Severus Snape did not think highly of Harry Potter. That much was no secret, so when the boy did not show up for lunch Snape did not think much of it. If the boy was trying to show his displeasure of his punishment by skipping meals, then he was in for a surprise. Snape would not worry himself with the boy’s eating habits – when the boy was hungry enough he would eat, no matter what else was going on in his mind.

But when it was nearing dinnertime and there were still no signs of Potter Snape, much to his dismay, started to worry. What was the boy doing? He couldn’t have left, or the wards would have alerted Snape. So what was the boy up to? By now he must be starving, so whatever trouble the boy was up to must be pretty serious.

With the thought that maybe it had been a mistake after all to leave Potter alone in the basement, despite all the spells Snape had used to make sure that nothing could be destroyed in there should the boy so let a troll loose with its club, Snape headed outside. Clouds were gathering in the sky and he suspected that there would be rain later on in the evening.

He was surprised to find the door to the basement closed and locked. Had the boy already finished his chore and gotten himself into some other sort of trouble? Now seriously confused Snape walked around the house, stating that there were no signs of the boy outside. It took only a few minutes for him to state that Potter could not be found inside either.

-          “Have you seen Potter?” he asked Ian, whom he found in his room, reading a book.

-          “No. What, he’s gone?”

-          “Seems so. The basement is locked and I can’t find him.

-          “So he just ran away again?” Ian sounded disbelieving, and Snape shook his head.

-          “No. I have put up extra wards; they should have alerted me had he left the property.”

-          “Could he have taken the floo?”

-          “Not likely. I childproofed it, and Potter isn’t allowed to do magic outside of school.”

-          “That hasn’t stopped him before, has it? Maybe he used a spell or something to fool your wards?”

He wanted to deny it but had to think about it for a moment. Was it possible that his wards had somehow failed him? Right now it seemed to be the only logical conclusion. Either that, or the boy had just gone invisible. The later was of course impossible, as there were very few ways to make yourself invisible by magic alone and even fewer which a third year could possibly perform.

Unless said third year had an invisibility cloak. The thought made him curse silently. He knew Potter had an invisibility cloak, but he hadn’t counted on the boy carrying the blasted thing on him all of this time! Oh, when he found the boy…

With ideas of different ways to torture the boy he left his son’s bedroom and headed downstairs again. He would find Potter, and then the boy would regret his arrogance!

-          “Potter!” he shouted, now convinced that the brat was silently laughing at him beneath that cloak. “Potter, get out this instant!”

Crossing his arms expectantly he waited for the boy to remove his cloak.

A minute passed.

Nothing happened.

Snape sighed, cursing the stupidity of that boy.

-          “Potter, I know that you are hiding somewhere! Get out of there and I might consider not ripping that cloak of yours to shreds!”

How lowly had he sunk to be negotiating with Potter? Even if the negotiating was more of a threat than an actual negotiating, it still hurt his pride. Potter would suffer for this, Snape would make sure of it!

Even in his anger though, he carried himself with control. He was not his father and would not lash out physically at a child. Not even someone like Potter deserved that. So, like he had the night before, he tried to clamp down on his anger and imagine what chores he would put the boy to do.

Still there were no signs of Potter, so Snape again headed outside, hoping that maybe the boy was outside (even though that would mean that he had just been pointlessly talking to himself inside).

-          “Potter!” he called again. “Get out here Potter!”

For a moment there were no sounds disturbing the silence. Then he could hear a voice calling.

-          “Professor? Is that you, sir?”

Quickly he followed the voice back to the basement, which only made him even more confused. The door was still locked, hasped from the outside. How in the world had Potter ended up locked inside the basement?

It was with a scowl on his face that he opened the door. Potter was standing just inside, looking about as confused as Snape felt. There were spider web in his hair and a quick glance around the room revealed that the boy seemed to have done his job properly.

-          “What are you doing Potter?” Snape asked.

-          “I’ve finished cleaning sir. Is there anything else that you want me to do?”

-          “Why was the door locked, Potter?” he clarified his question. “Performing more magic, are we?”

The anger in the boy’s eyes seemed to have reached new proportions. Snape didn’t quite understand why. He had taunted the boy often enough the past years, why was the boy getting so riled up now? Perhaps it was because he felt that he had been unjustly punished, being allowed to run wild during the summer as he probably was? At that thought Snape snarled, showing no compassion. Snape had done nothing wrong!

-          “Perhaps it was the wind sir?” Potter answered finally, his eyes murderous.  

-          “Go get yourself cleaned up Potter! Dinner is ready soon,” Snape dismissed the boy, refusing to let his anger take over.

And the boy just stood there, glaring at Snape as if Snape had just insulted him gravely. Snape did not break their eye contact, even though the boy’s eyes reminded him painfully of those of his mother for a moment.

Finally Potter just walked past him and headed inside instead. Snape looked after him, unsure whether he wanted to hex the brat or just dump him back on his relatives.

Dinner passed silently that evening. Snape was in a horrible mood, Potter appearing to be in an even worse mood and Ian looking strangely pleased with himself.

The next morning they got a fire-call from Mrs. Figg. The Dursleys had returned. To say who was most relieved was impossible.

As it was nearly impossible for two individuals to travel using the floo network at the same time, and Snape did not wish for Potter to try and run away again, he decided to apparate them both to Mrs. Figg’s backyard. Once again Potter grew pale and nearly threw up. Snape ignored him, eagerly looking forward to seeing the boy’s guardians. The only memories he had of Petunia Evans was very vague and unpleasant ones, and he had no idea of how a woman like her had become such a push over when it came to her nephew. This would be interesting, he figured.

-          “How’s the bonding going?” Mrs. Figg asked happily, as soon as they stepped into her house.

Snape glared at her and Potter huffed indignantly, which made the smile on her face disappear.

-          “I see,” she said. “Maybe it is for the best then, that the Dursleys seem to be back.”

-          “Seem?” Snape repeated imploringly.

-          “Well, I haven’t spoken to them, if that is what you mean,” Mrs. Figg admitted. “However when I went shopping today I walked by and saw that the window was open and that there was a car on their driveway. Very nice car by the way. Another new company car of Mr. Dursley’s?”

The question was spoken in the vague direction of Potter, who merely shrugged. Apparently he did not care for his Uncle’s business success. Snape gritted his teeth and decided that it was best for them to continue on their way, before he did something stupid.

-          “Come on Potter,” he said. “Let’s not keep your relatives worrying any longer.”

His voice was laden with venom at the last part, and he was pleased to see Potter lowering his head again. Perhaps there was still hope of teaching the boy some discipline after all.

Now knowing the way Snape lead the way to Privet Drive, keeping a careful eye on Potter in case the boy would try to run. He did not and soon enough they found themselves at Number 4 again. This time two of the windows upstairs were open and he could hear music playing from inside. They were definitely home.

Like he had before he rang the doorbell. He could hear it ringing and a moment later the steps of someone coming to open the door. Snape straightened up and prepared to look as intimidating as possible. He would make sure to impress on these people how important it was to punish the boy when he did something wrong.

A young man opened the door. Snape did not recognize him but assumed that it was Mr. Dursley.

-          “Yes?” Mr. Dursley spoke. “What can I help you with?”

-          “Mr. Dursley?” Snape asked, then continued without waiting for a reply. “My name is Severus Snape and I am a Professor at your nephew’s school. I picked him up in a park in Bicester a few days ago, and he has been living with me since.”

He paused expectantly, waiting for Mr. Dursley to say something to show his relief that his nephew was unharmed, or thank Snape for taking care of the boy. However the young man stood gaping in the doorway, looking between Snape and Potter as if he had trouble believing what he was seeing.

-          “Who is it Darling?” A voice called from inside.

After a few moments a woman appeared behind the man. Snape took his eyes off of the apparently speechless man and focused on who he assumed to be Mrs. Dursley instead. The years had been kind to Petunia, he thought for himself. He remembered her as a slim girl with a neck that was a bit too long and a face that was always frowning. Now she was smiling politely at them, her long hair framing her face and making her look young enough to be in her late twenties.

Before Snape could address the woman Potter spoke, earning a glare from Snape, before the meaning of the words became clear to him.

-          “I’m sorry ma’am, is my Aunt and Uncle at home?”

This was not Mr. and Mrs. Dursley? Had he been someone else Snape would have blushed in embarrassment. As it was he merely glared more at the boy, wondering why the rude child had not warned him earlier.

-          “Your Aunt and Uncle..?” the woman repeated, as if the words were foreign to her. “You mean those people who lived here before us?”

Despite his natural talent for hiding his thoughts he struggled to hide the surprise he felt at the woman’s words. What they seemed to suggest could not be true, could it?

Potter seemed at least as surprised as Snape. The surprise on the boy’s face made Snape’s stomach churn, because it meant that it was real. Never could Potter fake such surprise and confusion.

-          “I’m sorry. My name is Della Cunningham and this is my husband Neal. We just moved here today, we haven’t even unpacked yet.”

She seemed embarrassed by the situation but continued to smile politely at them. Snape found himself staring at the woman. She was not Mrs. Dursley?

-          “We don’t have the new address of the old owners,” Mr. Cunningham added, apparently regaining the ability to speak. “Perhaps you could contact the company we bought the house from? They might have their address.”

Both of them had apologizing looks in their faces, as if they were genuinely sorry that they could not help. Snape’s head was spinning with thoughts.

-          “They-they are not here?” Potter asked again, disbelieving.

Mrs. Cunningham shook her head negatively.

-          “But they have to be!” Potter objected. “They can’t just… they can’t just leave me here!”

No one knew how to reply to that, not even Snape. Potter looked pleadingly from face to face, as if hoping that they would start laughing and tell him it had all been a joke.

-          “I’m sorry, but they are not here,” the woman tried to explain. “Perhaps you could…”

But they never got to know what else she was going to say, as Potter interrupted.

-          “YOU’RE LYING! YOU’RE LYING! I’LL PROVE IT TO YOU, I’LL…”

He seemed to be struggling to find the words for a moment before he dashed forward. Snape was too surprised to stop him, and the new owners of the house instinctively stepped aside.

At first Potter flung the door to the cupboard under the stairs open. It was gaping empty, as the new owners had probably not had the time to unpack their cleaning equipment yet. A sound suspiciously much like a sob escaped the boy before he dashed upstairs. Not until then did Snape manage to gather himself enough to follow him.

-           “Potter!” he barked, irritated. “What do you think you are doing?”

Potter was pushing piles of boxes aside. Snape tried to stop him but instead had to catch a falling box.

-          “Excuse me, but you can’t just..!” Mr. Cunningham tried to object as Potter began breaking up the floorboards.

Snape stared as Potter revealed what was obviously a hidden storage place, beneath what must have been a loose floorboard. There were what Snape recognized as the Charms book for the second years at Hogwarts, a roll of parchment that seemed to be a half-finished essay, ink, a quill, a photo album and a cloak that Snape figured must be the invisibility cloak. Potter had tears in his eyes as he touched each of these things with something akin to reverence.

-          “Excuse me, but what is going on here?” Mrs. Cunningham asked from the doorway, not sounding quite as polite anymore.

Because Potter still seemed to be in a daze Snape decided that he should answer her, before she decided to call the police on them. He did not want to have to adjust all of their memories, or get the Ministry involved in this mess right now.

-          “I believe this used to be his room,” Snape explained. “The couple living here before was his Aunt and Uncle.”

-          “And they just moved, without telling him? When they were obviously very close?”

Suddenly the woman sounded angry, though Snape thought it was on Potter’s behalf more than anything else.

-          “So it seems,” he agreed, not bothering to explain that they had been the boy’s guardians.

It took another twenty minutes before Snape could drag the boy away from the house again. The boy insisted to search through the house, thought it was all for naught. All they found were the belongings of the new couple living there. Other than the things underneath the floorboard in Harry’s room it seemed the Dursleys had taken all of their belongings with them when they moved.

Now the big question was, where had they moved? And why hadn’t they told their nephew they were moving?