“What’s wrong with you?” The Potions Master said with a very disgusted voice. “So you leave Potter in Privet Drive, you tell his best friends that they can’t send him letters because is dangerous, you put wards in Grimmauld Place so Potter’s owl can’t deliver the letters he sends, and now you want ME to go to Potter’s house, to see if he is fine. For what we know he could be dead and nobody would know anything!”

“Now now, Severus, you know that’s not true. Voldemort doesn’t know where Harry lives and the house is under Fidelius Charm. If you haven’t told Voldemort where the house is, and of course, you know that I haven’t, Harry is safe. I only want to know how he is.” Said Dumbledore, looking to Severus’ eyes, that were full of anger.

“Why ME?”

“Because since I can’t go you are the only one who can. And because if I’m not losing my mind, your animagus form is a cat and you can watch him without being seen.” Said the Headmaster smiling.

“Bloody Headmaster with his bloody tasks and his bloody way to make you do everything he wants you to do!” Snape was muttering in his quarters while he was preparing himself before going to Privet Drive.

Not only he was going to start teaching the dunderheads in less than a week, but now he had to go to watch how the bloody Golden Boy was being spoiled by his family.

The Potions Professor apparated near Privet Drive and he transformed himself into a black cat before heading to Potter’s home. When he reached the house he sat in the sidewalk near it, waiting to see The Boy Who Lived To Disturb His Potions Teacher. He waited hours until he could see something. At 5pm he saw a boy who looked like a whale with a bike. When he was near the fence, he started yelling for Potter.

‘Of course, Potter will go with his disgusting friends, most probably to spend the night drinking alcohol while everybody is worried’ Thought Snape while he walked towards the fence to see Potter.

Well, at least his task was going to finish soon. He would see the bloody spoiled brat and he would go back to Hogwarts to inform the Headmaster.

But he couldn’t be more mistaken. When the whale boy yelled Potter’s name, the thin boy went running to the fence and he opened it, bowing his head, and looking the floor. The whale boy pushed him to the ground and he threw the bike to the dark haired boy. Snape flinched.

“Clean it, Potter. If it’s not the way I like it after I finished my dinner you’ll clean it with your tongue.” Said the whale, and he went into the house muttering to himself “Stupid freak, waste of space, I hope you die soon.”

The black cat was so confused with the scene that he didn’t see the huge black dog that was running in his direction until it was very late. He tried to run but the dog was faster. It caught the black cat and bite his leg. When its owner called its name, he threw the cat, who hit his head with the lamp of the street.

He felt horrible. Snape didn’t remember nothing like that in all his life. He was dizzy and the pain in his leg was atrocious. He had to return to Hogwarts or he wouldn’t survive. The black cat tried to go to Mrs. Figg house, but he fell in the middle of his way. He couldn’t walk, and he tried to find a comfortable position, knowing that if no one found him, he was going to die. He felt his temperature raising and he drifted in and out a fitful sleep during the night. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness the next morning was a huge man, even bigger than his whale son, punching Harry in the stomach after he had put the suitcases in the boot of the car. Then the two whales and the skeletal woman took the car and left Privet Drive, and Harry entered the house.

His mouth tasted awful, like fever reducing potion and the pain reliever potion. He couldn’t open his eyes and his leg hurt a lot. Two careful hands were touching it slowly but the pain was still dreadful. He couldn’t help but let a little whimper leave his mouth. Then the person who was touching the leg started talking with a soft voice.

“I’m so sorry little one, but I have to clean your leg. If I don’t do it the infection will be even worse, and you already have fever. Stay still, I’ll finish soon.”

The person who was touching his leg was a boy. He had listened that voice before, but when? He couldn’t remember, his head was also hurting, something completely normal having in mind that he had hit the head with the streetlamp and he must have a concussion. Then the boy stopped touching his leg and he started putting a bandage on it. When he finished the cat sighted in relief. Now that his leg wasn’t hurting so much, the cat could think better.

The boy was saying something about a box in the wardrobe and a jumper. But he wasn’t paying attention, his mouth still had the awful taste of the potions. Wait, what? Potions? And that voice?

‘Potter’ The cat thought, and he opened his eyes.

In that moment the boy turned around and the cat saw two green concerned eyes looking at him.

“Hey, you are awake! Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Let me give you some water to drink. I’ve taken this syringe from a medicine box that was downstairs, nobody has ever used it but I’ve cleaned it anyway before giving you the potions. I’ve cleaned it again after the potions so the water will taste fine.” Said the boy while he was taking some water with the syringe.

The cat started drinking the water, with Harry’s help. It tasted well, Harry had put something else in the water, something nice but Severus wasn’t able to discover what it was.

“I’ve put some mint and lavender in the water. They will help you a little with your head, and you’ll be able to sleep better with them.” Said the black haired boy, like if he had read the cat’s mind.

When the cat finished drinking he put the bowl with water neat the box in the wardrobe, only in case the cat could eat and drink by his own. Then he went back to the bed to pick the black cat up, and he started talking again.

“Now I’m going to put you in the box. Like I’ve said before, I’ve put a jumper in it so you’ll be comfortable there.”

Severus thought that the hands were comfortable and soft, but he must have fever, he was thinking that about the bloody Potter! No, not Potter, Harry. He stopped being Potter when he saw that Harry was more like himself when he was 15, than like James Potter. He wasn’t the spoiled brat that Severus thought he was, but maybe it wasn’t that bad…

“Okay, now I’m going to put this cold flannel in your head. I know that cats don’t like water, but it will help with your head and your fever. Now, try to sleep. I’m going to go downstairs to take the books from my trunk. My uncle locked them the day I arrived from Hogwarts, and now that they are not home I can unlock the door. Then I’ll come back to do the homework here. Especially the potions essays, if I don’t do them Professor Snape will kill me.” Harry smiled to the cat and then he went. Severus stayed thinking about what Harry had said until he couldn’t stay awake anymore.

The night arrived fast. Harry had woken the cat every four hours to give him the potions and some water. He also tried to feed him, but the cat didn’t want to eat.

The cat wouldn’t stay awake more than 10-15 minutes. Every time the clock rang, the black haired boy did the same routine. He talked softly while petting the cat, and when he was finally awake, the boy picked the cat up slowly and being very especially careful not to hurt the cat’s leg or his head. Then he put the cat in the bed to give him the potions and he held him again talking about the essay he had been doing before the alarm clock had rung warning him that it was time for the potions. He stayed cradling the cat in his arms until he drifted back to sleep.

Severus didn’t know why, but he was more relaxed that way. If he was awake and he wasn’t in the child arms he was scared, even if it only was for a little bit of time before he drifted back into unconsciousness. But if he was awake in Harry’s arms he felt safe listening to Harry’s voice and his heart. He had tried to stay awake more time so the boy wouldn’t put him in the box again, but he was so comfortable that he couldn’t have his eyelids open.

Finally, at 2am, Harry finished all his homework. He woke the cat like the other times and he put him in the bed. Severus looked at him confused. ‘The clock said it was 2am, he had had his potions only one hour and a half before.

“I’m sorry, but I have to clean your leg again. I wanted to finish my homework before doing it, because it will be painful and we’ll need more time.” Said Harry, and Snape thought again that the boy could read his mind. It seemed that Severus wasn’t good with the Occlumency in his cat form.

The cat saw that the old and broken desk, in which Harry had the books and his homework before, was now empty.

“I didn’t have a lot of homework, in fact, if you think about that, it’s very little because we are supposed to have the whole summer to do it. The only problem is that I only have one day to do it, so usually my homework isn’t good enough.” Harry started talking while he was unrolling the bandage of the cat. “Professor Snape always tell me that my homework is rubbish. He thinks I’m a spoiled arrogant boy, like my father. But I’m not. I hope someone could see that I’m not my father.”

The cat whimpered a little, not only because Harry had started cleaning the wound of his broken leg, but also because he had finally realized all that about Harry and he regretted his behaviour towards him in the past.

“I’m sorry, I know it hurts, but if you stay still we’ll finish soon, I promise.” Harry whispered, and he continued talking like that, seeing that the cat looked more calmed when he was talking.

Thirty minutes later they were finished. Harry held the cat until he seemed to be asleep but when tried to put it in the box the cat stiffened and started moaning, so he stopped and he went to lay in his bed with the cat in his chest. Seeing that the cat was still awake, he started talking again.

Severus was looking at Harry while he was cleaning the wound. Harry was very concentrated but he was talking to him in a soft low voice. Severus was grateful, the leg was very painful but he was feeling better with Harry’s voice. He knew that it was late when the boy finished and he was sure the boy would want to sleep, but he didn’t want to stay alone in the wardrobe. He couldn’t, he was scared and feverish, and he knew that he would have nightmares.

He wanted to remain in Harry’s arms. Merlin, he wanted Harry to pet him and talk to him. He needed him. When did that happened? He had been avoiding and hating that boy for four years, he had been punishing him when he hadn’t done anything wrong, and he had been insulting the boy thinking that he was like his father, a spoiled arrogant brat. And now he was moaning because he wanted to sleep in his arms. He would have to apologize, and even with that, most probably the boy wouldn’t forgive him.

His heart clenched painfully. Maybe it was because of the fever, but now that he knew more about Harry, he wanted him to be in his life. He decided to stop worrying in that moment and he listened to what Harry was telling him.

Harry put a sheet when he started shivering and the cat was finally falling asleep, when Harry started talking about his night in the graveyard and how he had nightmares every night since then. When Harry said that everything was his fault, the black cat looked at him and groaned. Harry looked confused but continued.

“So now, Voldemort…” the cat groaned again “…is alive again. Cedric is dead because of me…” another groan “…and Voldemort…” groan “…is killing people again because of me.” Loud groan. Harry finished saying that more and more confused while he saw the cat’s behaviour.

“You are not a cat.” Harry said. The black cat shook his head and looked at him scared. Severus didn’t know why he was saying the truth, but now he had to continue.

“So, you are an animagus.” Harry continued. Severus nodded and started trembling. He was dead. Harry was not as idiot as Snape said in class. He knew it. So of course he would discover him, he will know that the ‘little cat’ that was in his chest with a concussion in his head a broken leg was Snape, the greasy git of the dungeons. And after that he would kill Snape. And the Potions Master wouldn’t blame him, because now he knew that the boy’s summer was a hell, and he had treated the boy like the Dursleys did in the place that Harry thought like home, Hogwarts.

His whole body was shaking badly, his leg and leg hurt and he felt dizzy. He didn’t move, in his state he couldn’t escape and he would only hurt himself more. He only wished the boy could kill him fast, without making him suffer.

“Professor Snape?”