Hiya! Sorry about the long wait, but it looks like that length of time is going to become pretty standard. Having a job is seriously cutting into my life and it's getting rather annoying. Still, paychecks are nice. (That's the thought that gets me through to the end of the week anyway.)

Since I have to be at work in a couple hours, I'm not going to reply to every review (You all are so wonderful, I love every single one of you and your words of encouragement are what prompt me to keep writing even though I know I have only six hours to sleep before I have to be back at work. Thank You!) But I am going to reply to a few th at I really think need a response (or the ones I just cou ldnt' let pass without remark.)

Mystiksnake: Yes, Harry's appearance is going to change, but if you've read The Rules for Severitus' Challenge you'd know when to expect it. I'm going into that more later, in the story and in future authors notes. No, I didn't say where they were going, but you'll know in a few paragraphs. :)

Jan: Everyone seemed to like Harry eliminating the Mark. I was surprised because that was one of those things I was seriously considering leaving out. I didn't think it fit, but apparently it does. Unfortunately, that means half my "Back at Hogwarts" stuff doesn't fit now because it required Severus still being a spy. sigh Oh, well, I'll work it out. Glad you've stuck around!

Munku-JGSPTV: I did reserach for you that involved re-reading several of my favourite parts of multiple Harry Potter Books. I hope you appreciate that. wink Okay, I believe the first mention we have of a Vanishing Cabinet is in CoS. I believe (I loaned my copy of that one out so I can't check) that Nearly Headless Nick convinced Peeves to cause a disturbance and Peeves dropped the cabinet outside Filch's office. Filch was furious and was sure he could get Peeves sent away because a Vanishing Cabinet was very valuble. I don't think it showed up again until OotP when Fred and George Weasley shoved Montague (who was a member of Umbridges group) into it. They only did so because it was a vanishing cabinet, otherwise it would have been pointless. Montague promptly vanished and and wasn't seen until days later when he was found disoriented in a bathroom. There, two instances, besided HPB, where the "Vanishing Cabinet" appeared. I believe it may have even been in SS, but my niece obsconded with my copy of that one over a year ago and I haven't seen it since. Sorry, I can't leave it alone either. :) Really, I never meant spark a debate like this. I was just looking for a fixture that Harry could want to discover the secrets of and possibly want to add to the Map. I wrote that even before HBP came out, it was just a randome thought.

I know Harry's connection to Hogwarts seems a bit cliché but trust me when I say I'm going somewhere with it and it will not (probably not) be vital to the storyline. It's kind of like the Vanishing cabinet. I'm also glad that the you liked the bonding, there's more of that coming up and I'm trying very hard to keep them in c haracter, or at least, in pre-HBP character. I'm going to stop here, though there is much more I want to say. I have a few more replies then i have to leave so...

deb: I actually wrote a good portion of this story that way and am seriously considering using that idea for a second fic. (part of what takes me so long to post is that I write way more than what fist in with the story line. I have everything written for at least three different branches in this storyline.) If you e-mail me, I'll contact you when I post that one or you can just log in and put me on author alert. That goes for everyone, BTW.

Shadowed Rains: Well... yes, you rambled a bit, but I am certainly guilty of the same thing (constantly) from time to time. grin Let's see... Yes, Potions and Snitches rocks, I frequently find myself perusing their lists. I'm very glad you like my story and I hope you continue to leave such up-beat replies. Yes, I can answer your question, and yes they are going back to hogwarts, unless, of course, I change my mind before them. I've got Hogwarts scenes written, but I 've only got about four chapters between now and then, so I don't know what's happening. Wait, I shouldn't admit that, should it? Oh, well. Int he future, feel free to ask away and I'll e-mai lyou i fyou asked something I shouldn't answer.

No, I don't think we're doing any special training, I like that in some fics, but I hate it when it's badly done and I don't think I can do it well. Sorry about hte typos, when i get time I'll go back over everything and fix the mistakes everyone keeps pointing out, so plese don't stop doing so. Until then, you'll have to read around them. I wish I was better about catching them the first time around, but I apparently am not. sigh Thanks for reviewing!

Everyone: Um, I think that's it, I pretty much covered all the questions and the comments that I felt really needed a response. If you had something specific that I missed, please e-mail me. Thanks for reviewing! There really wasnt' a good place to end this chapter, so it just kinda stops, hope you all don't mind too much.


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Harry woke slowly, briefly remembering a feeling of warmth in his dreams. It was not quite the same as the safe, warm feeling he felt when his father held him. That time, he'd felt the fear, the cold, and the pain creeping up, only to be chased away.

This warmth was solid, unchanging, like a wall between himself and everything else. Only the warmth seemed to be saying goodbye...

No, it was saying 'until you return,' he was sure of it. Shaking the sensation of farewell off, he sat up in the soft bed.

Oddly enough, the room was already familiar to him. Ordinarily, he required a few moments to orient himself when he woke up in a strange place. This room was different, somehow. As he dressed, he offered the walls a feeble smirk. Of course, the strangest part was that he should feel so immediately comfortable in Snape's house.

Dressing quickly, he started towards the dining room, remembering his arrival the night before. They'd taken a Portkey to Snape's manor as Harry was unable to apparate and the house was not attached to the Floo network.

Harry had landed roughly, as per usual, and nearly dropped his trunk. Recovering quickly, he glanced up at his teacher. The man apparently hadn't noticed Harry's difficulties and the boy saw no reason to draw his attention to them.

"This is the drawing room, obviously," Snape had said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You'll see most of the house on the way to your room, so I won't be giving you a tour." He hesitated a moment, then said, "Come along, then."

Harry carried his trunk and followed the Professor as quickly as possible. The house was fairly large and mostly dark, though that might have been because it was night. Harry had noticed that lighting seemed to be scarce in most wizarding buildings. Usually, he liked the dim lighting.

The drawing room opened onto a large foyer that held what was obviously the front door and a low arch that led into a short hall. Immediately to his right, once they had entered the hallway, Harry saw a large library through a second arch. Directly opposite that was a stately dining room. Past that, were a pair of closed doors which Snape identified as a laboratory and a second, primarily unused, sitting room.

At the end of the hall was a spiral stair made of warm-toned wood. At the top was a second hall. An arch to his right revealed a dark room whose purpose Harry couldn't immediately identify. Harry followed Snape past three more closed doors (unused bedrooms) before the older man stopped and opened one.

"This is your bedroom, you are welcome to change the colours and furniture in any way you like, within reason. The next door down is my private chambers. Aside from my rooms you are welcome to go anywhere you like. Please stay indoors until I am able to show you the extent of the wards outside. Even then it is safer indoors, but I realize I cannot keep you hostage inside forever."

Harry smiled slightly, unsure what to say. "I won't leave without your permission," he said finally. "Is there anything else I should know about right off?"

Snape offered him an unreadable expression. "You should be fine tonight. Breakfast is at seven, if you are late, you are on your own. You saw the dining room on your way in?" Harry nodded. "I'll see you at seven, then. Good night."

At some point, unsure of how to address each other, they had both simply stopped using names and title at all. They spoke to each other, but never called the other by name. Sometimes, as now, it made for odd, stilted conversations.

"Good night," Harry replied. Snape turned away without a word.

His room had been quite large and well furnished. The large bed was stained hardwood with a light blue canopy and hangings. The bedspread was in a matching colour with darker trim and the walls themselves were white with dark blue trim. The chest of drawers and wardrobe and desk all matched the bed and a white screen with blue trim had been set up in one corner, a low changing table and bench behind it.

It wasn't until morning that Harry noticed the huge windows that spilled light on either side of the bed. Each was as wide as the door and as tall as he was. The sills were low, barely a foot off the floor, and the glass swung open as two tall and narrow panes. The draperies matched the bedspread and opened easily to light up the room.

Harry had left the drapes and one window open when he went down to breakfast, not sure when Hedwig might get here. He'd noticed the owl perch just inside the window and had settled Hedwig's cage on a low stool next to it before heading down to breakfast.

The entire house was more welcoming with sunlight streaming through the windows, which, Harry now noted, featured heavily throughout the house. All had their heavy drapes pushed aside in favour of thinner, translucent curtains. The room he'd noticed at the top of the stairs appeared to be a reading room. The corner was rounded and filled with windows as well as a soft-looking window seat.

Skipping his explorations for now, Harry continued down the steps, noticing the slight hollow sound his footsteps made, and into the lower hallway. This had no windows, but the sconces on the walls as well as the light trickling in through the arch-ways was more than enough.

The dining room was as he remembered it. The table was ridiculously long for two people, though not for the number of people the house was apparently capable to catering to. It was not set, though it was covered with a fine white cloth and three tall candles were spaced along it's length. Just as Harry was debating sitting down, he noticed a door that led off the room. Pushing it open easily, as it had no latch, Harry discovered one of the largest kitchens he had ever seen.

Though smaller than the ones at Hogwarts, the space was still enormous. The stove had eight burners with an equally large griddle attached. An island with a sink to one end stood opposite the stove while a huge cabinet stood to the side. The other side of the stove held more counter space with wooden cupboards above it and a second, larger sink in the middle of the counter that continued around the corner on the next wall. Standing before the stove, adding bacon to a sizzling pan, was Severus Snape.

Harry stepped forward slowly, not wanting to either surprise or upset the man and unsure what to do. He finally settled himself on a stool that sat before the counter and just watched. The Professor wore black trousers and a matching shirt, though Harry could see his robe hanging from a hook to the side of the cabinet. Once the pan was settled on the burner, Snape turned and seemed to be startled to find Harry sitting there.

"Good morning," he said, recovering quickly. He turned to the cabinet and retrieved a bottle of juice. Harry could feel the cold air rush out when the door was opened and he realized it was a well disguised refrigerator.

Harry replied in kind and found a glass of juice set before him. After sipping it, he said, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Snape studied him. "Can you make pancakes?"

Harry nodded and rounded the counter. The griddle was turned on with a single knob and after a few moments searching, Harry found all the things he needed. Ten minutes later, the pancakes were nearly done and Snape was leaning against the counter glaring at him.

Feeling suddenly defensive Harry folded his arms and asked, "What did I do wrong now?"

"You are quite perplexing."

Harry blanked his face and after a moment, replied, "I am going to take that as a compliment, I think. We'll get along better that way."

Snape passed him a serving platter and turned to the stove, which had three pans now, to tend his own work. "Oh believe me, it is a compliment. If I wanted to insult you, I wouldn't bother to wonder about you. You would simply be beneath my notice."

Harry snorted before he could stop himself, but otherwise left the comment alone. All the platters were added to a large tray that also held plates, flatware, glasses, juice, and coffee. Snape gathered this wordlessly and Harry followed him to the dining room. Together, they set the table and served themselves.

They ate in silence for a long time, then Harry said, "This is an odd house." Realizing that sounded terrible, he amended, "I mean, it's nice, but it's strange."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure. First, it's nothing like I would have expected from your house." Snape smirked at that, but nodded at Harry to continue. "Second, it's not like any other magical building that I've ever been in. So far I haven't seen one thing that was blatantly magical. Third, it's huge, nicely decorated, obviously very clean, and occupied by only one person, well, two people now."

"Very good, any other observations?" Snape seemed intrigued, so Harry continued.

"Yeah, there are lots and lots of windows but doors only on private rooms, bedrooms and your laboratory. There are several fireplaces, but you said we're not on the Floo network. And the only door outside I've seen is the front door."

"There is a second door through my laboratory, should you need to know. The reason you've seen nothing magical in this house is because it is a muggle residence. The first witch or wizard to live here was my maternal grandmother. She was muggleborn and this is her family estate. It was built before electricity was common in the area and, though her family was well off, they never bothered to have it installed. Grandmother was an only child, though her parents were both from large families. Hence the large house. Her only child was my mother and I inherited this home from her. As it is not an inherently magical residence, solitude and quiet are easy to find here."

"It also makes a good hiding place," Harry said evenly.

"That too," Snape conceded. "As far as I know, you, myself, and Dumbledore are the only ones who know of this building's existence. The locals are all muggles who are on good enough terms with me not to question my presence but not friendly enough to disturb me."

Harry smiled at that. "It sounds too good to be true."

"It is, really. There is very little protection here, compared to your aunt's home or Hogwarts, though the blood protection your mother left you should be strong enough to bleed over to where ever you are staying. That is why you are able to visit with the Weasley's and to visit Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley without Voldemort attacking you instantly. You are, essentially, un-trackable to those who mean you harm."

"I didn't know that," Harry admitted.

Snape snorted. "Of course you didn't, Dumbledore did not want you to know. He felt you might do something rash if you know you wouldn't be attacked the moment you set foot out of doors."

Harry pondered that. "Is this spell, this protection..." he fumbled for the correct words, "Does this have a name?"

"I don't think this specific spell does. It is based on an old magics and blood bonds. I have a few books you could read on the subject."

"I'd like that."

About that time, Harry realized they had both finished eating and began gathering the dished back onto the tray. He picked up the heavy tray and started toward the door.

"Can you manage that?" Snape asked, rising to assist.

"Yes, I've got it. Thanks."

The older man nodded and pushed open the door with one arm. Harry gathered the utensils and pans they'd used earlier and dumped the lot in the larger sink. After he'd finished and left the pans in the rack to air-dry, he turned to find his father leaning against the wall by the door, once again wearing his long black robe.

"I'm going to be busy most of the day." He seemed uncomfortable and Harry fought not to grin. The image was simply too at odds with his previous image of the man. It was not too difficult to adopt a light tone.

"Don't worry, I wasn't expecting you to entertain me." Harry's voice was slightly amused despite his best efforts but the older man simply nodded.

"If you should need me I will be in my lab. You are on your own for lunch, you seem capable in the kitchen, but I will help you with dinner at six."

"Yes sir." Harry was unsure what else to say, but Snape seemed satisfied and turned away. Left alone, Harry wandered out through the dining room and explored the house a bit.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The remaining downstairs rooms were just as they had appeared the night before, if a bit brighter. The library was truly huge and fully half the books in it were muggle. What was intriguing was the cataloguing method. Harry had some experience with both magical and muggle systems from Hogwarts, his primary school, and the public library he'd been allowed to visit occasionally. This library seemed to meld magical and muggle systems so that common household spells were next to sewing pattern books. Potions and chemistry were together along with first-aid and healing books. Healing blended into anatomy. Transfiguration and charms could be found spread throughout several subjects, including those on anatomy, mundane and magical creatures, and anywhere else they seemed to fit.

As interesting as it was, however, it did not hold his attention long. Harry eventually found his way through the sitting room, which was connected with another archway, and up the stairs to the second floor. The reading room was bright and cheerful, but aside from some squishy chairs and low tables, was mostly bare. The bedrooms were all fully furnished and looked ready to be slept in, there were five, aside from his and Snape's. At the end of the hall opposite the stairs, Harry found another archway. This room differed greatly from any other in the house.

Two walls and the entire ceiling were made of glass and sunlight streamed in. The air inside was warm and quite humid. He had to descend a long spiral stair to get to the ground, but once he did, he found he was standing on a stone path that cut through fresh green grass. Raised beds filled most of the space, though large areas had been left green. Baskets and small platforms hung from the ceiling supports and vines and small trees turned the space into a jungle. The room was rectangular, twice as long as it was wide, and two stories tall. The path wound through the space, though he could see there were slightly hidden clearings that one would have to cut across the grass to get to.

Harry was startled out of his examination as a soft grinding noise sounded. He looked around and noticed several windows were opening on their own. A cool breeze drifted across the space. Frowning, he examined the windows and found a track with an embedded chain, but could not find the mechanism that started it moving. Deciding it must be a magical addition, he left his questions for another day.

After fetching some homework from his room, Harry spent a pleasant morning working at a table and chairs he found in the garden room. Lunch was sandwiches and juice and he returned to the Garden with an interesting looking book from the library. When he got there, more windows were open, drawing his curiosity to the view outside. From this side of the house, at this height, he could see the ocean to the south. It was just a bit of a haze from here and it was mostly obscured by two large ridges that seemed to meet, but it was there. The land looked very much like the land around Hogwarts, though Harry wasn't sure he was well travelled enough to tell anything short of major changes.

Glancing up at the view periodically, Harry made his way through half the story before setting it aside and heading downstairs to meet Snape for dinner. So far, they had managed several civil conversations, had worked together to solve a problem, and had lived in the same house for nearly twenty hours and no one had died or even been cursed. This was definitely a record for them. He had no desire to break the cycle any sooner than absolutely necessary.

Besides, his mind kept cycling back to waking up safe and protected...

As he stood, Harry noticed the windows sliding themselves closed, as he had assumed they would. Taking his book with him, he headed for the kitchen. Again, he found Snape already there. Leaving his book, which he'd meant to drop in his bedroom, on the dining room table, he offered to help.

They said little while the meal was prepared and all of it centred around the cooking. (Would you stir this, chop these finely, the water is boiling.) After a time, Snape said, "We misses your evaluation this morning."

Harry winced. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"As did I." Harry goggled at the admission and turned back to his work to hide his expression.

"We missed last night's, as well. I don't believe any harm was done, but we should proceed with the morning and evening examinations as before. I think after breakfast and after dinner would be good times, yes?"

Harry, though still startled his opinion was being asked, had no preference and quickly agreed. Dinner was quiet and before he knew it, he was being led into Snape's lab.

The large room was divided into two sections, the first was a small office, the second was obviously a workspace. The walls were covered in shelves that contained everything from bottles and jars, to books, to various equipment whose purpose Harry could not fathom. The centre of the workspace was filled with tables and counters of varying height and width.

Snape gestured to one of the low tables and Harry climbed up and lay down.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, what are you doing?"

The professor had just been incanting the usual spell and looked surprised by the question. "I am allowing myself to see where the various spells your mother created around you intersect and how the interact with each other and with your own magical reservoirs."

"What does that tell you?"

Snape sighed. He set his wand on the counter. "It tells me many things, including how these spells are affecting your health and your magical reserves. Either could be damaged by the spells breaking down."

Harry paled. "You mean, I could be seriously hurt?"

"That is much less of a possibility than it was originally," Snape conceded. "The breakdown of these spells has slowed measurably. Right now, I am hoping to discover during their break down exactly how each of these spells works."

Harry nodded in understanding and looked at the ceiling. "I'm sorry for bothering you, go ahead."

Not having realized his frustration was bleeding into his voice, Snape was startled by the boy's response. Unsure how to respond, he continued with the spell. When he saw no major changes, he released it and the boy.

Before Harry could leave the room, he said, "I apologize for being harsh with you. It's a bit of a habit."

"That's all right. Can you tell anything else about the appearance charms my Mother used?"

Snape appeared thoughtful. "I'm afraid not. I really can't tell anything about the charms other than how fast or slow they are disintegrating."

The look that crossed the boy's face was one of disappointment.

"I believe the appearance charms were in the first layer Lily created, which means they are breaking up more slowly than the protection spells, which are nearly gone already. I think noticeable changes will start in about a week, though it will likely take a few months for any major changes, should they occur."

"Well, that's fitting," Harry grumbled.

"How so?"

"My birthday's in a week. I like the irony."

Yes, the boy was definitely more like him than James, Snape couldn't help but think. The ever Gryffindor James Potter would not have such thoughts.

To the older man's disbelief, Harry smiled and said, "Thanks," before leaving the room.

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That day set a sort of routine for the next few days. Harry woke and helped Snape make breakfast, joined Snape for his examination, then amused himself for the remainder of the day while Snape worked on various things in his lab. They made dinner together in the evening and then Harry was examined again before retiring to his room for the evening.

It was on Harry's third full day at the manor that the routine was disrupted and Harry woke to the sound of someone humming cheerfully outside his bedroom door. He put on his glasses and frowned at the clock until his eyes cleared enough to read it. He bolted out of bed when he realized it was nearly noon.

The humming moved down the hall and Harry dressed quickly as the conversations of the night before rushed through his ming. He'd lain awake until nearly dawn turning a million thoughts over and over in his mind, wondering where things would go from here.

In jeans and a tee shirt, Harry padded barefoot to his door and peeked out through it. A woman in an apron was sweeping the hardwood floors, humming happily and pulling a cleaning cart. She reached the end of the hall and pulled a dust pan from the cart to transfer the little pile of dirt into the rubbish bin on the cart. She turned and smiled at Harry.

"Oh, good, dear, you're up. Mr. Romaine asked me not to disturb you, but I'd really like to do your drapes and linens. Otherwise I'm through up here."

Harry frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't understand... Who are you?"

"Mrs. Bea Worthman, at your service, sir. I'm not surprised Mr. Romaine forgot to tell you I was coming. He forgot to tell me you were visiting until this very morning. He seems a bit out of it today, if you don't mind me saying so."

Harry wasn't sure what to say about that, so he pulled the door open all the way and stepped back into his room. Most everything was still packed safely in his trunk. His clothes were all stowed in the wardrobe with only a pair of shoes cluttering the floor.

When Mrs. Worthman stepped inside, Hedwig flew in through the open window and straight for Harry, landing gently on his shoulder. The old woman started, then stepped back. Harry hurried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, ma'am. Hedwig is a pet. She's very well trained."

Mrs. Worthman stepped forward with one hand extended. Hedwig ruffled her feathers but allowed the woman to stroke her gently.

"Here," Harry said, pulling out a bag of owl treats. "She won't be happy until I've given her some bacon or toast, it's rather later than she's used to eating breakfast." He passed one of the treats to the old woman and Hedwig accepted it graciously from her hand.

After eating the treat, Hedwig flew off to her perch.

"You let her come and go as she pleases?" Mrs. Worthman asked.

Harry shrugged. "As I said, she's very well trained. It would be cruel to keep her locked up all the time."

"Too true, too true." She looked around the room appraisingly. "Not staying very long?"

The words were innocently spoke, but all of a sudden Harry couldn't help a feeling of foreboding. He'd too often found something good, only to lose it soon after. Her words seemed to imply that the same thing would happen now.

"Why do you ask?" He said icily.

The old woman raised both hands in a show of goodwill. "Don't worry about me, I'm just an odd one. I like to ask questions. When you get to be my age, though, you realize that the wondering is more fun than knowing."

"And I pay you well you mind your business," a cold voice said from the doorway. Snape stalked into the room in dark jeans and an equally black shirt. "No questions asked, no rumours spread. I like my privacy and Mr. Evans shares my sentiments."

The woman was instantly formal and contrite. "My apologies, Mr. Romaine. I was only commenting that the room seemed rather empty. I meant no offence."

"The rest of Mr. Evans things have not arrived yet. There has been a slight delay that will shortly be worked out."

Having been warned by Snape's use of a false name, Harry did not even flinch at being referred to as Mr. Evans. He was surprised, however, when Snape moved to stand behind him, placing his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"If there are no more questions, Madam?" Snape's voice was still icy though he squeezed Harry's shoulders reassuringly.

"No sir. I'll just get back to my work now..." She began stripping the bed, coldly ignoring Snape who turned to Harry.

"Breakfast is waiting, if you're hungry?"

Harry nodded and allowed the older man to steer him out of the room and down the stairs. When they were safely behind the closed kitchen door, Harry asked his questions.

"Who was that?"

"Mrs. Worthman is my housekeeper. She comes in once a week to sweep, dust, and wash the linens. When it is required, she also does the interior windows and cleans the drapes. I'm rarely here and the house would go to ruin without her."

Harry frowned. "You don't seem to like her very much."

With a half-smile, Snape loaded the last of the dishes on the large tray. "Mrs. Worthman serves two purposes. She cleans the house and spreads the rumours that keep my secrets. As far as she is concerned I'm a reclusive writer who comes here when he experiences writers block. You are the child of a friend of mine from school. You are staying here over summer break because your mother is ill."

"I thought we didn't want anyone to know we were here?"

"Someone is bound to notice the house is being lived in. It is well known that Professor Snape and Harry Potter dislike each other very much. Mrs. Worthman will now most likely spread that I've a child here of mysterious origin whom I'm fiercely protective of. Everyone will draw their own conclusions from there."

"I see. So we're hiding in plain sight?"

Snape smirked and refolded his napkin. "In a sense. Not that I believe anyone will look here or that Death Eaters will interview muggles, but if they do either we should be overlooked."

Harry nodded and returned to his breakfast. After a while, he said, "So, how long will she be here for?"

Snape smirked. "Most of the day, it varies depending on what she has to do." He looked Harry in the eye for a long moment, as if deciding something. "I plan on hiding in my lab the rest of the day. The door is warded with anti-muggle charms. You are welcome to join me, if you like."

Smiling, Harry said, "That would be great. I'll just get some homework to do."

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Several hours later, Harry stood from the table where he'd been working and stretched. When he'd come down, it had seemed like a good idea to work on his Potions essay (Three feet on the naming of the following common potion ingredients and how mislabeling can have disastrous results) while he had the professor handy and on speaking terms. What he'd forgotten to take into account was how much he hated the class an how tenuous his peace with the man was. It took all his concentration not to become frustrated and take it out of his teacher.

Snape looked up from his piles of parchment and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Finished?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm stretching. This isn't easy, you know."

With a smirk, the older man returned to his work. Harry stood looked around the room and began to walk slowly along the wall. The room was divided into two sections. One was a sort of office with a large desk and several book shelves and scroll racks and a huge leather-covered chair. The other part was a laboratory with tall counters, matching stools, and various types of supplies and equipment lining the walls. The room was twice as long as it was wide and roughly three times the size of the potions classroom at Hogwarts.

Harry wandered the length of the room, idly reading labels and examining the various utensils, some of which he recognized, some he didn't. A rack with nearly two dozen sharp-looking knives stood here, a set of well-used brass scales took up space on this shelf. The next several shelves held assorted ingredients. Much of this looked brand-new while some of it looked as if it hadn't even been seen in decades. This room obviously wasn't cleaned often.

Bored and looking for something to do with his hands, Harry found some clean clothes and began dusting a randomly selected shelf. He took the time to scrape the grime off the wood while he washed the outsides of assorted containers and carefully avoided anything he didn't recognize.

It wasn't terribly difficult work but it was time consuming and before Harry knew it, Snape was standing behind him saying his name.

"I'm sorry-" Harry said as a reflex.

Snape looked at him oddly. "I wouldn't be, if I were you. You've done me quite a favour."

Harry shrugged. "I was just looking for something mindless to do. I wasn't sure if I should touch a couple of things," he began, pointing them out. Each had a small dirty area around it which made the professor smirk inwardly. "So I didn't. Touch them, I mean."

"A wise decision," Severus said, when he realized a response was required. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Did you need something, sir?" Harry asked.

Snape startled. "Ah, I was going to ask if you wanted a bite to eat, it is past lunch time, now."

Harry smiled. "Sure, lunch sounds good."

In the afternoon, Harry didn't even bother with the essay, deciding that the would write Hermione and ask for help. It occurred to him, however, that perhaps he should ask before owling his friends. He was supposed to be in hiding, after all, and too much owl traffic would be a dead giveaway.

He cleaned instead and approached Snape with the question after Mrs. Worthman had left, while they walked to the kitchen to make dinner.

"Whether it is safe to send mail will depend greatly on what type of owl you have."

"Hedwig is a snowy owl, sir..." Snape cut off Harry's reply.

"No, no, I mean if she is inherently magical, or if she is a mundane owl who has been enchanted to carry post."

"What's the difference and how can you tell?"

Snape looked thoughtful. "Has your owl, Hedwig was her name? Has she ever mis-delivered a letter? Can she deliver a letter with an incomplete address?"

Harry smiled. "Hedwig has never failed to deliver a message and she's managed to send letters with out a single name on them anywhere. I only have to tell her who to take it to and it doesn't matter where they are, she'll find them. She always finds me, too, when I leave without her."

"Definitely a magical owl, then," Snape said, pushing through into the kitchen. "A very magical owl. Where did you get this creature?"

"Hagrid gave her to me for my eleventh birthday."

Snape scowled and muttered something about an impressive gift. "Well, he definitely has a knack with animals..." The scowl lessened. "To answer your earlier question, your owl should not be intercepted or followed, though I would avoid saying anything sensitive in your letters and I would not describe our location." He hesitated. "You should probably tell your friends to send reply back with Hedwig rather than using their own owls. No sense in any more of them knowing where we are than absolutely necessary."

"Yes sir," Harry replied, delighted with the new information. Immediately after his evening examination, Harry rushed upstairs and wrote to Ron and Hermione. After a moment's thought, he wrote to Neville too. He'd not been able to tell the other boy goodbye before he'd left Hogwarts and he was surely wondering about Harry.