DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP... It belongs to J.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is based in the fifth year and is my take on how things could have been different for Harry. I am not a native speaker of English so do excuse my language. I would be grateful if my readers point out my mistake.

Also I do not have a beta reader as I am relatively new to this site and I don't know anyone. I would be grateful if someone volunteers for the task.

I have said enough and its time I let you all read the story peacefully. So here goes the first chapter.

"The boy is nothing like his father… You are letting your old prejudices colour your opinion Severus…" Albus sighed wearily at the younger man.

"He is a walking replica of his obnoxious father…" Snarled the younger man with evident distaste.

"Severus… it was a long time back. James is long dead and gone and Harry is not responsible for the actions of his father. You don't have to take out your frustrations on the helpless child who is not even in a position to retort or answer properly to his professor.

"On the contrary, let me assure you that all the detentions and punishments he has received in my class were well deserved by him. If I cannot worship the very ground he walks upon unlike others then do forgive me for being sacrilegious Albus." Severus Snape snapped in irritation.

"That is not how he is treated Severus. You have no idea…." Albus trailed off. He glanced at the parchment for the umpteenth time since it had arrived.

"Excuse me then for not being blind to the evident hero worship prevalent at Hogwarts regarding your Golden Boy Albus. And before you say something else let me tell you that I absolutely have no wish to waste the entire morning discussing your golden boy. SO if you have nothing else of interest I would take my leave."

Albus sighed audibly and pinched the bridge of his nose to stop himself from verbally lashing out at his young charge. Age was certainly taking his toll on him otherwise he would not be having this urge to chastise the younger man like an errant child. He was losing his touch.

"No, I guess you are very busy." He said instead. "DO tell me about the meeting which you attended last night. What is Voldemort planning?"

Severus winced at the name but kept quiet. Then he started speaking. "There is nothing much to report." He pursued his lips in deep thought. "He wants to keep a low profile as of now. He is relying on Fudge's apathy over accepting his reappearance and is trying to regain his strength. Almost all of his entire inner circle has returned and Lucius has contacts deep in the ministry. Don't be surprised if Fudge takes some drastic steps. He probably would be under Imperius."

"I don't think anything that Fudge does would ever surprise me."

"Also the Dark Lord has ordered some strength regaining potions. Even after the blood sacrifice he is very weak though he wouldn't want his inner circle to know that."

"And I trust you took care of that?" Dumbledore peered at his younger colleague over the top of his half moon spectacles.

"Oh yes, I have made some modifications in the brewing process. The potions which I would be feeding him now would have a different effect. He wouldn't lose strength but he would take a very long time to regain his strength. And nobody would know that there is something different in the potions."

"Why Severus, that is but excellent my boy." Dumbledore looked at him with twinkling eyes which were shining with happiness and what was that…pride?

Severus was flustered. True… he had always wanted his mentor to acknowledge his accomplishments… be proud of them… be proud of him. But he never felt that he deserved it. He always tried to do his best to satisfy this person who had stood beside him with unwavering faith and unshaken confidence. Albus had trusted him when he himself had no confidence left, had comforted him when he was shaken, had walked into his life when everyone else had walked out, had believed in him when he himself had lost faith and had been the sole anchor in his life when he had no roots left.

He tried to waive off the matter as unimportant. He was not used to praises. "Oh…! It is nothing. With the dark mark becoming strong over the course of last year I had thought of doing this. I had an intuition that if the Dark Lord returned to power then most certainly he would need these."

"Does he suspect? I don't want you to land up in trouble Severus."

"He won't suspect anything. With all his aptitude he doesn't know the P of healing Potions. And anyways, it is not the Dark Lord but Fudge who would be rearing trouble this time."

"Which makes it all the more imperative that Harry should be kept safe."

"And I suppose he is safe under those blood wards." Snape said distastefully.

"But is he…? I very much doubt it my boy." There was something worrying the old man, Severus could see it in his face. He was again staring at that parchment of paper in his hand.

Severus sat there silently, not knowing what to do, not knowing if he should say something. Albus was distracted; he was staring at a point on the far end of the wall. When after a long moment he finally looked up and stared at Severus critically, as if seeing him in new light and the younger man very much wanted to run out of the room.

"I have an errand for you my boy." Albus began and the blasted twinkle which Severus so much hated was back in his blue eyes. Severus Snape was more than sure that he was not going to like the errand.

A clock in the distance chimed loudly. It was almost 11:00 pm when Severus Snape stalked out of his private quarters in the dungeons and stalked out with a furious scowl fixed permanently on his face. It sure would have sent the students scurrying for cover.

Sometimes he detested Albus much more than he hated the Dark Lord. He wondered for the umpteenth time whether Albus was truly a Gryffindor… he had so much of Slytherin tendencies hidden in him. He had dearly wanted to hex the Old Relic into the next century. What in the name of Merlin did the man desire to achieve by sending him on this god damn mission – to check on the Potter brat of all bloody people in the world.

He didn't have the slightest doubt that the boy was well cared for… he was fawned over by his relatives. After all he was the esteemed savior of the wizarding world, the spawn of that show off 'James Potter'. No doubt his relatives would adore him for being so famous and important, would always be at his beck and call, would fulfill all his wishes and then he was safe under those blood wards. So what was the point in checking up on the idiot Gryffindor?

He had reached the apparition point by then. With a huff he spun firmly in his place and with a faint pop disapparated from Hogwarts.

Albus Dumbledore drew away from the window after having watched his Potions Master walk out of the gates of the school. Slowly we walked back and sat down in his chair with an audible sigh. He was too tired to do any further work. Besides with Voldemort back it was more important than ever that Harry be kept safe. He had wanted to go and check on the child himself, but with the visions which the child was being subjected to; he was apprehensive about Voldemort's presence in his mind. Harry as the Boy – Who –Lived was already a target; he didn't want to compound the problem by giving it out to Voldemort that the relationship between him and Harry was more than that of a student and a teacher. No…someone else would have to do it. Normally he would have asked Remus Lupin to check out Harry but with Full Moon only a couple of days to go the man was already sick. So he was left with no other option but to send Severus Snape.

For the umpteenth time he wondered at the wisdom of his decision. He fervently hoped that Severus would refrain from hexing the muggles if the situation at the Dursley's was as bad as the letter proclaimed. Oh well… at least the problem of a Defense Against the dark Arts professor was solved for the coming year.

He picked up the parchment and went through it with a frown.

Dear Albus

Hope this letter finds you in the best of moods since the resurrection of the evil wizard. I know you would probably be busy with the upcoming school year as well as with the various loose ends which you said you had to tie.

And regarding the task which you assigned me when we met last month let me tell you what I have found out. And please take care to keep your fiery temper under control even if this letter serves to incense you.

That said I want you to remove that boy immediately from that house. What the hell were you thinking when you placed the child in their care? They are the worst sort of guardians even for their own child although they have inflicted an altogether different sort of damage on that blasted bully of a boy.

But they absolutely hate their nephew. He is being subjected to physical and mental abuse in that bloody place which is supposed to be his home. Do something about this as soon as you can otherwise I swear by Merlin, I will not hesitate to take the matters into my own hand. As such my patience is hanging by a thin thread.

I hope not to hear from you but see you take some action.

Regards

A.D.

PS: It will be my pleasure to take up the position of DADA professor. I just hope your Potions Master doesn't hex me with this news. Tell him that I seek his blessings.

Hermione was bent over a piece of parchment, her brows furrowed contemplatively as she chewed on her quill in an obvious attempt to concentrate on her task. She was in the process of composing a proper letter to her best friend Harry. It had been almost two weeks now that they were back from Hogwarts and Harry had yet to write a letter to her. Forget a letter, he had yet to pen down a single word to her or to Ron for that matter. She knew something was wrong with her friend but the more she tried to ask him the more distant he became.

`As she scribbled a few more lines of nonsense, she debated whether to broach the topic of Cedric's death and Dark Lord's resurrection. But all the letters which she had written till date didn't get a reply. What in the name of Merlin was Harry trying to hide? Or was he wallowing in guilt? It wasn't easy for a boy to see his fellow schoolmate and friend killed in front of his eyes, see the Dark Lord come back to life and then escape with the dead body of his friend after duelling the Dark Lord.

She didn't know all the details of that fateful night and she had no doubt that the only person who knew everything was Albus Dumbledore – Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. And she had noticed Harry's reluctance whenever she had tried to broach the subject of Cedric and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He avoided the topic like plague and consequently drifted away from her and maybe even Ron.

Not quite knowing what to do, she threw away her quill in a huff and put her head in her hands. For the first time Hermione Jean Granger found herself at a loss of ideas which even her extensive reading and huge piles of books couldn't provide.