Harry's guide to being a grownup by Hopeless Wanderer

Chapter two.

A knock. Then another. Then a third, firmer and more frantic came upon the teacher's door.

Severus Snape heaved a sigh, already knowing who was on the other side with deep regret and pity. He folded his latest addition of Chemist weekly and got up to his feet, he straightened his buttoned up back shirt and hurried down the hallway, noting just then that the rain was pouring down on his porch on a frenzy.
His widened eyes indicated his quickened steps and he opened the door before another knock landed on his door.

"Get in." he wished he had foreseen this and had fetched out a blanket or at least a towel. He opened the door and let the soaked, sniffling teenager in his house. His gaze softened as he closed the door with a sharp thud.

"Come on, let's get you warm." Harry, already knowing the house inside out, immediately went to the living room while Severus hastily went upstairs to retrieve some clothes and towels.

The boy wiggled in the armchair and Severus instantly felt bad for him. Poor boy. He thought and handed him the towels.

"Another argument?"

Harry sniffled, and buried his face in the towel, the teacher pulls the blanket over him and squeezes his shoulder with fatherly comfort.

"They were just shouting /so loud/. I told them to stop... But they just got louder... I couldn't... I couldn't..."

Severus sighed along with the boy and hugged him close. Finding it the only thing that would give him comfort. This wasn't the first time Harry came by his door late in the night, some nights soaked to the bone and sobbing and some nights as angry as his parents. Angry at everything, at the world, at his life, at his parents.
If he hadn't been Harry's neighbor, he didn't know how the child would've faired by now, he had no idea where his student would run off to in the middle of the night, so just he could /get away/ from the madness going on in his house.

"Do they know you're here?" it's not that they remotely cared, but Severus felt obligated to ask every time. Harry wiped his nose with his drenched sleeve.

"They didn't even realize I was gone." the teenager shivered and the Chemistry Professor realized with a jolt that the boy was soaking wet and shivering.

"Let's get changed out of that clothes, shall we?" there was no backpack or sack with the child, so Severus could only assume that Harry had left in a hurry. With no clothes or homework. Out of desperation and fear. As every child normally would.

It varied. Harry's 'visits' usually varied into two different types, either the child had foreseen the argument coming, packed up his stuff and had sneaked out of his house using the window, whether that happened on early afternoons or late at nights it left the boy bitter and enraged. Not just angry. Enraged. Severus always kept in mind to take Harry to the cushion room, those days/nights. He had made it specifically for him. He could beat around the pillows, screaming into them all he wanted, but he wasn't allowed to break anything, hurt himself or others.

Then, there were these nights... Caught up in a middle of an adult's argument, surprised and scared out of his wits, sobbing and shaking like a leaf, sometimes even stuttering so hard that he was incapable of speech. Harry never packed his possessions those nights, he ran out in the streets and to his house and his parents could care less. Despicable people.

"I..I.I...I..."

"Shhh... Don't talk. Come on. You're shivering." that made Harry only sob louder and Severus felt guilty. He always felt guilty showing Harry the affection he deserved. He hated himself for being a parent Harry never had. And Harry knew that. He knew that he wouldn't get the same loving treatment from his own father.
They made it upstairs, and the teacher had to basically carry the shaking student up the stairs and to the bathroom by himself, he clicked on the lights and returned with the dry clothes he had left for the child.

He put his hand on the fevered forehead and frowned. Just how long had Harry been outside?

"You get changed, alright? Did you have dinner?" Harry opened his mouth but Snape beat him to it.

"Not in full sentences yet child. Yes or no."

"N..No." Severus nodded and handed him the clothes.

"Take all the time you need. You can take a hot shower too if you'd prefer. Call me if you need help, alright?"

"P..Prof.."

"Harry. Yes or no." Harry shook his head and clutched his hand with cold numb fingers. His features pallid and his eyes red rimmed. With a small sob of relief, Harry had threw himself in the man's arms.

"Th..than... Thanks." his heart clenched. Severus pushed his emotions aside for Harry's sake and hugged him back.

"It's gonna be alright."

Harry had some colors back in his cheek after the quick war up shower, and when Severus forced him into eating some soup, his eyes were still red rimmed and he was flushing so Severus concluded that the boy had been crying in the shower too. Damn his god awful parents for asking a child feel this way. Damn them to hell.

"It was my fault." he muttered quietly in his glass of milk, curled up on the armchair next to the blazing fire right after finishing his belated dinner.
Severus narrowed his eyes in rage.

"No. Harry we had had this talk. It's never your fault. Your parents should be ashamed of themselves, you are a child and you have no place in their petty problems." and he exactly meant that. The action repulsed him. To the core. It always irritated him when this child showed up at his doorsteps in an ungodly hour, bearing emotions he shouldn't have. And then blaming everything on himself...

"You don't understand sir. I provoked them, I... I thought it was a safe night. They were calm enough... But then... They started yelling at me and then at each other, I tried... I tried to make them..."

"You don't have to explain yourself child. You know you don't. I will never judge you."

"Mom never lies... She threatened to leave. Again. And I... I don't.. Don't want to be the cause of their..."

"Shhh, Harry, even if she does leave it's not your fault. It's never your fault. Some people get ignorant and very petty, when they fall... Out of love." God, even he didn't believe himself. Who was he to claim he knew about love? Love was literally the last thing on his mind. And it wasn't like Harry didn't know that.

Harry sniffed, slowly trembling in his seat.

"But don't they love me? What have I ever done to them? It's not like I asked to be born! They did this to me! I...I.. I have put the best years of my life into this!" he trailed off and Severus knew instantly who he was quoting. These were not Harry's words. They were Lily's.

"Harry... Oh child."

Harry shook his head bitterly.

"Dad said she's seeing someone. That she's cheating on us. On our family, and they yelled, they yelled a lot, I couldn't hear the words over all of the yells and curses..."
Another sideways hug, and Severus could feel Harry /shirking in his arms /.

"shhhh, it's okay. You're not there anymore. We're calm and quiet, just sitting here and talking. No need to get upset, calm down."

"She... she said that I'm just like him. My father. She said, I'm nothing but a brat when I started crying... Such a pathetic wimp! You stir up trouble wherever you go! I put my life into this! I tried my best! You're ruining this! You're ruining me! You're ruining everything!"

"Harry..." this was the first time Severus was hearing this. Did she take out her anger on him every time?! Was Harry directly quoting her?

Harry didn't give him time to ask.

"I told them to stop if they loved me. They didn't. Seamus lives next door you see, I didn't want him to hear the argument... To hear everything... I yelled and cried too but mom and Dad... They... Well They started throwing things. Mom broke my Football cup... Dad threw her a vase... Plates..." his heart dropped and Severus drew back, his eyes examined the boy's frail body for signs of cuts or bruises.

"Are you hurt?" Harry shook his head, nodded once and wiped his nose again.

"That was my first cup? I... I was afraid to get close but I just couldn't let them hit each other... Dad called me a disappointment but got back to mom... They yelled louder. So much voice, and broken plates and cups... My cup. My very first award..."

What could Severus possibly say to that?! Who was ignorant and cruel enough to do that to a child?

"I wanted to... I don't know! I wanted them to stop so badly! I cried. They didn't even look at me anymore... Just yells and cries, furniture just crashed or shattered against the wall or the floor... Mom yanked out her suitcase, started wrenching clothes in it..."

It took another half an hour to clam his student down, which on itself was a new set record, indicating that the recent argument had been a bad one.

"Have you done your homework Harry?" anyone else might call him a cruel person for demanding homework right after something like that happened, but Severus knew Harry. The boy would be even more distressed if he went to school empty handed.

Harry squirmed guiltily. "N..Not really. I meant do them I swear! Right after dinner, but... That happened."

"What are your essays for tomorrow?" he could write a pass for him in that case. Harry had his class tomorrow on first period, which was a relief and the Professor had left Harry slip more than once. He needed go talk to the math teacher though, she was very strict and student's unstable home lives often didn't matter to her.

"I have History with Mr. Bennett, your essay on Isotope Natural abundance statistics... And uh... I might have literature with Professor Sprout?"

"Math?"

"I already did the homework.. It's just back at ho... My house." Severus nodded slowly, pretending to not notice the slip, and ushered Harry to his library. The boy sent uncertain glances at him all the way. Severus knew what he was thinking. He assumes that he disappointed me. He mused quietly.

He was a cynical man, never had much appetite for emotions, or showing affection, Chemistry was the only thing that could provoke something akin to happiness for him. Well that and Harry. Whom he saw a son.

"Here are some papers Mr. Potter and I think I may have a textbook here somewhere..." he rampaged through his drawers for a the hard worn covered textbook he always kept at hand.

He only had his own though, so he no idea what to do about the other two essays.

"What about literature, son. Are you doing a book review?" he caught Harry blinking at the name from the corner of his eyes and cursed himself for letting his tongue slip that particular night.

But he couldn't help it. Not really, it was subconscious, Severus felt so protective of the child that Harry might as well be his son.

"We.... We're reviewing wuthering Heights... I already read the book though, so I..."

Severus returned back to the lanky awkward teen with two book and a stack of paper in his arms. Harry pursed his lips meekly and took the books.

"And History?" it would be too late to help Harry for his own essay, but he knew that Harry would know the answer anyways. It was getting late. Almost half past ten, and Severus was doing this more out of courtesy than anything.

"Actually I don't remember the subject.... I marked it on my book."

"I'll write you a slip."

"Sir..." the man waved him off with a sneer. It was evodent that the curl of his lips weren't directed at him.

"Bennett already knows that you are a good student. I'm sure he would be more than happy to add up your extra credit instead of this essay."

The child nodded timidly and sat behind Severus's desk. The Professor decided now was a good time to notify his parents, Harry wouldn't hear him from the library. Not if he didn't sneaked out anyway.

"You have forty minutes until bed time Harry. Don't push yourself, it doesn't matter if the essays aren't complete. You tried." he wasn't Harry's parent, he was a teacher and that was it. But in his ten years of teaching he had never been so disturbed and touched by a student's home life.

Arguing parents who did not divorce, clashing, fighting, hitting each other in front the of this child ever since he was in elementary school. He had had the misfortune of meeting them, at parent's child council.

To say that their meeting hadn't gone so well was an understatement to what really happened.

Not that he supported divorce or couples splitting up the custody of an innocent blameless child, but sometimes divorce was the only answer. Not for their sakes but for the child's. Harry had been tossed back and forth for so long that it was a miracle that he turned out the way he did.

As far as Severus was aware, Harry had been neglected and caught in crossfire of these arguments way more than once. Tonight they just broke the child's trophy. Last year they accidentally hit him with a vase, the year before that (when Severus met Harry) they had both provoked Harry so much that the child could barely form sentences without stuttering.

So yes, Severus had met this people and he did not like them. In the slightest.

He had no need for his contact info, as he had memorized the number for over a year now. Not that they cared if Harry had spent a whole night locked out of the house or running away. But notifying them was a must. He didn't have to necessarily like it.

"Mrs. Potter?" he heard shuffling in the background and a slurred voice answered.

"What?" the voice was shrill, sharp and dripping with disdain. The teacher narrowed his eyes.

"I'm Severus Snape. Your son's chemistry teacher."

The voice hummed in disinterest, and Severus rolled his eyes. This was the umpteenth time he was introducing himself to these couple.

"I just called to notify you of Harry's location? He is here now and he is safe. I would take him to school tomorrow, but I'm afraid he left his bag and clothes in his room?"

"He's there? When did he go out?!" more shuffling from the background. There was a crunch and the phone shifted.

"He came here two hours ago ma'am. Now if you would please contact me in the morning so I can pick up his stuff?"

A sharp intake of breath, a slow huff, and Severus knew the woman was smoking.

"There's no need Mr.Snape. I will come get Harry tomorrow." the voice answered with snark. Severus scoffed, just itching to bite back an insult. Harry would get the burn of it though.

Severus very much doubted that.

"Harry got upset earlier tonight Mrs. Potter. I hope that I'm not intruding, but Harry seemed really distressed.." if only one of them would take a hint. The man sneered.

"Did something happen at school?" the voice drawled after another long exhale, Severus felt like he could almost smell the bitter odor of her cigarette.

"No, I heard that there was a slight..." like hell. "disagreement at his home earlier tonight?" this was as vague as he could get. As far as he was allowed to breach as a concerned teacher.

"Oh. I will pick him up then." the woman replied nonchalantly.

"I think your son is more comfortable..."

"/I/ know what my son needs. I said I'll pick him up tomorrow. " just like that she hung up on the phone. Severus was left standing in his kitchen, the phone pressed tightly to his ear and his fingers clenching around the device so hard his knuckles went white.

He hated it. Not being able to help. He hated putting Harry in a worse position that he already was, but having to do it anyway because he had to. He had made a vow as a teacher, he had no right to decide for Harry when the boy's parents obviously had other ideas.

"Professor Snape?" a meek voice disrupted his jumbled incoherent thoughts. Severus almost dropped his phone, Harry stood with bowed head, wringing the hem of his over grown shirt and a resigned look.

"What did she say?"

The man couldn't even muster up enough anger at the boy for eavesdropping. He put the phone down on the kitchen table and stared at the child blankly.
What to do? There was the feeling again. To open his arm like a father figure , comfort the child and tell him that everything will be alright. Or stay distant. Just a teacher who helped his student out of pity. But that wrong, wasn't it? Severus didn't pity Harry, not in the slightest. He admired him for his strength. Wanted to be there for him when his own parent didn't care enough to be.

When James Potter was too busy getting drunk and his wife smoked the night away, when the father didn't care or forgot to attend the boy's very first football match, he wanted to be there and so he went. He had made Harry's first celebratory dinner and bought him his first pair of football trainers. He was already in way too deep.

He opened his arm only after a second and Harry's head snapped on. Flabbergasted but touched at same time, Harry only hesitated for a moment before he ran into the kitchen.

Harry threw himself in the man's arms and held on tight, he breathed heavily but Snape could tell that Harry wasn't upset.

"It's going to be alright Harry. You'll see."

Eventually.