By the time Snape and Harry came back into the kitchen, McGonagall had the table laden down with food.
"I wasn't sure what you would rather have, Harry, so I just made everything," she said when she noticed them both just staring at the table.
If Harry was surprised by the copious amounts of food, it was nothing compared to hearing McGonagall call him by his first name.
"Well don't just stand there," she said when neither of them moved, "sit down and start eating."
And so they did. Snape took his usual seat with Harry on his right, while McGonagall sat across from them.
As she unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap, she looked over to Harry and asked, "How are your summer assignments coming along? I hope you're not going to leave them till the last minute."
Harry shook his head. "I've already finished my History of Magic essay. All I have left is Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions."
"That shouldn't be too difficult." She said as she spread jam onto a piece of toast. "That would be the great thing about staying with a professor over the summer. I'll be around should you need help with Transfiguration of course, but just think of how your potions grade could improve if Severus were to give you extra help this summer. And his lab is just down the hall so you wouldn't even need to go over to the classroom."
The very last thing Harry wanted to do was take extra potions lessons with Snape over the summer, but luckily, he was saved from answering when Snape seemed to choke on his coffee. "I beg your pardon." He finally said once his airways had been cleared and he was no longer coughing. "Potter isn't to step one toe into my personal lab. I've seen the dismal potions he produces in class. If I were to let him in there, he'd likely blow up the whole place."
Harry blushed deeply, he didn't agree with that at all. His potions weren't any worse than Neville's, though he supposed that wasn't saying very much.
McGonagall gave a short laugh, "If that's the worst Harry does, I'll say you got off lucky. I seem to remember a certain young man who blew off the entire backside of our house the summer before sixth year!"
This time it was Harry who nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. "You?!" He exclaimed, "You messed up a potion so bad that you blew up part of your house?!"
Snape glared. "That is a complete exaggeration."
"It's not and you know it," McGonagall said, not even trying to hide her smile. "I forget though, what was it that you were working on, Severus?"
Harry wasn't sure that he would answer at first, as Snape seemed to be trying to ignore them in favor of opening his newspaper and holding it firmly in front of his face, though finally, after several long minutes in which McGonagall patiently waited, he lowered it once more and replied, "I was experimenting with different ways to counterbalance the side effects of Euphoria."
McGonagall hummed. "That's right." She speared a piece of sausage with her fork and said, "And how long were you on restriction for experimenting alone that time?"
Though Harry could tell that it pained him greatly to do so, Snape grit his teeth and said, "A month."
Harry's eyes widened. Snape blowing up a potion was great, but Snape getting into trouble for it was bloody fantastic! He couldn't wait to tell Ron and Hermione about this!
"Ah, yes, and I believe you also earned the privilege of cleaning up the backyard."
"Without magic." Snape rolled his eyes, "I had to spend every weekend home from school that month just to get it done." He took another long sip of his coffee and said, "You're enjoying this."
McGonagall smiled and Harry thought he could see a twinkle in her eye that matched Dumbledore's. "Oh, very much so."
And with that, Snape brought the paper back up and began to ignore them both. McGonagall talked to Harry about school, his friends, and quidditch and Snape continued to read, though every few minutes, his right hand would reach around for his coffee mug.
***
Harry sat on his bed after dinner on Friday night with a book in his lap that he wasn't even attempting to read. Instead, he was lost in his thoughts about the last few days. It really hadn't even been a week since he had come here?! The last couple of days seemed to pass both fast and slow for Harry. In the mornings when he had to work on his assignments, it felt like those two hours would never be over, but then his free time seemed to speed by.
Snape had allowed him to go and visit Hagrid again on Thursday afternoon and on Friday he spent his time finishing the pirate book. He had found that he liked it very much and instead of giving it back to Snape, he put it on his bookshelf, figuring that if Snape wanted it back, he could come and get it himself.
Harry was hoping that he could go flying tomorrow since it was Saturday, but he had barely seen Snape all day. They had had breakfast together as had become their routine over the few days that Harry had been there, but then Snape had left Harry to follow his schedule while he retreated to his lab to work. He hadn't even been there for lunch or dinner, though Jenka had made sure that Harry ate with or without him. She had even given him an extra scoop of pudding for dessert since Snape wasn't there to say he couldn't have the extra sugar.
One quick knock on his door pulled Harry from his thoughts. He looked up just as Snape opened the door. "Did you eat?" He asked.
Harry nodded. "Yes."
"And you took your potion?"
Harry put his book down and looked up at the professor with a raised eyebrow. "Would Jenka have told you if I hadn't?"
"Of course," Snape replied with his own raised brow as he crossed his arms over his chest. For a moment Harry wondered why the man always had to stand so straight all the time. Didn't he ever relax? "Well?" Snape prodded when Harry didn't answer.
"Why bother asking if you already know that I did?"
"To see if you'll be truthful." Then he turned on his heel but said over his shoulder, "If you think you can contain that cheek, you may come and have some tea before bed."
Harry gave a soft grin as he got up and followed the man into the parlor. He wasn't sure when having tea with Snape had become something he looked forward to, but he found he quite liked it. He supposed that if he had had tea with him while at school, he definitely would have hated it, but for some reason, it was different here.
Sure, Snape still took every opportunity to point out everything Harry did wrong, but now it was for things like not picking up his clothes off the floor or eating enough vegetables. And Harry guessed that that was okay. Those were the same kinds of things that Mrs. Weasley said to him and Ron whenever he was at the burrow last year. Though when Mrs. Weasley said it, it was always soft and with a "Harry, dear," tacked on to it.
There was nothing soft about Snape saying, "Put your clothes away, Potter, or I'll bewitch them all to hang from the Astronomy Tower like flags."
Still, it wasn't all bad.
When he took a seat in the other armchair, (he had secretly been calling it his) Harry took the red-rimmed teacup and filled it with tea before sitting back into the soft leather. Snape had done the same and for a while, they sat in silence until Harry remembered that he wanted to ask Snape about flying.
He sat up straighter and asked in as polite a voice as he could muster, "Professor, would it be alright if I went flying tomorrow?"
Snape turned his gaze from the flickering flames in the fireplace and inclined his head. "We'll see. How much work did you finish today?"
Harry shifted in his seat. In truth, he hadn't been able to concentrate very well and had spent most of the two hours staring out of the bewitched window in his room.
"I...well, I mean...I finished my charms essay." He finished weakly.
Harry watched as Snape's mouth set in a firm line and he mentally cursed himself for not working more.
"Potter, you were nearly finished with the Charms essay yesterday. Did you do anything else today?"
Harry wanted to lie. He really really wanted to lie, but he knew that it would be too easy for Snape to find out the truth and he didn't want to get into serious trouble this early into the summer. So he bit his bottom lip as he looked away from the hard gaze of his professor and shook his head. "No, sir." He admitted quietly.
Snape stared at him for a long moment as if in deep thought, before finally giving a small sigh. "You will begin your transfiguration homework tomorrow morning after breakfast. Then, if by lunch, you've made significant progress and you have behaved yourself, I may allow you to fly for a bit before dinner."
Harry smiled brightly. "I will. I promise."
***
"Do you live in the castle year-round?" Harry asked Snape the next morning during breakfast.
Snape eyed the boy over the top of his coffee cup but only said in a bored tone, "You sure are chatty this morning."
It was true, Harry had woken in an especially good mood, probably because the bewitched window was showing a beautiful, cloudless day outside and he couldn't wait to go out. He had dressed quickly, even remembering to put on socks and shoes, before heading out to the kitchen where Snape was already seated, his face hidden as usual behind the Daily Prophet.
Harry had almost immediately started talking. First about the weather and how nice it was going to be to get to go flying later, then when Snape had finished with the paper, Harry had asked if the Daily Prophet was like muggle newspapers and did it have the comic strips inside. Snape had said that it did, and in an effort to get the boy to shut up, he took that page out and passed it to Harry, who spent the next few minutes quietly reading and laughing at them.
Now, even that seems to have been unable to keep the attention of him if he was going to start asking questions about Snape himself.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his eggs. "If I don't talk to someone, I'm going to go mental."
"You'll go to your room if you keep talking with food in your mouth." Snape snapped.
Harry swallowed his food. "Sorry. But you didn't answer my question."
Snape brought his cup back to his lips, but before he took a sip he said, "No, I do not. I have a house outside London that I usually spend my summers in."
Harry perked up at that. "Why haven't you gone there this year? Is it because of me?" The idea that he was keeping Snape from being at home didn't sit well with Harry but he wasn't sure why.
"I haven't gone there because I have quite a bit to do here." Snape answered, "But yes, also because you're here and Hogwarts is the safest place for you."
"Will we go there later?"
Snape shook his head, "I do not know. It's possible but it really doesn't matter either way. Hogwarts is home, too."
Harry was kept from saying anything else by the stack of letters that appeared out of thin air and landed on the table in front of Snape.
"So that's how you get letters down here," Harry said, watching as Snape picked up the small stack of envelopes.
Snape nodded absently, "When the owls drop them off up in the Great Hall, any addressed to the dungeons are redirected magically to come to me."
Suddenly, Harry's eyes widened in alarm and he leaped from his chair.
"Oh, no!" He exclaimed, "What happened to Hedwig?! I haven't seen her since I sent her off to Ron's house!"
Snape didn't even look up. "She's in the owlery, where she has been since you arrived here. Though I'm sure she's not pleased that you're only just remembering her."
"I have to go and see her," said Harry even as he was already moving towards the door.
"It will have to wait," Snape said before he was gone. "You can see her later." He held out an envelope to Harry and said, "Here's your letter from school."
Harry sat back down, though reluctantly, and took the letter. "I'm already here. Why send a letter?" Harry rolled his eyes when Snape only hummed in response as he read over his own letter.
Opening the envelope, Harry pulled out two pieces of parchment. The first one was the usual letter from school letting him know to be at Kings Cross on September 1st. Scanning to the bottom though, Harry saw that it also said that third years were allowed to go into the village on certain weekends with a signed permission form. Harry glanced at the other parchment and wondered if Snape would have to be the one to sign it in order for him to go.
Deciding he might as well go ahead and ask, he sat back to wait until Snape was through sorting through his own mail.
When at last, Snape put down the last letter, a grim expression on his face, Harry plucked up the courage to ask about Hogsmeade.
"Professor, this says third years can visit the village. Will you sign it?" Harry asked as he held out the permission form.
Snape looked over at him but didn't take the form. "No." He answered sharply. "You will not be going."
Harry blanched. "W-why? You didn't even consider it."
"I don't need to," Snape said, tapping the table so that it cleared itself. "You won't be going. Sirius Black was reported to have been seen in the village again."
"So!" Harry didn't understand what that had to do with him being able to go. "If everyone else is going while he's escaped, why can't I?"
"Watch your cheek, Potter. Everyone else is not my concern. You are and until he has been caught, you will remain in the castle."
"That's not fair!" Harry exclaimed, standing up so fast that he almost knocked his chair over in the process. "What's Sirius Black got to do with me? I have the right to know, Snape! You can't just keep things from me!"
"Potter," snapped Snape, "I'm warning you, you will cease yelling at me right now or you will stand in a corner until you can speak in a civilized tone."
"Not bloody likely, Snape!" Harry shouted, "You can't keep me from going!"
Snape was fuming. How dare the brat show such disrespect! He wasn't about to put up with it and if it took standing in a corner for Potter to realize that, then that is exactly what he'll do!
In two long strides, Snape was around the table and had a hold of Harry's elbow. Harry tried to instinctively pull away but Snape's hold was strong and he began to lead him out of the kitchen and into the parlor.
"I think you'll find Potter, that I can and will." Suddenly they were standing in the far corner of the room and Snape waved his wand causing the table that sat there to move down along the wall, freeing up space. "As long as you live here, you will do what I say, when I say it. I hope that I've made that abundantly clear to you now." He lectured as he pushed Harry firmly, yet surprisingly gently, into the corner so that his nose almost touched the space where the two walls met. "You will stand here quietly for twenty minutes or until you have calmed down enough to keep a civil tongue in your head."
He let go of Harry's arm only to find the boy immediately turning to face him. Harry crossed his arms and glared up at Snape. "No!" he said, angrily. His face was red and he felt unusually hot. He didn't like this. Not one bit. He wasn't some little kid that Snape could just order about.
"Turn around." Snape hissed.
"Sod off, Snape." Harry snapped back, pure venom coating his voice.
Snape took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Alright, you've just lost any chance you had to go flying today."
"But professor, I-"
"Would you like to make that two days?"
Suddenly all the fight left Harry and his shoulders slumped in defeat as he shook his head. "No, sir."
"I thought not. Instead, you can spend the morning in your room. Maybe by lunch, you'll have learned how to properly address your elders."
Harry looked miserable but he only hung his head at Snape's words.
Snape nodded. "Very well. Now, you'll spend your twenty minutes in the corner, and then you may come out."
"I'm not a kid and you shouldn't treat me like one." Harry argued, though there wasn't much bite behind his words anymore.
"Then don't act like one." Snape countered simply. "Turn around."
Harry looked as if he would have liked to continue arguing, but finally, with one last sigh, he turned to face the wall. "This is stupid," he grumbled as he leaned his head against the corner.
"No talking," said Snape from behind him, "and stand up straight with your hands down. None of this leaning against the wall business."
Harry did as he was told. This was definitely new territory for him. The only punishments he had ever had were Uncle Vernon's kind that usually left Harry in considerable pain or the kind he received at Hogwarts, which was usually just detentions or loss of points. He couldn't imagine how standing in a corner for twenty minutes was supposed to be considered a punishment.
***
Twelve minutes later, Harry was seriously reconsidering his view on it.
He was tired of standing so still. Tired of looking at the same two walls. Tired of being able to hear Snape behind him but without being able to see him. He was pretty sure he was reading a book though because it sounded as if a page was being turned every so often.
Of course, Harry thought, I'm standing in a bloody corner like a toddler and he's reading a book as if nothing's wrong!
Harry lifted his right foot and balanced the toe of his trainer on the white baseboard.
"Put your foot down." Snape almost immediately chided from behind him. "You'll scuff the wood."
Harry rolled his eyes. "You'll scuff the wood." He mocked under his breath.
"No talking, Potter."
Harry tried to stand still, he really did, but after another minute or so, he began to fidget again. He brought his hand up to absently scratch at his neck, then pushed his glasses up higher on his nose, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
"I hope you're thinking about why you're there." Snape said as he turned another page.
Because you're a bloody git. Harry thought but had the sense not to say aloud. You didn't have to yell at him though, piped a voice in Harry's head. His conscious he supposed. Like that little cricket from the muggle movie that Dudley used to watch. Harry told the voice to shove off.
Finally, after an amount of time that Harry was sure was more than twenty minutes, Snape called him out of the corner but motioned for him to come and sit in the other armchair while he stood up.
"Alright, Potter," he started, "do you think you can have a conversation like an intelligent young man, or do you need more time?"
What kind of question is that? Harry thought. "Yes, sir." He answered.
"Very good." Snape nodded. "Now, I know you want answers, and I intend to give them to you, but it will not be right now."
Harry opened his mouth to protest but Snape held his hand up to silence him. "No, Potter, as your guardian, it is my decision when you learn this information. For now, all you need to know is that it is imperative that you do as you're told and stay within the bounds. Sirius Black is dangerous and no one knows exactly what he is after but we do know that he was a follower of you-know-who and that alone is enough to cause worry when it comes to you. Especially if the last two years are anything to go by. So I will say it once more, Potter, until he is caught, you will not be going to Hogsmeade."
Harry sighed. "Fine. But if he's caught will I be able to go?"
"That is something that we can discuss if that time comes, however, I don't imagine that it would be a problem." Harry nodded at the glimmer of hope. "Now," Snape continued, "about that appalling behavior you have shown so far this morning."
"I'm sorry," said Harry immediately. "It won't happen again."
Snape glared at him for a long moment before eventually giving a small nod. "See to it that it doesn't. I absolutely will not tolerate being yelled at and disrespected in my own home, Potter. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Harry answered as his gaze dropped to his knees when it became too hard to meet Snape's eyes.
Snape turned away slightly, "Then that is all we will say on the matter. Now, I believe you have a room to get to until lunch."
Harry nodded and stood up. "Can I come out at lunch though?" He asked.
"I will come and get you when it's time to eat. In the meantime, I will be in my lab, and should you need anything, call Jenka. If it's something she can't handle, she will come and get me."
"Okay," Harry said before leaving Snape alone in the parlor.
***
Harry had been in his room for about an hour now and already he was bored. He had tried reading, writing letters to his friends, and working on his transfiguration homework but nothing could keep his focus. His eyes kept drifting to the window.
From it, he could see the quidditch pitch and that only made Harry want to go flying even more. Honestly, how had he managed to muck up the most perfect day for flying?
It wasn't even his fault, really, Harry thought to himself, If Snape had just signed his permission form, none of this would have happened. But no, Snape had to be his usual awful self and take away the one thing that Harry desperately wanted to do. And of course, it would only be him that was kept back. Probably Ron and Hermione's parents had signed their forms without a second's hesitation.
Harry groaned as he dropped down onto the bed and lay back to stare at the ceiling, grumbling quietly to himself, "And Snape will probably just stay in his lab all day, not even caring that I'm stuck in here. Greasy git." Harry sat back up, a thought just occurred to him.
Snape was going to stay in his lab until lunchtime. He'd said so himself.
Harry looked out the window again at the bright blue sky, practically taunting him at this point, then over to the clock on his desk. It was just now about ten thirty. If he snuck out now, he could probably have about an hour to fly, and then sneak back inside before lunch which wasn't until noon. Snape wouldn't have even left his lab by then so he would never know!
Without giving himself time to talk himself out of it, Harry stood up and made his way quietly to the door. He opened it and stuck his head into the hallway, listening for any sounds that would mean Snape wasn't in his lab. When he heard none, he carefully crept out of his room and down the hall to the parlor. He spied the closet where he knew his broom was kept before glancing back over his shoulder just in case, then he opened the closet door and pulled out his Nimbus.
To his credit, Harry did take a second to think about how Snape would murder him if he was caught, however, he quickly pushed that thought aside as he made his way to the front door of their quarters and eased it open before slipping outside.
And then he was free.
Harry quickly made his way through the corridors and halls, just barely avoiding Peeves as he ducked into a classroom. He waited until he heard him pass by before he dared open the classroom door and continue on his way.
Once he was safely outside, Harry wasted no time in mounting his broom and kicking off, sending himself soaring up into the sky.
Harry steered his broom towards the quidditch pitch. The last thing he needed was for someone to see him flying so close to the school.
As he flew higher and higher, Harry felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. This high up, how can anything be such a big deal?
Harry flew around the goalposts and then turned down into a dive. He was going faster and faster, grinning wildly as the wind whipped across his face, and at the last second, he gave a great pull on the broomstick and leveled out straight again. It was then that he heard the barking of a dog and he turned on the spot in search of it.
At first, Harry couldn't find it anywhere and so he flew up higher to get a better vantage point, but still, it took five more minutes to spot the big, black dog from where it stood in the shadows at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was barking like mad and Harry thought it seemed as if it were trying to get his attention. For a moment, he thought it was the same dog he had seen the night he'd left the Dursleys, but there was no way that it could have traveled so far and it certainly couldn't have ended up at Hogwarts.
Harry turned his broom towards the forest to try and get a better look at the dog but suddenly Harry felt the air around him grow instantly cold. He looked up at the sky only to see that the bright blue had gone dark and was covered with thick, heavy, grey clouds. Before he had a chance to think much of this sudden change, Harry felt his broomstick turn cold and he looked down to see ice crystals forming along the handle. He could see his breath coming in small puffs of air and his teeth began to chatter.
Harry could still hear the dog barking but it seemed to be very far away in the distance. He jerked his head around but he couldn't make anything out because of the fog that was rolling across the pitch, but then suddenly, he thought he knew why.
Emerging from the fog were three figures wearing ragged, hooded, black cloaks. Harry's eyes widened and as they began to fly towards him, he just managed to turn his broom away and fly up and away from them. But the figures were fast and without warning, one was in front of him. Harry felt his breath leave him in gasps as an instant cold took over his body, making him numb. As the figure drew closer, Harry could see it reaching a scaly, grey skeleton-like hand out towards him.
Harry felt his eyes roll back in his head and he unknowingly let go of the broom as the screaming started.