H.P.

Snape re-entered his room much more calmly than when he had left, but Harry made no move to greet him. He was tired, tired of arguing with Snape when he didn't want to, tired of being disappointed, tired of people talking about him and making decisions without discussing it with him first.

"The situation has changed," Snape declared, moving to stand in Harry's line of sight when he refused to stand and acknowledge him. "It does not matter that you refuse to consider your options sensibly. You now have one option if you would rather not live with your aunt and uncle." Harry couldn't help himself and looked up at Snape in confusion. "Your option is living with me in my house."

That was an option now? One minute it isn't even on the table and the next it's the only option. Was Dumbledore forcing Snape to take him for some reason? "You're not even on the list," Harry said, picking it up and thrusting it at Snape who, instead of taking it, vanished it with a flick of his wand.

"Forget the list. Am I going to get a decision or are you going to refuse to answer me this as well?"

"I'll go with you," Harry muttered almost instantly.

"There's no need to sound so thrilled." Harry threw Snape an irritated look. He just wanted this whole situation to go away. "It isn't quite that simple," Snape started, pulling Harry's desk chair round to face him and sitting down, choosing to ignore Harry's frustrated sigh. When was anything simple any more?

"I assume you recall the conversation we had regarding my reputation?"

"Yeah, I remember. You wouldn't tell my why it was such a big deal."

"If you're considering living with me for the foreseeable future there are certain things that you need to know before you agree." Wait, wasn't this supposed to be permanent?

Overcome by curiosity he stared at Snape who was clearly considering his words more carefully than usual.

"I must be seen to dislike you and treat you cruelly not just because of my… dislike…of your father. You are aware that there are people in the wizarding world who were on the side of the Dark Lord?"

"Uh, people like Malfoy?" Harry suggested and Snape gave a nod.

"There were general supporters of the Dark Lord, people who thought that he had the right idea but kept to themselves. Then there were more passionate supporters, people who were in his inner circle who would do his bidding. His followers, if you will."

"That was back then though, what's that got to do with now?" Snape sent him a look that seemed to say 'shut up and I'll tell you'.

"It was very difficult for the Ministry to capture all of his followers. There are spells that were used to force people to do things… There were also those who bought their way out of jail, made deals or claimed they had been cursed. Not all of the Dark Lord's followers are in Azkaban."

"And you don't want them to know that you don't hate me because…?"

"Before you defeated the Dark Lord fourteen years ago there were people other than the Ministry who were fighting against him."

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, hazarding a guess.

"Exactly. I was a spy for the headmaster. I would ensure that he knew what the Dark Lord was going to do."

"So you were being–"

"A Death Eater," Snape clarified.

"Death Eater?" Harry repeated, making a face. "Did they get to pick that name themselves?"

"It was a name devised by the Dark Lord's followers, not by the media if that's what you're asking."

"I don't see why people still have to think you hate me," Harry said, shrugging as if it didn't really matter to him.

"You're well aware that the Dark Lord will eventually return and when he does I will resume my role," Snape said, somewhat condescendingly as if Harry should have guessed himself.

Harry felt his jaw drop with something akin to horror. What did Snape want to go and do something like that for?

"But isn't that really dangerous?"

"Obviously there is some risk, which is what I wanted to discuss with you. The Dark Lord could return at any time. It may well happen whilst you are living with me and that would mean that I would be leaving for meetings and brewing for the Dark Lord."

"Brewing for Voldemort?"

"The Dark Lord and yes. Being a spy means that I will have to perform certain tasks for the Dark Lord."

"Isn't that like helping him?"

"One has to consider what will be best in the long term. It would be worse to not have the information. I do not expect you to understand and it may well not have an impact on you. You could be out and grown but you have to consider whether you would still want to live in my house."

"I'd still rather live with you," Harry replied, not needing to consider the issue further. Snape seemed satisfied and rose to his feet.

"We will begin the warding today and make contact with your relatives. I suggest you pack."

"Yes, sir," Harry agreed tiredly.

S.S.

"We can go ahead. How long will the warding take?"

"With the three of us we wouldn't finish until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. I would feel far more at ease if Harry was out of the castle by tomorrow evening. We'll need to act as if he's going back to his relatives of course," Albus explained and Lupin nodded.

That would mean a show of either putting him on the train or taking him to his relatives directly. He would rather the former and undoubtedly Harry would agree, if he wasn't too busy sulking.

"He shouldn't be moved without the agreement of his relatives. How much would we be set back if we had two working on the wards for part of the day?" Severus asked, thinking of the agreement that needed drawing up.

"We may not get Harry moved tomorrow."

"We could use Sirius. He can floo in and help with the warding," Lupin suggested.

"We'll lose time explaining the situation to the mutt."

"Severus, be reasonable."

"I don't want him in my quarters or my house and I will not have him talking to Harry!" Severus snarled.

"He's a capable wizard and we could use his help. He has every right to talk to Harry," Lupin replied with irritating calmness.

"Yes, summon him Remus," Dumbledore ordered.

"I believe I said no. Am I not in charge of who gets invited into my own quarters?" Severus demanded furiously as his floo turned green and the wolf disappeared.

"There is no way this is happening!" Black flung out to the room at large the moment he stepped out of the floo. Severus couldn't help but feel smug that he was the one taking Harry, and even if Harry was behaving oddly, he was at least talking to him.

"Wipe that smirk of your face Snivelly, it's not happening."

"It is this or he returns to his relatives," Dumbledore said calmly, stepping between the two men who were staring daggers at each other.

Black looked for a moment as if he was going to say that going to his relatives would be the lesser of two evils. "No, I don't trust him."

"By all means, Black, send the boy to his relatives, alienate him even more. He's already no longer speaking to you."

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, trapping him here, feeding him lies."

"Wand down, Severus!"

Severus lowered his wand with bad grace and a furious snarl. "I have no need to manipulate him against you, you've done such a fine job yourself. Well done." Severus clapped slowly, mockingly, watching Black's face contort with anger.

"Enough. I expected you both to behave with a good deal more maturity," the headmaster said, moving to stand between them. Severus' lip curled at the idea of Black and mature in the same sentence.

"I want to talk to Harry," Black demanded.

"No."

"Don't tell me I can't talk to my own godson!"

"And what a godfather you make Black, the boy doesn't want to see you," Severus hissed.

"I want to know you've not bullied him into this." The irony!

"We can talk for a bit, I guess," came a voice from behind him, and he turned to see Harry hovering a few paces out of his room.

Severus seethed at the smug look Black shot at him as he walked past.

"We are losing time as it is. Perhaps it would be best if we begin to draw up the agreement now?" the headmaster suggested.

"He'll be fine, Severus," Lupin said quietly as he stared after Black.

"Do something useful instead of spouting nonsense, Lupin," Severus snarled as he summoned some fresh parchment and a quill and set to work with the headmaster.

H.P.

"How are you?" Sirius began awkwardly. It made Harry feel a bit better that he wasn't the only one who was really uncomfortable.

"M'all right. Snape's not forcing me to live with him," Harry declared, without waiting to be asked. He hadn't been eavesdropping but none of them had been particularly quiet.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Sirius looked as if he thought he'd gone mental for thinking this was a good idea.

"I don't want to go back to the Dursleys, so yeah."

"I've said it before and I'll say it as many times as I can – I don't trust him. It's bad enough you've had to be with him this long as it is."

"It's me who's living with him and he's all right," Harry said, anger creeping into his tone.

"I know you had it rough, really rough, with your relatives but that doesn't make living with Snape a good option."

"Don't. I don't want to talk about any of that," Harry said, holding up his hand as if he could ward the whole conversation off. "And he's not trying to turn me against you and my dad, you know."

"He's a Slytherin, Harry. He knows exactly how to manipulate people."

"I'm not being manipulated," Harry denied, irritated that Sirius would think he could be so easily swayed.

"How can you expect me to think you're not after last week? Snape's got you thinking he was some sort of saint."

"That wasn't about Snape. Not everything is about Snape!"

"Then I don't understand."

"I don't like the idea of you and my dad being bullies and you still thinking it's okay," he said, frustrated that he should even have to explain.

"That wasn't bullying, it was Snape."

"It doesn't matter who it was. You started it for no reason and you thought it was funny."

Sirius frowned as if in thought. "I didn't think you'd see it like that. It wasn't like that, not to us. Merlin, Harry, Snape was a special case where we were concerned. He and your father–"

"They were rivals, yeah I know," Harry interrupted.

"James fiercely hated the dark arts and Snape was in deep. He was in love with the stuff. It wasn't one sided, Snape hated James, probably out of jealousy more than anything."

"I know he gave as good as he got."

"It was stupid, we were young–"

"You don't think it was stupid; you think it was funny."

"Part of me doesn't see it as wrong. To me, it's Snape and he deserves it but I agree that it was in bad taste to attack first," he amended quickly. "It was a good memory because it was before the war, before I lost James." His expression looked both wistful and sad for a moment. "He was a great man, you know. I didn't make him sound too great but he was. He grew up more than I did before...It probably comes with having a wife and son. I don't want you to think less of him. I'm sorry I said anything last week."

Harry regarded his godfather carefully. He didn't want to be arguing with him, and he could tell he cared about him too and that was more than he'd ever had before this summer. He hated the fact that they had both been like that but it Sirius admitted that it had been wrong, and he'd forgiven Snape hadn't he? He couldn't forgive Snape then not forgive his own godfather and father…

"I'm just disappointed, I guess. I never thought my father or you would be like that. I still don't like it but I don't want to be fighting."

"We were idiots when we were young, Harry."

"Yeah."

"I suppose I'd better get to helping out with the warding if you're sure, one hundred percent sure?" Sirius asked, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"I am."

S.S.

"Do nothing Severus. Get the signature and do nothing." The headmaster's words were still loud and clear in Severus' head when he apparated to Privet Drive.

Severus' loud knock was hastily answered by Petunia Dursley, who was not so quick to invite him inside. By the look on her face she hadn't expected him to make good on his threat to return.

"I believe I said I'd be back," he stated, striding past her into the house.

"What are you doing here, Snape? You took the boy, what more do you want?" It was clear that she was afraid and Severus surmised that her husband must not be home. Her eyes flicked nervously to the wand that he was in no way concealing.

"Perhaps I'm here to exact a little revenge… I've had some time to consider what you and yours deserve."

"We did nothing wrong!" she interrupted venomously. "We raised the boy despite his abnormality." Severus regarded Lily's sister with interest; she seemed unable to even form the word 'wizard'.

"The boy isn't abnormal, you and that poor excuse for a man you call a husband are abnormal," he sneered. "Does the word Azkaban mean anything to you?" he asked calmly, noticing her eyes widen in fear. Either she did know or she was at least bright enough to recognise a threat when she heard one.

"The boy needed a strict upbringing. We didn't do anything wrong."

It was then that it clicked for Severus. 'The boy needed a strict upbringing…' 'we raised the boy…' If he thought back to when he initially arrived here he doubted that anyone referred to the child as anything other than 'boy' or 'freak'. At least that was one mystery solved.

Severus focused on the woman cowering in front of him. "Our Mr. Potter is quite the celebrity… Be was our saviour after all. I think the wizarding public will be inclined to disagree with your opinion on the subject, don't you?" Severus asked silkily, raising an eyebrow and drawing his wand out further.

"You can't–" she spluttered.

"Can't I?" he asked as if to say 'try me'. "Well, it would seem that you can be of some use to me. I will consider sparing you and your husband from the dementors on the condition that you delegate guardianship of Mr. Potter to me."

"Yes, you can take him," she said without a moments thought, utterly relieved there was such a simple way out.

The moment the document was signed Severus rolled up the parchment, concealing it in his robes, and pointed his wand viciously at her overly long neck, so the tip was digging uncomfortably into her windpipe.

"So quick to be rid of him, to give him to a man he despised for years, a man who could want to destroy him. You know the danger he's in. You care so little, you care nothing for the child," he growled, knowing his wand was heating, readying itself to let a few curses fly.

Petunia swallowed nervously. "We didn't ask for him." That was all she could say in her defence?

"Do you have any idea what kind of wizard I am? What I've done? I could kill you in an instant or I could have you screaming, begging for death," he hissed.

"No, please," she begged, her eyes riveted on the wand in his hand.

Severus snarled a few choice words in Latin, letting his wand sweep over Petunia and her home.

"What did you do?" she gasped breathlessly, clutching the wall for support.

"I wouldn't be surprised if your fortune takes a sudden turn for the worse."

H.P.

They'd left him by himself for the rest of the day, disappearing off to his new home. Or his home for now, anyway. Harry kicked a loose stone on the floor of the owlery. Why was it that when it was someone else taking him in it was for good, but with Snape it was temporary again? He must really not want to take him. He couldn't believe how pathetic he'd been getting attached to Snape of all people. He might not hate him any more but that didn't mean he wanted to take him in for the rest of his childhood. Maybe he was as pathetic as Sirius probably thinks he is…

He would have been really happy to be living with Snape before all of this, but maybe it was better this way. He'd have been in that house thinking that Snape might have been happy to have him, but now he knew that he was only taking him because he had to, like he was a chore or something.

He called for Hedwig who was eyeing the cage he'd brought with distaste. Obviously, she quite liked being at Hogwarts over the holidays too. "Come on, Hedwig, it's only for a couple of weeks." Wait, it was for a couple of weeks, then school started again. He just had to get through living with Snape for a few weeks then he wouldn't even have to go back for a whole year!

It wasn't as if he didn't like Snape. He was all right, but that was what made it worse. Snape had to go move into this house with tons of wards to look after some kid he gave up his summer for and he didn't even want to. Part of him almost wished he had let Sirius and Remus kill Pettigrew. At least then he'd get to live with someone who actually wanted him.

"Hedwig!"

Finally, Hedwig flew down from the rafters, giving him a baleful glare. "It's not for long," Harry reassured her before shutting the cage door and carrying her back to Snape's quarters.

It wasn't long before Snape arrived and came to find him.

"You've finished packing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you been told what's going on tomorrow?"

"No, sir."

Snape's eyes narrowed in irritation. "The headmaster will take you to the station and you will get on the Hogwarts Express. I will meet you in the third carriage and I will apparate us both to my house before it leaves." Snape looked pretty ticked off but he supposed it must be a massive inconvenience.

"Potter!" Snape hissed suddenly and Harry looked up in surprise.

"Yeah? I mean, yes, sir?"

"Whatever it was that upset you before, it is over. There is no list or decision over your head. You will be living in my house and I will not have you behaving like this, defying me–"

"I'm not doing anything!" Harry answered back furiously. Snape couldn't go round telling him off for being polite.

"You know exactly what you're doing and I've had enough of it."

"I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm not breaking any of your rules."

Snape looked furious before slamming Harry's own bedroom door open with a particularly violent flick of his wand. "Bed, now. Get out of my sight."

S.S.

Irritating little brat, Severus seethed. He was no closer to figuring out what was wrong with the boy either, but Harry certainly was taking whatever it was out on him. He had expected his ridiculous attitude to dissipate when the decision was taken out of his hands and with the disappearance of the list, but he was quite obviously still unhappy. He had not thought that he would take living with him quite this badly. He'd known it wouldn't be anywhere near ideal for either of them but recently they had been getting on well enough.

There were only two options, live with Harry as he was or find out what was wrong with him. Severus knew exactly which one he would rather and he was nothing if not determined.

Harry was usually far easier to read. If he didn't know the boy he'd think he was disinterested in his surroundings. "It's a nice place, sir," was the only comment he offered when he entered the house.

No doubt some habit of politeness he had picked up from his relatives. He couldn't be talking about Spinner's End, that much was certain. Worn was how Severus would have described it; the carpets were old and discoloured, the sofas looked tired and decrepit. It did not have the makings of a warm and happy home. It had been, for Severus, rather the opposite.

He could tell that the boy had questions as his gaze lingered over the muggle appliances. He listened as Snape steered him upstairs and showed him his room, Severus' own as a child, and gave a muttered thanks.

"There wasn't time to prepare the room for your arrival. I'll do it now, shall I?" Severus asked in his own version of overly polite conversation.

"You don't have to. It's fine, thanks."

"It's no trouble, Mr. Potter." He was intrigued to see that Harry still disliked the formality.

He wasn't particularly skilled at decorating spells but a change of colour was all that he required and with a lazy flick of his wand the wallpaper was a deep, Slytherin green. He repeated the gesture over the bedspread giving it a silvery colour and nodded in approval.

Harry grimaced at the colours but remained silent.

"You don't approve?"

"It's great, sir."

"You're forgetting something," Severus announced as Harry began unpacking.

"What, sir?" The boy was attempting to remain polite but Severus was satisfied to note the irritation seeping into his voice.

"`What Sir` indeed. I have a room full of cauldrons that need scrubbing. I believe I told you that your punishment stood."

"Yes, sir," Harry answered, resigned. He stopped unpacking and made to go downstairs. Severus waited for him to reach the staircase before calling out to him.

"When you're finished that you can start on your lines."

"What lines?" Harry asked, his façade dropping slightly and Severus felt a small surge of satisfaction that he could goad Harry into being more himself at least through anger.

"You've been extremely trying these past few days, Mr. Potter, and you've failed to follow my instructions countless times. Doubtless you thought you could get away with it if you weren't going to be living with me but that is not the case now is it?"

Harry looked positively furious, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "Fine, sir," he said through gritted teeth.

"What are you waiting for, boy?" He took especial care with the last word. Harry winced but made no move to correct him. Severus didn't know if he truly expected he would at this stage. "Go."

It was a strange thought that it was a step in the right direction for the boy to be slamming doors in anger. He'd get an answer from him before long.

Severus rushed in as soon as he'd heard him shout. He had suspected that he would become more irritated by his scar as time went on and he wasn't wrong. The boy was breathing heavily, clutching his forehead whilst trying to get up out of his bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed at him. "Sit down." He guided him roughly back to the bed.

"Snape! Voldemort he– I saw Wormtail and there was this old man–"

"Stop."

"No, it's important."

"Take a breath," he ordered. He quickly summoned a flannel and dampened it. "Move your hand."

"I need to tell you–" Harry continued to babble, ignoring his instructions and holding his hand up to his head automatically, as if that could dampen the pain.

"And I will listen after you take a breath, calm down and move your hand."

He applied the flannel holding it in place firmly and gestured with his other hand for Harry to speak.

"I saw Wormtail and sort of Volde–"

"The Dark Lord."

"Yeah, but he was odd. They were talking about some woman they'd killed and they have a plan or something… And there was this old muggle and he was listening and then this massive snake came and they killed him!" Harry said in a rush as if he was worried he'd miss something or forget. Severus knew better than to assume the boy was dreaming and tried to make sense of what Harry had seen.

"Can you remember what they were discussing?"

"Yeah, about the woman, Martha or something. They killed her but she'd told them stuff." Harry's breathing was starting to slow down now and Severus was reassured that he wouldn't be dealing with an adolescent panic attack.

"You said they had a plan, what was it?"

Harry opened his mouth, then hesitated. "Uh, um. I'm not sure."

"You're not sure," Severus repeated, raising an eyebrow. Harry winced as Severus pulled the cloth away from his scar, but he merely re-moistened the cloth and folded it so that the cooler side was touching his head.

"No."

He could tell he was lying even without looking into his eyes. "Do you have any idea how important this is? Do not hide things from me," he said in his most menacing voice.

Harry took a breath and looked away guiltily. "They might have said something about killing me, I guess." If he thought that by saying it quietly that it would dampen Severus' anger, he was much mistaken.

"You imbecile!" he shouted, standing up and looming over the child. He tried to calm down as he caught sight of the paleness of Harry's face and the way his hand shot up to his head. He picked the cloth back up, irritably pushing Harry's hand away from his head and held the cloth in place, continuing to snarl with only a touch less anger. "I thought you'd had moments of stupidity before but this– Don't you dare hide things like that from me again or you will regret it."

"All right."

"What did they say?"

"Something about not being able to get to me at the Quidditch World cup and that's all I can remember."

"Trust you to remember something about quidditch. We'll discuss this more in the morning. This pain reliever has a sleeping draught mixed in, so expect to feel drowsy." He levitated the bottle onto Harry's lap.

"I don't think I need it, thanks." Harry leaned over to put it on his night stand and Severus was reminded that despite the unusual events of that night he had every intention of resuming his previous behaviour.

"I can see that you need it. Your scar is inflamed."

"I've got this," Harry said, holding the cloth.

"Drink the potion!" Severus snapped.

"I don't want to drink it."

"I will not have you defy me at every turn, Potter, so I suggest you shut up and drink the potion unless you want to spend every day of every summer holiday you spend here writing lines and scrubbing cauldrons."

He watched Harry raise the bottle to his lips and drain the bottle. The moment it was empty he summoned it from his grasp and strode out of the room.

H.P.

Harry held the potion in his mouth until he was sure Snape had gone, then spat it into the bin. He didn't want to sleep. He'd just woken up from a vision and he had no intention of doing that twice in one night.

Snape was angry with him, that much he was certain of. He was always frustrated with him as it was, but he seemed to be really angry at him now. He was almost the same as when he had hated him, except this time it was worse because he knew him now. He definitely knew who he was hating now. He didn't want Snape to hate him; he just wished he'd never given him that list.

"I do not know what to do with you." Harry looked up to see Snape standing in the doorway. "I have tried speaking to you and I've tried disciplining you and I cannot get through to you." He studied Harry for a moment. "You're not asleep?"

"I spat it out."

Snape said nothing and shut the door.

Harry was more than a little apprehensive as he came down the stairs the following morning and dropped into the chair. Snape pushed a bowl of cereal towards him, opened his paper and promptly disappeared behind it. Was he going to just say nothing about last night? He was probably just letting him stew before making him scrub cauldrons all morning again.

"Your behaviour last night was unacceptable," Snape snarled angrily when Harry had finished eating.

"I said I didn't want it," Harry said, not capable of stopping himself responding to Snape's tone.

Snape strode around the table to loom over him in the same intimidating way he did in class. "Is it too difficult for precious Potter to follow simple instructions?" Harry hated the way he said his name. He could hear the hatred and the loathing that Snape claimed he no longer felt. "I was right about you all along, the little celebrity," he drew out the word so it was almost a hiss, "is far too good to live in a house like this. Is that what it is Mr. Potter? Expecting a mansion were you?"

"No! What are you talking about?" Harry felt his face drain of colour. This was the same Snape he'd argued with in class a million times but it was so much worse when it came from someone you'd grown to quite like.

"That can't be it… no…" Snape said in mock thought. "Is it that there weren't enough adoring fans begging to take you in? Thought you could do better, hmm?"

"Stop it!" Harry said, pushing himself away from the table, away from Snape.

"The arrogance, just like your father."

"SHUT UP! You weren't on the list, all right? I don't know why I wanted you to be. I don't want to live with you, I HATE you."

S.S.

"There it is," Snape commented under his breath without satisfaction and a moment later he heard a door slam shut from the floor above.

"That scene would have been entirely unnecessary had you spoken with me the numerous times I asked you to," Severus commented, leaning on the doorjamb of Harry's room, watching impassively as Harry threw the few clothes he'd unpacked back into his trunk. At his words Harry spun around, his mouth hanging almost comically open as he grasped that Snape had only been acting.

"That– you were just–" he spluttered. "You can't do that!"

"I made it clear that this couldn't continue," Snape responded unapologetically.

"I wasn't doing anything."

"You were being disrespectful."

"No, I wasn't. I was being polite," Harry replied furiously.

"You were behaving out of anger and that is not respect."

"I wasn't angry at you, not until you kept going on at me to talk and then downstairs," Harry said, waving his hand to indicate the row they'd had in the kitchen.

"I am not a fool, Harry, do not treat me as such," Severus said, his tone menacing.

"I wasn't angry," Harry insisted, raising his voice. "I can't be angry at you for not wanting to take me in. I'm nothing to do with you."

"You may not want to be angry, but you are," Snape cut across him.

"I'm not."

"Then explain."

"I thought... I just assumed, for some reason, that I was going with you and obviously you didn't want to take me in." Harry cut himself off with a shake of the head. "It's pathetic, I don't want to talk about it," he said avoiding Severus' eyes.

"Whatever your feelings on the matter, I assure you they're worth voicing." And he certainly wasn't going anywhere until he did.

Harry clearly knew that there was no going back. "I was obviously too comfortable."

Severus regarded him for a moment. It was strange enough to consider that the boy had wanted to live with him, but then perhaps it was normal of a child who was somewhat neglected. He had no idea what a poor guardian Severus made. He considered his words carefully. He would not lie any longer; he wanted honesty from Harry and he'd gotten it, finally.

"I did not want this situation," he began slowly. "I did not want to be your guardian. I do not want to be your guardian."

"I know. You don't have to go on about it!"

"Be quiet. As I was saying, I do not want to be your guardian because I do not know how to be one. I had hoped that you would have the luxury of a safe home with someone able to care for you adequately. Not to mention that should the Dark Lord return I will be in close contact with him. I could be killed and you would need to be moved. I will be preoccupied and distracted and unable to look after you as others would."

"I'm not five, I don't need looking after."

"That is precisely what you need and it is exactly why I took you from those muggles," Severus snapped back at him.

"You took me because Dumbledore told you to," Harry retorted.

"I say this because of your honesty only," Severus said, bracing himself. It no longer made sense to lie. "I took you without the knowledge of the headmaster." He paused allowing the information to sink in before continuing. "I only took you in for the summer because it was my own doing that there was nowhere for you. I assure you had it been the headmaster's idea, I would have refused you." When he finished, Harry's face was screwed up in a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Why did you get me? You hated me!"

"I had heard that you were not being treated adequately and I went to see for myself." Severus was not quite ready to be that honest with the child.

"Since when did you care?"

"I do not take kindly to children being mistreated."

"Dumbledore told you." It was not a question so Severus felt no need to respond. "So, what? I'm here now because no one else will have me and it's your own fault I need somewhere to stay?" Harry asked harshly.

"You are here because it was this or your relatives and out of the two I consider myself the most capable to care for you."

"Well, I don't want to ruin your summers," Harry said, continuing to throw his clothes haphazardly into his trunk, as if Severus would actually allow him to leave. Severus drew in a breath knowing full well what the boy wanted to hear.

"You aren't going anywhere. You would have been made safe with your relatives but I want you to have more than physical safety." Severus cut himself off, his speech turning businesslike and snappish. "You are more than welcome here. You are not displeasing company when you aren't feigning politeness." The words were spoken reluctantly but with sincerity and Harry hesitated slightly.

Snape felt it necessary to clarify slightly. "Neither do I consider you a burden. Is there anything else?"

"Why didn't you tell me that is was you? You made out like it was all Dumbledore for ages."

"Because I did not want you to know and you would not have wanted to know."

"You were never going to tell me then?"

"It makes no difference how this came to be." It was quite obvious that his response wasn't what Harry wanted to hear.

"It does to me!"

"If you had known the headmaster wanted to leave you with your relatives how would that have made you feel?"

"It doesn't matter, it's the truth!"

"Of course it matters, you imbecile."

"If I knew it was you I wouldn't have thought Dumbledore was forcing you to take me again, would I?" Harry insisted stubbornly. "I'm guessing Dumbledore had something to do with the whole list thing not working out. You said my clothes came from the school's money and that Dumbledore made you get me."

"Perhaps I made a mistake being honest with you."

"No!" Harry insisted with such passion that Severus was hard pressed not to smirk.

"Is there anything else that needs clearing up?" Severus asked and watched as Harry considered his question.

"At first you said when I got put with someone that it'd be permanent, but the other day you said this was temporary."

Severus almost sighed. He'd really gone the wrong way about the whole situation. "I believed that I could persuade some of those on the list to take you, given more time. It was the time constraint that forced my hand. I was going to suggest that option later but I didn't want to get your hopes up."

"I thought it was because you didn't want me here." 

"I would rather you had something better, but you aren't unwanted here," he reaffirmed.

Snape made to leave and Harry found himself calling out to him. "I didn't realise it would bother you, the whole polite thing."

"I thought I'd made it quite clear that it was bothering me."

"I knew you were annoyed but I thought that was because I wouldn't talk to you about all that stuff."

"You weren't being yourself and I cannot take care of you if you're hiding things from me. For future reference then, Potter, it bothers me."

"Harry."

Snape gave a nod of approval and Harry could have sworn Snape smiled.