Silence fell as Professor Snape approached the Gryffindor table. Trust the boy to join the Gryffindors at the first opportunity the man thought with an internal eye roll, as he walked up the long aisle towards the child.

"Professor Snape" an insufferably dim-witted ginger-haired third year greeted him.

"Mr Weasley" he nodded, before turning his attention to the sticky-fingered 5-year old "Potter, come along".

"But Mr Snape" the child objected loudly, watching as the professor's face morphed into sternness. A single raised eyebrow almost encouraged him to continue "I wanted to play with Charlie" he finished in hesitation.

"I am sure you want many a thing, Potter" he answered, "I want to be obeyed" the man paused, waiting as the child slowly stood up "now come along".

"See ya Harry" Charlie smiled sympathetically as the child followed after the bat of the dungeons, a slight trudge in his step.

"Bye Charlie" the child called back forlornly, before jogging to quickly close the growing gap between himself and Mr Snape, the green-eyed child hesitantly taking hold of the potion master's hand.

"And then Charlie gave me this" the child declared in loud excitement, holding the offending article out so that it was inches from the Potion Professors nose. The child had been offered copious amounts of sweet treats by the older students and had returned to their quarters on a particularly pronounced sugar high.

"Very good" the professor returned tiredly, having collapsed into his armchair immediately on arrival. "Bedtime" the man spoke again, after glancing up at the clock hanging above the mantel before returning his gaze to the grinning child.

Harry huffed at this, glancing at the clock as if to refute the man's words "but I'm not even tired" came the slight whine. His own body betraying him as a face-splitting yawn broke free, small fists raising to rub at sleep-deprived eyes.

"Indeed" the dour man returned, standing quickly as he picked up the child, placing him on his hip. As he walked towards the child's bedroom, carrying the little imp, Snape silently assured himself that he was only doing so in order to ensure the child went to bed. "Go and brush your teeth" he ordered, placing the child on the floor and nudging him towards the small bathroom across the hall from the boy's bedroom. "A full two minutes, if you please" the man called after the child, lest he swipe the brush across his teeth as he had done yesterday evening.

"All done!" the child exclaimed with a grin, as he skipped back into his bedroom.

"Very good" came the unexpected praise, as the man pulled back the child's bedsheet; a silent gesture to encourage the boy to climb in. He watched as Harry clambered onto the bed that was ever so slightly too high for the child, before lifting the blankets to cover him over. "I do not want to see you out of this bed until morning" the man continued, tucking the blanket around the child if only to make it more difficult for the boy to escape.

"Okay" he agreed quietly, looking up at the man. He hoped he would be allowed out to go to the toilet, though Mr Snape hadn't mentioned such a thing. The child watched as the man began to leave the room, turning the lights out as he did. "What if I need the toilet?" the child asked quickly, thinking it better to ask before such a need occurred.

"You are permitted to leave your bed to use the toilet, Harry" he sighed softly in response, turning back to look at the child once more. "However, I do not want to see you out of bed for any other reason, understood?"

"Understood" Harry responded through a yawn, shifting to lay on his stomach though struggling slightly due to the blankets which had him tucked up tightly. "Goodnight Mr Snape" the child called softly; eyes now closed. Harry did not stay awake enough to hear as the stern professor whispered a soft goodnight in return.

"Hey Harry!" a voice called, causing the child to spin around in place, searching for its source.

"Charlie!" he grinned in response, glancing quickly at the Professor in silent seek of approval before running towards the ginger-haired teenager after receiving a small nod.

"How've you been getting on with that Snitch then?" the older boy asked, ruffling the top of the boy's messy hair. Being in a long line of brothers, both older and younger, he found himself drawn to the small child. He laughed as the boy ducked down in a failed attempt to avoid his hair being ruffled.

"Snape said I'm real fast catching it" came the coy response, the child clearly uncertain and disbelieving of the praise he had received from the Potions Master.

"I bet he did" the teenager responded "you'll be playing Quidditch for Gryffindor in no time" he assured the child, before the professor was able to interrupt.

"Mr Weasley" he greeted, "I am sure the third year Gryffindors are due to be in Divination presently" he added pointedly.

"Right" the boy returned with a cheeky grin "I was just heading there now". As the boy began running off to his class, which he was now quite late for, he called back over his shoulder "see ya later Harry".

"What's Quidditch, Snape?" the child enquired, glancing up towards the man's desk as he sat on the floor, crayons spilled out in front of him. Harry had been working on a drawing for his new friend, Charlie, when he realised he had not drawn one for his other friend, Hagrid. He had quickly begun working on one, lest Hagrid think he didn't want to be his friend.

Snape glanced up from his work, happy that the child had found a quiet activity with which to entertain himself. "It is a sport" he answered, briefly putting his quill down to give the child his attention "played by Wizards, much as you might have played football".

"And they use a Snitch?" the child continued, intrigued by this new sport. He had been absolute pants at football, and yet so far two people had suggested he might be quite good at quidditch. Harry looked proudly at his drawing as he finally felt satisfied with Hagrid's beard.

"Yes, though that is not the only equipment needed" he answered, returning to his marking. He was currently marking the fifth-year essays, their first essays since returning for the start of the school year, and particularly terrible.

"Do you think maybe we can watch them play one day?" Harry asked, standing and making his way over to the professor, who remained seated at the large mahogany desk.

"I think it can certainly be arranged" the man returned, turning in his chair to face the child as he approached him. "What do you have there?" he gestured towards the paper that the boy held carefully in his hands.

"I made drawings for Charlie and Hagrid" he responded, placing the drawings carefully on the desk in front of the man for his inspection. He wringed his hands in front of him nervously as the man picked up the first drawing, looking at it in the same way one might view a painting in a gallery.

"Hagrid will be most impressed by this, I'm sure" the man responded, noting the swell of joy he felt when the child beamed back at him, clearly proud of the work he had accomplished. He carefully placed the drawing down as he inspected the second drawing presented to him. "Mmm something more abstract for Mr Weasley" the man commented, unsure of what to make of the drawing but conscious of not upsetting the child.

"Yep" the child chirped in response, leaning over to point at a swirled blob of purple and blue "that there is a spell flying" he added before looking back at the Professor for some validation of his work.

"I'm sure Mr Weasley will enjoy this" the man noted, passing the drawings back to the child as he prepared to return to his marking. He watched as the child hopped back over to his place on the floor by the fireplace. The child picked up a new sheet of parchment and the Professor asked, "who might your next piece be for then child?"

"This one's a surprise till it's finished" he smiled back, turning his body to block the Professor's view of his drawing whilst he worked "and you can't look!".