"What kind of idea is that, Albus?" Minerva hissed like an angry cat, storming into his office.
"What were you thinking, sending Harry off with Severus? They hate each other! Wake up and accept it already!"
"Now, now, my dear," Albus answered in a tone that he was sure would incense her even further. Merlin, she was gorgeous when her temper flared up! "Come and have tea with me, Minerva. Do you think you could come this way under the mistletoe?"
She didn't let him kiss her – he probably shouldn't have added fuel to the fire - however, after a nice cup of tea and a scone, Minerva listened to his explanation readily enough. Then she sighed.
"You see the good in everyone, Albus," she told him warmly. "And there is a good side in Severus. However, I don't believe that good side is there for Harry."
"I will not be here forever, my dear," Albus told her gently. "I know there will be a new war, it will start sooner than we would like, and it could take years for it to end. I will be lucky if I am here to see Voldemort's demise. If Harry survives, he will need someone to guide him, someone who understands darkness, but who has turned his head from it."
ssSSss
Severus gritted his teeth for the umpteenth time that evening. Albus – as much as Severus loved him – was a wicked old man. Severus should have been more wary when Albus had praised him last night. He should have been twice as wary when Albus had given him a house. A house! What kind of a Christmas present was that? A house was the traditional present that one's father gave to their sons. Albus couldn't have shown more clearly how highly he thought of Severus.
Of course, after being given a present of that magnitude, Severus couldn't have refused the man anything, could he? Even taking in a guest for the Christmas holiday, even if said guest was Potter. Especially when Albus had made it clear the house was Severus', had he taken Potter in or not.
"There are reasons why I don't want to send young Harry to his relatives. You are one of a few of my trusted people who are able to keep him safe. Nonetheless, if you decide not to take him in, I will, of course, respect your decision."
Severus didn't really have a choice, did he?
ssSSss
Harry swallowed thickly. He had been prepared to spend Christmas at Hogwarts, as usual. Of course, he had been sad that both Hermione and Ron were leaving this year, but still it was ten thousand times better than staying at the Dursley's. Scratch that, a million times better.
Only, this morning, Dumbledore had informed Harry that he was going to be staying at Snape's house instead, no discussion. Harry was out of the Headmaster's office in no time and the stern 'Do try not to provoke your professor, Harry.' ringing in his ears.
So here he was, waiting at the front gates in darkness, shivering in the cold Scottish wind, waiting for Snape to show up. Not provoking Snape,wasn't that rich? Everything about Harry had been provoking Snape since they had met for the first time.
This was going to be the longest two weeks ever. Harry sighed. He hoped that the Professor had a really big house, so that Harry could hide somewhere and stay out of Snape's way.
ssSSss
Severus wished Albus had given him the house one day earlier. He was supposed to bring Potter, and Severus didn't know the exact location, which ruled out Apparation, not to mention side-Apparation of the brat. The house wasn't joined to the Floo network; Severus didn't have a Portkey; and he didn't want to take the Knight Bus. That left him with the use of a broomstick. What a joy. At least it wasn't snowing tonight.
At least Potter had already been waiting for him, for once being on time. Severus nodded at him coldly. He took out his wand and shrunk Potter's rucksack. It was rather small to begin with, Severus thought critically, considering that it was supposed to carry possessions for two weeks. He guessed Potter omitted bringing his school books and other utensils needed for his homework. How typical.
"Pocket this," Severus handed Potter back the now toy-sized bag. "On your broom, Potter. Keep close to me. No crazy Quidditch maneuvers or running away." Or else, sounded unvoiced very clearly in to the night.
Potter nodded and mounted his broom. For once, he decided to be obedient, Severus noticed. He stopped paying attention to Potter, and turned around to begin to navigate back towards the house, his house.
Severus wondered what the building would be like. It was supposed to meet his needs, Dumbledore had said, not far away from Hogwarts, completely hidden in nature and with the addition of a potion lab.
Dumbledore's directions were simple and to the point. No more than two miles away from the castle, very near to a cliff, there it was, sitting like a dark matchbox in the plains of snow. His house, given to him by Albus. Severus turned his broom downward and slowly he began to descend. A warm feeling was spreading through him. He felt wonderful.
Soon they were standing in front of the house. He was eager to go inside and explore. His very own house! If only he were here by himself. Severus frowned. There was no way Severus was going to let Potter spoil his first meeting with his house.
He opened the front door, and ordered, "Stay here!"
He shut the door, locking it with a simple spell from inside, because honestly, could he trust Potter to obey a simple order? Most certainly not.
ssSSss
Great! It was fucking great. What a freaking perfect holiday! First, Harry was freezing whilst waiting for Snape, then freezing some more on a broomstick – honestly, which person other than Oliver would be crazy enough to fly in this weather? Snape was, apparently, and now Harry was freezing again, in front of Snape's door like an unwanted drunk in front of a supermarket.
Harry supposed that Snape was trying to teach him a lesson. Apparently, the punishment for angering Snape was being left outside to freeze. Harry wondered how long Snape was going to wait to be sure Harry understood the lesson.
After something that felt like eternity, but probably was about ten minutes, Snape reappeared. Harry swallowed nervously. Now he would be invited in, threatened, and then probably sent to bed. The last sounded good, actually, even though a snack would be great. Harry had been too nervous to eat at dinner tonight.
Once inside, Harry blinked in the light. He was in a semi-big hall, and he could see an open door to a kitchen, and staircase leading upstairs, and a closed door. It was wonderfully warm.
Snape motioned Harry towards the kitchen. Harry noticed that the room was actually a combination between a kitchen, dining room and living room. It wasn't unlike the layout at the Weasley's, but where in the Burrow everything was friendly, warm and shabby, here everything looked brand new, polished to shine, and well, all the shining left a rather cold feeling in Harry. Or maybe he was projecting his feelings of Snape, cold, cold-hearted bastard.
The cold-hearted bastard said only, "This is the kitchen. Now come upstairs, I'll show you your room."
Harry followed him, feeling relieved. He hadn't even realized it, but he had been half anticipating Snape to chuck him into a cupboard under the stairs, or some cellar variation of it.
The room was rather spacey, bigger than Dudley's room, Harry was glad to notice. Again, it was fully and tastefully furnished, but had that eerie unlived-in feeling just as the kitchen had had. It made sense, of course. It was a guest room, and who of their own free will would come and be Snape's guest?
"Take out your luggage," the man ordered, and when Harry obeyed, he un-shrunk Harry's bag.
Then, Snape informed him, "This room will be yours for the next two weeks. Tidy it or not, live in a mess if you want to, but don't you dare do any damage to the room. There will not be a single scratch on the walls, furniture or floor at the end of your stay, or you will be a very sorry boy."
As rules went, this one was okay with Harry. He wasn't any kind of hooligan, even if Snape apparently thought he was. The man probably expected him to carve his name into the furniture with a knife. Harry smirked inwardly. He was careful to keep his head down, so that Snape couldn't read his expression.
His 'host' continued, "We will be delivered food from Hogwarts. If you are hungry, call 'Lana', and the House-Elf will appear to tend to you."
No starving! Harry felt like having a little victory dance. He was surprised Snape hadn't said something about not abusing the House-Elf by calling him too often, but of course it wouldn't be Snape to care about the mistreatment of Elves.
"You are not restricted to your room, Potter, but the less I see of you the better," Snape laid down the third rule, which Harry couldn't agree with more. The less he saw of the Potions Master, the bigger the chances of getting out alive from this cold place. Did that mean that Snape wouldn't force him to slave in his Potions lab, or some other torture?
"Now come and see where the bathroom is" Snape led him towards the door to the left of Harry's room. Then he pointed to two other doors, "my bedroom and my workroom are strictly off limits, Potter, as is my Potions lab in the cellar."
"Yes, sir," Harry voiced his first words since they'd met. He wondered, if his vocal chords would get raspy over the next fourteen days. Then he decided he was being melodramatic, and went to unpack his things, trying to make his room more welcoming.
He realized that Snape had said nothing about going outside. Did that mean that Harry would be shut in all the time? Well, he wasn't going to look for Snape to ask, that was for sure.
ssSSss
Severus went to have a better look at the Potions lab. His new Potions lab. It was empty but for the torches on the walls, a sink, and a huge worktable. Severus sat on the table, and imagined how the lab would look if it was fully furnished. He imagined where he would put cabinets, shelves, equipment, and ingredients. Not that he planned to use it anytime soon, at the earliest it would be next summer before he had the chance. He had, after all, a fine private Potions lab at Hogwarts. During Christmas holidays, Severus didn't plan to do anything other than making a list of the furniture needed and their exact measurements.
With a last, loving glance around, he left the cellar, and headed towards the kitchen. He called the House-Elf to bring him a bowl of fruit salad as an evening snack, and ordered a basket of fresh fruit to always be kept in the kitchen should he need it. Severus doubted Potter ate much fruit, or other healthy food. Well, it wasn't Severus' problem, was it? The boy was thirteen; if he spoilt his stomach, it was the brat's problem. Severus was supposed to keep him safe from outer forces, not from Potter's own stupidity.
ssSSss
Harry unpacked his meager possessions; and decided that the room didn't look any more his that it had looked when he'd first arrived. He should have brought more of his books, perhaps. Now that Harry thought about it, it was probably stupid not to take all of his school books. He would bet Snape would ask as soon as tomorrow morning, if Harry had some homework done already.
Besides, if Harry wasn't very welcome in the rest of the house, and he was forbidden to go outside, he would have way too much time on his hands. Dumbledore forbade him any contact with the rest of the world, which ruled out writing letters – which was a rather dull past time anyway, Harry told himself. More sadly, it also ruled out Christmas presents, Harry would have to exchange them with his friends only after they met at school in January.
Harry felt like anything other than reading or working on his assignments was ruled out.
This was going to be such a boring Christmas, Harry sighed. He decided to take a shower, and go to bed. At the last moment, on a whim, he changed his mind, and headed to the kitchen.
Snape had said Harry was allowed to order food. He decided to go and check if it held true. He felt he needed at least one thing working in his favour. If it turned out that Snape wasn't any better than the Dursleys, Harry was flying right back to Hogwarts and Dumbledore could go screw himself. He wasn't afraid of the escaped Black person, and there couldn't be any other reason why the Headmaster wanted him out of the school.
Harry entered the kitchen in a rather disagreeable mood, but his anger deflated quickly upon finding Snape eating fruit salad. There was something surreal with the sight. The man should drink wine as red as blood, or eat the hottest peppers or something, not fork lazily between pieces of kiwi and pineapples.
Snape glanced at him, but otherwise didn't react to Harry's presence. Harry swallowed. He nearly called for the House-Elf when he spotted a basket full of the nicest apples ever, accompanied with bananas, oranges, and some other kinds of fruits.
"Can I have an apple, sir?" he asked Snape timidly, indicating towards the basket. Then he held his breath.
"Of course," came the disinterested reply. Harry let his breath out.
Harry took the fruit and ate it in silence. In horrible oppressive silence. Snape didn't make a sound, and he didn't spare Harry a single glance. He behaved as if his guest didn't exist at all.
Harry tried to eat the apple as silently as possible. Still, he felt like his chewing was so loud that it could be heard around the whole house. He expected every second for Snape to reprimand him for making disgusting noises. He nearly wished he hadn't come to the kitchen at all. Harry couldn't imagine suffering through such an ordeal three times a day. He wished he could just leave and eat the apple in his room.
Wait a minute! The rules given by Snape said nothing about eating in the kitchen. So, if Harry called the House-Elf and let her bring food to his room, he wouldn't have to see the Potions Master at all.
Snape finished his fruit, glanced at Harry, and left.
Elated by his brilliant idea, Harry relieved the basket of an orange. Whilst peeling it, he was struck by another idea. The House-Elves at Hogwarts were not restricted to the kitchens. Which meant Lana could bring him everything he wanted from his trunk in the Gryffindor dormitory.
Harry grinned. He was going to do all his homework and possible even read his textbooks in advance. Then Harry would have more time for having fun when he got back to school. And Hermione would faint. He grinned.
ssSSss
Christmas Eve came, three days later, and Severus was sitting in his kitchen, about to start the Christmas dinner. The table was set for two, but Potter wasn't there. Severus hadn't met the brat in the kitchen since the first evening. Actually, apart from seeing him a few times when the boy went to the bathroom or back, Severus hadn't seen him at all. It was much better than he had feared. Potter was keeping to himself, and Severus could nearly pretend he was alone in the house.
Severus glanced at the other pair of cutlery, hesitating if he should go and get Potter. He didn't want the brat here, of course, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that Albus would be displeased if he knew. On the other hand, Severus thought defiantly, he was not bound to beg Potter to grace him with his mighty presence. It was dinnertime, there was the cutlery set out for the brat, and food - a feast would be a more precise description - prepared for the two of them. It was Potter's fault if he ignored it all, not Severus'. Dilemma solved, Severus poured himself an aperitif, sipping it slowly, giving Potter a few more minutes to come to dinner before he started.
The boy hadn't showed up; Severus ate in peace, enjoying the silence. It was like getting another present.
Not wanting to go back to cold Spinners' End house, he had been spending his Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, which also meant dealing with noisy dinners with brats who Albus always invited to eat at the teachers' table.
ssSSss
Ten days gone, four more to go, Harry chanted in his head. Ten days gone, four more to go.
Harry decided to do more push-ups, and sit-ups. After a few days of sitting and lying about, he felt like jumping out of his skin with all the energy pooled up in him. He craved to go outside and have fun in the snow, but he was afraid to approach Snape. The man decided to pretend Harry wasn't there, which was just fine with Harry. He didn't want to risk asking favours of the Potions master, and bring about his wrath. He could easily imagine how the talk would go.
"Please, Professor, can I go outside?"
"Why?" Snape would ask, his black eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Er- just to have some fun."
"Fun? I will give you fun. Come to the Potions laboratory..." which would then result in Harry being ordered to cut up huge quantities of some slimy ingredients he could not name.
Or it might go like:
"Please, Professor, can I go outside?"
"What are you planning, Potter?" Snape would frown at him, "You Gryffindors just have to destroy any peaceful moment whenever there is one. Just like your father!"
"I just want to play around... in snow... er-" Harry would blush under the disgusted sneer of the teacher.
"Just how old are you, Potter? Did your brain stop developing at some point in your life? I would say it was rather early on judging by your continual insistence upon acting like a child."
No, no way was Harry going to ask anything. He had to be grateful for what he had; food, peace, and free time, even if he didn't have anything to do with said time. This, again, brought him back to his books.
His homework was finished a long time ago. He'd revised for all his exams, and had also read several chapters in advance for every subject. He sighed again. How the hell Hermione did this all the time, without any reason he had no idea. Well, at least he could tell Snape that his homework was complete when the man asked him. Harry was sure as hell the man was going to ask, if only for the assumed opportunity that he would be able to ridicule him.
Harry looked pensively at his Transfiguration schoolbook – he had re-read it from the beginning again. He had felt like McGonagall was disappointed with him for not doing better in Transfiguration. He liked the old witch, especially her no-nonsense attitude delivered without the smallest hint of mockery or cruelty. Snape should take lessons!
Harry couldn't force himself to open his Transfiguration book, however. He sighed. Four days. Four days.
Finally, he gave up, and called, "Lana!"
The House-Elf popped in immediately. "What can Lana bring for Master Harry?"
Harry ordered himself a hot chocolate, so as not to appear silly to Lana. The truth was, he just needed to talk to someone, anyone. Lana always agreed to stay and told him odd tidbits about the work at Hogwarts or the life of House-Elves. She knew nothing about politics, Quidditch, or any of the students, the topics Harry was most interested in if he was being honest. It was frustrating, really, but still better than nothing.
Four days to go...
ssSSss
Severus checked for the last time that he had packed everything, and with a last loving look, he left his workroom. He walked to the entrance hall, where Potter was already waiting for him. The boy wore an expression of expectation. What the hell was he expecting? Potter's face had also worn this peculiar expression last night when Severus knocked at the door to his room to inform Potter of what time they were leaving.
Severus shook his head. Who knew what went on inside that swelled head of his? He probably expects accolades for staying out of Severus' way and not ruining his Christmas. Potter was supposed to thank him for his hospitality – not as if Severus expected the brat to have it in him to thank anyone for anything.
"Where's your bag?" Severus asked instead, noticing that Potter had only his broomstick in his hand.
"I sent it with Lana, sir," the boy answered.
Just as well, Severus thought, heading out of the door. Home sweet home. He wondered if he was going to have time to come here before summer, but his Easter was always so busy. Summer it was, probably.
"You are not to be seen when we arrive, Potter," he informed the brat before they mounted their brooms. "We will come during dinner, so students shouldn't see you. You will go to the Headmaster's office, where you shall wait until the Headmaster 'brings you by floo from your relatives'."
He stared at the brat meaningfully, until Potter answered him in the affirmative. The boy was so uncouth!
ssSSss
It was bliss!
Pure bliss! Sure, it was cold and dark, but it was freedom. Harry wanted to fly a few loops and twists, and yell at the top of his lungs, but he didn't dare. He was lucky enough that he had survived two weeks with Snape unscathed! No arguments, no fights, no punishment, not even name-calling.
And the oddest thing was, Snape didn't even go in to inspect Harry's room. Harry had expected him to start checking it inch by inch to see if Harry hadn't done some damage to it!
Last night when Snape knocked on Harry's door, Harry was so sure that Snape had come to berate him. Yet the man only informed him that he was to be at the front door at six sharp tomorrow night, and had left without any insults or checks on tidiness, homework or damage to the room! Talk about a surprise.
Tonight, before they left, it had been the same. Indifference rolled from Snape in waves. He couldn't have ignored Harry more if he had tried. To sum it up, 'holiday Snape' was much more bearable than 'school Snape'.
Harry shrugged. Who cared? It was over and Harry was free! He grinned.
ssSSss
If someone were in the office of the Hogwarts' headmaster, he would see a very discontented current head of the school. Dumbledore was practically pouting. He popped two lemon drops in to his mouth, sighed, and shrugged. Into the silence, he said only, "Of course, there is always summer."