H.P.

He'd been living with Snape for three days now. The day after they'd gone shopping had been odd; it was the first time that he'd really taken a look at the clothes that Snape had picked out for him and he had to admit that he liked them. They were easily the nicest clothes he'd ever owned. Snape had insisted that he throw out the horrible clothes that the Dursleys had given him and it hadn't taken long for him to have the whole lot banished. It was a liberating feeling, but Snape likely just wanted to stop him cluttering the place up.

Snape wasn't around other than for mealtimes and to return his homework with an indecent amount of red scrawl all over it. Harry followed suit. In his free time he made sure that he was as far as possible from the dungeons for as long as possible. Sometimes it was even possible for parts of the day to pretend he wasn't living with Snape. Occasionally, he would run into a teacher on their way in or out, but other than that he was living a solitary lifestyle and he soon realised that he hadn't heard from anyone and was unlikely to be able to if he didn't tell them that he wasn't staying with the Dursleys. He had yet to reply to Sirius' letter from the train journey, so he decided that in the afternoon he would write.

Sirius,

Thanks for the permission slip! It'll be great to be able to go to Hogsmeade without my invisibility cloak and without getting in trouble afterwards. Ron says thanks for the owl – he was really chuffed. I'm writing because I wanted to tell you that if you want to write to me this summer, I won't be at the Dursleys. You can write to me at Hogwarts instead. I hope you're enjoying wherever you are.

– Harry

He reread his letter. That sounds fine. He didn't have to tell Sirius he was staying with Snape seeing as he'd probably just get angry. It was obvious they hated each other and if Sirius kicked up a fuss they might make him go back to the Dursleys this summer and he didn't want that at all. It was best all round if he didn't find out.

Harry finished his letter in good time and had plenty of time left to head up to the owlery and get it sent, so he grabbed another piece of parchment and quickly scribbled 'Gone to owlery' and threw it onto the kitchen table. He took his time getting there. He loved wandering the halls of Hogwarts, even if it was completely deserted. He loved feeling amongst so much magic, it was so un-Dursleyish.

These were the same halls that his parents had walked down twenty odd years before. They would have seen the same paintings and hurried by the same classrooms that he did every day. It was probably his biggest connection he had to his parents, besides the photo album that Hagrid had given him in his first year.

He reached the owlery and called out to Hedwig. She was easy to spot amongst the plain brown school owls and Harry smiled as she flew down to join him. "Hey, have you missed me?" Hedwig looked pleased that he had finally come to see her and nipped his finger affectionately. "I have a letter for you to send," he told her as he tied it to her leg. He stroked her gently before she flew off. She was usually the only living creature that actually liked him during the summers at the Dursleys. In the dungeons there was nobody who liked him and it was more than a little depressing.

He gazed out the window enjoying the summer weather, glad to be anywhere that wasn't the gloomy dungeons. As he stared out over the grounds he saw Fang and Hagrid emerge from the forbidden forest, making their way over to Hagrid's hut. Of course! He could visit Hagrid. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

He ran all the way from the owlery to the main doors, dodging peeves as he hovered overhead blowing raspberries. He secretly thought that Peeves was happy that he was here for the holidays, but maybe that was because he had a target for his mischief. Luckily, he couldn't get into the teacher's quarters, so he was safe, at least for the most part.

The grounds were just as deserted as the castle but he walked cheerfully as the sun beamed down and he made his way to Hagrid's hut. After several booming barks from Fang, Hagrid opened the door. When he looked down, he seemed surprised to see him.

"HARRY! I wondered when yeh'd be down ter see me 'n Fang. Come in, come in. Calm yehself Fang," he said, holding the boarhound back from bowling Harry over.

"Sorry I didn't come over earlier but I saw you and Fang from the owlery and figured it would be a good time to say hi." Harry looked around happily, settling himself by the, thankfully extinguished, fire.

"Yer always welcome, Harry. So what're yeh doing at Hogwarts fer the summer? The Dursleys bin given yeh trouble?" Hagrid looked concerned as he settled into the armchair.

"Um, well I'd barely got there when Snape turned up and brought me back to the castle. So you didn't know that Dumbledore'd changed his mind?" Harry asked, patting Fang on the head and wiping the dog's drool off of his trousers.

"No, but he does what he thinks is best. Yeh gotta trust the man, Harry. So yeh're the only student up at the castle?"

"Yeah, it's a bit weird. I'm really glad that I get to stay here though."

"Yeh're not staying up in the tower, are yeh?" Hagrid asked, frowning.

"No, Dumbledore put me with Snape in the dungeons." Harry pulled a face.

"How're yeh getting on with Professor Snape?"

"As well as I can, I think. He hasn't killed me and used me for potions ingredients yet," he joked.

Hagrid nodded but he didn't look happy. "Would yeh like a rock cake?" he asked.

"Umm." Harry was too polite to refuse and found his hands full of Hagrid's notoriously bad cooking.

S.S.

Severus was brewing in the dungeon's biggest potions lab. It was his favourite place in the castle; it was his room, peaceful and quiet, a place where he could truly brew without distraction. He had orders from the infirmary and with the responsibility of looking after Potter for the summer there was a risk he would fall behind with his schedule.

Living with the boy was not proving to be as bad as he had first thought. In truth, he hadn't actually spent any time with him other than at mealtimes, which were a tense affair at best, and to give him back his homework. It was a situation he was desperately hoping would continue. This way he fulfilled his obligation to Lily but didn't have to face the doppelganger of James Potter.

Hearing a knock at the door, he looked up, putting a stasis charm on the potion. He wasn't expecting anyone and most people knew not to disturb him when he was brewing.

"Enter," he called. He frowned in displeasure when the door opened to reveal Albus Dumbledore. He hadn't spoken to the headmaster since their discussion about Potter. As far as he was concerned he either was not taking him seriously or did not believe his issues with the boy's living conditions were significant and both of those options left him...displeased.

"Severus, good afternoon," the headmaster said solemnly.

"Headmaster," Severus replied shortly.

When it did not seem as if anything else was forthcoming from the Potions Master, his employer spoke again. "It would seem we have some issues to discuss. I have an apology I would like to make. Perhaps we could discuss this in a more comfortable setting."

"My quarters might be more appropriate." He banished his potion, as the stasis charm would not last against interference and it wouldn't be the first time that peeves had exploded one of his cauldrons.

They walked in relative silence the short distance to Severus' quarters and they both waited until they were seated in his living room before resuming their discussion.

"Severus, I would like to apologise. I fear that I may have been so blinded by my desire to protect Harry from the threat of Voldemort that I did not take your concerns as seriously as perhaps you deserved."

Severus was rather taken aback by the apology. "Indeed. Your apology is accepted."

"I'd like to check up on Harry before I leave the castle for a few weeks to complete some errands."

"I take it you desire to have the conversation now?"

"If at all possible, my dear boy."

Severus went to the kitchen table to find out where Potter was. "Tippy," he called out, causing a loud pop and a house elf to appear before him. "Go to the owlery and inform Mr. Potter that he needs to return here as soon as possible." With that he returned to the living room. No sooner had he sat down than the elf had reappeared.

"Professor Snape, sir?" the elf asked timidly.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Potter is not in the owlery, sir." The elf looked quite frightened, as if she feared that she would be blamed for Potter's disappearance. Severus scowled darkly.

"That will be all. Go back to the kitchens."

He strode over to Harry's door, knocking loudly then opening it to reveal an empty room. His scowl deepened.

"It would seem that Potter believes himself to be above my rules," he muttered angrily.

"Now, Severus, don't be too hard on him," Dumbledore said calmly.

Severus dismissed his words with a sneer. "If he finds himself willing to obey any of my rules he is due to return in thirty minutes."

H.P.

Harry left Hagrid's with his hands full of the rock cakes he hadn't wanted to refuse and an extremely big grin on his face. It had been great to see Hagrid and to be able to actually talk. They had spoken about tons of things, Buckbeak, Quidditch and all the creatures Hagrid was preparing to use in classes next year. Harry was a little worried by the latter topic but decided that nothing could be as bad as Norbert. He had found it hard to keep from smiling as he pretended he had no idea where the hippogriff was, but much as Hagrid might miss Buckbeak, he knew that Sirius would be taking good care of him.

He arrived back in the dungeons with five minutes to spare and was feeling rather proud of himself for getting so much done that day. When he entered Snape's quarters he was surprised to find Professor Dumbledore sitting on the sofa and an extremely irate potions master glaring at him.

"Harry, my boy, do sit down," Dumbledore said, smiling at him over his half-moon spectacles.

"Oh, um. Okay." 

Snape turned and left to go in the kitchen, probably to make dinner or finish it as it was seven and he usually had it made and on the table.

"You'll have to wait a little longer to eat Harry, I came for a quick word," Dumbledore said, following his gaze.

Harry put his rock cakes on the table, brushing the crumbs off his hands. "Ah, Hagrid's rock cakes," Dumbledore commented with some amusement.

"Yeah, I couldn't finish them there," Harry grinned back.

"I myself prefer something a little sweeter… To the matter at hand, Harry. How are you settling in here?" 

"Good, I guess," Harry hedged.

"You and Professor Snape are getting along well?"

"Uh, sort of."

"It would seem that Remus has informed your Godfather of your new living arrangements," Dumbledore informed him delicately.

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh." By the tone of Dumbledore's voice he half expected Sirius to burst in at any moment.

"You are aware that Professor Snape and Sirius do not get along very well."

"Yes, sir," said Harry, barely containing a snort of amusement at the understatement of the century. Dumbledore, seeming to understand, nodded his head.

"If you could write to Sirius he would be reassured that you are, in fact, quite all right."

"I sent him a letter today but I just said I was staying at Hogwarts."

"It is just enough that he's hearing from you, I'm sure. Anyway Harry, I must go, I will be away from the castle for a few weeks." He stood up and moved towards the door, turning back to Harry once again. "Do listen to Professor Snape. Goodbye, Severus."

"Bye, sir," Harry said, watching him leave. He hadn't noticed Snape reappear in the living room and the man still looked angry.

"Potter! Kitchen. Now."

What was he so mad about? He was sure he hadn't done anything to make him angry. He half wished Dumbledore would come back; Snape wouldn't be able to dish out his usual diatribes or unreasonable punishments if he were there to see it.

"Absolutely typical behaviour from the famous Harry Potter. Too much of a celebrity to follow the rules," Snape snarled.

So it was him he was mad at… He tried to think of what rules he was meant to have broken but came up blank. "I came back on time."

Snape continued as if he hadn't spoken, spitting out the words more harshly as he spoke. "You must be aware of the rules, Potter. You were capable of remembering them when you left my quarters."

Harry frowned but caught sight of the note on the kitchen table and realisation dawned. "Oh!" he exclaimed with wide eyes. He looked up at Severus's scowl. "Oh," he repeated quietly.

"Oh, indeed."

"But I just– I forgot!"

"A likely explanation. Of course, you have always believed yourself to be above the rules," Snape said and Harry recognised the look of loathing he wore in potions class. His own anger bubbled under the surface at Snape's unjustified cruelty.

"I don't think I'm above rules." 

"Really, Potter?" Snape questioned dangerously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, really," Harry snapped back. He realised when the words left his mouth that he may have gone too far but he held the taller man's gaze.

"Get out." Harry didn't need to be told twice.

S.S.

Of all the rude and arrogant things that boy has done! He dares, he dares talk back to him after he took him in and bought him clothes. He does what he has always done, blatantly disregard rules put in place for his safety. Time and time again he crosses lines put in place by better, more intelligent people for his own protection. The boy is exactly the same as his father was. He too thought that mere rules were utterly beneath him.

After a few minutes of angry brooding Severus noticed that the boy's plate of food remained untouched. He had no desire to call the boy out and have him eat at the table; he didn't think his temper would survive the boy's presence any more that evening.

His bedroom door wasn't shut completely and Severus opened it silently to see Potter sitting on the edge of his bed staring at a single point on the floor. Potter ran his hand through his hair wearily and shut his eyes, not realising that he was no longer alone. Severus cleared his throat, causing his head to shoot up and he stared back at him with wide eyes. Severus put the plate on the boy's desk. "You are grounded for the remainder of the week. You will not leave these quarters. I obviously cannot trust you to follow the rules regarding your free time, therefore you have lost it. After you've eaten, I want you to write down the rules I gave you when you came here and explain their importance."

The boy gave no indication that he had heard Severus, choosing to resume staring at the floor. He wondered why he went to such extremes to protect this boy. Perhaps the headmaster was right; he would be better off with his relatives. As he turned to leave he heard an intake of breath as if the child was going to say something, but he heard nothing so just shut the door.

H.P.

He didn't want to go back to the Dursleys; he couldn't get sent back there. Part of him wanted to apologise and try to fix everything just so he could stay but Snape was wrong. He wasn't all the things that he accused him of and it was unfair of him to rip him to shreds every time he stepped slightly out of line – and he always got so personal. The man was an absolute git! He hadn't even meant to break the rules; he'd just made an honest mistake.

Harry wasn't so hungry any more and ignored the food but figured he might as well do Snape's stupid work.

1. Don't go in Professor Snape's room. This is important because he clearly has something to hide he wants me to respect his privacy and stay out of his way.

2. Eat at the dinner table as long as it's convenient to Snape. He smirked as he wrote that particular line looking at the meal sitting on his desk. It is important because it is good manners to eat at the table and I might spill food if I eat it somewhere else.

3. Give in my homework after I do it. This is important because Snape isn't happy unless he's insulted someone else's work at least once a day he wants me to do my work properly.

4. Tell him where I'm going in my free time. This is important because he would have to waste time looking for me if he didn't know where I was.

He couldn't think of anything else so just abandoned the list by his plate of food and decided to vent his frustration by writing to Ron instead.

Ron,

Hey mate! How are you? Say hi to everyone at the burrow for me. I'm not at the Dursleys this summer because Dumbledore's letting me stay at Hogwarts. It's not all good news – I'm living with Snape! It's horrible, Ron, you have no idea. I need help or I'm going to go mental. Write back soon.

– Harry

Now that he was grounded he wouldn't be able to go up to the owlery. Maybe he could use his invisibility cloak to send his letter or get a house elf to help… Just as he was formulating his plan Snape returned.

"I asked you to eat your dinner." Harry looked away from him, folding his letter, unwilling to see how angry Snape was now that he'd disobeyed him yet again. He did as he was told though, picking up his fork and toying with his food half-heartedly. He continued ignoring Snape as he read through his list. It was unnerving to have him read through it right in front of him. Snape was silent for a long time. Maybe he'd made the man even angrier, or Snape had always hidden the fact that he was the world's slowest reader.

"This is incorrect, Mr. Potter," Snape said in a calmer voice than he had spoken in all evening.

It is not! Harry bit his tongue, hard.

"Take your plate and bring it to the kitchen." Harry reluctantly complied, not eager to spend more time in Snape's company.

When they reached the kitchen, Snape flicked his wand at Harry's plate of food and Harry could feel the heat coming off of it. "Eat. Now. I will talk and you will not interrupt."

He placed Harry's list between them on the table. "I require you to tell me your whereabouts in this castle for your safety. This is a magical castle, it is in itself a dangerous place. During term there are many teachers and students and you are free to roam at your leisure. Now, there is just me. If you get lost or hurt or go missing, there is just me. Do you understand?" He spoke evenly and clearly as if willing Harry to understand a new concept.

He would have thought Snape would love it if he went missing in the castle never to be found. It'd be like Christmas come early for him. Snape was still waiting for a reply though, and he did sound oddly sincere. Did he understand any of this? "Yes, sir," Harry lied.