For the first time in his remembrance, sixteen year old Severus had new clothes. They weren't just new, they were nice. He had adequate school supplies too, and didn't have to borrow from Lily or beg for quills and ink from Lucius and other boys in Slytherin. Severus had never had a new book either, but he did now. He had brand new text books and felt pretty princely to be the first one to mark them up with notes. He was especially fond of the new Potions Book he'd been bought and delighted in adding his own twist to as many potions as he could, cramming his notes into every margin, drawing diagrams he really thought should have been in the book to begin with, and writing his name inside the front cover: Half Blood Prince. He was a Prince, technically, even though he'd never been to Prince Manor and had seen his grandparents and cousins only a handful of times. Whether they wanted to acknowledge him or not, he was a Prince, and now that he had brand new things, and nice polo shirts and brand new robes for sixth year, he felt princely. Not even Sirius Black would be able to find fault with what he wore now. Only he did, but James and Remus were telling Black to lay off of Severus' case frequently now. Severus didn't mind at first, because it seemed to confuse Black and it gave Severus a break. The problem was, the longer that went on, the longer Severus felt like James Potter might be up to something, like he might just be waiting for the perfect moment to reveal what he knew of Severus and what he'd seen, most likely in front of Lily.

It wasn't just the clothes and books that made Severus feel like a different person, it was the way the Headmaster treated him. He'd always felt like the old man had favored James Potter and his crew (clearly he still did to some extent judging by the shiny new Prefect badge James wore). But now Severus was invited to tea in the old man's office frequently and asked how his classes were coming. He was asked if he needed extra tutoring in anything or if he was having any problems in school.

Severus ate up the attention. He felt rich indeed, as though he had grown up at Prince Manor and had always had access to extra tutoring and the privilege that families like the Princes and the Malfoys and the Blacks had. It was the pure-blood privilege Black frequently flaunted in front of his face, always having the newest broom and the name of Black to back him up if ever he got in too much trouble to dig himself out of. Severus had that now. He had an ear with the Headmaster if Black tried to lure him out at the full moon again, or if he pulled a prank that backfired horribly. Severus didn't pull pranks anymore because he was afraid of what James Potter would say if he did, but it was nice to know someone had his back.

Lucius seemed impressed by Severus' new status at the school as well. Lucius had always looked out for Severus, but only grudgingly, as though it was his duty as a Slytherin and as a Prefect. Now he asked Severus to sit at his table to study in the common room and to sit with him and his seventh year friends at meals, and acted as though it was his privilege to have Severus there.

"Since you have the Headmaster's ear Severus," Lucius would say to him frequently, "perhaps you could ask him for permission for the Quidditch team to have an extra day of practice out on the pitch."

Lucius and others had asked Severus how he'd done it... how as a regular student without Prefect status he'd managed to find his way into the Headmaster's good graces, but Severus had never told. As far as everyone else was concerned, he still lived at home and went home for the holidays. He explained away his new clothes and school supplies as having recently come into some money. It was the way the Headmaster seemed to favor him that others respected though. He was no longer the lonely little boy from Spinner's End that wore tatty gray robes to school. He was the Prince from Hogwarts. The boy that felt as though he really deserved to be recognized as a Prince family heir, and not the heir of Tobias Snape.

The other Professors knew Severus now lived at the castle, but they never mentioned it in front of anyone else. McGonagall and the others didn't favor Severus like the Headmaster did, but they also didn't try to catch him at things like they seemed to with the other upper class Slytherins.

"You might be going places in the world Severus," Lucius told him somewhere towards the middle of the year. "With your potions skills and keen mind, you could really make a name for yourself."

Severus didn't excitedly ask him, ‘really?', instead he just nodded as though he already knew that and was making plans, and Lucius laughed and patted him on the back. "Good man Severus." If only Potter and Lupin would keep their mouths shut, the new life Severus was building wouldn't come crashing down around him. All it would take was one sentence from Potter's lips and everyone would find out he was really just a charity case... that he didn't have the Headmaster's respect or his ear, that he was in the man's charge and only had new things because it was the man's duty to provide for Severus now.

The longer Severus pretended that he wasn't Dumbledore's charity case though, the less he believed he was. He had started to genuinely feel as though the old man cared about what his grades were, and what he thought about certain topics and whether he was getting along with his peers or not. Albus wasn't his mentor, not yet. That wouldn't come until later, but he was something more than the Hogwarts Headmaster to Severus, and Severus had started to look up to him in a way he'd never looked up to anyone except Lucius Malfoy and other upperclassmen before.

Severus' sixth year passed by in a flurry of new friends in Slytherin, good grades, and little to report by way of getting into trouble thanks to the unspoken truce between he and James. He'd even spent a good deal of time with Lily without too much interference from Black, and felt as though Lily had finally forgiven him for what he'd said to her in fifth year.

Something else that was a first for Severus was having a peaceful summer. He wasn't allowed to leave the grounds on his own because he wouldn't be 17 until just a few days before seventh year started, but the Headmaster did take him to Hogsmead several times just to get him away from the school and to spend time with him. The rest of the summer was spent laying in the grass by the lake and reading Potions theory books Professor Slughorn had lent to him, as well as new defense books Albus had bought him as an early birthday present.

By the time school started up again, Severus felt ready to tackle his seventh year with as much grace and dignity as Lucius had the year before. It wasn't all easy, because once Lucius and the others had graduated, Severus had had to find new people to hang out with and had to convince them that he was just as good as Lucius had ever been. Severus was never looked up to as Lucius had been, but Severus was ok with that. He was happy to just be having another good year. That peaceful feeling he had lasted through the first month until Lily bounded up to him in the corridor one day outside of Potions with a grin on her face. "I have exciting news Sev."

"And what would that be?" he asked. She smiled as Potter came up behind her and slipped his arm around her. Severus let his eyes move down to find their fingers intertwined, and Severus' mind went blank.

"I'm no longer in the running for last of the Gryffindor upper class to never have dated. Isn't that exciting?"

When Severus didn't answer, because he honestly couldn't find the mental capacity to understand what was being said to him at that moment, James asked in a concerned voice, "Severus?"

"Speak up Snivellus!" Black said loudly, snapping his fingers in front of Severus' face. Severus looked up at Black and then over to James and Lily, who were still holding hands. He wanted to yell, to barrel through them and separate them. He wanted to hurt James and tell Lily that she'd hurt him by doing this, and demand that she never even consider dating Potter again. James was looking at him anxiously though, and Severus wasn't sure why the seventh year Prefect looked stricken when he had exactly what Severus wanted and could no longer have. "Con-" he cleared his throat. "Congratulations," he said, voice emotionless, and held out his hand to James. James hesitantly let go of Lily's hand, if only for a moment, and shook Severus'. Severus would never say those things to James Potter. He'd never hurt him or tell Lily to keep away from him, and James and Severus both knew why.

Lily looked confused as she walked into Potions with James and Remus, but Severus mouth was dry and he was unable to go in. Suddenly Black slapped Severus on the back hard and said in a low voice in his ear, "You can act like one of us Snape, but you're not, and you're never gonna get the girl." Black moved past him and into the room, leaving Severus feel powerless in the corridor. For the first time in a year Severus felt like he was back at Spinner's End. He didn't feel like a Prince, or like a man on his way to making something of himself. Severus skipped class for the rest of the day, and didn't turn up at meals either. Albus found him sometime later that evening in the darkness out by the lake, tie undone and robes shed in a pile on the ground.

"Do you want to talk about it dear boy?"

"About what?"

"Whatever it is that has upset you so. Your professors have each expressed concern over you at some point in the day that you haven't been at classes or meals. It's not like you to skip."

Severus might have told him, like he'd told him about Tobias and about life at Spinner's End, if only he could find the words to say. He couldn't. How could he explain to the old man that what Black had said was true? That he would never be part of the upper social class of wizarding society, because he wasn't pure-blooded, and because he didn't have a pure-blooded family to claim him? Hell, he didn't even have his own father to claim him. And how did he explain that even though he'd enjoyed his new status over the last year, that that status really meant nothing if he couldn't find just one person on earth to love him? Lily was Muggleborn. If he couldn't even gain the love of his best friend who would never be part of upper wizarding society, who would deem him fit to marry?

Severus never told Albus, though he thought maybe perhaps Albus already knew what the problem was. Albus lowered himself to the ground to sit next to Severus on the cold grass instead. "It's been some years since I've come to sit on the grass and look at the stars, now I feel perhaps is the perfect time to do so, and in the company I might add, of my favorite student."

"I can't be," Severus said.

"Why not?"

"James Potter- or Black maybe. Or Frank Longbottom, he's head boy."

"And why is it you would think they would be my favorite?"

"Potter's family owns half of Diagonalley, and Black is from one of the most notable families in the aisles. Frank too. And I'm not a Prefect, or Head Boy. I'm not even on a Quidditch team."

"And that makes you less worthy somehow?"

Severus scoffed as he pulled his knees up for warmth. "You're the Headmaster. You're not even supposed to have favorites."

"But I do."

Severus looked at him, incredulous. "Why? Why me?" he asked angrily. "I'm not special in any way other than that you had to take me on as a charity case!"

Albus considered him for a moment before answering. "I had to do nothing." It seemed that was all he had to say on the matter, but after a long pause, he amended, "I regret nothing." They sat in silence for quite some time after that, Severus trying to puzzle through what the old man was really saying as they sat looking at gentle ripples caused by the wind as they made their way across the dark lake, or at the stars. Severus had just begun to wonder if Albus had fallen asleep, even though he was still sitting up, when Albus spoke again. "I have no children Severus."

"I know." Albus had mentioned it before, and just as it had been before, it had been out of the blue and Severus had no idea why he'd brought it up.

"I chose at first to take you as a ward because it was the right thing to do. You needed a safe place to go, and someone to look out for you. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to provide that safe place. I wanted to ensure your suffering was over."

Severus stared at him open mouthed as he spoke.

"You were never a charity case Severus, you were just my ward. You didn't stay just my ward for long however, because as we met for tea or chess, as you confided in me, as I began to get to know your quirks and moods and as you got to know mine, I felt for the first time as though I had a son."

"But-" Severus didn't know what to say. He wasn't the man's son. He was nobody's son. His grandfather wanted him to have no part in the Prince name, and his own father regretted that he'd been born and made no secret of it. How could Albus think on him as anything other than a ward, or a friend at best? Nevermind how Severus felt about the old man... how he wished he were his father, not just his guardian.

"But nothing Severus," Albus said. "Who your thoughts are with, where your time and effort are spent, where you put your money... there will your heart be also."

Severus wanted to argue with him, but as he puzzled over what Albus had told him, for days and even weeks later, he could find no fault with what he'd said. And as he spent the rest of the year loathing James, and avoiding Lily as often as possible, what kept him going to classes and putting effort into anything at all was the thought that he wanted Albus to have a real reason to love him as a son, and that he would hate to disappoint the old man and give him cause to give up on him.

Part Four - The Way It Wasn't, Not for Harry, Not For Severus, Not For Anyone

Severus had told Albus all of it, everything that Harry had told him, though it pained him to do so, and only then because of a promise he'd made long ago to be honest with the old man. As they drank tea a house elf had delivered half an hour ago, Albus sat silently, considering what Severus had discovered about Harry's problem at home. Severus hoped the man wasn't too upset, because he hated to see Albus sad. He'd spent two days trying to figure out the best way to tell him before he'd been called up Sunday evening to discuss the issue whether he was ready to do so or not.

"I cannot take Harry, and he cannot return home," was what Albus finally said after almost forty five minutes of silence.

"What will be done with him then?" Severus asked. Black was out of the question, and even if Severus had to find a place for the boy himself, he'd fight tooth and nail to keep him out of Black's hands. The more time Harry and Black spent together, the less of a chance Harry had. Albus must have agreed because he didn't suggest Black for potential placement.

"I'm not certain. He doesn't trust me, and even if he did, after what happened at the tournament a few months ago, my position with the Ministry and the board of governors both have become precarious. I could guarantee Harry no stability if I took him on as my ward." While Severus did want to see Potter removed from the Dursleys and given a suitable home, he was secretly glad that Albus had come to this decision. Albus wasn't his father, but he was as good as, and Severus did not need nor want a brother, especially if that surrogate brother was Harry Potter. Severus thought Albus was done talking, but he wasn't. "I also question my ability to keep him safe in the coming war. You know of the prophecy and my fears about Harry's scar. I could not-" Albus turned away. "I couldn't send the boy to die. Can't, send him to die," he finished quietly. Severus recoiled at the thought of sending any child to die, let alone The-Boy-Who-Lived. It wasn't the first time they'd discussed this however, and Severus knew that if Harry was a horcrux, and that if he really was the boy of the prophecy, at some point Harry would have to die. Since the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament they'd discussed at length, (along with Remus, Black, McGonagall and Kingsley) ways of circumventing the prophecy, removing the horcrux without killing Harry, or bringing him back from the dead once the horcrux had died, but had yet to come up with any solutions.

Trying to tear his mind away from Potter's upcoming demise at the hands of Voldemort, or Albus in fulfillment of the prophecy, Severus said, "Perhaps we should tackle one problem at a time. We have until the end of the school year to figure out where Potter will be best kept and with whom. Until then, he has been terrorizing his friends, peers, and staff with his angry outbursts."

"That might be too strong of an analysis Severus," Albus chastised, but he nodded in agreement anyway. "Harry is very angry. He needs guidance which I'm reluctant to give given his distrust of me and the fact that at any time in the near future I could be removed as Headmaster."

"Perish the thought," Severus growled. He and McGonagall were prepared to take over as Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster if Albus was removed, but he hoped it never happened. It wasn't Hogwarts without Albus leading it. Albus had even named Pomona as fourth in command, Filius as fifth, and Poppy as sixth, just in case things really got that far. It was something else they'd discussed to no end with Kingsley and other members of the newly reformed Order. Severus hoped that Albus had not secretly named Hagrid or Filch as next in line for command somewhere down the line after Poppy, and heaven forbid Sibyll.

"Severus." Severus looked up and stopped rubbing his temple where a headache was setting in from thinking of everything that was to come in their future if the Ministry got their way and got a foothold at Hogwarts. "I think you should continue to talk to Harry."

"How you could think that is a wise idea-" he closed his mouth as Albus held his hand up.

"If I am removed, Minerva could be removed as well. Being third in command you have the longest to stay should things start to go as we believe they may. That will give you the most time to win over Harry's trust. I also believe it's still the right course for you to explain your understanding of his situation to him. That makes you the most qualified out of us to lead him through this, given you know what it feels like to be in a similar situation."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Again," Severus said, trying not to raise his voice with Albus, because he didn't like to, "how you could think I am the most capable is beyond me. With Draco, perhaps, or even with an intellectually capable student such as Theodore Knott or Ernie Macmillan or even Granger maybe. Potter and I have no basis to form a relationship however. None at all."

"He opened up to you Severus, even when he wouldn't to me or Minerva or Poppy."

"Because I was persistent in calling him out on it!" Damn, he'd raised his voice after all. Pretending to adjust his sleeve cuff, he took a moment to calm himself before he spoke again, but Albus was waiting for his eyes to come up and didn't give him the chance.

"Be persistent Severus. Perhaps what Harry needs most is someone who is persistently there for him."

"You want me to spend time with him." His voice was flat and unamused.

"Preferably outside of detention," Albus noted, and Severus took in a deep breath to steady himself and let it out again slowly. "I would not ask you to do something I myself have not already done, or at the very least considered your feelings in getting involved in Severus."

"I'm not you," Severus reminded him.

"No dear boy," Albus smiled, that quiet sort of smile he got only when dealing with Severus, "I had perhaps hoped you would someday be better."

* * *

"Potter." Harry's head snapped up from his lunch and found Snape standing across from him. "I need a word."

Harry hung his head for a moment, and as it happens when any Professor comes down to one of the student tables, student eyes found them as people wondered what was going on. Harry lifted his head after a moment and said, "Professor," and though he'd said it as politely as Severus thought was possible from the boy, he could detect desperation in his tone. "I don't need another detention. I haven't done anything, I swear."

Severus already felt exasperated dealing with the boy. "You are not scheduled for detention, but if you keep being melodramatic and scaring the younger students, you will be."

Harry let his eyes roam to the left and found several first and second years listening intently to the conversation, and looking as though any detention with their Potions Master might be their last if their upperclassmen was begging not to get one.

"Go back to your lunch," Harry snapped irritably, and rose quickly from the table to go with Snape.

"Two points from Gryffindor, for being unnecessarily rude to younger students," Snape said loudly enough for the first and second years to hear, and Harry glared at his back as he followed him away from the table.

A few minutes later, Harry found himself once again in Snape's office in the dungeons. He was surprised to find a new chair in place of the old visitor's chair. While it was still wood, it wasn't flat in the seat and looked as though it might be slightly more comfortable. Harry found it was and wondered if it had a cushioning charm on it.

As soon as the door to the office was closed, Harry said, "I told you the truth. I swear. Please don't make me tell it all again. I didn't make it up."

"I believe you Potter. I wanted to inform you that you will not be returning to your relatives."

Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore would never allow it."

"The Headmaster has made the decision that you are not to return."

"Where- where am I staying then?"

"For now, at Hogwarts."

Harry was quiet for several moments in thought. "You promise I don't have to go back?"

"The Headmaster has promised, and even if he did not, I would not allow you to return."

"And I don't have to do more detentions?"

"Have you done something that warrants it?"

Harry shook his head.

"Understand one thing before you go Potter, if your attitude and angry outbursts continue, you will find yourself spending a lot more time in this office. With me." He wanted to give the boy a chance to prove he could control his emotions now that he knew he was never going back to his relatives, and to make it abundantly clear that not doing so would result in them spending more time together than either of them wanted. "Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"That will be all then. You may return to your lunch."

Harry stood up, and before Snape could stop him with any questions or other commands, he made a hasty exit and didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he was all the way back in the Entrance Hall. Lunch was over by the time he got up there however, and he met Ron as he was coming out of the Great Hall. "What was all that about?" Ron asked.

"Nothing. I'll tell you later."

"Is it good or bad though? Do you have detention again?"

"No. I'm not sure. Let's talk about it later."

Later that night Harry and Ron saved their showers until they were sure no other boys were going to use the boys showers in Gryffindor for the night, and went in so they could talk privately. They warded the door against sounds and as they went into separate shower stalls Harry told Ron what Snape had said about not going back to the Dursleys.

"That's great Harry! Maybe you can come stay with us now!"

"He said I'm staying at the school for now."

"I don't understand, how'd he find out? Did you tell Dumbledore or McGonagall or something?" Harry heard Ron's shower switch on.

"I told him."

"You told Snape?"

"He wouldn't let me leave detention until I did."

"But-" Ron was quiet for a minute as he showered, but once he'd gathered his thoughts he asked, "aren't you glad you told someone? Because now you don't have to go back?"

Harry shrugged, and realizing Ron couldn't see it, said, "I guess. Snape pestered the crap out of me until I told him."

"I wonder why," Ron said, turning his shower off. Harry wondered why too. He'd expected Dumbledore or McGonagall to come asking more questions, but not Snape. He hadn't expected Snape to realize what was going on without being told either, but somehow he had.

"I don't know how, but-" Harry trailed off.

"What?" Ron asked, coming out of his stall with the towel draped over his hair and wearing pajama bottoms.

"Somehow he'd already figured out what was going on. He knew and he spent two weeks trying to pester me until I told him what he already knew."

"Don't look at me," Ron said. "I didn't tell. Fred and George wouldn't either. Hermione's kept pretty quiet too."

"You think she knows?"

"Don't you? She figured out Remus was a werewolf and all. Snape's smart, like Hermione. Maybe he figured it out on his own."

"Maybe," Harry said, but the previous year he'd been so eager to pin Harry's injuries on him picking a fight. He'd jumped right to the same conclusion this year too. Harry wasn't sure what had changed since last year, but something had. He wished he knew, because he didn't wish it to be so obvious to everyone by his mannerisms (visible injuries aside) that he'd been getting the crap kicked out of him on a regular basis.

"Ron- I don't act... you know. Weird or anything, right? I mean, you couldn't tell about the Dursleys from the way I act?"

"Harry, I had no idea until we flew a car to your window and found you locked in. It wasn't until then that I figured certain things were because of that."

"Like what?"

"I dunno... the nightmares you have sometimes, and the way you jump if someone comes up behind you too quietly and touches your shoulder or something."

"So I do act strange, and it's noticeable." Harry huffed in frustration. He just wanted to blend in with everybody else.

"No, and not unless someone knows something is wrong to begin with."

Later, Harry was still wide awake long after everyone else in the tower had gone to sleep. He couldn't keep his mind from circling. He wished for the millionth time that he'd never gone to live with his aunt and uncle in the first place. Obvious reasons aside for not wanting to have been put there, he felt like it was their fault he was different from everyone else and would never be the same. He didn't like feeling like the odd person out, even when with his friends, and it hadn't been until near the end of last year that that feeling of differentness from Ron and Hermione and the others had started to fade. Thanks to uncle Vernon it was back in full force though. It wasn't fair, and that made him sad and angry at the same time. Punching his pillow to make it softer, Harry rolled over and tried to shut his mind down for the night, but couldn't. By morning, he'd slept very little, and when Ron woke him, he braced himself for the coming day.

Unfortunately for Harry, the day had started out poorly. Draco had laughed at Harry as the shoulder strap on his book bag ripped and sent his bag and several books and quills scattering to the floor, and Harry couldn't think of anything good to snap back at him. "Love the bag Potter," Draco had called as he passed him by on his way to another class. Harry in turn had snapped at Professor McGonagall on accident at the end of Transfiguration, and at Ron unintentionally on their way to lunch. By dinner he'd grouched at several other people as well, and he found Snape walking to Gryffindor table, straight towards him. Harry wasted no time in putting his head straight down to the table, forehead flat to the surface while he waited for Snape to come tell him off.

"Potter, follow me."

"Professor," Hermione said, and Snape turned around.

"I'm supposed to tutor Harry in Transfiguration this evening after dinner in the library. Professor McGonagall asked me to."

Harry's head came up off the table. That was right! He'd struggled so much in class today that McGonagall had directed him to have a mandatory study session with Hermione. He was almost gleeful until Snape replied, "It will have to wait miss Granger. If necessary I will tutor him in the required subject matter before I send him back to Gryffindor tower. Potter, don't waste time, we have somewhere to be."

Severus heard a first year tell a friend knowledgeably, "Detention," and he didn't correct him as Harry rose and followed him out of the Great Hall once again.

"I warned you Potter, and gave you explicit directions to cease and desist terrorizing the castle's residents."

"I didn't terrorize anybody," Harry complained feebly as they made their way to the Dungeon entrance and down the stairs.

"Did you not tell Michael Corner to ‘stuff it' this afternoon as you passed him outside of the Potions classroom?"

"He bumped into me and almost made me drop my book bag again."

"And what did you snap at Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration? She was reluctant to say."

Harry mumbled and Severus said, "Speak up!"

"I said I'd rather be sleeping. I wasn't trying to be mean to her and I apologized."

They made his office and he let them in and shut the door with a snap.

"Was my warning not clear enough? You will find yourself spending more time than you wish with me if you cannot find a way to change your attitude."

Harry took a deep breath and held it. Severus thought he'd let it out, but he didn't. Was the boy being petulant like a toddler and holding his breath? After almost a minute, he finally let the breath out.

"What was that about?"

"You didn't want me to snap at people and I didn't want detention," Harry snapped, despite his effort not to. Like with McGonagall he immediately apologized though, trying to negate some of the damage. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired. I didn't sleep at all last night. Then Draco made fun of me in the hall for having an old book bag and everything all day seemed to fall apart."

Harry thought Snape would yell at him, but instead he sat behind his desk and said, "Explain the incident with Draco."

"Did he complain too? Look," Harry put his old brown book bag on the desk in front of Snape. He'd had to carry it in front of him all day since the one remaining strap had broken. "No straps. He thought it was funny when it fell off my back and all my stuff fell out."

"You lack a proper book bag because your relatives did not provide you with a new one?"

"I've had this one since second year. It's Percy's old one. Mrs. Weasley or Ron's brothers sometimes give me their old stuff."

"I see. Do you not spend money from your vault on new things for the school year?"

"There's not that much in there. I counted. I have just enough for school books and robes each year until I graduate. Then it's all gone. It's not my fault Draco's parents spoil him with expensive new bags that have charms to keep them together. He's so spoiled he doesn't realize he's being mean." Harry had worked himself up by the end of his tirade.

Severus was quiet for several moments as he thought, mind flying back to the first new book bag he'd ever gotten amongst other things. Finally he said, "Have you heard of coping skills Potter?"

"Hermione might have mentioned something."

"And? Explain the concept to me."

"Well I held my breath when I wanted to yell at you!" Harry said, although he looked chastised when Snape raised his brows at his outburst.

"I will explain the concept to you, because it was once explained to me by a student a year ahead of me, and because miss Granger seems to have failed to teach it to you." He didn't mention that it was Lucius Malfoy who'd taught him, as he thought Harry might refuse to listen if he did. "A coping skill is something that works for you to help deal with emotions that seem too strong to handle during the moment. Did holding your breath work?" It clearly hadn't, but he wanted Harry to work out the answer for himself. Harry shook his head. "No," Severus agreed. "It's important to have at least one thing that works for you, but advisable to have three or even four, so if you can't use your preferred coping skill, you have others to fall back on. What works for one person may not work for another. The other important thing is that the thing you choose shouldn't be destructive or it's not really a coping skill."

"I don't- there's nothing that works. I was up all night because I was so mad. I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Perhaps you should ask your friends what they do when they are feeling angry or upset in some way to calm down, and try what they do until you find something that works for you. The Headmaster eats lemon drops, for example, and Professor McGonagall changes into her animagus form in her free time when feeling overworked."

Harry thought that suddenly the pouch of lemon drops the Headmaster always carried with him made sense and that it also made sense why he seemed to offer them to students when they were stressed out or upset. Harry didn't like the taste of lemon or he would normally jump at the chance to have any candy at all.

"What about you?" Harry asked.

Snape pulled himself up to his full height in his chair, and moved as far back into it as possible, as if to distance himself from Harry, but after a moment the man seemed to calm down. "I prefer to read something that has nothing to do with what I'm upset about. Reading for pleasure in the middle of a Potions class is not always a viable option however. When reading isn't an option, I try to remove myself from whatever situation is causing me anger. Again, not always an option during classes or other situations, which is why it's advisable to have more than one or two options to fall back on."

"Is- do you have another one you use then?"

"No." It was a lie, but he didn't care. He'd already told Potter too much. He didn't need the boy to be able to read him easily when he was stressed or upset.

Across from Severus, Harry was musing over the fact however that it was fairly easy to tell when Snape was upset when his two coping skills weren't an option, because he was always yelling in class or calling students things like dunderhead.

"Try things until you find what works for you. If you are still having issues you may... return here."

Harry frowned. "You mean you'll drag me back again?"

"That is possible Potter. I meant the warning I gave you yesterday. However, you do not have to wait until I drag you down here to return if you want help."

If Harry and Ron had thought the night before that Snape was being weird, Harry thought he was being even stranger now.

Snape dismissed him a minute later after asking if Harry had any questions, (he didn't), and Harry went back to the tower since dinner was over. What Snape had said kind of made sense, at least more sense than what Hermione had told him. He did ask Ron what he did when he was mad, and Ron advised against punching people, before telling him he liked to draw. Harry had seen Ron scribbling things on the side of his notes in class, and even in his books, and just like the Headmaster's lemon drops, it made sense now. So did the picture Ron had drawn earlier that day of Draco falling off a broom from a hundred feet in the air. Harry laughed, and spent several minutes describing to Ron the latest way in which Snape was acting strangely.

* * *

Harry had been dragged to Snape's office three more times by the end of the week, (Thursday it had been twice in one day), and he could tell Snape was feeling as exasperated with him as Harry was feeling with Snape. Saturday the two were seen having a shouting match in the hall in the Transfiguration corridor, and the next Monday Albus spotted Severus stalking angrily away from Harry and out of sight around a corner.

Albus approached Harry and offered him a lemon drop. Harry accepted even though he disliked the taste, and then regretted it as soon as he put the candy in his mouth. Snape had told him to try different things though, and he was feeling rather angry at the moment.

"Dear me," Albus said calmly as he pulled the drawstring bag of lemon drops closed and put it back in his robe pocket. "What has angered Professor Snape so?"

Harry huffed and swallowed the lemon drop whole just to have it over and done with. "I told him he couldn't drag me to his office anymore if I didn't have detention! He keeps pulling me out of meals or study hall or free time!"

"I see," said Dumbledore.

"He needs to just leave me alone."

"Perhaps he just wants to spend time with you dear boy."

"I doubt it," Harry laughed. "He hates me."

"Does he?" Dumbledore asked.

"He has since the first time he saw me."

"Did Professor Snape not purchase that book bag for you this week?"

Harry frowned and looked at the new bag. "No- you did, or McGonagall did. The elves brought it to me the other day. I thought maybe it was from lost and found."

"It wasn't myself or Professor McGonagall. That is a very expensive book bag. I believe one imbued with charms to keep it from tearing or falling apart from use." He reached out and touched the bag and said, "Not dragonhide, but definitely the hide of a magical animal. Most likely fire and water resistant. It's one of the finer ones I've seen a student with this year."

Harry had loved the book bag since the moment he'd seen it sitting on his trunk at the foot of his bed after waking up Wednesday morning. The thought that Snape had given it to him, or that it was expensive like Draco's had never crossed his mind.

"Snape wouldn't have given this to me," Harry said, shaking his head and gripping the shoulder strap tightly.

"I must be mistaken then," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I must have misheard when he told Professor McGonagall that he would provide you with a suitable replacement for your old one. Have a good afternoon Harry." He smiled and went on his way. Harry watched him as he went, scrutinizing his movement. His bag of lemon drops stayed in his robe pocket.

Harry thought on what the Headmaster said later that afternoon as he sat by himself in the library waiting for Ron and Hermione and examining his new bookbag more carefully this time. It might have even been nicer than Dracos. Harry wasn't sure how to tell if it was really imbued with all those charms the Headmaster said it was, but he didn't think Dumbledore would make something like that up.

Ron came in without Hermione and sat next to Harry, pulling out his Transfiguration homework. "Hermione stopped to talk to Professor Vector in the corridor."

Harry nodded but didn't respond.

"What are you looking at?" Ron asked as Harry rubbed his thumb over the leather of the bag. "The strap come off that one too?"

"Nope," Harry said. "The Headmaster said it had charms to keep it together and make it waterproof and a bunch of other stuff."

"So he bought it for you?"

"He said Snape bought it for me. He said it was one of the nicest bags he'd seen a student with so far this year."

"If it's anything like Malfoy's it'll have cost a fortune. Mum buys us Muggle book bags at a Muggle store and charms them herself, and she patches them all up for us when they rip over Christmas and Summer holiday. Cheaper that way."

Hermione came in and sat down across from Ron and Harry a moment later. "What are we talking about?" she asked, only having caught the last snippet of what Ron was saying.

"Harry said Snape gave him the bag and the Headmaster said it was better than Malfoy's."

"I'm sure he didn't say that," Hermione said, but she did look over Harry's bag again now that they were talking about it.

"How much d'you reckon Malfoy's bag cost?" Ron asked. "Mum never pays more than a sickle for each of ours."

Hermione stopped examining the bag and pulled her books out of her own bag with a huff. She didn't like to discuss money or compare their belongings to other students. Harry normally didn't either but he was curious. If Snape had bought it for him, how much had he spent? After a minute of flipping through her notes Hermione said stiffly, "I heard Draco bragging to Crabbe on the train that his parents spent a Galleon and a half on his bag this year. It was made of dragonhide."

"I bet Snape didn't spend that," Harry said, shaking his head and pushing his bag away from himself as though it would sprout teeth and bite his hand. "There's no way. I bet it was an old one he had lying around and wasn't using."

"It's possible he's just being nice," Hermione said.

Harry snorted and Hermione looked chagrined. "Yeah right Hermione. He hates me." He expected Ron to agree, but Ron was silent and trying to pretend he was interested in his half finished essay.

"C'mon," Harry said at his friend's silence, "you know he does."

"For a man who hates you, he's been awfully considerate of you this year."

"Considerate?!" Harry half shouted. The man had done nothing but get on his case and shout him silly in the corridors. "You do know I've had two weeks of detention already right?"

Hermione looked up at Harry and then at Ron, and then let her eyes wander around their general area, as if checking to see who else was around and might be listening. There was no one, and she said quietly, "You've said some rude things to him this year Harry. You've been very disrespectful to him in the halls, sometimes in front of other students. He hasn't given you any detentions for that."

"No, he just shouts at me til my ears want to bleed."

"He has shouted quite a bit," Ron agreed hesitantly.

"After Harry refuses to talk to him and be respectful. And I've seen Professor Snape stalking off more often than he shouts. Last year he would have taken points, put Harry down and given him detention for each thing Harry said to him. He hasn't done any of that this year."

"Two weeks detentions," Harry reiterated. He noted Ron averted his eyes. They both knew it was a lie. Apparently Hermione knew too.

"Whatever detentions you did or didn't serve Harry, he's been very reserved when it comes to you. He's treated you more like Draco than like a student he hates. Maybe you should just thank him for the bag instead of insisting he didn't do something nice for you."

Harry opened his mouth to argue but he caught the look Ron was giving him and shut it again. It looked like Ron agreed with Hermione.

Later that night before bed, before the other boys came up to the dorm for the night, Ron said, "Hermione's kinda right. He hasn't been accusing you of stuff you didn't do, or yelling at you about your clothes or your hair or anything like that this year."

"No, just everything else," Harry said.

"Yeah but-" Ron shot a look at Harry trying to gauge his mood. "When he pulls you out of study hall or a meal to tell you off, it's because you've been rude to people in the halls or because you punched a wall or told McGonagall to mind her own business. You know if I did that they'd send a letter home and mum would send me a howler or she'd come to school and drag me out of the Great Hall in front of everybody by the ear to yell at me in person. She did that once to Bill you know, when he'd been rude to Madam Hooch. Snape could be doing a lot worse than telling you off in private and trying to help you be less angry."

"You're on Hermione's side."

"We're on your side. Don't get me wrong, Snape's batty... plain crazy, I won't argue with you there. We both know what he's capable of, but Hermione was right when she said he's been nice to you. Would you rather he be like this, or like he was last year when he was taking points off you for having your tie done less than perfect?"

Harry flopped onto his bed with a huff and glared at his pillow so he wouldn't glare at Ron. He didn't know that he'd rather have Snape be any way, he only knew he'd rather the man leave him alone. The way he'd latched onto Harry that year didn't make sense. The man was Malfoy's Godfather and he didn't bother him that much. He rarely ever saw the two together and even then only in class. Yet here he was hounding Harry daily, or twice daily for his behavior as if Harry was his wayward Godson. Sirius never got onto Harry for his behavior, rude or not. And Harry wasn't being rude, not really, or at least not on purpose. He was just so angry, and he didn't know what to do with himself. Snape was only making it worse. Maybe Harry would just tell him that the next time he pulled him aside. Mind set on what he was going to say the next time he saw him, Harry got under the covers and tried not to think about it any more as the other boys came in and started getting ready for bed. Seamus and Neville were talking about next years Quidditch World Cup and Harry would rather participate in that conversation than spend his whole day thinking about Snape.