A week later found Harry outside of the mansion, in the back garden with Hedwig on his shoulder as he walked around the large garden. His back was fully healed as was the bruises. He was outside enjoying the warm day as he knew it was only a matter of time before Snape would have him do his summer homework and he wouldn't have time to be outside.

It surprised him that the garden was so beautiful as this was Snape's home, he'd thought it would be full of dead plants or potions ingredients, but instead, it was filled with nothing but all species of lilies, except for white lilies; even the large pond that had koi fish swimming around had water lilies floating atop it. There was another gated arch leading out and away from the house that was covered with dark red roses and wisteria interwoven together around the stone arch and made up the waist-high gate.

Beyond that, Harry saw a forest that looked similar to the forbidden forest at Hogwarts. But the trees were more bright and healthy, they also had a red color to them. Going over to the gate, Harry tried to look closer at the beautiful trees and saw a small herd of deer pop their heads up from the field and take off into the forest as though they were frightened by something.

" You'd do well to stay inside these walls and wards Potter. "

Snape's voice startled him, his movement jostled Hedwig a bit as he turned to face the man. Snape was wearing what Harry thought was the same clothes that he had seen the man wear since coming here except his hair was down this time in its usual style.

" This is not the city or any town. Here, there is nothing but woods, wild animals, and us. The only thing keeping them out is the wards, which end at the gates. So do try and remember that before you get it into your head to go exploring places that are dangerous without an adult present. Now come inside, it's lunch time. " Snape continued as he turned sharply and walked back into the house.

" Coming with us Hedwig? Or are you going to get your own lunch? " Harry asked his familiar.

She clicked her beak and chirped a short chirp before nipping at his ear and took off.

Harry watched her leave until she was out of sight and he walked into the house, there, he saw Snape at the stove, from the smell, he was fixing tomato soup and grilled cheese. He wiped his shoes at the mat and came inside the house. sitting down at the table, he watched as Snape cooked their lunch, a question at the tip of his tongue, but not sure how to ask it or even if he wanted to ask the question because the man may not answer him.

" W-where did you learn to cook sir? " he finally asked.

Snape didn't answer right away, focusing on the sandwiches. " My mother and at times, my grandmother when she would visit, and my mother was out. " he turned the stove off and set to pouring the soup in bowls and setting them and the sandwiches on plates and brought them over to the table,

" I can get my own plate sir. " Harry said as he set his plate down in front of him.

" Than you can get our drinks. " Snape replied.

" I didn't mean it like that sir. " Harry said back as he got up and poured them each a glass of milk. Snape had insisted that Harry drank more milk and juice as well as giving him a different potion to take with his meals or snacks.

They were quiet through the meal. Harry watched how Snape ate his lunch; mostly from boredom, he had broken up his sandwich into pieces and placed them into his soup bowl like it was crackers, dunked them until they were soaked with the liquid and then take a spoon full and eat. Where as Harry would take his half of sandwich, dunk it in the bowl, and then eat it.

" I have an errand to run. You may explore the house if you wish. Stay away from locked doors and don't go outside of the stone walls. And don't go out after dark. Though I won't be gone that long. " Snape informed him half-way through his lunch. He had noticed how Harry was mostly playing with his food but didn't say anything more as he finished his lunch and took his leave.

Harry waited a moment, then took what was left of his sandwich and broke it up into pieces in his soup before copying Snape and taking a bite. His eyes widen at how good it was to eat the soup and sandwich like this. He continued to eat his lunch like this until he heard Hedwig tapping the kitchen window. Getting up and taking the dishes, Snape's as well, the least he could do was do some chores while he was here in thanks for what the man had done for him.

Setting the dishes in the sink, Harry opened the window and let Hedwig in, she hopped onto his shoulder, nipping his ear in greeting.

" Hello Hedwig. Have a good hunt? " he asked her, she preened at his hair in answer. " Lots of mice then? " he asked in good nature as he grinned at her. She hooted happily as she nuzzled against his head.

" You'll be nice and healthy when we get back home. " he commented, still smiling as he began washing the dishes.

Harry washed the dishes slowly and mechanically, it was a bit therapeutic in a way. And yet, it also reminded Harry of how his aunt would have him do the dishes by hand after he had been made to clean everything in the house on his hands and knees, mow the lawn, trim the hedges, wash the car, bake biscuits and cookies, make dinner, weed the garden…

Shatter!

" Damn it! " Harry cussed as he broke one of the glasses and it cut his hand. He felt around the sink for the plug and drained the water from the sink. Despite his bleeding hand, he picked the broken pieces out of the sink and onto one the plates and placed it on the countertop before running warm water over his hand, Hedwig had hopped to the other side of the countertop and watched over Harry as he began to take the glass out of his hand, the running water keeping the flow of blood away as he did.

" What happened?! " he heard behind him and he flashed back to when he had done this a few times as a child and had gotten knocked away from the sink with a meaty fist and a kick to the side while his hands bled from breaking a plate and glass.

Harry dropped to the floor with his hands over his head as he curled into a ball, " I'm sorry! " he called out in fright and prayed that the beating would be quick.

Seeing Harry on the floor in this state angered Snape. He had gone and retrieved the boy's belonging's; his trunk and broom were all that he brought back with him as the clothes that he found in the wardrobe weren't fit for a child let alone an actual house elf. And when he had come home, he saw Harry running water over his hand and that it was bleeding.

" Potter. " he tried, coming towards him, but Harry backed away until he was in the corner next to the stove, his bird looked to him pleadingly, wanting him to help her master as she didn't know how.

Harry kept repeating that he was sorry and that he'd clean up the mess and the whole kitchen if he; Snape, wouldn't beat him. This was the first time that Harry had an attack like this since being here, but Snape knew it was expected given with what he had seen and suspected.

So Snape slowly approached the teen, got to his knees and gently pulled his hands away from his head. " Po-(cough) Harry. Harry, look at me. "

Harry slowly looked up from his bent knees, " Who am I? " Snape asked.

" Snape. "

" My full name. "

" Sev- " Snape tensed a little at the name but quickly shook the memories of a beautiful redheaded, green-eyed woman, " Severus Snape. " Harry continued.

" Correct. I am not your uncle. Nor am I your aunt. Nor am I your cousin. I will not hurt you. no matter how infuriating you make me, I will not, not now, nor will I ever, raise my hand to you in anger. Do you understand me? "

" Yes sir. "

" Good. Now, let me see your hand and you tell me what happened. "

Harry relaxed somewhat and let Snape look at his hand as he explained how he got the cut.

Snape waved his hand over Harry's and the remaining glass came out and went to the broken glass that was now returned to normal as Harry explained what he had been doing.

" Next time something breaks leave it be. And I'll take care of it. " he said as he summoned bandages and the same salve that he had used on Harry's back. Putting the salve on his hand and wrapping it afterwards.

He then helped Harry up to his feet and sent him out of the kitchen, " And P-Harry. "

Harry turned back to him, " You don't have to do chores here to earn your keep or to thank me. All I ask is that you keep your room and bathroom clean. And after your hand has healed, I'd like for you to work on your schoolwork at least for a few hours each day. "

Harry nodded in understanding, " Thank you sir. " he quietly muttered, but Snape heard him none the less.

Slight time skip

" Here. " Snape said to Harry as he came into his room, after knocking.

Harry had been reading his potions book when he heard the knock, looking up he saw that Snape had a large box in his hands and was putting it down at the end of the bed, next to his trunk. Before standing back up and leaving the room just as quickly as he had come in.

Curious, Harry got up and went to the box. Opening the box, he saw clothes, muggle clothes, t-shirts, jeans, shorts, a pair of tennis shoes and sneakers, underwear, which he blushed slightly at, socks, a comb, shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Though they were obvious hand-me-downs, unlike his cousin's, these would fit him, and they were better, cleaner, than his cousin's had ever been, the underwear, the comb, shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, toothbrush, and toothpaste was new though.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he gathered up an outfit, comb, shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, and went to his personal bathroom to take a bath, one he hadn't had in quite a while now and probably stunk to the high heavens to Hedwig and Snape.

Turning the taps on, he set it as hot as he could stand it, stripped, keeping the bandage on his hand, and began to wash away the sweat, grim, and dead skin cells off. He stood under the spray for a long time afterwards, just enjoying the warm water on his still sore muscles.

He finally got out of the shower, dried off, and got dressed. He chosen a pair of slightly faded jeans with a hunter green shirt and white socks. They were a little loose, but with the way he was now eating, along with the potions that he now recognized as a nutrient and a growth, he'd fill them out.

He then went about putting up the rest of the clothes in the dresser. He then went back to the bathroom, put his old clothes and used wash cloth in the hamper, he then set about brushing his teeth and combing his hair, though a lot of good it did for him as it still was a mess.

' maybe Snape has some hair gel I can use to keep it straight? ' he thought absently, but then shook his head at the thought of asking the man for anything like that or for anything really. He only accepted the clothes because he was just staying here until he was back at school. There, he can go to Hogsmeade to get some clothes…maybe Snape will let him take a few outfits with him?

Shaking his head again, Harry went back to his potions book to try and catch up on his assigned essays before he had to write them.

Another slight time skip

Snape knocked on the door to Harry's room, receiving no answer, he opened the door slowly and peered in, he saw the teen sleeping with a different textbook laying open on his chest, for a moment, Snape was reminded of the boy's mother. Lily had a habit of falling asleep while reading her books during the summer and sometimes during school if it was being a slow day or if she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

" P-Harry. Time to get up. Dinner's ready. " he said gently, well as gently as he could as also tried to gently shake the teen awake.

Harry jolted awake and away from him, nearly falling off the bed, if not for Snape catching his ankle.

" I take it you also didn't have the nicest of wake-up calls either? " he guessed sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

" That's putting it mildly. If that. " Harry replied back with the same tone as Snape easily pulled him back onto the bed.

" Hmm. Come, dinner's ready. " Snape said back, leaving the room.

Putting on the sneakers under his bed, Harry followed after him.

Time skip

Harry finished one of his assignments and decided to take a break before starting another one. he went outside into the garden and walked around it, taking in how beautiful the lily's were. Looking around the landscape again for what felt like the thousandth time and was again amazed by how beautiful it all is. From the mountains in the distance, the green hills, the forest surrounding the back. The quiet of the area, the wind blowing, the sound of the tall grass rustling in the wind, the light rumble of the deer running through it again.

Looking to the sound, he saw the same herd of deer running about and then back into the woods, that's when he saw a small pack of wolves chasing after them. He watched the scene until they all disappear, wishing he could help the deer, but knows he can't, it's the way things are.

" Harry! " he heard Snape call, looking back, he saw Snape beckon him to him.

" Sir? " he asked as he reached him.

" I'm going into town. Would you like to come along? " Snape asked him in return.

" Of course…uh, how are we getting there? " he answered, then wondered about the traveling method.

" Follow me. " Snape replied, walking away. Harry noticed that his shoes were different , they looked like biker boots. " Here. " he said before they went outside the front door, transfiguring his sneakers into the same type of boots he was wearing but Harry's was a dark brown instead of the black ones that Snape wore.

Walking down the front path, past the front gate and down to a shaded area that Harry hadn't noticed before, once there, he saw a barn and from the noises inside, he realized why Snape was wearing boots and why he had changed his sneakers.

Opening the door, Harry saw only two horses, one black stallion, and he was huge. He was a solid black with a healthy shiny coat that looked like charcoal when the light hit it. the other, a mare, was a beautiful chocolate brown Cleveland Bay.

Snape came up to the mare, " This is Lotus. You'll be taking her. " he said, holding his hand out, letting her eat some of the oats that had in his hand.

" She's beautiful. " Harry commented as he slowly reached his hand out to her, letting her smell him.

Lotus apparently liked the comment as she nuzzled into his hand.

" Like you don't hear that enough. " Snape muttered as he opened her gate, she came out and stood next to Harry, keeping her head level with his.

" She likes you. " Snape commented as he began saddling her while Harry petted her. When he finished, he beckoned Harry over and helped him up and onto Lotus. " Stay. " Snape said to Lotus, who did as he said.

" What's his name? " Harry asked looking at the black horse as Snape repeated what he had with Lotus.

" Bear. " Snape answered as he got up onto Bear.

" Rightfully so. What kind of horse is he? " Harry asked as Snape took the reins on Lotus and began leading her and Bear out of the barn.

" Friesian. "

" He's beautiful too. "

Bear snorted and Snape chuckled, " I believe he'd prefer the term handsome than beautiful. "

" Macho type, is he? "

" You could say that. "

They were quiet for a while before Harry asked, " How long have you been riding sir? "

" A few years now. When my parents died, my grandmother on my mother's side took me in. And when she passed, I inherited everything that she owned. These horses were a gift from her before she died. In the hopes that I would find myself a nice girl to settle down with and we could go for rides. As you can see, that has yet to happen and will not be happening any time soon. "

" Why not sir? "

" There has been only one woman that I have ever and will ever love. But she's been gone for now near 15 years. "

" And your still in love with her? "

" Did I not just say that I will only ever love her? Even though she's gone, I still love her and will always love her. "

" But that also doesn't mean you have to be alone for the rest of your life. "

" Tell me that again when you find the one girl that means that much to you. "

They remained quiet the rest of the way into town.

Here's ch 3! Hope ya'll liked it, but if sounded stupid let me know and I'll fix it, I've been fighting that stupid writer's block again.

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