NOTE:
I was in bed when suddenly, BAM! Stupid idea surfaced. Then I promptly got up to write it. Please be gentle, I had to bear the wrath of my mother when she discovered me sneakily typing past midnight so mistakes might be in nooks and crannies (Why oh why did she have to use the bathroom?) REVIEW!

Thanks for all your ideas, they were fantastic! Unfortunately, I uh, wrote it before I could read the reviews, so why don't we try this, then if it sounds stupid, I edit it, slipping in some of the reviewer's ideas or change it completely? Don't be afraid to suggest so, I'm inviting you!

One word of advice, never go to bed thinking about your fic or you'll never get to go to sleep. Trying to hard to overcome writer's block...uh...^^

To:

Tielle, S, crazed-laff, Loopy Luna Lovegood -- Thank you for all your support, I can't imagine what will I do without people like you!
Anarian, Missa, texasjeanette, Serebii, Lory, MiruSedna, SilverSerpent04, selenium_rubid, ER, Froboy -- Thank you so much! Great ideas, I'm putting them in store for definite future use. Thank you for taking the time to suggest them to me, I seriously thought everyone will ignore me :)
Ki -- You know what, you are BRILLIANT! Although I didn't use the teach-defense thing for this one, I'm certainly using it in the later chapters just to see what Sirius would do when Harry turns up all knowledgeable about DADA! Then I'll make him teach Harry more stuff and Snape starts teaching him more, and he gets more and more confused and ends up blasting them both up. YES! Brilliant idea! Ki, you are a genius! I'm using that for the next ones! :)
Pixy -- Well, you reviewed! Receiving even one review makes me hit the sky, so don't worry if you don't have ideas, you made my day!
Siri Kat -- Hey, writers sometimes have to listen to others too! No point writing a fic which everyone think it sucks :)
texasjeanette -- Yeah, actually. That's what I was actually thinking too, but I'm afraid that portraying a fearful Harry every chapter may be overkill. But of course, if that's what you want...*evil glint*
Serebii -- Haha! That's funny!
Orka -- Legillemency, this chapter's something like that! In a twisted way.
Tati1 -- Thanks for the two-in-one! (Yay, stay, stay!) Yeah, noticed that too, that's what was wrong in that chapter. Too short and fast. I'm editing it over the weekend. Cupboard? Huh?
Kate -- We are both bloody magnificent! That's a great idea, but it's hard to write. I'm bad at this kind of stuff!
Black Penther -- Oh no! I'm saving the nightmare thing for the future chapters when Snape and Sirius rescues Harry from the Dursleys. Don't ask, I'll give the whole idea away. Hehe, thanks for the suggestion, we think along the same lines!
Mikee -- Good one. But then I've to have an extensive knowledge myself! Having skipped over the 'Care of Magical Creatures' book in the bookstore, I have to write them myself of which you definitely don't want to read my creations! It'll screw up the entire situation, haha!
Lyss33 -- No, no, not dumb! Never say that!
Amie87 -- Good point. I'm starting to slip up nowadays. *bangs head on computer*
Japonica -- Haha! Yes, I'm alright! You are making me laugh!
SeekerGirl17 -- If you want him to be, he's there. Just for you!
basest-8 -- Thank you for the assurance! I love you!
Mystical*in*Black -- Hahaha! I don't even think much about the meaning of life much!
Tessa -- Oh dear, must invent more stuff to put down there already!
Sheya -- Long review, yes! First, thanks for the correction, I laughed when I realized what that actually projected! I changed it, thanks!
Oh, yes, it helps! I'm more knowledgeable now!
Pirate Princess -- Oh, don't let me hear that! I'll be itching to make Harry blow the whole school to smithereens! I'm that mean.
athenakitty -- Now I've got so used to your unique way of reviewing that I actually miss it!
ParanoiaIn2005 -- *snaps fingers* That's it! Too fast. Tati1 discovered that too. I'm going to rewrite that scene. Thanks for pointing that out! Ahhh...mouth of babes...so cute, so sweet! *beam*
Layce74 -- Ooh yes! Small space! Haha, wouldn't it be awfully funny when cool Snape starts to panic? That's a great thought!

Me-Love-You Owl to Seekergirl17 and Amber16!

Because of ff.net slowness *growl* in updating the reviews, I missed a few reviewers that I didn't reply to in the past chapters, sorry!:

Mystical*in*Black -- Yeah, one hell of a bored kid, haha! (C.3)
-- Arrow? Hehe, just start drawing with slashes and 'L's like crazy! (C.4)
Megliz -- *blush, returns to normal color, looks at your review and blushes again* Thanks! (C.3)
Angel74 -- Thanks a million! (C.3)
Siri Kat -- Yeah, do, do. Harry needs hugging after I did all that. *sniffles hard and blows nose in tissue* (C.4)
Belle -- Do what Japonica advised: add a question mark after the Thanks for reading!
Leila Fayla -- Love you!

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With Time Comes Trust: You and I

It was six in the morning. The sky was still dark but with slight tints of light hinting the arrival of dawn. Minerva had already come to fetch Sirius where they would go down to Hogsmeade together to take care of the preparations needed to carry out a birthday surprise for Harry. Sirius opened the door to let her in, then stood in the middle of the doorway looking back forlornly.

Harry had not awaken from his sleep yet, and Sirius didn't want to wake him up either. However, he had to leave and he had not told Harry that he had to. "Should I just write a note?" Sirius asked desperately.

"Severus would explain it to him," Minerva assured him.

"I just don't trust Snape's creativity. Lord knows what stupid excuses he'll stir up," Sirius half growled.

"I just don't know why you can't live a day without insulting me," Snape replied coming into view after having turned the corner needed to reach Sirius' chambers. "I believe making up a simple explanation is well within my power."

"Oh, really?" Sirius said disbelievingly. "Let me hear one."

Snape hadn't really gave the Excuse much thought, and he wasn't about to admitting it, having been extra reluctant to take care of Harry today. "If you would just leave me alone, Black. I have been utterly helpful in taking over this tedious task of taking care of a 10 year old and it would show incredible gratefulness if you will please stop insulting my intelligence."

"Just say it, you have no idea," Sirius baited, fishing.

"Sirius..."

"Well, if your knowledge far surpasses mine, you cheating scumbag of a Defense professor, you could show me your brilliant ideas."

"Severus..."

"So you can copy them? And who are you calling a cheating scumbag?"

"STOP IT!" Minerva snarled at her two former students.

"SHHHH!" Sirius and Severus snapped at Minerva. Severus immediately went red when he realized he was actually bothering to let Harry sleep in peace.

"Can we just go?" Minerva asked, exasperated.

"I want to, it's just Snape who's - "

"Oh right, if you didn't know, I - "

"Severus, stay with Harry! Sirius, follow me!" Minerva barked ending the argument.

After throwing a venomous glare at each other, Sirius and Minerva departed leaving Snape who very much longed to slam the door but instead closed it gently.

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Harry stirred, opening his eyes as slowly as possible. The bed was warm and cozy, and he dreaded to get out of it.

"Time you woke up, it's already 10 o'clock."

Harry frowned at the unfamiliar voice knowing it didn't belong to his Godfather. Blinking to clear the sleepy haze, he saw Professor Snape sitting in a chair far across the room scribbling on a parchment.

"If you could get ready, we're going down to the Great Hall for breakfast," Snape laid down his quill, rolling the parchment up and capping the ink bottle.

"Yes, sir."

Snape nodded curtly. "I'll wait for you outside." Standing up, he moved to the door with his ink, quill and parchment in hand to give the boy a bit of privacy.

Harry waited until the door closed with a soft click before getting out of bed slowly. Where was Sirius? He pushed the question out of his head abruptly. He'll take whatever comes his way. Taking a light shower and brushing his teeth, he dressed himself and opened the door to see a scowling Snape.

"What took you so long?" Without waiting for an answer, the Potions Master walked ahead, not looking to see if Harry was following him

Harry didn't bother to answer either and followed Snape quickly before the man could disappear around corners. They entered the Great Hall where Snape rapped the nearest table sharply with his hand before a plate of toast and a full glass of milk appeared.

"Eat up. We'll have lunch later than usual."

Snape didn't eat with Harry and Harry assumed he had breakfast. Snape looked quite impatient and Harry had tried to eat quickly but Snape wouldn't let him go until he ate every single bite and drank every drop of his milk.

"I have a lot of work to do," Snape said sharply as he led the way to the Potions' classroom "Potions to brew and bottle, so I'll appreciate it if you just sit quietly in a corner and just do what you like to occupy your time, but please don't touch anything or you'll be sorry."

Harry nodded and wished he had thought of bringing one of Sirius' 'Jinxing Your Enemy' books. His Godfather seemed to have a wide range of books on that subject and he was just as curious to know what could be done to one's victim.

Snape opened a door to a classroom, and impatiently ushered Harry in. "Take whichever seat you want but please stay out of my way."

Harry chose the farthest table and sat down at a corner. Snape didn't look up to see where Harry was, busying himself by taking down ingredients and empty vials. Lighting a fire beneath a large cauldron with his wand, he poured a large bottle of dark brown liquid and waited for it to boil, chopping up some kind of roots while it was. Although feeling curious, Harry knew better than to ask.

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Harry traced the scarring on the table with a finger. Someone had carved the letters 'Locomotor Mortis' on the surface and he wondered what it was. "Locomotor Mortis," he said softly, pondering many ideas on what it could be.

A yell erupted from Professor Snape in front of the classroom. Harry jumped and looked up, frightened. "What's wrong?"

He couldn't see Professor Snape anywhere and he broke in a run to reach the front. "Professor?"

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry yelped and jerked back three steps. He had nearly trodden on Snape who was lying on the floor, legs together in a tight lock.

"Why are you down here?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Why am I here? WHY AM I HERE!?" Snape bellowed. "GIVE ME MY WAND!"

"What wand?" Harry asked desperately.

"WHAT WAND! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT A FREAKING WAND IS? THAT ONE ON THE TABLE!"

Harry trembled with fear as he grabbed the slender object in his hands and passed it to Snape who immediately waved it and unlocked his legs jumping up, an angry expression on his face. "Harry Potter! Haven't anyone told you to stay away from things you don't know? Don't you have a little if not much sense in your brain!"

"I didn't know what was it!" Harry said, feeling extremely confused. "I'm sorry!" He took a step backwards as Snape took a step nearer.

"Haven't a decade with those Muggles knocked any sense in you?" Snape bellowed.

Harry was silent, not daring to say anything aloud to the furious professor.

"Just thought it'll be funny just to say it without thinking of the consequences? Thought it would be entertaining to just amuse yourself by cursing me? You'll be wrong! I told you that you'll be sorry if did anything, and this surely includes in it!" Snape continued, not realizing or remembering that Harry had not learned any magic before and didn't even own a wand.

Harry's eyes filled with tears, wanting to just be anywhere but here, couldn't Professor Snape understand? He didn't mean it, he didn't! He glanced up, frightened and his eyes met with the professor's and their gazes locked.

Then he was suddenly flying backwards, the past events in his previous 10 years flashing before him. He was eight, and his uncle was screaming at him for not washing his car properly; he wasn't tall enough and he couldn't reach to scrub the upper part of the windshield.

Then he was in the kitchen, Aunt Petunia shaking him angrily, slapping him hard on both cheeks again and again. Another flash and he struggling to carry large heavy bags from the car to the bedrooms. The Dursleys had went for a week's holiday in Paris and had left him alone in the house with only two loaves of bread and a tub of butter.

Yet another flash brought him back to where Dudley and his friends cornered him at the garage and proceeded to beat him up thoroughly. He had hit back, out of defense and had managed to give Dudley a small bruise on his chin. Aunt Petunia had been mad and had not given him any dinner that day. The flashes continued until Harry collided with a solid object and fell to the ground, shaking with fear, bad memories unearthed and relived.

His eyes filled with tears and he cried silently, shivering as he looked up from the back of the classroom. Professor Snape was on the ground too, trembling slightly as he looked back at Harry from the front of the classroom. It seemed that something had thrown them in opposite directions as they were standing in the middle of the room a minute ago.

Once again, dark black eyes met Harry's bright emerald orbs but this time nothing happened. Harry looked down as fresh tears started to spill, running down his face in rivulets. He felt sick to his bones, confused as time and memories collided with one another, bringing a unhappy, sad, frightened feeling deep in his stomach. All he felt was that he wanted to do was to cry and cry until he could cry no more.

Then strong arms lifted him up and pulled him into a protective embrace. Harry didn't fight it, continuing to let his silent tears flow while the arms just held him and a shoulder provided a place to weep.

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Severus Snape didn't know how long he had remained in the same position, just holding the boy, his mind frozen in numbing shock. He needed time to sort what had just happened and as he held Harry close, he did just that.

For one moment, he had been furiously angry at the child for casting a Leg-Locking curse on him, and then one moment he had been flying towards the front of the classroom, memories of Harry's childhood flashing through his mind.

For that minute, he saw everything that Harry had ever gone through in the past decade, felt everything that Harry felt, and understood every single one of the boy's feelings and thoughts. He saw all that the boy had to endure, and now understood that he had been terribly wrong on his judgment towards him.

Noticing that Harry had fallen asleep from exhaustion, he slowly rose from the ground. As he walked slowly, still a bit stunned over the incident, he realized that throughout the last decade, there was an everlasting hope that was buried deep in the boy's heart that had just been shared with him. For every birthday wish Harry had made by himself on the stroke of midnight since he was five, he always asked for someone to love him for who he was.

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"You actually did what?"

Snape still looked tired as he rubbed his face with his hands. He had tucked Harry in bed then headed straight to Professor Dumbledore's office.

"I don't know, one moment I was yelling, then another moment I was on the ground with all these memories in my head. They were so vivid, it was like being there with Harry when it happened," Snape explained. "What the hell happened?"

There was a thoughtful look on Dumbledore's face as he glanced up at his staff member. "Harry seems to have a great amount of magic in his system. Not surprising, given that Lily and James was naturally gifted with it. I think that he was actually wanting to tell you, willing you to understand that he didn't mean to er, curse you. His power is raw, unfocused. He didn't know and he couldn't control it."

"I didn't mean to be so angry, I just...exploded," Snape sighed, rubbing his temples now.

"I know," Dumbledore said, smiling. Snape always had a temper that he needed to get under control sometimes. "I'm sure he didn't mean to curse you, he must have read it somewhere in the classroom and just said it aloud. When he starts his first year at Hogwarts, we will teach him to focus and control it."

Snape nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that's good."

"You look tired, Severus," the Headmaster observed.

"No." Snape said, grimly. "Just stunned that on this face of the earth, there are actually Muggles that disgusting and evil." The shock having wore off, anger had started surfacing. The Dursleys were going to pay. Some way or another. He will make sure, personally, that Harry would never return to those Muggles again.

For once in his entire life, he was on Sirius' side.

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Imperio! Press that button and review! :)

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