Severus closed the door then tried to open it again, having to tug a couple times in order to do so. Harry stood off to his side watching curiously. Severus shut the door again and felt around the frame of the door, checking its alignment. He forced the door open once more and then pushed against the hinges, watching them closely.

               “See here, Harry,” Severus said, pointing to the bottom hinge.

               Harry stepped closer and peered down at the hinge while Severus pushed against the door. The hinge moved just slightly at the pressure. Harry looked up at Severus.

               “Loose screws,” Severus said. “Grab that screwdriver and tighten those for me.”

               Harry quickly opened the toolbox he had carried over and grabbed the screwdriver, making sure the head matched the screws. He tightened the screws while Severus held the door steady, using his free hand to feel along the door.

               “Done,” Harry announced.

               Severus looked down and nodded at Harry’s work. He closed the door again, and it still stuck, not to Severus’s surprise.

               “Do you see the gap between the door and the jamb here and here?” Severus asked, running his finger along the gap running up the door. At Harry’s nod, he ran his finger up and down along the uppermost region of the door. “What do you make of this?”

               “There’s no gap there,” Harry said. “It’s where it’s sticking.”

               “And here?” Severus pointed to the gap under the top hinge, and Harry frowned. After a minute of staring and trying to compare to the rest of the door, he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just bit bigger of a gap compared to the rest of the door, and it narrows down at the bottom.”

               “What’s that mean then?”

               “It means this hinge has been warped or sprung somehow,” Severus said, testing the mobility of the hinge. “With a slight adjustment, it should fix the door’s sticking problem. We’ll pull the pin out first, hand me the hammer and the cutters.”

               Harry did as he was asked, watching fascinated as Severus grabbed the head of the pin with the cutters and tapped the hammer against them to pull the pin out. From there, Severus handed Harry the tools and the pin with clear instructions not to loose the pin before picking up the wrench and tightening them over the hinge knuckles of the door and bending the knuckle by pushing on the wrench toward the face of the door. He did the same to another knuckle on the hinge, and then another.

               “There,” Severus said, setting the wrench in his toolbox. “That should do it.”

               Severus slipped a door stopper under the closed door, shoving it under until the door appeared more aligned. He accepted the pin, cutters, and hammer back from Harry. He placed the cup end of the cutters over the head of the pin and with a couple taps the pin was back in the hinge. Severus gave the tools back to Harry. He pulled the door stopper out and then opened the door easily, closed it, and opened it again.

               “That’s brilliant, Dad, you fixed it!” Harry exclaimed, a big grin on his face.

               “It is just a door, Harry,” Severus said, taking his tools and putting that back where they belonged. “Your desk was harder to do than that.”

               “Still cool,” Harry said. “And you didn’t even use magic.”

               “Go tell Mrs. Tuffins her door is fixed.”

               “Yes, sir.”

               Harry ran down the hall excitedly before Severus could tell him to slow down. Severus shook his head and gathered his things before following the boy, walking into the kitchen just as Harry finished explaining the problem to the elderly woman.

               “So, it shouldn’t stick anymore for you, Mrs. Tuffins,” Harry said with a smile to the woman. “It’s all fixed.”

               “Oh, that is wonderful,” she said, smiling at Severus as he walked through her kitchen. “Thank you, gentlemen. I won’t have to worry about going through that door anymore and getting trapped behind it. I don’t have the strength I used to to force it open anymore, I’m afraid. It was very nice of you, Harry-dear, to ask your father if he could take a look at it.”

               “You’re welcome, Mrs. Tuffins,” Harry said. “I knew he’d able to help you out.”

               “Please, help yourself to some biscuits and tea while I go get my wallet.” Mrs. Tuffins slowly stood to her feet, but Severus was already shaking his head and waving her off.

               “Oh, no,” he said, “that won’t be necessary, ma’am. I’m just happy to help.”

               “Are you sure?”

               “Absolutely. It is my thanks to you for the delicious lasagna you sent to us.”

               “You are too sweet, Severus-dear.” Mrs. Tuffins sank back in her chair.

               “You’re welcome. Have a good evening, ma’am. Come, Harry.”

               “Thanks for the biscuits, Mrs. Tuffins,” Harry said, grabbing three of them for the road.
               “You’re welcome, laddie. Now, don’t be strangers. I’ll see you around town, new neighbors.”

               Severus waited until Harry was at his side before walking out of his neighbor’s house with his son, who was quickly trying to consume three biscuits before Severus make him put two away for another day.

               “If you choke on those, I will refrain from using the Heimlich maneuver to teach you some manners.”

               Harry coughed on some crumbs before successfully swallowing his third biscuit. He glared up at his father.

               “You’d let me choke and die?”

               “Don’t be so dramatic—I’d wait until you were at least blue.”

               “Gee, thanks.”

               “Next time, eat like a civilized being and not some sugar-starved four-year-old.” Severus set his kit down on the sidewalk and opened his mailbox, pulling out what had arrived and shuffling through it. He gestured to his toolbox.

               “Put that in the laundry room for me,” he told Harry as he walked up the pathway to their house. Harry grabbed the box and ran up the pathway, getting to the door first and heading inside. Severus set the mail down on the island counter and picked an envelope up and opened it, reading the contents inside while Harry ran back out to the kitchen, pausing on the other side of the counter.

               “Will you quit running around like some hooligan?” Severus snapped.

               “Sorry,” Harry said.

               “And quit signing me up for handyman jobs around town, would you?”

               “She needed help—she got stuck behind that door for a whole day one time and had to stop using that door. She asked nicely if I could help or knew someone who could, and I did! What was I supposed to say: my dad’s an introvert and would rather not help you?”

               Severus looked up from his bills and quirked a brow.

               “You could at least run it by me first before agreeing to anything. What if I didn’t know how to fix her door? Then what?”

               “You said it yourself—it’s just a door.”

               “So I did,” Severus agreed, as he folded up the paper and opened another envelope.

               “Anything interesting?” Harry asked.

               “In muggle mail? Hardly.”

               “I still haven’t got any letters from my friends. I sent Ron and Hermione another letter, but nothing’s come back from them.”

               “Perhaps there is a delay in the system,” Severus suggested. He gathered up his mail and moved to his bedroom, Harry following him.

               “Maybe. Can I go to the library?”

               “No,” Severus answered quickly. He set his mail on the desk in his room.  

               “Why not?”

               “I have a meet in an hour, and I don’t want you walking home by yourself at night in an unfamiliar town.”

               “But it’s not unfamiliar, we’ve lived her for two weeks. I’ll be careful. I know not to talk to strangers and besides, the Dursley’s used to let me walk home from school all the time and that was a lot farther than just down the street. I’ll even come back before you leave for your meeting.”

               “Harry,” Severus said in a no-nonsense tone. He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, giving Harry a stern look. “I’m not arguing about this. It will be getting dark soon enough and the last time I sent you to the library for an hour, I had to come get you.”

               “I know, that’s why I haven’t asked to go.” Harry winced at that memory, but he really didn’t want to sit home alone again while his father was at the meeting. As much as he enjoyed watching the television or reading books, he really liked getting out of the house and visiting different places.

               “A wise decision on your part.”

               “But that was a week ago. I’ll pay attention to the clock this time,” Harry promised. “I’ll even sit right by it. And the church is on the way home, you’ll even see me when I walk by, I bet. I promise to come straight home.”

               Severus sighed as he thought that over. He could easily miss Harry walking by the church even if he glanced out the window every minute. The sun would be setting soon and the streetlights would come on, and by that point, it would be far too late for Harry to be out in town by himself. However, Harry had been pretty well behaved since the library incident, and he was sure it would be rather boring to sit in the house locked up and alone. Perhaps Harry would even find a friend tonight.  

               “You may go to the library,” Severus decided, and Harry’s face lit up. “On one condition: you start walking home when the first streetlights turn on.”

“The first streetlights.” Harry nodded, turning for the bedroom door. “Okay, I can do that.”

“Listen to me,” Severus said, effectively stopping the child in his tracks. “The very first streetlights you see, Harry, not the last ones. It should not even be dark out then. If you leave a minute later, you will be facing dire consequences.”

“I know, I know, can I go before it gets any later?”

“Watch yourself,” Severus warned, giving Harry a stern look. He crooked a finger at Harry and pointed to the spot in front of himself. “Come here.”

Harry sighed and walked over to his father. Severus summoned Harry’s jacket and held it out for him to take. Harry frowned at it.

“It’s too hot for that.”

“It will get chillier this evening. At least take it with you.”

“Fine.”

“Hmm?”

“Yes, sir.” Harry took the jacket before he pushed the man any further.

“Thank you. Do not forget your key to the house. Now go before I come to my senses and assign you an essay to work on in your bedroom while I’m gone. Three feet on how highly aggravating your whining is.”

Harry ran out as fast as he could.

Later that evening, Severus continued glancing at the window in hopes of catching Harry walking by. That evening, it turned out to be the usual six attenders—himself, Freddy, and four others who reliably attended several meetings. Severus had grown more comfortable with this group and knew them more intimately after many of their conversations—though everyone else was still trying to figure Severus out. He had yet to really introduce himself aside from his name, much to Freddy’s amusement.

Still, he found that he could not engage as much as he usually could in the smaller group this evening. He kept searching the window, concern growing as the sky darkened more and the streetlights kept flickering on.

               A half hour into his meet, it started pouring.

               With a frustrated noise that caught everyone’s attention, Severus stood and walked over to the table where small snacks and drinks waited, he poured himself a tea, trying to convince himself that Harry had walked by without him noticing. It was a possibility, as he did try to listen to the other members without seeming too distracted.

               He was just taking a sip of his tea when the door to the church flew open and Harry rushed inside, pushing the door closed. He was panting and soaked from head to toe.

               Severus abandoned his tea and ran over to Harry.

               “What on earth are you doing here?” Severus asked, already trying to pull the soaked jacket off Harry. “Do you realize what time it is?”

“Dad, there’s . . .”

“I told you to go home when the streetlights came on—look at you. You’re soaked.”

Freddy stepped over to the two with a towel and offered it to Harry, who used it to dry his face first, muttering a soft “thank you.”

               “You better not get sick from this, but it would serve you right.”

“I was reading, and I lost track of time, but . . .”

“There is no excuse for this—this is the second time you’ve pulled this stunt. You are done with the library until you learn how to pay attention to—”

“Someone’s following me!” Harry finally shouted.

Severus paused, his eyes widening briefly before he threw a look to Freddy, who frowned and cautiously stepped outside. Severus took the towel from Harry.

“You saw someone following you?” he asked.

“I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them. And when I walked faster, so did they.”

“Well, there’s no one out there now,” Freddy said, closing the door and putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You are safe here. Let me go find you a blanket to warm up under.”

Harry nodded then looked guilty at Severus. Freddy walked away in search of the blanket.

“I got caught up in the book I was reading,” Harry tried to explain again.

“I told you when you were supposed to leave the library, did I not?” Severus discreetly cast a drying spell on Harry, using the towel to hide his wand as he moved from the boy’s toes to his hair, the slipped his wand up his sleeve and rubbed the towel on the boy’s head for show. “All that whining and meaningless promising that you’d make it home on time and here you are. This is exactly why I didn’t want you there at this time to begin with. Do not ask me to go to the library again for the rest of this summer. You are grounded from that.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said, looking down at his shoes to avoid looks from the other attendees in the room. “I really am. I didn’t think something like that would happen.”

Severus sighed. He pulled his son into a tight embrace.

“I’m glad you’re safe. That’s all I really care about.”

Harry returned the hug, resting his head against Severus’s chest and closing his eyes.

“Here we go,” Freddy announced, holding up a large blanket. “This should warm you up.”

Freddy frowned when he saw Harry.

“Impressive,” he said. “I don’t know what technique you used, but you’ll have to teach me sometime.”

Freddy handed the blanket to Harry, who wrapped it around his shoulders. Severus wrapped Harry’s jacket in the towel and wrung it, soaking the towel in doing so. Freddy offered to hang the jacket.

“I’m sorry, Freddy,” Severus said, “but I should take my son home. I’ll see you next time?”

“No.” Harry shook his head as he rested a hand on Severus’s arm. “Don’t leave because of me.”

“Must you leave?” Freddy asked. “It’s just us after all, I don’t think the others would mine. What do you all say?”

Everyone nodded in agreement with small smiles.

“Let him stay,” Jo Lee said, “he ain’t hurting anybody.”

“Fine with me,” another attender said.

“We’re just sharing our day and enjoying each other’s support,” Freddy reminded. “Nothing too personal, and I’m sure everyone will enjoy his company.”

“If you’re sure?” Severus asked.

“Most definitely. Besides, we should be wrapping up in about twenty minutes or so. It’s still raining out there as well by the looks of it.”

He was clearly outnumbered by the group and Mother Nature. Severus relented and nodded. While Freddy set up another chair in their circle, Severus pulled Harry over to the snacks table. Reaching into his robes, Severus pulled out a Pepper-up potion in a small vial. He handed it to Harry then began pouring another cup of tea for his son.

“What’s this?” Harry asked.

“You don’t know?” Severus inquired.

               Harry studied the vial. He pulled the cork off and sniffed it. “A Pepper-up? Why?”

               “To help ward off any colds or infections you may have acquired from running around in pouring rain. Take it quickly so we may join the others. And don’t for one second think that we won’t be having a lengthy discussion when we get home.”

               Harry made a face but quickly drank the potion and handed the vial back to Severus. He accepted the cup of tea and drank away the repulsive taste still lingering on his tongue. Severus picked up his own abandoned cup and led Harry back to the group, both sitting down and listening to Jo Lee talk about her troublesome kitchen cabinets.

               “It started with one and now all of them are practically falling off the walls,” Jo Lee explained. “It’s made for a long week trying to find someone who’ll fix them at a decent price without having to tear it all down and buy new ones. Either way, it’s costing me an arm and a leg.”

               Harry perked up at that and looked up at Severus’s impassive face. As another member offered advice on a handyman he knew, Harry fidgeted in his seat before raising his hand, earning smiles and some laughs. Freddy chuckled before pointing at Harry. “Question, Harry?”

               “Not a question. I just wanted to say that Dad is pretty good at fixing things.” Harry gestured to Severus, who rolled his eyes. “We, well, he fixed a door at Mrs. Tuffins today. She’s our neighbor.”

               “Really?” Jo Lee smiled. “Severus? I never would have guessed.”

               “Maybe he’d help you with your cabinets,” Harry suggested. He looked up pointedly at Severus, who had been trying to glare his son into silence. When his eyes met Harry’s, he gave Harry a stern look before meeting Jo Lee’s eyes.

               “I could take look at your cabinets,” he said. “I can’t promise a miracle if there’s no saving them, but it sounds like they need to be refastened and anchored to the wall.”

               “If you could take a look, that would be wonderful,” Jo Lee said. “What do you charge?”

               “Nothing for you,” Severus said, waving the idea off. “I’m sure my son will be doing most of the work anyway.” Severus smirked down at Harry, who gave him an annoyed look back.

               “Look at that,” Freddy remarked, “we learned something about Severus. Perhaps you should come around more often, Harry.”

               Severus glared at the grinning child.

               After the group finished their small talk and were busy saying their goodbyes, Severus spotted Harry at the snacks table looking over the different options. He narrowed his eyes and quietly walked up to his son, grabbing Harry’s shoulders when he was directly behind him. Harry jumped, but relaxed and smiled up at him when he realized who it was. Severus leaned down and whispered in Harry’s ear.

“Offering me up for free labor again, eh?”

“You’re the one who won’t take anything.” Harry grabbed a brownie. “Besides, you weren’t saying anything, and I know you can fix it”

“Perhaps I should send you out to Jo Lee’s alone and see how well you’re retaining everything I’ve showed you.”

“I’d botch it up extra just for you.”

“How very like you, you insolent brat.”

Severus gave Harry’s shoulders a rough squeeze before releasing the laughing boy.

“That’s enough sugar for you,” Severus said, pulling Harry away from the table. “We still have the situation with the library to discuss when we get home. Do not expect any desserts or treats in your future.”

“Never again?” Harry asked with a smirk.

“Indeed.”

               Severus shook hands with Freddy, grabbed Harry’s still wet jacket, and after a quick goodbye, he led Harry out of the church and started walking for his house in a very light sprinkle. Harry suddenly huddled closer to him, his eyes darting around wildly. Severus looked down at Harry, then did a quick glance around.

               “Relax, Harry,” Severus said. He wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulled him tight against his side, rubbing Harry’s arm. “There’s no one around now.”

               “I feel like I’m being watched.”

               “You’re just jumpy after the scare you had earlier. You did the right thing by coming to me at the church rather than attempting to run home. And if something like that ever happens again and I’m not around, you go to the nearest public area and call the landline. You know how to use the phones, right?”

               Harry nodded.

               “Good. The tea shop is a good place, they are usually open late. You can head back to the library, or down to the police station if you are closer to it. Do not attempt to walk all the way home, it gets too dark the further from town you go. Remember that.”

               “Yes, sir. I’ll remember.”  

               The two walked silently the rest of the way to the house, and when they arrived, Severus silently pointed to the couch while he removed his cloak, and Harry hung the now spell-dried jacket on a hanger, slipped off his shoes, and moved to the couch, sitting down and twiddling his fingers.

               Severus took his time hanging his cloak and slipping his boots off. He had thought about how he wanted to address Harry’s inattentiveness to time for most of the night. He had considered taking the child over his knees the minute they got home, but now, he really did not have it in him. Besides, tonight had been a lesson in the consequences of wandering after dark when he should have been paying attention to the streetlights.

               Severus stepped into the living room and sat in the armchair facing the couch. Harry did not look up at him. Severus spoke first.

               “What did I tell you to do before you left for the library?”

               Harry bit his lower lip before saying, “To walk home when the first streetlights came on. But I . . .”

               “Absolutely not,” Severus interrupted, his eyes narrowing. “You knew when you were supposed to come home. That should have been top priority on your mind while you were at the library. You should have been checking the lights and how dark it was getting every five minutes to say the least.”

               “But I was reading, and I got caught up in the story and . . .”

               “If you cannot even attempt to try to be on time, then you will not be permitted to go to the library at all this summer.”

               “I’ll do better next time. I’ll pay attention and . . .”

               “I’m sure you will do better because I plan to help you.”

               “What do you mean?” Harry frowned and tilted his head just the slightest.

               “For the next three days you will follow a strict schedule not unlike when you are in school,” Severus did not miss the way Harry’s face fell at that. He continued. “I will write each day out for you and this begins first thing in the morning. Breakfast will be at eight am, not a minute after. If you are late, you will receive plain porridge only. You will be given various chores to complete throughout the day as well as scheduled breaks and study time. I will be checking in on you throughout the day to see if you have completed everything you need to. If you miss or do not finish a chore, you will complete it during your next break. Lunch will be at twelve thirty and dinner at six as usual. If your chores are not complete, you will have to complete them after you eat. Do not try to finish them before, because if I have to wait for you, you will be served plain sandwiches. Any questions so far?”

               Harry shrugged, but his face spoke volumes as it contorted in obvious dislike at the sound of his punishment.

               “A shrug is not an answer. You will learn to pace yourself while being mindful of the time.”

               “So, I won’t have any free time now? That’s not fair.” Harry crossed his arms.

               “Being worried sick due to your negligence is not fair. And as I said, I will schedule breaks for you, but it is entirely up to you if you’ll be able to have that time.”

               “What if I can’t complete all the chores?” Harry asked, chewing his bottom lip.

               Severus considered Harry for a moment. Harry seemed nervous for some reason, and Severus wondered if there was some relation to the boy’s relatives with that question.

               “I’ve told you what to expect if you miss or cannot complete a chore. I see no reason why you would not be able to do everything I’ll assign you. However, if you are truly struggling, we will re-evaluate if needed.”

               Harry was silent for a minute.

               “What if I chose not to do them?”

               Severus quirked a brow at that. He was not expecting that question. Harry was clearly testing him.

               “I suppose we could scrap this punishment and I could give in to my first impulse to turn you over my knee for a sound smacking.”

               Harry blushed and shook his head.

               “I thought so.” Severus leaned forward. “Assuming this goes well, perhaps I’ll allow one more chance to prove to me that you can go to the library and return home at a time I give you.” A small smile graced Harry’s face at that. Severus decided Harry understood his punishment well enough. He leaned forward and said: “One more thing: you’re sure you did not see who was following you?”

               “I couldn’t see them. I only heard small footsteps walking whenever I walked.”

               “You’re positive? Not a glimpse of anyone? There was no one on your way to the library or at the library that acted in any way suspicious?”

               “No one I saw. I promise I didn’t see anyone. I would tell you if I did.”  

“Hmm.” Severus glanced at the clock. “It is nearly ten o’clock, way past your bedtime.”

               “Only by thirty minutes,” Harry said, even as he stood up and started heading for his bedroom. “Besides, I never fall asleep that early anyway.”

               “I could always make it earlier, young man.”

               “No, it’s perfect, Dad. I’m going to bed.”

               “You better be.”

               Severus moved into the kitchen and poured himself another cup of tea. Tomorrow would prove interesting for sure. He was glad Harry accepted the punishment easily, but he was sure that would change by midday tomorrow. He leaned against the island counter and sipped his tea, giving Harry time to perform his nightly routines before he checked on him. It had become a nightly habit for him to at least look in on Harry and offer one last goodnight.

               Severus set the cup down and thought about Harry’s close encounter tonight. It frightened him to think that anyone in their small new town would want to harm his son. Even with the protective wards he put up around his property, he worried about what could happen away from his house. He would keep Harry on a tighter leash from now on until he could figure out who may have been following him, even if it frustrated Harry. It was his job to protect the boy and he would do just that.

               After finishing his tea, Severus cast a self-washing charm on the cup and headed for Harry’s room. He turned the light in the bathroom off and then knocked softly on Harry’s door.

               “Come in,” Harry called.

               Severus opened the door and was glad to see Harry under the covers, his desk lamp brightening what it could of the room. Severus sat on the edge of the bed.

               “So you can follow instructions,” he said.

               Harry smiled and rolled on his side facing Severus.

               “I do try,” Harry said.

               “I know.” Severus leaned down and placed a kiss on Harry’s temple. “Goodnight, Harry.”

               “Night, Dad. Love you.”

               “I love you, too, brat.”

               Severus flicked off Harry’s lamp light and left the room, shutting the door softly behind him.