"Sir!" Harry cried. He touched Severus gently. "Sir?" Severus shuddered and sat up in bed. He sighed, relieved, and hugged Harry close. Harry yelped at the unexpected contact.

"I'm sorry," Severus apologized, but didn't let Harry go. That had been the worst nightmare he'd ever had. This time, he had dreamed about witnessing Dursley abuse the boy, and he had been unable to touch anything, unable to stop it.  Every other nightmare had always been himself on the receiving end of the nightmarish occurrences. He realized now that it could be much, much worse.

"You had a nightmare," Harry explained. Well of course he had. Did Harry think he didn't know?

"Yes, yes," he agreed hastily. "I just have to make sure you're real. I have to know I can touch you." Well, Harry didn't understand the comments, but accepted the physical contact.

"You were asking someone to stop something," Harry continued, leaning into Severus' grasp.

"Yes, I know," Severus said. "If you expect me to explain the dream to you, then I think you'll be waiting a long time."

"It was about me, wasn't it?" Harry accused. Severus nodded, but still didn't volunteer anything.

"I shouldn't be here," Harry muttered. "I'm causing you all this trouble. You don't have to keep me."

"You should be here," Severus countered. "I want to keep you. Any trouble that results from it is worth it. You are worth everything life can dish out."

"How?"

"Wouldn't you have done anything you could to save your mouse?" Severus hated bringing that little story up, but he had to make a point.

"Of course!"

"You're right, of course. You fed your mouse with food you should have been eating. You were willing to suffer for your mouse, weren't you?" Harry nodded. "And I'm willing to do the same for you. I will do anything to save you from anything that will hurt you. You would rather have suffered and kept your mouse than to give him up. I would rather suffer for you and keep you safe than to give you up. It's almost morning anyway. I'll get you some breakfast." They both slipped out of the bed, and they went to the kitchen.

As they sat down, two bowls of rice cereal popped into existence on the table. Harry jumped, but smiled at it. And Severus rolled his eyes at the obvious and non-tactful display of magic. Harry looked down.

"Peaches?" he whispered with wide eyes and an open mouth. "There are peaches on it!"

"Yes, it appears Nitty put peaches on the cereal this morning," Severus agreed.

"I've never had peaches," Harry continued to whisper in awe.

"I gathered as much," Severus drawled slightly, with a little smirk at Harry's expression. He was glad he could help the boy. "Eat up." They continued to eat, and Harry ate his usual half-bowl, with emphasis on the peaches.

"I take it you like them?" Severus asked when they were finished.

"Yes, sir!" Harry said enthusiastically.

"I'll ask Nitty to put peaches and some other fruits on your cereal then, and you can find out which ones you like the best." Severus doubted Harry would dislike any food, seeing as he had had so little of it. Severus sat back and studied Harry for a few moments.

"I think I need to get you some new clothes," he finally observed. Really, the boy's clothes were atrocious, and Severus had to face the reality of the situation, and start fixing more than Harry's psyche.

"Oh, no," Harry said, shaking his head quickly. "These are fine."

"Perhaps for a homeless tramp," Severus said, raising an eyebrow. "But not for anyone I'm taking care of. Tell me, where did you get your glasses?" Severus seriously doubted that Harry had ever been to a doctor.

"I got them out of a rubbish bin," Harry muttered, looking down. "I was taking out the trash, and the neighbors had them in a pile of stuff, so I took them, and they helped a bit. I was having trouble seeing things, and I was allowed to keep them." Well, at least he was allowed to keep them, even if they were undoubtedly the wrong prescription. If they helped, perhaps he had avoided some injuries.

"I'm going to shrink some of my clothes for you," Severus began, "so that we can go get you some decent clothes and proper glasses for you, alright?"

"But I really don't need it," Harry objected.

"Then will you let me do it for you anyway?" He'd argue with the statement directly later. Right now all he needed was Harry's cooperation.

"But it costs money," Harry tried to argue. He didn't need these things, and he didn't want Snape paying for them.

"That's right," Severus agreed. "And I have plenty of that. If nothing else, being a spy pays excellently. I get payed by both the Headmaster and the Dark Lord. I would like to spend the money on you. Will you let me? Please?" Harry began to breathe faster.

"Calm down, Harry," Severus said. "Come here." Harry came over, and Severus plopped him in his lap. "I promise you won't have to pay me back for them - in any way. I will not ask for money, or chores. I will not rape you. I just want to give you the things you deserve. Yes, you deserve them. Don't even try to argue that. I love you, and this is what I want to do. Please let me?" This conversation felt so wrong. Why should he have to assure a child he would not rape him? He wanted to shake his head in disgust. Finally, Harry nodded.

"And will you let me get you new glasses?" he asked. "You'll be able to see better. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Yes, sir," he said. Severus smiled at him, and hugged him close.

Oh, goodness, this little boy was turning him into a Hufflepuff.

.oO-Oo.

"Here's some new clothes, Harry," Snape said, handing him a black t-shirt and jeans, which he had shrunk outside of Harry's presence. Of course Harry knew what Snape had done. He knew that Snape had used magic to do it, and he also knew Snape had chosen to do it away from him because Snape was trying to respect his skittishness around magic. Harry hated how he felt about magic. At some level, he knew it was alright, because Snape was doing it. But he still felt uncomfortable around any human doing it. He had been punished too much for it to like magic.

Snape had changed into some more normal looking clothes himself. Similar to the ones he had just handed Harry. A black shirt and jeans, but he had a pair of black boots as well.

"Thank you," Harry said, looking up with grateful eyes.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything more colorful," Snape said. "I don't have anything outside black or grey, really."

"It's wonderful!" Harry assured him. Did Snape really think that there was something wrong with them? He honestly didn't care about the color. Color had nothing to do with how well the clothes kept him warm or stayed on.

"I put some shoes and socks over there for you too," Snape said, pointing to a corner which held a pair of red trainers, also shrunk to his size.

"I'll let you slip into those, then," Snape said, leaving the room, and closing the door behind him.

Quickly, Harry took his hoodie and jeans off and put on the t-shirt and jeans, slipping into his shoes and socks. The shoes felt very odd. He never wore shoes, and so his feet felt a bit confined. But really, the rest of it was just great! The shirt and the pants fit! He had a feeling of security that he didn't have in his other clothes. He imagined it came from the fact that his uncle had more than once grabbed his clothes, and in an effort to get away, they had come off, leaving him exposed. He really didn't think these clothes would come off readily unless he wanted them to.

He looked down at the scars on his arms, and was slightly dismayed that his sleeves didn't cover them. He didn't want anyone to see. But he certainly wasn't going to complain, because it was the best shirt he'd ever had! He left the empty room, and found Snape sitting in the kitchen, reading a newspaper.

"All ready?" Snape asked. Harry smiled at him, and Snape smiled back.

"Here, drink this before you go," he said, handing Harry a vial. "It's a combination nutrient potion and calming potion. You may need the calming potion for this outing." Harry drank it, but Snape continued. "I will not let anyone hurt you while we are out. You will be with me the whole time. Other people may touch you, but you will not be hurt by them, I promise."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied.

"Alright, let's get going. Harry, I need to know - which way would you prefer traveling? I can take you in a way called apparation. That was how we got here a few nights ago. But I can't disapparate with you here. We would have to leave the school grounds first. Or we can go through the fireplace. Which would you like?"

Harry swallowed and looked nervous. Honestly, he didn't like the sound of either. Disappearing, well, that was just straight up magic, and fireplaces were scary places. How often had he been burned in a fireplace as a punishment? He had lost count long ago. He didn't know which to chose, but Snape was really trying to look out for him.

"I don't know," he finally said. "Can you chose?"

"No," Snape said. "I need you to start thinking about what you want to do. It's quite a simple choice, I believe, so just chose. Pick one."

"I won't be hurt in the fireplace?" he asked warily.

"No," Snape said. "I'll throw a powder into the fire which will make the flames not hurt you."

"The fireplace then," Harry said. It was at least only dealing with magic things, instead of real magic, and no one in the school would see him. If they had to leave the school, maybe they'd run into someone else, and he didn't want anyone at the school to see him, at least not yet.

"Good choice," Snape said, but Harry thought he would have said it no matter what he chose, and Harry was quite right. "Before we go, would you like a jacket?" Snape held out a little gray coat. "It might be a little chilly," he said, but glancing at his arms, Harry knew Snape had known how he would feel about his scars. He smiled gratefully, and accepted the jacket. Snape smiled knowingly back at him. Harry was glad Snape had not mentioned the real reason.

After he put it on, Snape laid a hand on his shoulder, and grabbing some powder, threw it into the fire.

"Hog's Head, Hogsmeade!" he called loudly. Applying some pressure to Harry's shoulder, they stepped through the fireplace. Harry felt a whirling sensation, but Snape's hand never left his shoulder.

.oO-Oo.

Severus was impressed with how well Harry was handling everything. He had seen how Harry looked at his arms after he had changed, and cursed himself for his thoughtlessness in picking a t-shirt. Quickly, he had shrunk a jacket when Harry had looked away and had given it to him, trying to remedy the situation as best he could.

He and Harry stepped out of the Hog's Head fireplace. The place was quite empty, since it was still early in the morning, although there were a couple people loitering around. Harry sucked in his breath and stiffened as he took the place in.

"Everything will be fine, Harry," Severus said, softly. "I'm right here, and I promise nothing will happen." Harry nodded, and they walked out of the restaurant, with several pairs of eyes watching them intently. Severus inwardly huffed. Rumors would be flying before the end of the day.

It was slightly chilly, but not unpleasantly so. It wouldn't take long, and the heat of the day would be upon them. Thankfully, there was no threat of rain or any storms that day.

"Would you like to get your clothes or your eyes checked first?" Severus asked. He wanted to give Harry as many little choices as possible. It would develop his ability to live everyday life before the school year. He should start giving Harry choices of what to eat. The sorting feast was only a month away and there would be more food there and anyone would know what to do with. Even well loved children had a hard time choosing at that feast.

"Harry?" Severus eventually said, when he hadn't gotten any reaction for a few minutes. "Are you alright?" Harry nodded at him.

"It - it's beautiful," Harry gasped. "I've never been farther than the end of the Dursleys' driveway." He looked up at Severus warily.

"I know," Severus said. "We can go anywhere else you like as well, in addition to getting you clothes and glasses." Well, it was worth a try. Severus didn't think Harry would take him up on the offer, but it was still worth it.

"No, thank you!" Harry whispered quickly, still awed by being outside in a town.

"Have you decided which you want to do first?"

"The glasses," Harry said eventually.

"Alright," Severus said, content to leave the reasoning of the decision to Harry unless he volunteered it.

.oO-Oo.

"Hello, Mr. Snape!" the receptionist at the optometrist said. "What can we do for you today?"

"I would like to have his eyes checked," Severus said, gesturing to Harry.

"Name?" the receptionist said.

"Harry Potter," Severus sighed, but glared at the woman, daring her to challenge the name. Thankfully, she had the good sense not to after that glare. Any questions died in her throat, and Severus looked satisfied.

"Then please, will you and Mr. Potter follow me back here? It is early enough that our healer is still available, even though you didn't make an appointment." She added the last bit with a slightly accusing tone. Severus let it pass, for Harry's sake.

They were escorted into a dark back room, where Severus and Harry waited for a minute.

"Harry," he said, "the healer will have to use magic to determine how good your eyes are. Please don't be too nervous. Everything will be fine. The healer knows what he's doing. I will be right here, and I can assure you, I'm good at defense, and I won't let him hurt you. The spell will tingle in your eyes a bit, but that will be it."

"Yes, sir," Harry said stiffly.

"Are you nervous because of the dark?" Severus asked.

"Yes, sir," Harry said after a moment's hesitation. "Too many places for people to hide."

"I will assure you, no one is hiding here. It has to be dark for your eyes to adjust for the healer to make a proper assessment." There was a knock, and the healer came in.

"Mr. Potter? Mr. Snape?" he inquired, but didn't wait for an answer. "I'm Healer Gordon, and I'm here to check Mr. Potter's eyes?"

"Yes, that is correct," Severus answered. "Please be as brief as possible."

"Of course," Gordon replied. He cast some spells, most of which lit up the room in quick flashes of colored light, and Harry sat stock still, eyes open, not making a sound. A few minutes later, he had finished the exam.

"He is an extreme myopic," the healer said. "I recommend getting strong lenses for him, with a spell against scratches and shattering."

"Then so be it," Severus said. "Can you have the lenses ready in a few hours?"

"Yes, of course," Gordon replied. "Would you like to pick out the frames now?"

"Harry?" Severus said, turning to him. "Would like you pick them out?"

"I - I can chose?"

"Yes, of course," Gordon said, not understanding.

"Please, let me handle this," Severus said, slightly annoyed. Infernal God-playing doctors, healers, whatever you call them, they were all the same, thinking they knew everything.

"Harry," he said, "You don't have to chose if you don't want to. But I think you should chose."

"Yes, sir," Harry said. "I can do it." His voice wasn't nearly as confident as his words.

"Then let's go have a look," Severus said, getting up and leading Harry to where there was more light, and the choices of frames were on display.

"How about this one?" Harry said quickly, grabbing a pair that looked similar to his old ones. Severus suppressed a grimace. He did not want Harry wearing those atrocious frames like his father had worn.

"Are you picking that because it looks like your old ones?" Severus questioned, and Harry nodded. "You can feel free to pick other ones if you want." Harry took a second look at the rack, but seemed dismayed at his number of choices.

"How about these?" Severus asked, picking out some narrow rectangle plastic frames. They were brown, and looked nothing like the round wire frames of his father.

"Those are nice," Harry sincerely agreed. "How expensive are they?"

"That doesn't matter," Severus pushed the question aside. "Do you like them?"

"Yes," Harry gasped. "Do you really mean it? That I can have them?"

"Of course," Severus said, and he smiled at a Harry - just a bit, not enough to ruin his reputation more than it already was. Well, his reputation was just straight up shot, and he knew it. No need to do overkill though.

"I - I can't," Harry suddenly said, looking crestfallen.

"Why ever not?"

"I'm just not good enough for it, sir," Harry said, and Severus could feel the amount of sincerity in the statement. Harry honestly believed it, and he was willing Severus to understand it. He knelt down in front of Harry, and laid his hand on Harry's cheek.

"Harry, listen to me," he said. "You are good enough for it. You are good enough for everything I can possibly get you, and then some. Why don't you think you're good enough?"

"They're pretty," Harry whispered. He then laid his hand on his forearm, not willing to explain what he meant further, but Severus understood. Harry, obviously, thought himself ugly, starved and scarred, and not worth something as good as a simple pair of glasses. He thought they were pretty. And he was not.

"Harry," Severus said, trying again. "I have something to show you when we get back. I can't show you now, but I will later. Will you trust me, and get these now? I promise what I have to show you will convince you otherwise. If it doesn't, we can bring these back, alright?" He was laying a lot on a gamble, and he knew it, but he had to.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, clearly skeptical. Without breaking eye contact, Severus handed the frames to Gordon, who accepted them. He hadn't understood anything that had passed, but knew better than to ask either, for which Severus was grateful.

They left the building, and Severus steered Harry into a clothing store close by. It was a fairly average clothing store which Severus felt would have normal clothes for a wizarding boy of Harry's age. It wasn't like he knew anything about fashionable clothes. Even with his Slytherins, they tended to just wear whatever, without getting too upset about it. They didn't really care if people made snide remarks about their clothing, since people usually preferred to make the remarks about them personally and ignore the clothes.

Severus heard Harry's intake of breath as they stepped in. The store was reasonably full of people, and Harry was nervous about that at the same time as he was still wonder struck by the town and the stores. Severus felt a pang of sorrow that a child should be so impressed at a simple outing. Severus noticed that the store was organized by size and color, so assessing Harry's size quickly, he brought the child to the proper section.

"What is your favorite color, Harry?" Severus asked.

"Favorite color?" Harry questioned, looking confused. "Um, blue I guess, sir. Blue with some black."

"Alright," Severus consented, and showed Harry the blue clothes first.

They spent a couple hours working on picking out the clothes. Severus saw to it that Harry did most of the picking out, and he saw to it that Harry got everything he needed. He got a complete wardrobe that day, complete with several colors. The touchiest issue was picking out a belt, for obvious reasons. Severus had considered simply picking pants that didn't need a belt, but Harry's school uniform would require one, and so he felt he should get Harry used to wearing one as soon as possible.

Harry's eyes had gone wide at the suggestion that he needed to get himself a belt, and he'd shaken his head mutely. It had taken Severus a few minutes to calm Harry down, and explain to him what the proper function of a belt was. Severus had to promise thoroughly never to use it to beat Harry. Finally, Harry had relented his opposition, whether because it had stopped, or because Harry saw it was fruitless, Severus didn't know, and the belt had been added to the pile. They took it to the counter, and Severus paid the bill.

"Harry," he said, "I'm going to shrink these packages so they all fit in my pocket. I'm going to use my wand, and I'm going to perform a spell. Is that alright?" The woman at the counter looked at them like they belonged in St. Mungo's. Well, Severus agreed, he probably did, judging by his actions of the last week. Harry nodded weakly. So Severus did so.

"We need to go back and get your glasses, and then we can go back to my rooms," Severus said. "I know you're tired, and I don't want to wear you out too much."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

In a few moments, they were back in the other building, and Severus had claimed the glasses made for Harry.

"Take your old ones off," he instructed, and Harry obeyed. Severus knelt down, and carefully placed the glasses on Harry's face.

"I - I can see," Harry gasped. "I can see everything!" The look on Harry's face had been worth every galleon he had paid. His jaw had dropped and he was looking around the room with excitement.

"Try not to have a heart attack," Severus drawled slightly, but clearly amused.

"Thank you, sir, thank you!" Harry whispered. "Are you sure...?"

"Am I sure what?" Severus pressed, still meeting Harry's eyes. It was amazing how much the change in glasses had improved his resemblance to his mother. Those old glasses were what made him look like James Potter. And the hair, but Severus could live with that.

"Are you sure...that these are right for me?" Harry blushed, not having ended the sentence the way they both knew he had originally meant.

"Harry, do you remember what I told you before?"

"Yes, sir."

"Just trust me that you are right for them until we get back. I will you something then, I promise."

.oO-Oo.

They had just flooed back from Hogsmeade, and Harry stumbled as he exited the fireplace. Only this time it was from sheer exhaustion, and not from not seeing something. Despite that, though, Harry looked at Severus expectantly.

"You want me to show you now?" Severus guessed.

"Yes, sir." Severus sighed. He had envisioned waiting until he was tireder so this wouldn't be as hard for him. But Harry wanted it now, and he would show him now, hard though it was. He sat down on the sofa, and motioned Harry over, indicating that Harry should sit on his lap. Harry complied. After a minute of intense thought, Severus began to speak.

"Do you remember me asking about the scars on your arms?" Severus began. Stupid question, but it was a place to start.

"Yes, sir."

"And do you remember my look that, well, scared you? The one I didn't mean to give? When you said you had done it?"

"Yes, sir." Severus sighed. How to continue?

"Well, Harry," he said. "This is very difficult to explain. When I was a child, my father beat me." Harry gasped. Clearly not information Harry had suspected. "He beat me because he said that I was a freak." Harry winced at the words. "Yes, Harry, in that way, my story isn't that much different than yours. My mother was a witch, but she didn't tell my father until they were married. And then I was born, and my father hoped that I would be a Muggle like he was, but when it proved I wasn't, he didn't take kindly to me.

"And, you see, that...that didn't sit well with me. I didn't feel that I was worth anything, because I had let him down, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. So, I took a knife, and I would cut myself, because, well, because..." Severus felt his voice faltering. He realized there wasn't a real reason. Not anything he could articulate. He couldn't explain how the pain had been a relief for him when all Harry had known was pain. Harry wouldn't be able to understand. He slipped Harry off his lap, stood up and pulled his own shirt off.

"This is what I wanted to show you, Harry," Severus said. He turned his back so Harry could see the scars his father had inflicted. Then he knelt down and showed Harry the scars he had inflicted, those many years ago.

"We're very much the same, Harry," Severus finally said, when it was clear that Harry wasn't going to. He put his shirt back on. He had never - ever - shown anyone his scars. Poppy had seen them because of how often he ended up in the infirmary, but she was the only one who had, other than Lily that one afternoon, who had seen his arm. "I want you to realize that."

Replacing his shirt, he sat back down on the sofa, but didn't motion Harry to take his usual place. Severus was afraid that Harry would be disgusted by him - and then he realized that these were the very feelings he was trying to alter in the boy. Blast, he'd have to alter his own way of thinking about himself before he could change Harry. So he motioned Harry over again, and Harry did so without hesitation.

"You are very much worth it, Harry," Severus said. "Something I've been realizing since you entered my life is that we will either sink or swim together. We both need to think of ourselves better. I think we both see it in each other, but we need to see it in ourselves too. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said. "If I'm not worth the new clothes and glasses, than neither are you. And if you are, then so am I." There was an expectant look on Harry's face. Severus nodded.

"Do you have any questions?" Severus asked. Sure, they would all probably be very uncomfortable questions, but maybe it would help Harry in some way. "You may ask all the questions you like."

"Do you really think you aren't worth nice things?" Harry blurted out, blushing at the same time. Severus felt his gaze drop, and his expression twist into a thoughtful one.

"I'm rethinking it now," he admitted. "But yes, up until a few moments ago, yes, I did. I think - for the very same reasons you do."

Harry began to cry, and leaned into Severus, who accepted him without question.

"I'm sorry if showing you this upset you," Severus said. "I didn't mean to upset you." Harry shook his head.

"Didn't upset me," Harry managed to choke out.

"You certainly look upset," Severus smirked. "If this isn't upset, I'd hate to see what is." He said it very gently though, and Harry didn't not feel offended by it.

"You understand," Harry sobbed after a few minutes. "You understand."

"Yes, I do, Harry," he whispered, as he ran his fingers through James' mop of hair. "I will always understand." He bent his head over and laid a chaste kiss into Harry's hair. Was this what it felt like to be a father? It was the closest he would ever come, that was for sure.

"At the end of the day, Harry, we have seen a lot of the same things," he said. "And I want you to know that I will understand everything you can tell me. There's nothing I haven't seen before. I want you to trust me with these things, because I will understand. Not everyone will, but I will. I promise."