenly Uncle Vernon howled. The man was thrown back, and Harry felt a wave of invisible energy running through his body.

Harry collapsed to the floor, trying to catch his breath. At that moment, the door opened, and Snape entered the room with his wand out.

"What the hell is going on here?" He looked at Vernon and then at Harry who was rubbing his throat as he tried to get up.

"Nothing," the boy said.

"You damn freaks! It's all your fault! You fucking bastard! Taking you under our roof was a mistake. We didn't manage to stamp this stupid thing out of you and now look at what you've done! I should drown you in a river right away! Or lock you in your fucking cupboard once and for all and make you starve to death there!" Vernon got up from the floor, pushing at the boy once again. "You killed my wife and son, you cocksucker!"

Severus stood in front of Potter, shielding him completely and pointing his wand at Vernon.

"Touch him, Dursley, and you'll join them!" Severus heard enough from his uncle 's mouth to know that he was completely wrong about Potter. But to get rid of any doubts he knew would get him sooner or later, he whispered: "Legilimens."

What he saw in the man's memories chilled him. And not only because he had seen the scenes of cruelty towards Potter with his own eyes. Eventually, it hit him what he so stubbornly jibbed at. Potter was a child who was mentally and physically abused. The Dursleys starved him and kept him locked in a cupboard for days or even weeks. They were not shy to use physical violence and got rid of the boy at the earliest opportunity. No wonder the child liked the idea of moving out. And the worst part was that it was the moment when he also realized his own behaviour towards a kid who was treated worse than an animal in his own home. The Potions Master had never acted reasonably towards him. He often took the blame of the man who had adopted him out on Potter. And yes, it was not good, but if the boy was really spoiled as Severus thought him to be, it would have been of little consequence. It would only show to the kid that the whole world didn't revolve around him. However, in this case, Severus was just another adult who plainly abused him.

In fact, the boy never had the support of an adult. Apart from, of course, Black, who currently had runaway status and was highly irresponsible.

"Potter..."

"Don't...just don't."

A few things happened at the same time. Vernon regained consciousness, swung at the Potions Master, but the latter threw a Stupefy on him, and the man fell flat. Figg, the woman who was supposed to keep an eye on Potter for all these years, entered the room with flowers in her hands. And a long-eared owl flew in through the window and soared towards Harry, tossed a large parchment envelope at his feet, it made a neat twist and flew out.

"What's happening here? For God's sake! Vernon, dear! Is he okay?"

"That whale attacked Potter." Snape looked at the boy who was reading the letter. The kid was getting paler with each passing moment. "Potter, what happened?"

"They kicked me out of Hogwarts," he said with his voice trembling.

"Give me that," Severus took the parchment from the boy's hands.

Dear Mr Potter,

We have received intelligence that you performed magic at thirteen minutes past eleven this morning in the presence of a Muggle.

The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.

As you have already received an official warning for a previous offence under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on August 12th.

Hoping you are well,

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

"Don't worry, Potter. Nobody will throw you out of school or destroy your wand," Severus said, hoping that Dumbledore, in the current political situation, still had sufficient influence. "Underage wizards have the right to use spells in an emergency; moreover, your uncle already knew about magic. Come on." Saying that he grabbed the teenager's arm. "We need to go."

That instant, another owl flew into the room, sat on Harry's shoulder, extended a leg to which was tied a roll of parchment. As soon as the boy untied the package, she shook herself and flew away. With trembling hands, Harry unfurled the second letter, which was written very hastily and blotchily in black ink.

Harry

Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry, and he's trying to sort it all out. DO NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND.

Arthur Weasley

"Come on, Potter," Snape said, dragging the teenager towards the door, then cast a spell on Vernon to revive him and turned to Mrs Figg. "Deal with him."

Harry and Snape hurriedly headed to the dead-end street from which they were to Apparate. When they were almost there, another owl flew in and handed Harry an official-looking envelope.

Dear Mr Potter,

Further to our letter of approximately twenty-two minutes ago, the Ministry of Magic has revised its decision to destroy your wand forthwith. You may retain your wand until your disciplinary hearing on August 12th, at which time an official decision will be taken.

Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further enquiries.

With best wishes, yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Severus looked questioningly at Harry.

"They changed their minds; they won't destroy my wand yet. I'm just officially suspended."

"That's good. Come on. Let's go home." With that, they apparated back to Flukey Road.

HPHPHPHPHP

Severus led Harry into the living room. Despite the teenager's reluctance, he sat him down on the couch, conjured up a blanket and gave him the TV remote control. He needed to talk to him, of course, but frankly, he had no idea how to play it, so he tried to put it off with the pretext of cooking dinner. To his surprise, Potter stood up and offered to help. The Potions Master immediately refused.

"Are you back already?" Theodore asked from above the pile of parchments. "You weren't supposed to be back until after lunch."

"It's a long story. How is it going?" The man said, pointing his head at the parchments.

"Quite bad, "

"Well, you still have a lot of time," Snape said. The teenager made a face, clearly not happy. "Take a break and go and keep Potter company. Watch TV or play something."

"To keep him busy?" Theo asked, collecting the parchments.

"Sometimes, you're too perspicacious."

When Severus was left alone, he wondered what he should do with Potter. The kid didn't like or trust him. It was obvious and quite understandable. Dursley's memories completely changed Severus' paradigm. At this point, he couldn't bring up the old dislike of the boy he had been feeding himself for years, every time he interacted with the kid. An aversion that was not only unjustified but would definitely make it difficult for him to establish a good relationship with Potter to help him.

The man felt a great deal of guilt for mistreating an already abused kid he had sworn to protect. Not to mention that he felt like the greatest idiot, that despite years of practice as an educator and as a spy (which he prided himself on), he did not notice that the Potter's family was riding roughshod over him. And there were signs of it, but Severus was too blinded by his own arrogance to notice them.

The problem, however, was that while all the assumptions on which he had treated Potter poorly had shattered the moment he entered Dursley's mind, nothing had changed for the Gryffindor. For him, Severus was still the same nasty Potions teacher who treated him despicably.

Yes, Potter wasn't one of the well-behaved kids. However, all these escapades, for the Philosopher's Stone or to the Chamber of Secrets, may have been the result that the boy had no one to turn to for help. Probably never used to getting help from adults.

On top of that, the boy was his brother. Snape laughed dryly. The kid he hated for four years for the very fact of his mere existence, for being the son of James Potter, was actually related to Severus. The man suddenly felt resentment towards his mother. If the woman had only told him about the pregnancy. He would surely help her. He would even raise the kid himself after her death. Indeed, the child would be better off with him than with the Dursleys or Tobias. Perhaps Potter would even have avoided the fate of the Boy-Who-Lived.

The prophecy. By handing it over to the Dark Lord, he personally contributed to the death sentence on his own brother. At this point, the Potions Master swore again that he would do anything to save the boy from death at the hands of Voldemort. Potter just had to start trusting him a little.

This itself won't be an easy task; Severus had no doubts about it. First of all, he should try to keep to a minimum the malicious comments that Potter himself provoked with his irritating behaviour and stupidity. What's more, the teenager will have to start feeling safe in the Potions Master's company. For that to happen, the boy had to be convinced not only that Severus would not hurt him but that the Potions Master would also act in regard to Potter's welfare. The boy has to actually be aware that he can rely on his teacher.

Severus knew that all the effects of a tragic childhood could not be reversed, but there was a chance to minimize them. First, Potter himself had to want to admit to having experienced violence. The Potions Master wasn't sure if the boy was only tried to  hide from Severus that the Dursleys had been abusing him or if the boy denied it himself. Both options were very likely, and anyway, the man decided to try to get Potter to start talking about it.

After Severus had finished laying out his general plan for dealing with Potter, he called the two teens to the kitchen for lunch.

HPHPHPHPHP

At the table, Potter sat like it was his last meal. He nibbled on his chicken as if he still believed Severus had poisoned his food. After the man waved his wand to let the dishes wash themselves, he called the boy into the living room.

"Can I go home?"

"No, Potter, you can't. We need to talk," said the man, sitting down in his armchair and pointing to the couch to the teenager. Using a spell, he summoned the previously prepared cups and put them onto the coffee table. "Help yourself." The boy reluctantly pulled the cup closer to him. Severus took the other one and took a sip. Then he motioned for Potter to do the same.

"What the hell is going on again?" Harry asked after tasting the drink.

"It's hot chocolate."

"I know what it is," Harry snapped. "But why are you giving me hot chocolate? Got some more bad news? Do you want something from me? Do you want to bribe me or something?"

"If I wanted to bribe you, I'd add marshmallows and whipped cream," said the Potions Master with a straight face, and when Harry looked at him incredulously, he added: "It was a joke, Potter."

"What did you want to talk to me about...er... professor?" Harry asked, completely baffled. He folded his arms over his chest and looked expectantly at the man.

Severus cleared his throat.

"I'd like to apologize to you," he said, hesitating for a moment.

"Excuse me?" Harry's eyes widened so much that they looked almost comical on his too-thin face.

"I am saying I shouldn't have treated you like I did. I behaved inappropriately and unprofessionally towards you."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. And I hope our relationship will improve."

The boy narrowed his eyes and looked at him for a moment.

"Fine."

"Fine...is that all you have to say?" This time it was Severus who was stumped. He was expecting some kind of tantrum typical for Potter, reproach, or just that the boy will send him to hell.

Harry shrugged.

"Yeah. Can I go now? Home?"

"Potter, I told you, you won't be staying there just by yourself for a week. End of discussion." Severus looked closely at the teenager, a bruise slowly starting to appear on his neck. "Accio bruise balm!" He exclaimed, and after a moment, the potion flew straight into his hand. "Here you are. Put it on your neck," the man said, handing him a little jar.

"Thanks?" The boy said. Taking the ointment on two fingers, he spread it over his skin.

"As for your uncle...he shouldn't behave like that. What he said...you know that's not true?"

The boy shrugged.

"Sure."

"But it wasn't an isolated incident."

The boy looked at him suspiciously. "As for that, two magical monsters had sucked the souls of his only son and wife the previous day, and tonight the wizards are going to come there and finish them off. You can't blame the man for being…well, slightly shocked?”

"No, I don't blame him for being shocked, just for the fact that he almost killed you." Severus chose to ignore the fact that Potter wasn't using either sir or professor. He hoped that when the boy finally got used to change in their relationship, calling each other by names would shorten the distance between them and at the same time help build that damn trust that he didn't have at all at the moment.

"Nah, he wouldn't kill me," Harry said dismissively.

"What if I told you I know for the fact the Dursleys have been abusing you?"

"Then I'd say you have no right to spread nasty rumours. And whoever told you that bullshit thing was simply lying."

"Potter, do Granger and Weasley know about it?" Severus chose to ignore the boy's words.

"They don't know anything because there is nothing to know," the boy said through clenched teeth. "And that's none of your bloody business either. So, kindly, stop spreading this nonsense because someone will believe it and report it to the Prophet."

"You know you should talk to someone about it."

"Merlin's pants, are you even listening to me?"

The boy had an unhealthy blush on his cheeks and seemed increasingly tired.

"Are you feeling well?"

"Yeah. Of course, I'm fine." Potter was so indignant as if Severus had asked the most ridiculous and tactless question.

The man rose from the armchair and extended his hand towards the boy. The kid immediately raised his hand to shield himself, probably thinking that Severus was going to strike him.

"I just wanted to see if you have a fever." Saying that he touched the boy's forehead. "Dear Salazar, Potter, you are burning hot. Accio the anti-thermic potion." Severus deftly grabbed the incoming vial. "Here, drink this." The boy reluctantly drank it, wincing at the same time. "It would make my life much easier if you let me know when you are not feeling well."

Potter looked at him incredulously.

"And it would make my life much easier if you just let me go home."

"I'm telling you once again, there is no such option."

"Merlin, why? I don't want to be here, and you don't want me here. We'll both be happier when I leave."

"Potter, you've been acting like a spoiled brat since the beginning of this conversation, and we've already established that you are not one."

"We haven't established anything," muttered Harry.

"And I told you that I would not let such an irresponsible fifteen-year-old live alone for a week without any supervision," Severus continued.

"I'm not irresponsible, and I really don't need anyone to babysit me. I'm doing great on my own."

"Not irresponsible? Hmm…let's think about it. Aren't you the one who got a tattoo in some dingy den? And then, didn't you throw a boozy party where half of the teenagers from the neighbourhood were present? Is it not you who landed at my house, barely alive, because the tattoo infected your blood and for three days you haven't asked anyone for help?"

"Yes, I know, but..."

"And I won't even ask if you have any money left to buy some food for the rest of the week, or you spent it all on that tattoo and the party."

The boy blushed and groaned.

"Okay, okay, maybe you’re right, but it's a one-off slip-up."

Severus snorted in disbelief. He got up, took a blanket from a chest of drawers against the wall and handed it to Potter.

"You are barely awake. Lie down and get some sleep."

"Will you tell Tobias?"

"About what?"

"About everything. That I'm here."

"I will think about it. Now sleep."