Harry woke up the next morning feeling inexplicably lighter, like a heaviness that had been weighing him down for so long had finally lifted, and he was able to breathe properly for the first time. He didn't quite know how that came to be, but it was a nice change. He hoped it lasted, but knowing his luck, it wouldn't.

Drawing the covers back, Harry slowly slid out of bed and stretched out, glad to no longer feel the usual soreness in his body when he did. His wounds seemed to have mostly healed, and it was probably the first day this summer where he wasn't feeling the usual aches and pains. It was quite refreshing. And without having to maintain the glamour anymore, Harry felt as if he did have more energy than usual. Maybe it was also due to the fact that he had a decent amount of rest yesterday as well.

After grabbing an acceptable shirt from the dresser, one that only had a small hole near the collar, and a faded pair of jeans, Harry went into the bathroom and decided to take a shower. As he went to take off the shirt he was wearing, Harry quickly realized that it definitely wasn't his. For one thing, it fit him perfectly, and the material was soft with no signs of wear and tear. Dudley's old castoffs were certainly never this nice. Judging by the finely embroidered 'S' on the small front pocket of the gray nightshirt, Harry had an idea of whose shirt this was, though the thought of Snape actually lending Harry one of his own shirts was bewildering to say the least. He carefully folded the shirt and set it down on the bathroom counter, making a mental note to return it to his father later.

With a quick glance at the mirror before getting into the shower, Harry saw that the salve Snape used seemed to have worked wonders on his back. Some of his older scars were still present, but at least he didn't have any more bruises or welts.

As he let the soothing warm water rain down on him, yesterday's events began replaying in his mind, especially the conversation he had with his father.

Did he really mean it? Did he really claim Harry as his son? And what about that part where he firmly told Harry that he didn't deserve to be treated like that by the Dursleys?

Never in a million years would Harry have thought Snape would say that... If anything, Harry thought the man would certainly agree with the Dursley's sentiments.

Part of him remained skeptical. Harry wanted to believe his father's words, but he just couldn't push away the uncertainty of it all. There had always been doubt lingering in the back of his mind that prevented him from fully believing anything, and he'd never learnt how to place his complete trust in an adult, choosing to handle problems on his own or with his closest friends.

But yesterday he managed to confide in someone about that long kept secret and it was a person he never thought he would ever tell his secrets to. He'd never even told his best friends, though he knew they must have suspected it already, they didn't know as much as Snape, his father, did now.

And it did seem like the man really cared yesterday...

But did he really care?

Harry shook his head, not knowing what to make of this.

What if his father took it back? What if Harry did something wrong, would Snape reclaim that statement and act as if it never came out of his mouth? It was definitely possible. Given that he had hated Harry for so long, Snape could certainly go back to his old ways. It wasn't as if Harry being his son meant anything to him before. What if he realized that Harry was just too much of a burden to deal with?

Harry sighed, deciding at that point to be cautious around Snape. It was better to be on guard anyway, so that he could be ready for it if it did happen.

After his quick shower, Harry got dressed and made his way down to breakfast. When he arrived, Snape was at the table, reading the Daily Prophet, practically hiding behind it as only his hands gripping the sides of the newspaper were visible. Kieran sat beside him, picking at his breakfast and glaring down at it.

Harry wondered what happened, sensing the tension in the room. It was never usually this tense until he walked in.

Once Snape noticed Harry's presence, he smoothly set the paper down.

"I didn't expect you to come down for breakfast," his father said, then gave Harry an assessing look over. "How are you feeling, Harry?"

Harry blinked, truly not expecting that question. "Er, I'm fine sir," he answered after a short moment. "It's the first day in the summer that I'm not..." Harry trailed off, having already said too much. He looked away, trying to stop the flush that was creeping its way up into his cheeks. Apparently, Snape seemed to know what Harry was about to say, for the hard look that was previously in his dark eyes softened a little. Kieran regarded Harry with narrowed eyes and his glare that was previously aimed at his breakfast was now being pointed his way.

Harry ignored him and went to take a seat at his usual spot. He'd had enough of trying to figure out what Kieran's problem was. Look where that got him last time.

As soon as he sat down, a bowl of porridge with fruit on top and a goblet of pumpkin juice appeared in front of him, and Harry wondered why his breakfast seemed to be different from Snape and Kieran's. Not that he minded of course, Harry had learned not to be a picky eater a long time ago. He gave a questioning look at his father, but the man had already refocused his attention back on the paper.

Harry swirled his spoon in the porridge then took a bite, finding the touch of sweetness from the fresh fruit rather pleasant. He didn't feel like he had his appetite back yet, but somehow, Harry found that he could finish the entire bowl.

Severus discreetly watched Harry over the top of the Daily Prophet as the boy ate his breakfast. This morning, he'd told the house elves to mix a nutrients potion into the porridge, and he was inwardly pleased to see Harry enjoying it. After having realized how little the boy had eaten the first two days here, Severus also added something that would help improve Harry's appetite, hoping the boy would begin to eat more than his meager portions and eventually bring him to a more healthy weight.

His attention was drawn then to Kieran when he saw the boy stabbing his eggs with his fork, a bit too forcefully before bringing it to his mouth. Today was going to be a long day, Severus thought with an inward groan as he took a sip of his coffee. He was overseeing the punishments for that destructive fight in the library, and if yesterday was any indication, Severus knew it was going to be difficult getting Kieran to cooperate. He gave a silent sigh; there so were many other ways that he would much rather spend his day.

A repeated tapping on the window pulled Severus out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see a brown tawny owl pecking at the glass. As soon as Severus opened the window, it immediately flew towards Harry and landed in front of him, causing the boy to flinch slightly as the owl fluttered to a stop, nearly knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice. The owl hooted and raised its right leg, signaling for Harry to take the large square envelope tied to it.

Must be his O.W.L results, thought Severus, as Harry began untying it with fumbling fingers. Once the letter was detached, the owl flew off out the window again.

Severus watched Harry slit the envelope open slowly, finding himself wondering how the boy performed on his exams. He seemed to be nervous by the way his fingers were playing with the corners of the parchment, but the boy's eyes skimmed over the letter so quickly that Severus had a hard time deciphering any emotion in them. Though Severus did catch a hint of something flickering in those green eyes before Harry glanced up, realizing he had an audience when he noticed that both Severus and Kieran were watching him. He quickly folded the parchment back into the envelope, then slipped it into his pocket and continued his breakfast, keeping his head down the rest of the time.

"Today, both of you will serve your punishment for the fight in the library," Severus announced once he saw that Harry had finished his breakfast.

At the word punishment, Severus could see Harry's stance become rigid, as if bracing himself for the worst. He turned his attention to Kieran who still had the same attitude as yesterday, his defiance still present. Severus sent him a glare that conveyed he had no patience to spend on arguing today. He rose to his feet, "Both of you follow me."

Severus led them to the library where he had ordered the house elves to not bother cleaning up, leaving the room in the same state of disarray, exactly the way it was after the fight. With a sharp flick of his wand, a broom appeared beside each boy. They were going to need them to sweep up the obliterated pieces of parchment littering the floor since they wouldn't be allowed to use magic.

"I do not condone fighting and as you two caused this mess, I expect the library to be cleaned to my satisfaction," Severus said, giving them both a stern look. He pointed at a large mound of fallen books in a corner next to an overturned table and chair. "I suggest you start with those books over there."

And since Severus was certainly not about to leave the boys alone in here together, he conjured a chair and settled into it with a potions journal. It was just for looks, however, as his sole attention was going to be on watching the boys.

Harry immediately began picking up the books and placing them back on the shelves. Kieran, however, stood there unmoving with his arms crossed, seeming to consider how far he could push Severus' patience. After a few moments, he huffed, then started moving slowly toward the pile of books.

But barely five minutes into the punishment, Kieran started the inevitable complaining.

"This is going to take forever!" he groaned, turning toward Severus and gesturing to a pile of books and parchment on the floor. "Why don't you just tell the house elves to do it?"

"You contributed to the mess, therefore it is your responsibility to help clean it," Severus said, pointing a withering glare in Kieran's direction.

Kieran rolled his eyes. "I don't even know why I have to do this, it wasn't my fault," he muttered, haphazardly shoving another book back onto the shelf.

Severus was tempted to spell a silencing charm on the boy and be done with it, his patience running thin. "I do not want to hear another word out of you, young man."

Kieran didn't respond, turning his back to him, though he continued mumbling under his breath, just loud enough for Severus to hear a few words, "Like servant's work... Ridiculous... All Potter's fault."

"If you do not cease this childish behavior, I will not hesitate to cast a silencing charm on you," Severus threatened, raising his wand. When Kieran opened his mouth to protest yet again, he added, "I will make it last the entire day."

Kieran gave a frustrated growl and turned back to the pile of books. Severus heard him continue to mumble something indistinctly and then moved to stand next to Harry. He could make out whispering, but could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. It soon became clear that Harry was attempting to ignore Kieran as he continued to diligently place the books back onto the shelves and had even started sweeping the floor with the broom, his posture stiff and his hands clenching the broom handle a bit too tightly.

Severus sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache forming.

This was going to be a long day, and it has barely even begun.

Harry picked up the scattered books from the floor and set them on the shelves, all the while trying to block out Kieran's constant complaining. He was reminded of the way Dudley acted whenever Aunt Petunia tried to convince him to clean his room, which always concluded with Aunt Petunia giving in to Dudley's temper tantrums and doing it for him anyway. Because of that, Harry was rather glad that Snape was still the strict disciplinarian that he'd known at Hogwarts. Though Harry had been a bit anxious when his father mentioned a punishment, and for a while, he was worried that it would be something similar to Uncle Vernon's until Snape had led them into the trashed library and told them to clean it.

From the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Kieran edging towards him.

"What did you do to my Dad?" Kieran whispered so that only Harry could hear. "You must have done something to him. He seems... different." His accusing tone was hard to miss.

"I didn't do anything," Harry replied simply, placing a stack of books neatly back on the shelf.

Kieran appeared unconvinced, eying him suspiciously.

"This is all your fault, Potter. You're the one who caused this bloody mess in the first place," he growled, snatching up a few more books and shoving them roughly onto the shelf.

"It wouldn't have even happened if someone didn't insult my mum first," Harry retorted, turning his back to Kieran as he gathered up more books.

Kieran made a sound of disagreement. "It's the truth, anyway."

Harry bit down on his tongue, forcing himself not to respond to that, and continued cleaning. He figured it was best to ignore him; there wasn't any point in letting Kieran get to him again. He just needed to complete his punishment as soon as possible and get away from Kieran, not wanting to be in his company any longer than was necessary.

When Harry finished with the books, he grabbed the broom to start sweeping the pieces of torn up parchment all over the floor. Kieran did the same, trying to appear as if he was helping, but Harry thought he looked as if he'd never used a broom before in his life.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like doing this type of servant's work," Kieran said, creating more of a mess than he was cleaning, constantly sweeping into Harry's neat piles. "I watched you work in the garden like a bloody house elf, I couldn't tell the difference."

When Harry didn't respond, Kieran continued to whisper, "Even dressed like one. Where did you get those clothes anyway?" He wrinkled his nose, disdainfully looking Harry up and down. "Might as well go live with them, you'll fit right in."

Harry could see the smirk forming on his face and wanted to hex it off. He turned away, heading for another corner littered with parchment, his grip on the broom handle a little more firm than necessary.

Kieran went on, making comments over anything and everything, and Harry had reached his limits of patience when Kieran, once again, swished his broom through his neat piles.

"Are you done yet?" Harry snapped, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. He felt eyes now watching the back of his head and knew that Snape was watching the exchange closely. Harry drew in a deep breath, forcing the anger down, then continued sweeping, now using more effort than was necessary. He would not lose his temper this time, especially with Snape in the room.

"More cleaning, less talking," his father said silkily from behind them. "Kieran, there is a bit of parchment that needs to be swept over there."

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Snape pointing at the other corner of the library.

Kieran sauntered over, taking as much time as possible to reach it. Harry was more than glad that Snape moved him, now he could focus on getting this done.

Honestly, what was Kieran's problem?

Harry gave a frustrated sigh, not wanting to think more on it. He didn't think he would ever meet anyone more annoying. Well, besides Dudley and Malfoy. He could already imagine Kieran and Malfoy becoming best friends.

Once the library was back in order, Snape nodded his approval and waved his wand to vanish the swept up piles of parchment.

By this time, it was just about time for lunch.

"Harry, I had noticed that you have finished your school assignments," Snape said, once they'd settled down at the table. "I would like to look over them after lunch."

"Yes, sir," Harry said as the food appeared on the table. He was surprised that Snape would be willing to look at his work. Nobody else had been willing to before, except Hermione, but that was different. Well, Harry just hoped his assignments were done well enough to not be torn to shreds with scathing remarks when he got them back. But then again, this was still Snape after all.

After Harry handed him his finished assignments, Severus told the boy that he was free to do as he pleased, also giving him permission to take books from the library for leisurely reading if he wanted to. Meanwhile, Severus took Kieran down to the potions lab for the second part of his punishment. He set the boy to work on scrubbing a stack of stained cauldrons and to mop the floor afterwards.

Kieran had begun complaining about how it would get his clothes dirty, but grudgingly started working after Severus gave him a scathing glare, not bending in the slightest. His tolerance was fairly nonexistent now. Severus hoped this punishment would deter Kieran from using that sort of language again. And the boy would do well to experience some physical labor, knowing he wasn't used to doing this kind of work.

Now when Severus thought about it, that was an obvious difference between Harry and Kieran. It had been evident when they were cleaning the library. Severus had noticed how efficiently Harry had worked then, and even the few days prior. It would most likely take Kieran a couple hours to complete what Harry could in an hour. If someone would have told him that about the boy a week ago, Severus would have laughed in their face, brushing it off as entirely implausible. But after what Severus discovered yesterday, none of this came as a such a surprise anymore, and he wasn't very pleased with how that came to be.

While Kieran was scrubbing the cauldrons, Severus had settled himself into a chair, a quill poised in his hand as he began looking over Harry's essays. But he soon found himself simply staring at the parchments, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor. He had been surprised yesterday to see that Harry had already finished his assignments, but now he was even more shocked at the quality of them. Especially his potions essay. Severus had been prepared to cover the parchment with his customary red ink, ready to fill the margins with criticisms considering the boy's essays have always been rather dismal before. However, a few minutes into reading these, Severus had to admit that they were very well done. It puzzled him because the boy had never excelled in his class, yet there wasn't a single mistake to be found.

Harry had the right properties listed and even explained in the detail how the potion functioned. He even included a better way to make the potion more potent. The essays for his other classes were done nicely as well. There was no doubt that the boy had put in the time and effort into these assignments. Now there was clear evidence that Harry was more capable than what he had previously showed in class. The question that came to Severus' mind was why didn't the boy display this potential and hand in assignments of this quality before?

"Hey, Dad?" Kieran said, disrupting Severus' thoughts. "Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow? I finally got my letter, and I need to get a few more things."

"I suppose we could spare some time tomorrow," Severus said absently, his attention still on the essays. "I believe Harry needs to get his supplies as well," he commented, missing the dark look on Kieran's face when he mentioned Harry's name.

"What's going on with you and Potter?"

Severus looked up to see that Kieran had stopped his scrubbing.

"That is none of your concern, Kieran," said Severus.

Kieran crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "There must be something going on because you're acting different."

"Be that as it may, it is between Harry and myself," Severus said resolutely, rolling up the essay he'd just finished reading and moving onto the next.

"It's as if you actually like him now," Kieran muttered, bitterness coloring his tone, as he set his glare on the cauldron he'd been scrubbing.

So that's what this was about. He should have known this was going to happen.

Severus contemplated his words carefully before speaking. "I had misguided assumptions about him," he said simply, not wanting to tell Kieran too much. It wasn't his business to know.

"Like what assumptions?" asked Kieran.

"There are certain circumstances that I became aware of."

Kieran furrowed his brows in confusion before a scowl formed on his face. "Oh, so he convinced you to side with him now?"

"Kieran, I suggest you cease this insufferable attitude," Severus said, glowering at the boy.

It didn't seem as if Kieran had heard him as the boy scoffed and continued, "What did he tell you? Some sob story about how tough his life is being the Chosen One?"

"Enough. This conversation is over," Severus said coldly. "Get back to work."

Kieran huffed and went back to scrubbing, this time putting in more effort, as if he was channeling all his anger into getting the stubborn stains off. Severus should have expected this reaction from Kieran. Of course, the boy would think of Harry as a threat, considering he never had to share anything with anyone before.

Severus gave a long sigh and focused back on the essays, planning to think more on the situation later.

That night Harry was perched on the window seat in his room, staring out at Prince Manor's vast back garden. He tucked his knees to his chest, his arms wrapped loosely around his legs as he rested his chin on the tops of his knees. The stars were glittering brightly against the clear night sky above and the moonlight cast a dim glow into his room. It was quiet nights like these when Harry could reflect on his life and just think.

He had just finished looking over a defense book that he borrowed from the library. Snape had told him he was free to do what he wanted today, but not without a warning to stay out of trouble. His father didn't explain why he didn't have any chores today and Harry didn't ask. He gladly accepted the free day and decided to spend the time brushing up on his defense and looking up useful spells.

His heart had sank when he received his O.W.L results today. With an Exceeds Expectation on his potions O.W.L, Harry knew his chances at becoming an Auror were over. He needed an Outstanding to move onto N.E.W.T. level, and Harry knew it would be pointless to try to convince Snape to admit him into his class. Especially considering Harry had never done well in his potions classes to begin with, and Snape refused to accept anything less than the best.

Now Harry would have to think about what he wanted to do after Hogwarts if he couldn't be an Auror. He'd never really put much thought into a career, with the threat of Voldemort constantly looming over his head ever since he'd found out about this world. He didn't know what the future had in store for him, all he knew was that he better be prepared to face it when it came.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts then.

"Come in," Harry called as he uncurled himself and turned towards the door.

Snape strode in holding Harry's rolled up assignments.

He must have come to tell him how bad his essays were, Harry thought, bracing himself.

"These are very well done, Harry," said Snape, setting the essays neatly on the desk.

Harry blinked, staring at him in shock, unable to respond, wondering if he had actually heard correctly.

"Thank you, sir," Harry murmured quietly when he'd found his voice again. An unfamiliar warmth filled his chest then, a strange yet pleasant feeling that he had never experienced before.

His essays must have been good if the praise was coming from Snape. He knew how difficult the man was to please.

Harry couldn't help giving a shy smile, not at all used to the praise.

The boy must not have received much praises in his life, Severus realized, if he ever received any at all for that matter.

He noticed the way Harry's green eyes lit up and the little smile the boy gave at his words. Just like Lily, Severus thought, feeling a brief pang in his chest. Her emerald eyes had lit up in a similar manner, along with that same soft smile whenever she received a compliment...

After a moment, Severus softly cleared his throat, then decided to ask a question he'd been wondering about all day.

"Why have you been handing in such abysmal work, when I now know for a fact you are capable of producing better?" Severus asked as he pulled out the desk chair and took a seat, facing Harry.

Harry stiffened, averting his eyes toward the window. There was a long stretch of silence, and just when Severus thought Harry wasn't going to answer, the boy gave a heavy sigh, then began speaking in a low voice.

"When I was about six or seven, I got my report card, and stupidly thought they would be proud of me. Instead, I just got a beating and locked in my cupboard with no food because I had done better than their son," Harry said, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "Plus my trunk gets chained up so I can't really complete my summer assignments anyway."

"Those Muggles were the reason that you do not do your best?" Severus asked, struggling not to snarl. He should have suspected it had something to do with them. What else were they responsible for that he didn't know about yet?

And did the boy say he had been locked in his cupboard?

Severus' eyebrows furrowed, his tone coming out a bit harsher than he'd intended when he asked, "What did you mean, your cupboard?"

Harry flinched, looking alarmed at hearing the anger in his voice, and Severus drew in a steadying breath, forcing his emotions behind his shields and attempting to soften his features.

"It was my room before I went to Hogwarts," Harry said, so quietly that Severus had to strain to hear.

"Damn Muggles," Severus muttered under his breath. Those monsters kept a child in a cupboard as his bedroom? If they thought they could get away with treating his son like this, they had another thing coming. A visit was definitely long overdue.

"That is no way to treat a child," Severus said firmly.

Harry gave a small shrug. "It's not a big deal. They did give me Dudley's second bedroom later," he muttered, picking at a loose thread on his trousers. "At least they took me in. They didn't have to. I was sort of forced onto them."

"Don't make excuses for them, Harry," Severus said, trying his best to keep his voice even. "Yes, they took you in, but they also should have treated you like their own."

Harry shook his head, looking doubtful. "They could never treat me like Dudley. They hate anything to do with magic and I was nothing more than a freak to them."

"And that is why they are despicable people," said Severus, remembering the time when Petunia had called Lily that same wretched word just before she was about to leave for her first year at Hogwarts. Apparently, Petunia was still the same spiteful person as she was before.

"What happened when you displayed a bit of accidental magic?" Severus asked, though he likely already knew the answer to that.

"It'd be worse than usual," Harry replied flatly, looking away. "They absolutely hated whenever that happened."

Severus just barely suppressed a scowl, very tempted to go curse them then and there. Punishing his son because of something he couldn't control?

They sat in silence for several moments, both of them seeming lost in their own thoughts until Severus spoke again.

"We will be taking a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow for you and Kieran to shop for school supplies," said Severus, standing and pushing the chair back underneath the desk. He glanced at the clock. "It's getting late, I suggest you turn in for the night."

Harry nodded, sliding off the alcove.

"Oh, I almost forgot—"

The boy hurried into the bathroom and returned a second later with the shirt that Severus had shrunk down for him yesterday.

"Here's your shirt back, sir," Harry said, holding it out for Severus to take.

Severus shook his head. "No, it is yours now. I had shrunk it down to fit you."

"Really?" Harry said, sounding surprised. "Thank you, sir."

Severus nodded, feeling a bit unsettled at the gratitude the boy was displaying for something as simple as a nightshirt.

"Goodnight, Harry," Severus said as he made to leave the room, but just before he reached the doorway, he paused and turned to face Harry again. "Now that I know what you are capable of, I expect all of your assignments to be up to that standard from now on."

That tiny smile reappeared on Harry's face again.

"Yes, sir," he replied. "Goodnight."