AN: I was so afraid that I wouldn't get this chapter done today but I've worked so hard on it! I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out and I hope you all like it. It's also longer than the last few have been! Enjoy!

PS: I've got a tumblr now! It's under my fanfic name, ScarlettWriter91 if anyone wants to check it out!

Chapter 16

"Draco Malfoy will be coming to visit for a week."

Harry's eyes widened as he jumped up from where he had been sitting on the couch.

"What?!" He exclaimed, glaring down at Snape. "Why?"

Snape ignored Harry's outburst and calmly replied, "Because his parents are leaving the country for a trip and they are not taking him with them. He stays with me each year but with everything that has been happening, I forgot about it until I got the letter from Lucius Malfoy this morning."

"Why you? I'm sure he has loads of people who would love to have him for the week."

Snape sighed heavily. "Draco is my godson. He has been coming to stay with me for a week, once a year, since he was ten years old."

"Oh, that's rich!" Harry couldn't stand still. He moved to the back of the couch and leaned against it, turning his back on Snape as he crossed his arms over his chest. "No wonder you favor him so much. It all makes sense now. And just what am I supposed to do while he's here? Because I'm telling you, Snape, I'm not staying with Malfoy for a whole week!" He glared over his shoulder at Snape who remained sitting in his armchair as if his ward weren't throwing a fit right in front of him.

"I have had quite enough of this attitude that you are showing me right now." Snape began to lecture sternly. "I understand that you are upset, but I simply will not allow you to behave like this. Now you can either come back and sit down and have a conversation with me like the intelligent young man that I know you to be, or if you insist on standing, you can do so in the corner until you learn how to speak to me properly. The choice is yours."

Harry wavered, but only for a moment. He had no doubt that Snape would make good on his threat of sending him to the corner, and it wasn't something that Harry had any desire to have happen. Especially not since things with Snape had been going surprising well the last few days. So with a sigh, Harry made his way back around the couch and took a seat in the spot he had just vacated.

Snape waited until Harry had settled back into the couch before he spoke.

"Now, I know that this will be difficult for you. It will be for you both. I'm well aware that the relationship that you and Draco have is less than friendly-"

Harry interrupted with a scoff. "Less than friendly? Snape, Malfoy is a prat and-"

"Do not interrupt me." Snape cut him off, enunciating each syllable in his favorite "feared Potions Master" tone. Harry grit his teeth but remained quiet.

"The situation is not ideal, Potter, but if I had told Lucius that Draco couldn't stay, he would have known that something was up. We do not need Lucius Malfoy to know that you're here."

Harry threw his hands up in frustration. "Then how are you going to keep him from finding out if Malfoy is here?! He's just going to run right to him and then he'll know."

"He won't. Draco won't say anything."

Harry shook his head stubbornly. "You must be really thick then, Snape, if you actually believe that."

Snape stood up then and pointed towards the corner. "That's it, into the corner with you."

"What?! No!" Harry knew his voice was dangerously close to a whine but he couldn't help it. This whole thing was turning sour and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'm trying to have a civilized conversation with you, Potter, and you are fighting me at every turn. You're being rude and insolent and you should know by now that I absolutely will not tolerate it!"

Harry dropped his head but looked up at Snape through his fringe of dark hair.

"I know, okay. I'm sorry. Honest, it won't happen again."

Snape glared down at him for another long moment before he sat back down once more with a heavy sigh.

"I know that you are perfectly capable of sitting here and discussing this rationally, Potter. Why you are determined not to do so is beyond me." Snape's words had lost their sternness and he hoped that Harry didn't notice. The boy across from him didn't comment, however he did give a small nod as he continued to stare down at the couch cushion.

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger in an attempt to stave off the headache he could already feel coming. Finally, he looked back at Harry and said,

"Potter, I'm going to tell you something and I want your word that it will stay between us. It doesn't leave this room, understood?" Harry looked up questioningly and nodded once more.

"Lucius Malfoy," Snape began, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he clasped his hands together in front of him, "no doubt loves his son in his own way. He spoils him to no end of course, but he is also fiercely protective of him. However, Lucius is also an extremely hard man to please. He expects perfection and utmost respect from Draco at all times. Even when Draco is at Hogwarts he constantly sends letters to me as well as some of his other teachers in order to keep track for himself just how well his son is doing in his classes. In his eyes, if Draco doesn't have the highest marks, he has failed." Here, Snape gave another small sigh and Harry waited for him to continue.

"Draco is a very bright student. He actually works hard and applies himself to his studies, even classes that he doesn't particularly enjoy, all because he wants to please his father and make him proud. To make him love him. Tell me, Potter, do you have any idea what that must feel like for him?" Snape waited and watched as Harry's head dipped down the slightest bit and his green eyes shifted over and away from Snape. "The problem is that try as he might, Draco did not come out in the lead this past year. But Hermione Granger did. A muggle born student surpassed Lucius' son and according to him, that is disgraceful."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Snape cut him off before he could utter a word.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to understand that unless someone breaks the cycle, it will continue. Lucius is cold and manipulative. He cares more for his status and what people will think of him than he does for how his own son feels and he is like that because his own father was like that. And likely his father before him. If someone doesn't get through to Draco, I fear that he will grow up to be the same. And that would be a shame."

After a long few moments in which Snape wondered if he had even gotten through to the boy, Harry softly asked, "Do you think he'll be a death eater one day?"

Snape replied evenly, "I intend to do everything in my power to keep that from happening."

Harry nodded. He looked as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

"What is it?" Snape asked.

Harry bit his lip and looked away for a moment. When he turned back to Snape, he said, "Look, I understand all that. I really do, but you said that in class we would have to put on an act so that no one got suspicious. That you were going to treat me like you always have. Well, is that how it's going to be while Malfoy's here?"

"No." Snape answered immediately.

"Then what are you going to tell him because I don't see how this is going to work."

"I intend to tell Draco the truth." Snape sat back in his chair and eyed the boy across from him. "Or at least as much of it as I can. I can't tell him that I have been a spy, but I can word it in a way that makes it seem like you being here wasn't my idea."

"Well that won't be a lie." Harry smirked.

"Mind your cheek," Snape said though there was no sternness in his tone. "And don't worry about Draco. Everything will be fine."

"Easy for you to say." Harry grumbled under his breath as Snape stood up to head to the kitchen. "You're not going to have to live with your arch enemy."

"I heard that," Snape called back.

"This," Harry looked up, astounded as he stepped out of the fireplace, "is your house?"

Snape had sent most of their things ahead of them before he and Harry took the floo.

They stood in the middle of a living room that had sliding, wooden doors on either side and a massive window at the other end. He had been expecting it to be dark and cold but instead the window let in enough natural light that even without the candles that hung on the walls and from the ceiling, he could see everything clearly. The fireplace that they had just stepped out of took up most of the back wall, the stone's that made up the hearth climbed all the way up past the mantel and to the ceiling. Snape immediately pointed his wand to the fireplace and a blazing fire sprang up, lighting the room even more.

Harry took in the sparse furniture that sat around the room. There were two couches that sat across from each other, a coffee table between them, and just like their quarters back at hogwarts, two arm chairs sat near the fireplace with an end table between them.

"Don't dawdle, Potter," Snape was saying, "You still need to unpack and set your room up." He pointed to the doors to the left and said, "That leads to the Library. You can visit there whenever you want, provided that you stay away from the books on the upper right side. They are restricted and you are not to touch them."

"Yes, sir." Harry obediently replied.

Snape nodded as he led the way to the doors on the other side of the room. Harry hurried to follow along. "Through here is the foyer and the downstairs restroom," he said, pointing out the door on his left. Then motioning straight ahead, he continued, "The kitchen is through that door and past that are the dining rooms."

"Rooms?" Harry asked, "You have more than one dining room?"

Snape glared at him as if he had just asked the silliest question. "Of course I do. There is a small one connected to the kitchen that is like ours at Hogwarts. It's where we will have all our meals. Then past that is the formal dining room, which I never use. Now," He turned his attention to his right. "Through this door just past the stairs, is my lab. You are not, under any circumstances, allowed to go in there unless I am present. I generally have a number of highly important and sometimes volatile potions brewing in there while I'm here and I don't need you messing with anything or getting hurt because you're too curious for your own good. Is that understood?"

"I'm not going to mess with anything. You let me in your lab at Hogwarts and I haven't ruined anything yet. And besides, I'm not the one that blew up half a house." Harry answered cheekily as he leaned against the side of the staircase with an amused look on his face.

"Be that as it may," Snape said dryly, "You will stay out."

Harry continued to grin as they made their way upstairs. When they got to the second floor landing, Snape pointed to the left end of the long hallway. "My room is at the end and my study is beside it. Here," he said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder, the fact that Harry hadn't flinched at the touch went completely unnoticed by either of them, and steering him towards the first room across from them, "is your room. It has a bathroom inside that will connect with Draco's room when he gets here." Harry made a face at this but said nothing, "And at the end of the hall on the opposite side, is nothing more than an extra bedroom and the landing allows anyone to look down into the dining room, though since it's not used, you wouldn't see much."

Harry nodded to show that he was listening, while his eyes remained fixed on the large oak door in front of them. "Any questions before I leave you to unpack in your room?"

"Can I look around later?" He asked, turning on his heel to look back up at Snape.

"Eager to go exploring already, I see."

"There's not much else to do is there?"

Snape made no comment on that and instead replied, "You may look around as long as you stay only in the places you're allowed to be. And don't go outside unless you ask me first. The headmaster has reinforced the wards around the property but I won't take any chances."

"Yes, sir." Harry answered.

"Alright," Snape said, "Have a look at your room, but make sure you're downstairs in time for lunch."

Harry nodded and reached his hand out to open the door as Snape continued on to his own room.

"Snape?"

Snape had just entered his room when he heard Harry's call. He sighed to himself and turned back around. Harry was standing just inside the doorway, a look of shock on his face. "What is it, Potter?" Snape grew concerned when Harry didn't answer him and so he walked back down the hallway to stand behind him. He looked in at the room but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Are you sure this is the room that you meant for me to have? This must be Malfoy's."

"What in heaven's name are you going on about, Potter?" Snape snapped. "I know precisely which room I'm giving to whom."

"But, sir," Harry tried again, "this room belongs in a palace or something."

The bedroom that they were currently staring into was nothing short of magnificent. The floors were hardwood, gleaming mahogany, and there were several soft rugs scattered about. On the back wall, between two floor to ceiling windows, was the most intricately carved four poster bed with navy blue hangings that were pulled back on all sides and attached to the posts. An end table sat on either side of it and his trunk was already on the floor at the end. The entire left side wall had built in bookshelves that surrounded a desk that was much bigger than the one Harry currently had at Hogwarts. In the middle of the room, sat a small grey couch with two overstuffed, matching chairs positioned across from it. A small, oval table set between them. The right wall was bare except for the door that led to the bathroom and behind the main door stood a closet big enough for Harry to walk into.

Now Snape understood. "Follow me, Potter."

Harry followed Snape into the bathroom and through the connecting door without even giving it a second glance, but when he stepped out into the other bedroom, his eyes widened. This room was almost exactly the same. The only difference being that the colors here were a deep, forest green and the sitting area was arranged differently.

"The rooms are the same, Potter. However, you are free to decorate yours however you want as long as you keep it clean. The same rules that you have at Hogwarts apply here. I won't have Jenka constantly cleaning up after you."

"I don't know what to say," Harry murmured, still looking around.

"You don't need to say anything." Snape assured him, "It's only a bedroom. If you want, we can go into town sometime in the next few days and get some things to make it more your own?"

They had passed back through the bathroom, and Harry was relieved to see that it was rather simple and much like his own back in their quarters. "That's okay," he said, "I like it just fine how it is."

Snape nodded. "If you change your mind, just let me know."

Harry nodded as he ran his hand over the carved edges of the bed. Snape moved to walk out the door when suddenly he felt something hard run into him. He gasped, the air being knocked from his lungs, and turned around to find Harry firmly pressed against him, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist and his face buried in his robes. Snape was so taken aback that he didn't immediately know what to do. He certainly wasn't the hugging type. He didn't even hug his parents and he had absolutely never been hugged by a child.

But as he looked down at the messy mop of black hair, Snape suddenly felt something deep within him start to stir. James Potter's son was hugging him. He took a deep breath and then slowly, so as not to startle the boy by the sudden movements, Snape lowered his arms to rest around the teenager.

"Thank you." He just barely heard Harry whisper.

Snape cleared his throat. Then as if acting of his own accord, his right hand reached up and carded it's way though Harry's hair. "You need a haircut." He stated. He felt Harry give a small laugh at his words and Snape, though he would never admit it, smiled the smallest bit. "Honestly, child, it's only a room. No need to get so worked up."

Harry nodded and let go of the older man. "I'm going to unpack now."

"See that you do." Snape agreed, "And don't let me catch things just haphazardly thrown about. Put it all away neatly in its proper place."

"I will." Harry said with another nod. Then he turned away from Snape and moved over to his trunk. Snape took one last look at the boy and walked out of the room.

Several minutes later, as Snape stood in his own room, his belongings magically putting themselves away, he sighed heavily and dropped down into a corner chair. He had no idea how to process what had just happened.

What had been happening, if he were being honest with himself. Because now that Snape was thinking about it, there had been more than a few things that had shifted between the two and he hadn't even noticed.

Like how Harry seemed to enjoy their after dinner tea, or how he almost always gave him the comics section of the newspaper in the mornings now. The way he had been helping him in the lab. Carefully moving around so that he didn't accidentally knock into anything, and seeming to be genuinely interested in the potions he was brewing. Once or twice, Harry had even talked him into playing a game of chess with him. Though that usually came about by Harry pestering him until he finally gave in. However the spells he had been teaching him were something that Snape was surprised to find that they both enjoyed.

If someone had told him a month ago that he would be the guardian of one Harry Potter, he would have laughed in their face.

Not James Potter's son. No way.

And yet, here he was, the boy-who-lived in the room next door, completely floored by the simple act of having his own room. Something he should have been permitted to have all along.

What all had those muggles done to him?! He had so far been unsuccessful in getting Harry to open up and talk about the abuse he had suffered at their hands. In fact, it had barely been brought up since that day in the hospital wing. Snape almost felt sick at the thought. Nearly a month he had been in his care and he hadn't once since that day, tried to help that boy heal.

Sure, he had given him the basic necessities and ensured that he had proper meals every day, but beyond that, he hadn't done much at all. And now, here they were, Snape still having no idea the extent of the damage that had been done to the teenager whose care he had been trusted with.

Well, he would fix that. Not because he cared for the boy. No, of course not, simply because he knew how unhealthy it was to keep things bottled up and repressed. That's it. He would work harder to get the boy to open up and talk about how he was feeling and what it had been like growing up with those horrible people.

Snape almost grinned. He could see Dumbledore now, his eyes twinkling at the very idea that Snape himself would be trying to help Jame's Potter's son.

Lily's son.

The thought brought him up short, just as it did everytime he thought about how Lily would feel if she knew how he had treated her son in the past. How he was treating him now.

He closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry." He said quietly into the air around him, "Please forgive me."

Harry sat bolt upright in his bed two days later. Something was wrong. He felt so cold and yet when he looked down, his pajama shirt was soaked through and sticking to his skin. Suddenly a rush of saliva filled his mouth and he desperately tried to scramble out of the bed, knocking against the bedside table in his hurry and causing clock that sat atop it to topple to the ground. He covered his mouth with his hand and hoped with all his might that he could make it to the bathroom.

He did, but only just. All at once, his dinner was making a second appearance all over the bathroom floor. Hot tears sprang to his eyes as he held onto the sink with one hand and clutched his stomach with the other.

Just as he was hoping that that would be the only time, he felt it again and this time he made it to the toilet before he began to retch forcefully again.

Harry tried to calm his breathing. He was fine, he told himself. He'd been through this before back at Privet Drive. He just needed to calm down. He begged his stomach to slow it's churning but it was no use. Just when he thought he was okay, he had to lean over the toilet once more. Til he was sure he had nothing left in his system.

Down the hall, in his own room, Snape awoke at the sound of his name. He looked over the side of his bed to see Jenka looking up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "Please, Master Snape, you must get up!"

"Jenka? What's the matter?" He asked even as he was already moving to sit up.

"Master Harry, sir. He is sick and he is needing you."

Snape needed no further prodding and he quickly left his bed, pulling on his bathrobe as he made his way out the door. He rushed into Harry's room without knocking and the sight he was greeted with stopped him in his tracks.

There in the bathroom floor, sat Harry, covered and surrounded by sick, dry heaving into the commode. Immediately Snape made to go to him but Harry, having just noticed that he'd come in, looked up at him with tear filled eyes and cried, "P-please, d-don't!"

"What?" Snape ignored him in favor of taking the two more steps into the bathroom.

"I'm s-sorry!" Harry cried out again, "I'll c-clean it up, I p-promise."

Snape shook his head at the boy's pleas and with a wave of his wand, the mess in the floor disappeared.

"I-I'm sorry." Harry's face was still a mess of snot and tears.

"Good Heaven's child." He said softly as he walked the rest of the way into the bathroom and kneeled down next to Harry. "What on earth are you apologizing for?" He reached a hand up to feel Harry's forehead and frowned. He was burning up with fever.

"I woke you up." Harry said, his voice still shaking slightly, but at least his tears had mostly stopped. He raised a hand to wipe them away on his pajama shirt.

"You did no such thing." Snape assured him. "Jenka came and got me, and before you go apologizing for that, I'm glad she did. You're sick you silly child."

He stood up then and conjured a glass and filled it with water before kneeling beside Harry once more. "Here." He said, holding it out to him, "Do you think you can drink this? It'll help with the taste in your mouth."

With shaking hands, Harry reached out and carefully took the glass before bringing it to his lips. When he looked as if he might spill it, Snape gently placed his hand over his to steady it and Harry was able to take a few sips. He pushed it away after that though and shook his head.

"Alright." Snape said. "Let's get you cleaned up and back in bed, shall we?"

Harry looked down at his soiled clothes and groaned in disgust. "Ugh."

"If you can, get those off and I'll bring you some more."

Harry nodded and let Snape help him to stand to his feet. When he was sure that he wasn't going to fall, Snape let him go and went back out into the bedroom.

When he came back a moment later, Harry was standing in just his boxers in front of the sink. Snape handed him the fresh clothes and then turned away to give him privacy to change. Once he was done, Snape banished the dirty clothes and led Harry back to his bed.

As Harry got in, Snape picked up the clock that had fallen over and replaced it on the table. Harry remained quiet as he watched Snape wave his wand once more and utter a spell. The next thing he knew, three bottles of potion were soaring through the air and landed with a soft clink on the table.

It was too dark for Harry to see properly without his glasses on but he thought that the first one that Snape picked up was a bluish color.

"Sit up, please." Snape said as he sat on the edge of Harry's bed and held out the potion. Harry did as he was asked and looked miserably at the potion before taking it. "It's a stomach soother." Snape answered his unasked question. "The others are a fever reducer and a calming draught so that you can get some sleep. You're going to take the soother first so that you can keep the other two down."

Harry nodded and for once, he didn't complain at having to take a potion. He brought the liquid up to his mouth and swallowed it down quickly, grimacing at the taste.

"Very good." Snape said, holding out his hand for the empty vial before giving Harry the next one. "Now the fever reducer." Harry took this one without complaint as well and then mercifully he only had the calming draught left.

Once all three potions were down, Harry lay back down and Snape reached over to feel his forehead once more, pleased to see that it was already taking effect and that Harry was a bit cooler. He then took the blankets and pulled them up and over the boys shoulders.

"Try and get some sleep. It's only just after one in the morning. I'll be just down the hall if you need me."

Harry didn't answer but gave a small nod. His eyes were already becoming heavy as he watched Snape stand up and dim the lights in the room. Then before he could stop himself, Snape ran his hand over Harry's hair, ruffling it lightly. Harry hummed in response, his eyes nearly closed now.

Snape walked to the door but before he left, he turned back to take one last look at the boy now completely asleep in the bed. He would be fine now. Snape had brewed those potions himself and he knew that they were good. The stomach soother wouldn't wear off for several hours, and yet, Snape couldn't shake the feeling that he should stay close.

And before he could talk himself out of it, Snape walked over to one of the overstuffed chairs and sat down. Just in case Harry woke early for some reason and needed him. He would be here.