Author's Note: Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.
Harry awoke early the next morning. The first thought that went through his mind was that he needed to go and speak with Dumbledore about this new arrangement.
He quickly sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He had to admit, the bed was quite comfortable. More comfortable than his bed back at the Dursleys, possibly even more so than his bed up in the Gryffindor tower.
The room Snape had given him the previous night actually wasn't that bad at all. When Harry had initially been told he would be spending the night in Snape's quarters, he had half expected to be sleeping in some cold dungeon. He had been pleasantly surprised to find that the room he slept in, like the rest of his new guardian's quarters, was quite cozy.
Within moments, he had rummaged through his trunk and quickly changed into some old jeans and a tee shirt. He walked out of the room he had slept and into a long hallway. Quietly he passed by what appeared to be Snape's office. Across from it was a large door that was shut. Harry paused, his hand grazing the door knob. He was just about to turn the handle when he heard the low, familiar voice.
"Lost Potter?"
His hand dropped immediately as his head quickly turned to the direction of the voice.
Snape was standing less than five feet from him. For a moment Harry considered how in the world the man had gotten that close undetected.
"I was...I was just..."
"Looking for mischief," Snape supplied, "as you usually do."
"No," Harry quickly shook his head. "I was just curious as to what is behind this door." Harry's words surprised even himself. He had been planning on telling Snape that he had been looking for him but somehow the truth had slipped out in the last moment.
"Behind that door is my private laboratory which you will stay out of," Snape spoke curtly. "If you fail to obey this rule the consequences will be severe."
At the man's words Harry suddenly remembered why he had been caught in the hallway in the first place.
"I want to go speak with Professor Dumbledore."
Snape raised an eyebrow at the boy.
"Sir" Harry added hastily.
"Speaking with the Headmaster today is not possible. He is not on school property at the moment and will not return until late this evening."
"Where did he go?" Harry asked in a defeated voice.
Snape's eyebrow rose once more before he turned and walked down the hallway towards the dining room table, his long robes flowing behind him.
"Breakfast will be served momentarily," he spoke. "You'll eat it then or you won't be eating until lunchtime."
Harry wanted to tell Snape exactly where he could shove his breakfast, but his stomach was already grumbling and lunch was hours away.
Slowly, he followed Snape into the dining room to find the food, much like it did in the Great Hall, appearing on the table.
He slid into a vacant seat as Snape took his own seat at the head of the table.
Seconds later a plate of pancakes appeared on the table accompanying the fruit and bacon that had already been there.
"I assume," Snape said as he poured himself a cup of tea, "that you wish to speak with the Headmaster about our current situation."
Harry didn't reply he wasn't sure he was supposed to, instead he choose to stare at his empty plate. Why did Snape have to talk so much? Couldn't the man just be quiet and let him eat?
"Given the current circumstances Potter if I were in your position I'd be thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't expelled rather than complaining over who would be in charge of me."
Harry remained silent. He supposed Snape did have a point. Still, it wasn't making him feel any better about his situation. And could he even be expelled when it had been accidental magic? He didn't think he could. Unless Snape was referring to his running away afterwards, could he have been expelled for that? He wasn't quite sure.
"Eat your breakfast Potter. When you're done we're going to discuss a few rules."
Harry quickly helped himself to a pile of bacon as well as two large pancakes.
"Eat a piece of fruit as well," Snape instructed.
Harry contemplated telling him to sod off and that he'd eat what he wanted but after a moment of thought he decided that it probably wasn't worth the fight and reluctantly picked up a piece of fruit, adding it to his plate. Why did Snape care what he ate?
The two of them ate in silence for several moments before Harry spoke.
"Can I go see Hagrid when I'm done?"
"May I," Snape corrected him in an annoyed voice. "And no you may not. As I've already said we're going to discuss the rules which I expect you to comply with."
"When we're done with that?" Harry asked. He couldn't help the attitude that was now dripping from his voice.
"When we're done discussing the rules I'd like to see the course work you were assigned for the summer as I am sure very little, if any of it is done."
"I still have weeks to do it," Harry replied in an annoyed voice.
"I will not have you waiting until the last minute Potter. You will begin some of it today."
"But I..."
"You will also abandon the cheekiness that your tone has taken on," Snape swiftly cut him off.
Harry fought the urge to argue back and instead picked up a forkful of pancakes, filling his mouth up before he could speak.
"I will not tolerate your attitude nor do I plan on dealing with any rudeness from you. Is that understood?"
Harry nodded silently. In the two years he had known Snape he had learned early on that there wasn't much the man tolerated which was why talking to Dumbledore and fixing this stupid arrangement was critical. No way could he go through the entire school year answering to this greasy git. He was sure his life would just be miserable at best if he did. And what about his friends? How could he possibly explain to Hermione, not to mention Ron, that Snape was now his guardian?
"I expect a verbal answer Potter," Snape demanded ripping Harry from his thoughts.
"Yes Sir," Harry muttered as he glared down at his breakfast willing himself to keep his temper in check.
The room remained silent while the pair finished their meal. The moment the last bite of Harry's food was eaten, his plate vanished from the table, Snape's following suit seconds later.
Harry glanced up at the man with an excepting look on his face. He was about to tell Snape to hurry up and get this rules discussion over with when his least liked Professor spoke.
"I know in the past you have run around this school with little or no respect for the rules. However, Potter rules are put into place to keep the students safe and as I told you last night your blatant disregard for them will not continue." Snape paused for a moment, letting the words sink in before he continued. "I'm also aware that you have had minimal consequences to deal with in the past when caught breaking the rules and I promise you Potter that will change."
Minimal consequences? Harry thought to himself. Detention was hardly a minimal consequence.
"You should have been expelled several times now, most recently for your charade involving the Chamber of Secrets and had it been any Headmaster aside from Dumbledore, I can promise you that you would have."
"I saved Ginny," Harry couldn't help but defend himself. "No one else knew how to open the Chamber and…"
"And you nearly died doing so. It would have taken all of five minutes for a teacher to be notified when the entrance to the Chamber was opened, but instead you and Weasley ran headlong into trouble, a lack in judgment that could have cost not only your life but your friends as well."
Harry felt his cheeks blush at the words. The thought had crossed his mind a hundred times over the summer. If something had gone wrong down there, Ron could have died, as could have Ginny.
"Professor Lockhart was with us," Harry quickly pointed out though he knew as the words left his mouth that they held little weight.
"Which was of absolutely no help what-so-ever," Snape replied. "A fact you were well aware of before entering the Chamber."
"So you're angry at me about that?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"No Potter I'm not angry with you. I am trying to get through your thick skull that despite the way you have grown accustom to behaving, I will now be holding you responsible for your actions. I did not inform you of how I deal with misbehavior in a lighthearted manner. Make no mistake I am quite serious about administering a spanking if and when the situation warrants it."
Harry's face blushed as he stared down at the table.
"Look at me when I am speaking to you," Snape ordered.
Slowly he brought his head up, his eyes meeting the man's.
"What happened with your Aunt?"
"Sir?" Harry questioned as his mind traveled to his Aunt Petunia.
"You inflated her like a balloon I've been told."
Snape was going to punish him over Marge? No way in hell.
"She deserved it," Harry spoke quickly. "You can't sp…you can't punish me for that! I won't let you!" He could feel his heart nearly beating out of his chest as he jumped out of his seat practically knocking it over in the process.
"Sit down Potter," Snape snapped. "I wasn't planning on punishing you for your actions towards your Aunt. However if you don't stop this childish outburst you'll find yourself taking a morning nap until you calm down."
Harry immediately felt his heart rate slow down as he sat back down, embarrassed by his outburst.
"I'm sure you are aware that what you did to her was accidental magic and therefore not something you could control. However, a child of your age should be able to control their magic, which leads me to believe that something quite disconcerting occurred which caused your outpouring."
Harry shrugged. He couldn't tell Snape what she had said. He hardly spoke to his best friends about his life with the Dursleys, there was no way could he tell Snape of all people.
"A shrug is not an acceptable answer," Snape said in a stern tone. "You'll do well to remember that."
"I don't want to talk about it," Harry muttered.
"Unfortunately for you Potter, I do."
"She was saying things," he spoke softly after a long bout of silence. "Horrible things…about my parents."
Snape raised an eyebrow at the boy before him. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. He had been expecting a childish answer. He had expected the boy to tell him that the woman had refused him of his favorite treat or something equally ridiculous. But to hear he had been defending his parents…his mother. Snape quickly shook the thought from his head.
"As I said I want to discuss the rules that you will abide by," Snape said, changing the subject without warning.
Harry nodded silently in reply.
"You will be staying down here with me until classes start at which time you will move up into your dormitory. When you do so, I expect you to follow any rules that Professor McGonagall or any other teacher, for that matter, designates. Failure to do so will result in my having to step in and if I am forced to do so Potter I will not be happy about it…nor will you. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sir."
"As for the remainder of the summer holiday the rules will be quite simple to follow. I expect you to show respect to all your elders. I expect you to work on some school work every day. I expect you to stay on Hogwarts grounds and out of places that you are well aware you are not allowed. And I expect you to keep yourself out of danger's way and although it goes without saying, I expect you to keep yourself out of trouble. My own personal rules will continue into the school year as well."
"Do school work every day?" Harry asked in an annoyed tone. "It's summer!"
He had heard all of Snape's rules but none had registered quite as much as that one had.
"Summer holiday is a poor excuse to slack off and as far as I could see in my own classroom, a little extra school work will not hurt you."
"My grades are okay," Harry argued.
"Yes, they are okay," Snape spoke the final word in a sour tone, "neither above average nor extraordinary."
"Not everyone is above average or extraordinary," Harry pointed out.
"A fact that rings true; however Potter, you have shown yourself to be both and therefore you will be doing school work for at least an hour a day, possibly longer if I feel the situation warrants it."
Harry tried to scowl at these words but found doing so proved difficult. Had Snape just called him extraordinary?
"Now wipe that ridiculous look off of your face and go get your summer assignments."
Two hours later, Harry had finally completed an essay on goblin riots for History of Magic. Snape had been absolutely unreasonable when it came to spelling and grammar, making him re-write things several times until they were perfect. It took everything Harry had in him not to lash out at the man.
After two hours of torture, Snape had finally allowed Harry to go visit with Hagrid for a bit with the promise that he would return in an hour for lunch.
Harry practically ran across the school grounds, a feeling of ecstasy at being free filling his body.
He skidded to a halt in front of Hagrid's hut and then took the stairs two at a time, knocking loudly when he reached the door.
Harry waited a few moments and when no one answered, he knocked again. It was then that he realized that Fang hadn't barked at the sound of his knock either.
Harry stepped away from the door and looked around, hoping something would give him an inclination as to where Hagrid was, but nothing did.
His entire morning had been built up around the idea of seeing Hagrid. The previous night when he had visited with him, Hagrid had been content to sit and listen to Harry vent about his new living arrangements and Harry had wanted to complain now about all the rules and the school work he was going to be made to do every day.
Harry racked his brain as he tried to remember if Hagrid had said anything about going anywhere when he suddenly remembered that the man had mentioned going into the Forbidden Forest...something about needing a certain plant for something.
Harry slowly walked towards the forest, stopping on the outskirts of it as he stared into the sea of trees. In the distance, he heard what sounded like Fang's loud bark meaning that Hagrid wasn't even that far into the forest yet. He could run and catch up with him and then he'd be with an adult...a teacher and Snape couldn't get mad at him for that could he?
Harry took several steps into the forest and then stopped short. But what if Snape did get mad? What if he found out and was furious? What if he made go on his threat of punishment?
Harry felt his stomach swim at the idea of Snape spanking him, a feeling that made him angry with himself. He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind as he took several more steps deeper into the forest. Snape couldn't control him. The whole idea was just ludacris. He had been in the Forbidden Forest plenty of times and if he wanted to go in now, he would and no old Potions Professor was going to tell him he couldn't.
Snape's fingers drummed on the table, his eyes never leaving the clock on the wall which was ticking obnoxiously loud.
An hour and twenty minutes had passed since he had allowed Harry to go and visit with Hagrid. Of course, he had mostly expected the youngster to be late, but a small part of him had held onto a glimmer of hope that his lecture about being on time would have made more of an impression.
The clock ticked on. An hour and twenty two minutes.
Snape decided then and there that at an hour and a half he was going to walk down to Hagrid's hut himself and retrieve the boy.
He was going to have to do something about this as well. Certainly he couldn't allow Harry to be over twenty minutes late without consequence. Not unless, of course, he wanted the boy to hold no stock in his words which was hardly the case.
At an hour and twenty nine minutes, Snape stood up, still unsure of whether he was going to lecture or swat the boy all the way from Hagrid's hut back to his parlor.
Snape was seconds away from walking towards the door when it was flung open and Harry walked in, looking as though he had just ran all the way there from London. His hair was a mess from the wind and his face was red from his journey.
Snape wasted no time and in two long strides was next to the boy. Grabbing Harry be his left arm, Snape easily turned the boy to one side and brought his hand down hard on Harry's backside.
"Thirty minutes late!" Snape scolded, before bringing his hand down once more, just as hard.
The sting instantly assaulted Harry, causing him to wince in pain.
"I'm sorry," Harry offered in a voice he barely recognized as his own.
Snape released his arm, giving him a slight push towards the table. "Sit."
Without even thinking of disobeying, Harry sat in the chair, wincing slightly as his bottom made contact with the hard wood.
Snape had done it. He had smacked him and not once but twice. A feeling filled Harry that he couldn't quite place his finger on. Never in his life had he been smacked in any way. Once or twice his Uncle Vernon had threatened to do so, but the man had never followed through on his threat. And even if he had, it wouldn't have been just; Harry would never have done anything to anger the man to be deserving of such a punishment. This time though he actually had. He had been late. And if Snape knew the whole story, Harry was sure more smacks would follow.
"Do you think I speak to hear myself talk Potter?"
Harry quickly shook his head, his eyes downcast. A single tear had somehow managed to escape his eye and there was no way he wanted Snape to see that.
"I told you to return in one hour and yet you can't even follow the simplest of instructions."
Snape was standing over him now and Harry was all too aware that it would take very little for the man to pull him up off the chair if he felt the need.
"I'm sorry," Harry offered once more. "I was just..."
"I don't want to hear an excuse," Snape interrupted him. "I want to know what you were doing that was so fascinating that you were thirty minutes late."
"Just visiting Hagrid," Harry replied in a low voice. "I just lost track of time."
"Does Hagrid not have a clock in his hut?"
Harry nodded, not bothering to mention that he had never actually been in Hagrid's hut that morning, nor had he even seen him.
"And are you able to tell time?"
"Yes Sir," Harry answered through gritted teeth.
Of course he was able to tell time and if his backside wasn't already stinging he would have told Snape to sod off.
"Then you simply decided to ignore the time in which you were supposed to return?"
"No, I just forgot," Harry replied.
"After lunch you will spend the afternoon in your room thinking about how you will not forget next time."
Harry's shoulders slumped at the words. An entire afternoon wasted.
Snape sat down across from him and second's later food appeared on the table.
Harry looked at the chicken sandwiches but he wasn't hungry. His backside was still stinging and his pride was damaged. Snape was impossible. He had only been thirty minutes late, it wasn't as if he'd blown up half the castle.
"Stop sulking and eat your lunch Potter," Snape instructed. "Or you can go to your room now and skip lunch entirely. The choice is yours, but I will not sit here and watch you sulk over two well-deserved smacks."
Harry kept his mouth shut as he picked up his sandwich and took a bite.
TBC...