Disclaimer: I don't own any character, plot or anything mentioned in the amazing universe of Harry Potter created by J.K. Rowling. Every single bit of the Harry Potter book series and films belongs to J.K. Rowling, certain publishing houses and Worner Bros. Besides a hobby I'm not making any profits by writing these stories.

Chapter Seven

Breaking The Ice

Harry sighed as soon he left the kitchen. The dinner was as awkward as the last four dinners and he was tired of waiting and counting the days, because he knew the answer. The Elixir would take four days and three more nights to mature and then he would be free from Snape's continuous scrutiny which indeed had became an uncomfortable affair these last three days.

The Severus Snape Harry knew for the past four years was malicious, ruthless and a strict teacher. At Hogwarts he hated Harry immensely and never missed a single opportunity to crush Harry's spirits. In Harry's opinion the evil, always sneering Potion Master was just there to humiliate him in order to boost ego of whole Slytherin house.

But now Harry was not sure about anything. He was observing few, very subtle changes in Snape's behavior. To Harry's surprise the Snape staying with him and Megan was fairly accommodating. Contrary to his image of a dungeon bat he looked a straight faced human in his muggle attire. He did not forget to sneer whenever he got the chance but Harry knew the sneer did not have its usual terrifying effect. Somehow Snape lost his arrogant knowledgeable smirk. He seemed occupied with something else.

In the last three days Harry encountered Snape only in the kitchen studying silently, reading a few old parchments and texts Harry knew nothing about. Snape did not react nor commented about Harry's presence around him but Harry was sure of being followed by staring eyes whenever he was not looking at Snape. He even caught his Potion Master once observing Megan with a frown plastered on his thoughtful face. At first Harry failed to understand Snape's strange behavior but then he under stood the reason. It was the vision they saw together while brewing the Elixir.

But today Snape was not the only reason for Harry's churning thoughts. Harry was feeling something else too. He was unable to name it but it was mixture of alien feelings like anger, irritation and frustration and it started two nights ago when he woke up sweating. He felt like he was suffocating, trying to run away from something very sick and foul but he was failing. The next day, in the morning he did not remember having any nightmare but still the lingering dread left him on edge. It was creepy but he knew something was not right and he needed to know why? He wanted to share this new weird development with Ron and Hermione or even with Sirius but he didn't have Hedwig with him. So the only choice he had was either Megan or Dumbledore whom he did not wanted to bother anymore. That meant he needed to wait until Ron decided to write him something and use Hedwig to deliver it which was nearly impossible as it was just the beginning of their summer break. So with those new troubling thoughts Harry climbed up the staircase with a defeated pace. He knew he must be happy and grateful for Megan's complete acceptance of him but he was unable to do that. Instead he was brooding over Snape's presence in Megan's house. At first when Dumbledore came with the idea of the Core Healing Elixir Harry felt good but then Dumbledore revealed Snape's involvement and Harry ended up with Snape's looming presence in his and Megan's life.

The stairs ended but Harry's thoughts did not. Absentmindedly he entered his room and changed into pajamas. Still laden with his thoughts he went in to the bathroom. While brushing his teeth his mind once again whirled around the impossible vision he saw when Elixir brewed. For some unfathomable reasons he felt hopeful the day he experienced the vision first, but now he felt bitter. He knew surely that it was nothing but a piece of his imagination originated from his selfishly helpless mind. It was frustrating and painful to forget the happy backlash of vision but Harry was determined to do it because he knew the darkness of his fate was infectious and would never allow him to be happy.

With great efforts Harry focused his attention on the minty flavor of the toothpaste in his mouth. After a minute mechanically he stopped brushing, rinsed his mouth few times and left the bathroom.

Harry looked at the inviting bed but instead of sleeping he decided to read something to distract his mind. He eyed his table and found a mess of littered books and parchments; it was everything related to potions which he had used to complete his Potion essays. The choice was circumstantial as he did not want to take any chances around his oddly behaving Potion Master. With irritation Harry folded his potion essays and kept them aside. After searching for a while he found what he was looking for; the old Transfiguration book. With the book in his hand he opened the window and hopped on windowsill, which lately had become his favorite spot.

The cool current of air was a relief from exhausting summer heat. A small smile spread over his face as he watched the newly planted rosebushes bathing in moonlight. He knew it was quite a miracle to have plenty of water for gardening when most parts of England were suffering from draught. He made a mental note to ask later about it to Megan. He did not want to move his eyes from the scene but he could not neglect his poor performance in transfiguration too. So he opened the book and began the reading.

A moment later he closed his eyes to digest the meaning of a very complicated sentence. He was on the verge of understanding when he realized something weird. He sensed a presence, something like a flash of bluish grey beyond his closed eyes. Panicked he opened his eyes and searched around. He did not see anything but then heard a rustle outside his door. He waited in hope to hear the knock but it never came. Instead he heard footsteps moving down the corridor. And then he realized it was Snape. And that was one more oddity he would be adding to his list.

For the next few hours Harry read and tried to absorb various intricacies of transfiguration. It was one in the morning when he finally decided to wind up. He was surprised when he saw a bunch of pages he had deciphered in one go. He smiled as he heard "well done" in Hermione's voice echo in his brain. A yawn escaped from his mouth as he shut the book.

With a satisfaction Harry switched off the lights and went to bed. He removed his glasses and suddenly remembered; Megan's announcement about her absence tomorrow. She would be going to London to take care of some official work which means Harry will be alone with Snape.

Goosebumps prickled over Harry's skin a she remembered his many disgusting detentions in the cold dungeons. He knew very well what was going to happen tomorrow. Megan would not be there to distract Snape or act as buffer between him and Snape which meant whatever he did tomorrow would infuriate the Potion Master. So in order to avoid any bitter encounter he had to devise a strategy. Luckily he had one. The experience of living with the Dursleys taught him how to protect himself from bullies. The best way was to stay put and calm; do whatever you want to, just avoid any possible interaction with your nemesis.

So with a simple plan in his head Harry stopped worrying and slept. What he did not realize was he would not be dealing with fools like Dursleys; instead he would be facing the Slytherin mastermind.

"Would you mind looking after Harry tomorrow?" asked Megan tentatively.

Severus silently took a sip of his tea and considered the request. In usual circumstances he would not have even blinked before refusing to babysit James Potter's brat but not now. Instead he considered it an excellent opportunity to clarify some startling observations he had been noticing about the golden boy. He wanted to discover if Harry was an acting to be a polite, obedient boy or was it a genuine trait he inherited from his mother. The well seasoned Spy in Severus wanted to know why the savior of the wizarding world instead of showing his self absorbed, arrogant celebrity persona had been volunteering happily for working in the garden and kitchen. Oh and it was not the end of Severus's heightened irritation as he was also catching Harry in his room doing his homework quite sincerely; which according to Severus was a rare incidence in case of any Gryffindor, off course except for Ms. Granger. So in short by offering him charge of Harry, Megan was giving him a chance to find out why Harry Potter was behaving strangely and he was not the one giving off the opportunity. So he accepted the offer as passively as he could.

"Yes, sure Miss Spencer."

"It's Megan, Mr. Snape and thanks for agreeing. I'm sure until I return you both will try to cooperate with each other" said Megan with a hint of smile.

Severus did not reply instead he finished his tea and got up from his chair in order to help Megan in cleaning the dishes. In last three days it became a routine that Harry would help Megan to cook every meal and Severus would help her in cleaning. He even restrained himself from using any magic in order not to affect Elixir's magical properties. He did not like the muggle way of doing things but he still offered his help as a little repayment for being a modest guest.

Hence Severus helped Megan silently until Megan suddenly ask him something.

"Is it okay, if I call you Severus?" Megan didn't know where that question came from but she felt foolishly relieved for asking it. She busied herself in drying glasses to avoid further embarrassment.

Severus never felt this awkward in his life. He was never a friendly person and nor did he try to be one. It was only Lily who had warmed his life with her kindness and let him be her friend. She patiently tried to remain in his life but one day in their fifth year Severus brutally cut her from his life to make certain choices which had tarnished his future forever. And when he came to his senses it was too late. Lily was gone. What remained were only his colleagues and acquaintances, except for Dumbledore who persistently tried to help him with his own meddling way. So what Severus was experiencing now was totally new to him. Megan's simple, trivial question had awoken a tiny hope inside his heart but he neglected it in fear of his gloomy past and upcoming future with unknown darkness.

The sound of shattering glass broke Severus's trance. He looked up and found Megan picking up the shreds of glass which she was holding a moment ago.

"Careful Megan, they are sharp. Let me collect them."

"It's done. No need to worry Mr. Snape."

"Megan, Severus will be fine" said Severus casually which surprised Megan to an extent that she forgot about broken glass and gawked at Severus with her olive green eyes.

Severus broke the eye contact first as the moment stretched uncomfortably. "You missed that" indicated Severus towards a long shred.

Megan hastily picked up the shred and threw it with others in dustbin. She looked around and realized everything was cleaned up. She felt guilty and stupid for making the situation so awkward and she did not want to make it worse, so she did the obvious thing, she kept her mouth shut and busied herself in drying her hands.

Severus felt grateful for Megan's silence and chose the opportunity to leave the kitchen with a formal goodnight. On his way back to his room upstairs for a moment he stopped and stared at the closed door of Harry's room with a question on his mind. For Merlin's sake how would he keeping his annoyance in check while babysitting Harry Potter for an entire day.

"Wake up Potter..!"Severus knocked on the door one more time. He was losing his patience and thinking of blasting the door but then it was not his house and the owner of it gave him the responsibility to look after it and the brat living in it.

"Potter it's nine in the morning and if you don't get up in next five seconds I'm coming inside."

Harry sat upright the moment he recognized the voice. He knew Snape enough to ignore his threats. Without losing any second he jumped out of his bed and yanked the door open. And there he found an irritated looking Severus Snape wand ready in his hand.

"Potter, get ready. Eat your breakfast and meet me in the study room."

Harry just stood there and stared at his Potion Master trying to decipher why he was in Megan's house. But then he remembered the brewing and Megan's announcement.

"Has she left already?" asked Harry suppressing a yawn.

Severus watched the sleepy teenager in front of him with disgust. He hated the way Harry's hair spread in all directions, like a nest of some wild bird. He wanted to deliver a harsh comment or cut them with his own hands but then again he saw the innocent curiosity in those emerald eyes and answered forcefully. "She left an hour ago. Now go clean yourself before I decide to mow your hairs myself. "

With a sheepish grin Harry ran his fingers through his hairs and tried to flatten them. In response Snape's jaw tightened and Harry stopped grinning.

"Umm sorry. Give me few minutes and I'll be there" babbled Harry to pacify Snape.

Without any acknowledgement Severus turned around and walked away.

An hour later a fresh and well fed Harry entered the study and found his Potion Master sitting at the central table taking some notes from the mysterious old book.

Severus kept away his quill and looked up. He would not say so but he was impressed by Harry's efforts to look tidy.

Harry hated when someone stared at him. He felt like a monkey at an exhibition. He wanted to crawl under the rug but Snape's scrutinizing gaze held him in place. He waited in hope to hear his final sentence and get over with his punishment or whatever it was. And then he heard it.

"Potter, hear this once, as I will not be repeating it again. For the next twelve hours you will be under my care. In simple words Megan asked me to babysit you. "

"What? To babysit me? I'm not a nine year old anymore", stated Harry with a scowl.

"But you are behaving like one. Interrupt me again and you will find yourself in a corner."

Harry's face reddened as he heard the statement but Snape ignored it and continued.

"If I'm not wrong then to prepare you for the upcoming OWLs you've been given plenty of work to do this summer. And as this is your second week of holiday I'm expecting you must have completed the homework for at least a few subjects, haven't you Potter? "

"Yes, I have." Harry nodded with relief.

"May I know which those fortunate subjects are?"

"Charms and..." Harry hesitated for moment and then added quickly "Umm Potions!"

Harry saw nothing on Snape's face; he looked as uninterested as ever. So he added, "well, I have also been working on my Transfiguration essay but it has taking some time."

Severus heard Harry and arched his eyebrow skeptically. In the light of his previous experiences he was not expecting anything seriously done but Harry surprised him. And now he wanted to know what the golden boy had scribbled as homework for him.

"Potter, I'd like to see your Potion essay in order to decide whether my red ink is worth wasting or not?"

Harry wanted to smirk for predicting Snape's exact demand. It was tempting but he restrained himself from doing so, instead he busied himself extracting the Potion homework from his overly stuffed school bag.

Severus waited watching the clumsy and disorganized teenager in front of him. His astonishment heightened as a few very old, precious and dangerously informative books popped out from the bag. He kept his mouth shut in order to interrogate the boy later. He watched the whole de-bagging process as patiently as possible. Finally when he thought it was enough Harry produced a thick, crumpled role of parchments from the bottom of his bag and proudly deposited it in the Potion Master's outstretched hand.

Severus opened the folded parchment as delicately as possible. He remembered that he had told them to write two essays, one on ingredients, properties and common uses of any ten Antidote potions and the other was enlisting potions containing animal originated magical ingredients with their respective magical properties.

The first thing Severus noticed about the parchment other than its crumpled state was a big brown spot of tea on upper edge. Keeping his temper in check he examined the remaining parchments. There were nine in total, each a foot in length. It was one foot more than what he had told them to write which was quite surprising in Harry's case. Even the handwriting was legible, much better than what Severus had been endured to read in the past. Severus was expecting something worse or nothing at all but what he was seeing was totally different. The unusual write-up made him read the first paragraph. It was perfect. Neither mistakes nor unnecessary words, just a simple but interesting introduction to Antidotes. He wanted to stop but the teacher and researcher inside him forced him to read further and further. So he continued.

Harry remained rooted to his spot watching curiously every reaction on his Potion master's face. From Snape's stern and concentrated looks he knew Snape was really examining his essays. And then, what Harry was expecting had happened. It was the fifth parchment when Snape picked up his infamous red quill and begun scratching and scribbling furiously. With crushed spirit Harry decided to leave the room but he was late.

"Potter, come here."

Harry heard the order but did not move. The sharp tone induced a sense of dread in him.

"Potter do you have problem in hearing?"

"No, I don't" replied Harry and walked slowly towards his Potion Master.

The moment he reached Snape he adjusted his new glasses and focused his attention on the bundle of parchment trapped under Snape's long fingers.

"Potter, who helped you write this essay? Let me guess, may be Miss Granger?"

"No she did not. At least not in writing" answered Harry with gratitude filled voice.

"And what does that mean? ", snapped Severus with hint of impatience.

Harry remained silent thinking about how to avoid confessing about numerous school rules he and his friends especially the Weasley twins and Hermione had to break while creating his magical jacket. He knew for sure if he made a mistake and spilled something out Snape would never miss the opportunity to punish his friends. So he decided to deceive which was a mistake.

"Potter" warned Severus as his patience begun to wane.

"She helped me in tournament with spells and their practice but nothing else. She doesn't have anything to do with my homework."

Severus knew Harry was hiding something. So he decided to probe further. "Really Potter, do you think your pathetic cover story will suffice to convince me? I know you and your little friends quite well Potter."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but Severus's did not give him chance, he just continued. "If you are telling me the truth then explain to me, without any help from Ms. Granger, how you got your hands on those rare books which as per my knowledge belong in the Hogwart's library, more specifically to the restricted section."

"Umm… it was … those aren't books. I mean they are books but not the real ones." Harry shut his mouth as the partial truth came out of his mouth.

"Not real books" Severus repeated slowly and got up from his chair. In one stride he reached for Harry's bag. Without any hesitation he bent down and picked it up. He returned to the table and emptied the bag on to it making a small pile of the books. With astonishment Severus picked up a thick one entitled "Defend the Dark by Wallington Hawk".

Severus knew that book. It was good and designed for N.E.W.T. level studies. He had used it when he was a student at Hogwarts. He knew every single page of the book by heart. He loved and studied that book quite passionately. Rather it was the same book from which he learned a lot of useful defensive spells that saved his life on various occasions. The old memories flashed in his mind and with a touch of nostalgia he opened the book. The moment he opened the book he understood the difference. The book was not the original one. It was a poor copy of the original one but adequately readable. With curiosity he leafed through the remaining books from the pile. They all were duplicate copies of defense books.

"Who made these pathetic imitations, Potter? Don't say you made them because Imitation charms are quite difficult for a mediocre wizard like you."

Harry's eyes widened as Severus eerily found out what he going to say. With a dumb expression he stared at Severus thinking about what to say next.

"Potter, don't be surprised since it was expected as per rumors about my mind reading abilities circling amongst the students of Hogwarts."

"So, you really can do that? I mean…. read minds?" asked a very stunned Harry.

"It might be true" answered Severus with smirk and then added, "but we are not here to discuss about my mind reading abilities. We are here to know how you came into possession of illegal copies of extremely important books."

Harry averted his eyes as soon as he considered the implication of the dubious confession from his Potion Master. He also realized that lying was out of question now. He had to be honest before Snape found out the whole thing in his own creepy way.

"Professor it was not me or Hermione." Harry stopped and tried to stretch the moment but Severus's narrowed gaze prompted him to talk. "It was Fred and George who helped me. I barrowed a few… I mean many books from the restricted section with help of fake Professor Moody. And as I needed the books for a prolonged time the Weasley twins volunteered to copy all of them. The practice helped them tremendously to improve their imitation charm." A small smile spread over Harry's face as he remembered how he had fun with the Weasley twins while preparing for the third task.

"Is that all Potter?"

"Yes that was all Sir" Harry tried but that damn unyielding stare made him add something else. "They also helped me in creating my Cheating Jacket."

"Cheating Jacket..?" Severus repeated inquisitively.

"Initially it was the twin's idea. They wanted to create something which had similar properties like Mrs. Wesley's expansion bag and I wanted something to carry my books and other stuff without showing it to the Dursleys. Hermione was there when we were discussing it. So she came up with idea of the Cheating jacket which would carry many things without exerting any weight or occupying extra volume."

Severus heard Harry's intriguing tale without any interruption. He already knew about the Weasley twins' creativity as well as about Hermione's brilliance but had never heard Harry confessing something about his relatives, at least not in front of him. From his own past experiences he knew about Petunia's hatred and jealousy for magic. Recently, Megan too got an idea about Harry's mistreatment at the hand of the Dursleys. Unlike him she took appropriate action by taking responsibility of Harry and also sharply taunted him about his own indolence for which he hadn't been proud of. And now hearing it from Harry's mouth intensified it. A streak of anger flared in his mind accompanied with the dark desire to punish Petunia and her family for being unfair with Lily's child.

Severus controlled his emotions as he noticed Harry backing away from his table. For the first time in the last four years he did not want to scare Harry. For the first time his interest in knowing about Harry was genuine. He knew it was the best time to clear a few more doubts. So he asked.

"Potter, how was Petunia with you?"

The question came out of the blue and Harry wanted to laugh at how absurd it sounded. Neither had anyone ever asked him this clearly about his miserable life at the Dursleys nor had he wanted to discuss it with anyone; not even with Ron and Hermione. Because he knew discussing about it was not enough to change his fate and the fact that he was an orphan and in future he would remain one. He knew very well that his living with Petunia or Megan was just a temporary solution and he must feel grateful for having them. So he answered as plainly and factually as possible.

"Petunia was okay with me. She did her duty by taking me in when no one was there for me. She never liked me but taught me the real value of love, family and friendship. Her hatred for magic made me accept its presence. She did not spoil me like Dudley instead she taught me household skills and made me realize the unfairness of life. In a way she made me independent and wise. She made me fit for struggle and existence."

And then Harry stopped. Without adding anything he looked straight at Severus and found something akin to helplessness. For a moment he thought he saw a flash of understanding on the Potion Master's face but then it vanished under many layers of apathy.

For a moment Severus felt like the burden of his past misdeeds increased by a hundred fold, he felt vulnerable. For a moment his own harsh childhood flashed in front of him. For the first time he realized why Dumbledore always urged him to understand Harry and insisted he had a big heart like his mother, Lily. It took lot of his restrain not to make a foolish comment so instead he decided to change the topic.

"So how exactly did you use your new invention, the Cheating Jacket?"

It was so out of nowhere that Harry took a full minute to comprehend the question. "I used it to smuggle my books, parchments and other stuff when I returned to Private Drive."

"Smuggling? But why?" asked Severus skeptically.

"Because the Dursleys forbid me from opening or touching any of my Hogwarts stuff and to ensure that they locked my trunk in the cupboard under stairs." The mention of his old room made him remember his old helpless days and something deep inside his brain screamed. Without realizing what he was saying he added, "It was my old room, where I lived for almost nine years, until one day they received my first Hogwarts letter."

"What…? Your room Potter?"

Harry felt stupid for not paying attention to what he was saying but it was too late and he knew he already had awoken Severus's curiosity for Merlin know but may for tenth time.

"It's nothing important Sir, just something that I wish to forget."

"Really Potter, do you think trying to forget is the only solution."

"I know it's not the proper way but it works for me. Anyway it doesn't matter anymore."

Severus only sighed and turned his attention to the Potion essay he was reading. It was a good attempt to write, but still there was room for few improvements and Severus was not finished with them yet. But before that he had one more query, 'why would Harry need so many defense books when, no one had given any homework for DADA'. So he asked tentatively "Potter, are you planning to read all those books this summer?"

Harry eyed the pile of defense books on table and simply answered, "Not exactly, but I'm using them as reference books for my defense project."

"Defense project" repeated Severus with interest. "And what exactly does it contain?"

"Just a collection of basic but useful spells, jinxes and charms; if possible may be a few shields and curses too."

"Hmm, quite impressive Potter, but don't you think only taking notes will not be sufficient. If you are seeking excellence in defense then you must learn it by doing."

Harry was expecting something like disapproval but not praise or support. He had heard the rumor about Snape's interest in the post of the Defense teacher but never saw him publically claiming it. But now he knew the rumors might have some hidden truth. The advice was good but the technical problem of underage magic outside Hogwarts was impossible to ignore. Harry wished he and his friends would get permission to use magic. May be he should ask someone who knew if there would be some kind of decree during emergencies.

"But Professor, I'm not allowed to use magic here outside of Hogwarts, at least not now."

"Potter I know the rule very well, you don't need to recite it. But I also know one thing; if you know certain loopholes in the law then it is possible to find ways."

"Are you saying that I can do magic without getting expelled from school."

"Not exactly, but if you managed to do it at a place crowded by adult wizards then it will be impossible for the ministry to find out who performed the magic."

"But what about wands? What if they still traced me somehow and performed a Priory incantatem on my wand?"

Severus stared at Harry with disbelief, before this he never knew that Harry, along with his damn Gryffindor qualities, also possessed a sharp inquisitive mind, maybe it was because Ms. Granger's continuous present around him.

"Hmm that would be possible, but maybe there is another way to solve it. May be I should discuss this issue further with Dumbledore. Until then you should concentrate on your project and homework. And that reminds me about your Potion essays which are not as bad as I was expecting." Harry's face lit up with a smile which in turn provoked Severus to add, "Potter, that don't mean your essays are outstanding. There are many spelling and grammatical mistakes so I would like you to rewrite them before submitting for final grading."

"But Professor…" Harry protested but Severus interrupted with authority.

"No more excuses Potter, I know your brain is capable of doing better things. You will get your checked essays at lunch; show me the corrected ones tomorrow. Now you are free to do whatever you wish to do."

Harry silently stared at his potion essays and then picked up the pile of his defense books. He was just leaving with his book when Severus interjected. "Ask me if you find any difficulty while reading those defense books."

In response, at first Harry just stared and then nodded with "Yes Sir". And then without turning back he left the study room.

If had he decided to turn around and see, he would have found a smirking Potion Master looking after him.

Three hours later, just before Severus was thinking about lunch, Harry appeared in study to collect his potion essays.

"It's miracle you remembered to show up. I thought you forgot your essays." Severus teased before returning the thick role of parchment back to Harry.

"No I didn't. Actually I came here to inform you about lunch, it's ready."

Without saying anything Severus followed Harry to kitchen and saw two plates, each containing pairs of some kind of grilled sandwiches and two glasses of orange juice. In silence both took opposite sits and began eating.

Severus took the first bite of sandwich and immediately like it. It was ham, cheese and pickle sandwich with a mayonnaise dressing, some onion and herbs. He finished his first sandwich slowly enjoying every bite of it. But before he had started his second sandwich something popped in his head.

"Potter, did you know your mother never liked cooking, on the other hand Petunia loved cooking just like your Grandmother Olivia. She always packed extra sandwiches for Lily and me for our train journey. She always knew I liked her Sandwiches especially this one with the ham, cheese and herbs. Your sandwich reminded me of her recipe."

Severus never knew something this trivial like a very old and unimportant memory would have a remarkable effect on Harry. He watched Harry listen with undivided attention; tried to absorb and preserve every word in his memory. Severus did not miss how the mention of Lily lit Harry's eyes with a strange happiness. He would have stopped but an invisible urge forced him to continue, so he did. "I still remember the taste of your Grandmother's roast chicken. She never stopped inviting me for Sunday lunches and Christmas dinner. Not even when Lily and I had a fight and got separated on totally opposite sides. Petunia never liked me before but once she got news of my fight with your mother she began to hate me openly."

Severus halted abruptly as he remembered next the memory in sequence. It was a busy afternoon of July, when he accidently met Lily's parents in London for the last time. It was a brief interaction but the affection he saw in their eyes had imprinted permanently in his mind. Three months later he heard about their murder. And then came the worst Halloween of his life destroying the last ray of light from his life.

"What happened?" Harry asked uneasily as he saw tremendous pain occluding his potion master's features. He had a tentative idea but wanted to hear it anyway.

"Something terrible Potter but I'm not the right person you should be hearing it from."

"Professor, don't worry but I think I'll be fine" Harry insisted stubbornly and Snape obliged.

"One day in July, I accidently met your grandparents in London. I never thought it was our last meeting. It was almost one and half year that he was hunting you without any success. In the end his frustration heightened to a peak and he decided to visit your living relatives. Luckily your father didn't have anyone but Lily was unfortunate. Three months after my meeting with your grandparents the Dark Lord visited them. He tortured them to find out your parent's whereabouts. Finally when they failed to give him any information he killed them. After that he decided to visit Petunia but that never happened. He found a new pawn, a traitor. Now I know it was Peter Pettigrew. A few days after your grandparent's funeral, Peter betrayed your parents. The Dark Lord found your whereabouts and on the night of Halloween he attacked Godric's Hollow."

Severus stopped talking as he saw tears gathering in Harry's emerald eyes. He became silent as his guilty conscience cursed him for voicing the memory. Every student of his Slytherin house knew about Severus's hatred for public display of emotions, which also was one of the reasons he hated all Gryffindors. But this time Harry's suffering had an unusual effect on him. It shook something profound inside him generating an urge to console Harry, to protect him.

Harry's vision blurred as a pained scream echoed inside Harry's brain. He knew who it belonged to. No one ever told him why but he knew Voldemort killed his parents as well as grandparents because of him. And not only them but Cedric also died because of him. And then one by one many gloomy thoughts began to gather until a voice pulled him back to reality.

"Potter…! Are you alright? Potter… Harry, are you listing to me?" Severus continued until Harry looked at him quizzically and asked.

"What..? What happened?"

"I would say nothing serious. You forgot to eat your lunch."

Harry eyed his unfinished lunch and realized he behaved stupidly in front of his least favorite teacher. Embarrassed he hastily cleared his tears and resumed eating.

In record time they both finished lunch and cleaning. Just before they left the kitchen, Harry asked.

"Professor, what will happen with Megan if she really gets Magic?"

Severus himself was thinking about the same possibility in the last few days. He knew Dumbledore was gambling in order to redeem himself from the burden of not giving Harry a happy childhood. Severus knew for sure if the Elixir would show its desired effect Dumbledore would seriously think about giving Harry's custody to Megan. And that would not be the only benefit having a magical Megan around Harry, as she would be helpful in keeping Harry safe which had become their first priority after Voldemort's return.

Harry watched his professor thoughtfully. He knew Severus was being careful before giving any answer. Finally a minute later his Potion Master answered indifferently.

"Potter, Megan's acquiring magic will certainly open many possibilities. For instance her presence with her magical abilities will help us keep you and your reckless behavior in control."

Harry rolled his eyes for exaggerating about his behavior. But still he did not forget what was bothering him about this whole Elixir stuff.

"Umm Professor but it will be unfair to drag her in our world. I think it will be too much for her. She doesn't have any idea about the dangers waiting for her in our world. And even if she gets her magic back she still will need proper training to control her magic as well kind of a crash course in DADA so she could protect herself. I don't know how she will achieve this, but it really looks quite impossible to me."

"Potter, don't over think. And about Megan, leave her to Dumbledore; he knows what is good for her. I insist, instead of thinking about Megan's future that you concentrate on your studies. Oh and this reminds me you have only twenty four hours to correct and submit your Potion essays."

And with that Severus left leaving behind a scowling Harry in his wake.

Author's Note: To all my dear readers, wish you a very Happy New Year! And don't forget to review.