Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box for beta'ing my story.

A/N: Here is chapter 16. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 16

Tami and Severus popped in his library. There Severus saw Harry was laying on the couch, asleep. He was barely holding on to a book that was loosely in his hands. Still exhausted, Severus sighed and walked over towards Harry. Upon closer inspection, Severus saw that Harry had the bear under his arm and the book he was looking at was one of Severus' older potion journals. He leaned down and removed his journal from the sleeping boy's hands. Tami stood and watched her mistress' son. She knew that Severus was weary on his feet and she would be right there if he needed her. As much as she was worried and frightened as to what happened to her mistress, she knew that she still had two very special wizards to take care of.

“Master Sev'us,” Tami whispered out.

Severus straightened up and looked at Tami. “Yes, Tami.” His voice was tired, but not harsh.

“You need to rest, Master Sev'us,” Tami said wringing her hands. “Tami will continue to watch Master Harry Potter. Master Sev'us must rest before he falls.”

“I'll be fine,” Severus said sitting down in the chair next to the couch. He rested his head on the back of the chair.

Within minutes, Severus was asleep. Harry woke up feeling something different in the room. After living with the Dursleys for so long, Harry learned to sleep light when he was worried about something. Usually he was worried when the next hit would come, but for the past couple of hours he had been worried about his Potions Professor. He could not remember seeing Professor Snape look that angry before. Professor was literally shaking back in Professor McGonagall's office .

Harry opened his eyes. He stretched a little, being a little stiff from the position he was in on the couch, but he refused to go to bed. Not until he knew that Professor Snape was alright. Which in itself confused him. Who would have thought that in such a short time he would care about the Professor?

The first thing Harry noticed when he woke was the book that he had wasn't in his lap. He sat up, bear still in his arm, and looked around. He saw that his professor was sitting in the chair next to him, asleep. Harry wondered how long he'd been asleep? When did Professor Snape get back?

Harry looked at his professor. He noticed that he seemed to be in a fitful rest.

Harry got up and went closer to Severus and placed the bear in his lap. Harry stepped back a little bit and took in what he was looking at. After all that has happened in the past few hours, he didn't know why he took on a mischievous nature and place the bear on his Professor's lap. A silent chuckle slipped from his lips as he looked at his teacher.

“Mr. Potter,” a baritone voice sliced through the quiet of the library. “Would you be so kind as to remove your bear from my lap?” His eyes still closed.

“I was just giving you back your robes,” Harry chuckled out.

Severus lifted an eyebrow as he opened his eyes and looked at the brat standing in front of him. For the first time in a long time, Harry actually had a smile on his face. It was nothing spectacular, but it was genuine. And in that small moment, Severus allowed himself a small reprieve in Harry's little joyous moment.

Severus sat up in the chair and held out the bear to Harry. Harry, with a small smile still gracing his lips took to offered bear from Severus and sat back down on the couch.

“Sir,” Harry said, the smile leaving his lips.

“Yes, Potter,” Severus answered looking at the child sitting next to him.

“Do you know who could have taken Professor McGonagall?”

“No, Potter,” Severus' voice was voided of any emotion. “But I will find out.”

“You called her mother,” Harry said. Severus looked at Harry.

Severus sat up and looked at Harry. He was about to open his mouth when a red envelope popped in front of them and landed on the table across from them. Tami instantly popped into the library. Her face was not the sweet smiling as she usually had. Her brow was creased and her ears were behind her head. Before either wizard could even lean forward and retrieve the envelope, she snapped her fingers and the red howler disappeared. Severus looked at Tami, almost confused.

“What was that?” Severus asked Tami.

“Following mistress' orders,” Tami said with finality.

She popped out of the library. Severus was about to stand up when Tami popped back into the library holding a tray with tea and biscuits on it. She set the tray on the table.

“Master Sev'us,” Tami said. “You're needed at the Headmaster's office.”

“How do you know that?” Severus asked.

“That's what letter says,” Tami said tilting her head.

“Why did you take the letter away?” Severus leaned forward and handed a tea cup to Harry.

“Master Sev'us does not need to hear yelling. Still weak.”

“You said Mother's orders.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami said picking up the plate of biscuits and walking to Harry. “Mistress told me to take care of Master Sev'us and Master Harry Potter.” She offered the biscuits to Harry with a small smile.

Harry took one.

“After you get some rest,” Tami said firmly. “You will go to Headmaster.”

“Tami,” Severus said.

“No buts,” Tami said. “Mistress' orders.”

Harry could not believe what he was hearing. He wanted to laugh, but knew it probably would not be a good idea. Tami popped out of the room. Severus looked at Harry.

“Is there something amusing, Mr. Potter?” Severus drawled.

Harry almost choking on his tea, looked up at his professor. His eyes big as saucers. Severus thought he saw fear in the boys eyes.

“Sorry, sir,” Harry whispered.

“Calm yourself, child,” Severus sat back in the chair. “If you're done laughing at me, you can go and find something to keep your self busy for a while.”

Harry got up and walked to the doorway.

“Harry,” Severus called out putting his cup back on the table. Harry looked at his teacher. “I want you to get some rest. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Harry said walking out of the library.

Severus put his head back on the chair and re-thought out the events of the day. So much has happened. From Harry's emotional confession to his mother's apology. But now, he had a new dilemma. Where was his mother and who took her?

________0000________0000___________0000___________0000__________0000________000____Harry went to his room. It amazed him how in just a few days he felt more comfortable with his Potions Professor than he ever did with his relatives. He has gotten food, clothes, and a soft bed. What more really could he ask for? Professor Snape promised that he would not be returning to his relatives. He really hope that remains true. He honestly didn't think he would survive it if he went back to them now. Harry sat down at the desk. It was placed by the window. Harry looked out of the window and couldn't help the smile that graced his lips.

Off on the horizon, Harry saw something coming towards the house. He squinted to see what was coming. After a few seconds of trying to see what it was, a huge grin came across his face. Hedwig was flying towards the window. Harry climbed up on the desk and opened the window, so that Hedwig could come in. She flew in and landed on Harry's shoulder. His heart filled with such joy having his familiar with him. He hadn't seen Hedwig since the last day of term, but it was his own doing. He did not want her to come back to Surrey with him. Harry thought it would be safer for her if she stayed with Sirius instead of him.

That was the hardest day for him, but he knew that he had to protect his snowy owl. On so many occasions, Vernon had threatened to kill his owl, and Dudley really came close last year. Two weeks before the Quidditch World Cup, Harry was doing the usual chores. He came up to his room and saw that the door was opened. When he came in the room, he saw Dudley standing next to Hedwig's cage shaking it. She tried to nip at his hands but the more she tried the harder Dudley shook the cage. After a few stunned seconds, Harry rushed to Dudley and hit him across the back to get him to let go of the cage. Harry paid for that hit dearly, but at that moment he didn't care. He knew he had to protect his owl. Well, now, he didn't have to worry about that. His professor made sure of that. Harry still couldn't believe how much has changed with him and Professor Snape.

“Hedwig,” Harry smiled. “I'm glad that you found me.”

Hedwig hooted and lightly nipped at Harry's ear.

Harry thought about it and wanted to share the fact that he would no longer have to worry about his relatives anymore, and the first person he thought of was his godfather, Sirius. He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and began to write.

Sirius

How are things going? I've missed you so much. I have some wonderful news. I've finally gotten away from my relatives. And it's wonderful. I'm staying with Professor Snape now. He has really be wonderful to me. He treats me a whole lot better than the Dursleys.

I hope this letter finds you well.

Harry

Harry rolled up the piece of parchment and placed it on the small pouch on his leg, after a few seconds of rubbing Hedwig's chest. Hedwig flew back out of the window to take the letter to its intended place. Harry had thought of writing to Hermione and Ron, but in the few weeks that he was back with the Dursleys, not one letter came from either of them. It broke his heart that neither one of them wrote to him. But he soon got over it and figured that if Hermione and Ron wanted to talk they would have to be the first one to owl him.

_________00000______________00000____________00000___________0000__________000_____

It didn't take long for Hedwig to find where she was going. She landed on the edge of the window sill and lightly tapped on the window. Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet. Actually he was bored out of his head because he had been cooped up in his parent's house since he escaped from Azkaban. The only bright side to his second imprison was that his childhood friend was staying with him. Right now, Remus was upstairs asleep. The last full moon, that was a couple of days ago, really took a lot out of him, so he was resting.

Sirius was taken out of his daydreaming by a small tapping on the window. When he saw that it was Hedwig, a smile graced his lips. He had just released her that morning, so that she could spread her wings. And to see her back with a note to her leg, lets Sirius know that she had made her way to his godson.

Sirius got up and opened the window. Hedwig came in a landed on the table. Once Sirius removed the parchment, Hedwig flew off the table. Sirius sat down with a contented sigh. He was excited to see what his godson, Harry, had to say. He opened the parchment and read. His face fell. He re-read the parchment three times. Each time he was getting more and more angry.

Remus was upstairs asleep. He was awaken by his name being screamed throughout the house.

“MOONY!”

Remus opened his eyes and sighed. He knew whatever it was, it was not going to be good.

TBC