As he had promised, the next morning Severus went back to the Hospital Wing, where he found Harry dressed and sitting on his bed, waiting for Severus to arrive. He smiled when the man in question walked in, "Good morning legal guardian." He said.

Severus stopped, folded his hands and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the boy, "I am not your legal guardian yet, but good morning to you as well, Mr Pott- Harry. Has Madam Pomfrey signed you all off?"

"Yes she has, however," Poppy said, stopping her chat briefly as she came bustling down the stairs, "Harry has to continue taking several potions per day if we want his health to be fully regained by the time school starts again in September. Two nourishanal potions per day, one with breakfast and one with dinner, and one general health improvement potion, to be taken when you wake up. That last one will help grow muscle and it also helps with the skin, so I am hoping it will help fade the scars that the scar salve didn't quite cover." She gave a list to Severus, detailing the potions and their ingredients, "If you don't mind Severus, they aren't commonly used potions, and Harry will be using up my stocks."

"Of course Poppy, I will get started on them as soon as the batches of Pepperup potion are finished." Severus stowed the list in his robes left pocket, and motioned to Harry to start walking with him.

"Perfect. Now off you go, and I don't expect to see you in here again this year Mr Potter!" The kindly matron called after the two, Harry turned and grinned at her.

Harry struggled to keep up with Severus' fast pace, as they strode down to the dungeons. Harry did not like the idea of living in the dungeons, so different to the Tower, where all the Slytherin's lurked. He wasn't sure how the Gryffindor's would react, but he knew the Slytherin's would despise the 'golden boy of Gryffindor' having a place in their head of house's life, and his private quarters for that matter.

He was surprised when they came to a large, ornate picture particularly close to the Slytherin Common room (from what Harry could remember - his and Ron's jaunt to the enemy camp in second year seemed so long ago now). Harry had thought Severus' rooms would lie far away from the bedrooms of the Slytherin's, so as never to be disturbed. The picture itself was a large green and black snake, a beautiful creature resting over its nest, curled around three eggs. There was only one snake in the picture, with no sign of its mate. It had been sleeping but it's decorative head rose when Severus and Harry stopped in front of the portrait door.

It hissed, and Harry was startled to understand it, "Passssword?"

Severus jumped next to him when he hissed back, "What is your name?"

The snake in the picture rose up from its nest, intrigued, "You are a sssssnake speaker? I have not met one of your kind in a long time. My name is Elspeth, guardian of the potion master's persssssonal rooms. Who are you, sssssnake speaker?"

Harry bowed his head slightly, smiling in greeting to the snake, "Hello Elspeth. My name is Harry, I'm going to be living with Severus. I am his… ward."

"Severus? So that is the potion master's name," the snake bowed its head slightly, "It is a pleasure to meet you Harry, it is always a pleasure to find a sssssnake speaker in Hogwarts walls. I will remember you, and allow you entrance to the potion masssster's rooms, if you have the passssword."

Harry looked up at Severus, who looked at him quizzically, "Her name is Elspeth." Harry explained, "And she wants the password."

"I never knew her name. It wasn't on the portrait." Severus said, surprised, and then turned to Elspeth, "Sandstone."

Elspeth's head bobbed forwards, her tongue slithering out to hiss once more, before the portrait door swung open, allowing them entrance. They climbed in, and the portrait door automatically shut behind them. Harry looked around, taken aback at how cosy the room actually was.

They had come into a large open plan space, and while it was quite dark, as soon as Severus waved his wand various torches lit up the whole room. The living room was directly in front of the portrait, with more space reaching to the left. Two large, dark brown sofas was situated in the middle, opposite each other, as well as a matching arm chair, which was kept slightly apart. A deep green rug lay in the space between, and a dark wooden table stood on top, littered with papers. To the left of the open space was a kitchen-diner, with silver countertops, and a circular dining table.

"That door," Severus pointed to a door near the kitchen, "Leads to my bedroom, and from there I have my own bathroom, and my own private lab. The door next to it is my personal library, from which you are allowed to borrow books at any time, as long as you let me know and that you return them. I also have a separate desk workstation in there, for paper based work." He looked disapprovingly at the paperwork in the lounge, and flicked his wand to send it into the library, "That," He pointed to door on the right side of the room, "Is the bathroom."

"What about that one?" Harry motioned to the final door, which Severus hadn't pointed out. It was on the opposite wall to the portrait of Elspeth, behind the furniture.

"That door is new," Severus commented, "It is yours."

Harry walked over and cautiously opened the door. He was slightly disappointed to find it empty, bar all of the things Severus had minimized and put in his pocket back at the Dursley house, including an empty bird cage. The room itself was huge, giving him plenty of space, "Thank you, but where is Hedwig?"

"The owlery, I checked yesterday to make sure she had found her way safely from Surrey. The dungeons are not suitable for her, it is too cold and she can't fly out of a window like she can in the Tower." Severus replied.

"Thank you." Harry repeated, he didn't want to sound greedy or pushy, but he wanted to ask when they could get some furniture for his room. Unless he had to sleep on the floor?

"I believe it would be appropriate to pick some furniture for your room, now." Severus said, noticing the look on Harry's face. He returned to the living room, summoning a large catalogue, and Harry sighed in relief.

Harry was still a bit tense around the potions master, but sat down next to him on the sofa. Severus passed the catalogue over to him, and he started flicking through, "So, what am I looking for?"

"Keep to the main furniture items for now; a bed of course, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, and a desk.. My rooms in general are quite dark colours. I suppose you would like the Gryffindor colours?" He tried not to grimace.

Harry had never had so much choice, so many decisions that he was allowed to tailor to his own preferences, but he knew one thing, "Not red and gold." He said, and when Severus raised an eyebrow he added, "If I am going to be coming here to get away from Gryffindor, I don't want to be surrounded by all things red and gold."

"Then kindly make a suggestion."

"I have always liked blues, darker blues." Harry hesitantly put forward, "What about that?"

"Perhaps dark blue and white?"

"Please." Harry nodded. Severus waved his hand over the catalogue and all of the pictures changed, so they suited a dark blue colour scheme. Harry stared in amazement, "How did you do that without your wand?" He had noticed the potion master's frequent use of wandless magic.

"A simple form of wandless magic." Severus said dismissively, "Now, you will want a double bed so we'll need a double mattress. Pick what kind you would like, child, stop staring at me like that."

"I can have a double bed?" Harry asked.

Severus looked at the boy critically, "Don't you have double beds in Gryffindor Tower? Slytherin certainly do. I did not believe there was differentiation between house dorm rooms."

"Well, yes in the Tower, but I have never had one at…" Harry trailed off, looking sheepish and shrugging.

"Never at home." Severus finished for him.

"The Dursley's house wasn't my home." Harry said quickly, "It was never my home."

"In any case, it certainly is not anymore," Severus brushed a speck of dirt from his robes and stood, "Keep looking through the catalogue, turn the corners on things you like so I can look back on them. I will prepare some food, for it is almost one."

Harry nodded, smiling thankfully, "Thank you, Severus." He said, and turned back to the catalogue. He liked the furniture made from the darker walnut wood, so turned the corners of pages featuring those.

In only a few minutes, Severus called him over to the table. There were two plates, each laden with a jacket potato and tuna mayonnaise, with a seasoned side salad. There was a glass of cool lemonade next to his plate, with a few ice cubes in, "Don't eat any more than you feel you can." Severus warned him, "Have as much or as little as you feel your stomach can take."

Harry knew how to act around food after a few weeks at the Dursley's, but it was nice that someone cared enough to give him the warnings, so he nodded and tucked into his meal, "How did you make lunch so fast?" He asked Severus, whose sofa faced away from the kitchen.

Severus smirked, "Magic."

Harry rolled his eyes, and then froze, wondering if that would have consequences, it always had at the Dursley's. However Severus just continued eating his meal, "Did you find anything you particularly like in the catalogue?

Harry nodded, "The darker woods, walnut wood for instance, and I prefer the beds with the solid headboard." Severus didn't ask if this was because he was tied to the rods on his old bed, "And there is a desk I particularly like. May I really choose what I would like to have?"

"Within reason and with my permission." Severus replied.

"I'll have to go and get the money from Gringotts, to pay you back. I don't have enough with me to cover the cost of the furniture. Could we go sometime soon, perhaps, please?"

At the comment, Severus started and dropped his fork in shock, and it clanged loudly against his plate. He coughed slightly in an attempt not to choke on his mouthful of food, staring at Harry astounded. James would have never suggested paying for anything he was offered. Harry took it as a terrible sign, and started to apologise, "Sorry!"

"Harry -"

"I promise I will give you every single knut back for my things." Harry tried to reassure him hastily, "I just don't have enough with me to pay for the furniture. Of course, you don't have to do anything until I give you the money… I'll sleep on the sofa until then, or the floor! I don't - I will - I mean -"

Severus realised he had terrified the boy, and shook his head, "Child, stop!"

The young boy stopped babbling, looking very pale. Severus left his food, pushing it away and folding his hands on the table, "You don't have to pay for any of the furniture, I will be paying for it. You don't have to contribute."

Harry opened his mouth, and then abruptly closed it. After a few second of looking at Severus, he said, "I don't understand."

Severus felt his anger for the muggles at Number Four, Privet Drive growing, but he swallowed it down, "You are my responsibility now," He repeated his words from the hospital wing to the boy, "You are under my guardianship. This means I will be paying for all of your furniture, as well as your clothes and your books, and anything else you may need. If you would like, we can also discuss an allowance, so you can have your own spending money."

Harry looked confused, "But I have my bank account… I've always used that for all of my magical things, things for school like my books and my wand. I use it for spending money too. You don't have to…"

"Yes, I do." Severus said firmly, "And what bank account? A Gringotts account?"

"My… my parents left me money." Harry told him. He had never told the Dursley's about his parent's fortune, if they knew he had inherited money, they would have found a way to get it from him and spend it on Dudley.

Severus ran a hand over his face, "Those accounts were for after you turned seventeen, for when you leave home, after your final year at Hogwarts. They were for you to buy a house and set up a life. How did you gain access to them?"

"Hagrid gave me the key, the summer before my first year of Hogwarts, when he took me to Diagon Alley." Harry said, "I have it with the rest of my things, somewhere, I always kept it hidden. Am I in trouble?"

"No, you are not. I am just marvelling at the Headmaster's stupidity." Harry looked stunned by his comment, and Severus smiled, "Don't tell him I said that, before I get the chance to myself." Harry chuckled. Severus vanished their meals, Harry hadn't been eating much anyway, "Let us return to the matter of your room. Which desk did you want?"

Harry showed him, and Severus approved it. They walked into Harry's room, and Severus pressed the blank box at the corner of the image, effectively ordering the furniture. Seconds later, the desk arrived with a smiling house elf, who bowed and disapparated again quick as he had arrived.

It took a few hours, but they managed to sort Harry's room with no further shocks or complaints from either of them. They set the walls a dark blue and white, with a swirling, intertwining pattern along the bottom. Severus ordered a large double bed, and the house elf brought white sheets and a dark blue throw for extra warmth with the purchase. The desk was curved and made out of dark walnut, and they placed shelves above it for all his school books. They added a white leather desk chair so Harry could do his work comfortably. His bedside table, double wardrobe and chest of drawers were also made from dark walnut wood.

Severus had given Harry a different catalogue when they had finished with furniture, with more personal items like posters and desk lights, pin boards and pictures. Harry chose a non-moving painting of a sea serpent, and a white desk light to match his chair. Severus chose him a pinboard, and a calendar to hang up on it.

At that point, Severus motioned to Harry's things brought from the Dursley's, two trunks, a backpack, his broomstick, a stack of homework and Hedwig's owl cage. He looked pointedly at the paper homework pile, "You know your teachers' expect your homework on parchment, Harry."

"I know, but…" Harry shrugged.

"Let me guess, the Dursley's thought parchment was too magical." Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. He sneered slightly when Harry nodded his head, "How have you done your homework in the past?"

"I've waited until I went to Ron's, and then completed it all then. Sometimes I would be finishing it off on the train to school." Harry admitted, "But with no responses from either Ron or Hermione… I thought it would be best just to get on with it. I would have written it up onto parchment on the train, I guess."

Severus picked up the piece of paper on top of the pile, notes on his own homework, regarding white fellonwort, cinder cress and lake bark, and the potion they are collectively used in. Severus narrowed his eyes, the work was terrible, guess work, and the handwriting no better, "Harry…"

Harry fidgeted, "I have never encountered those ingredients before, it is fifth year work."

"Yes," Severus said slowly, "Summer homework is meant to prepare you for the next year of school. I take it you didn't have any of your books with you?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I tried to make educated guess' in general… with all my homework. I don't have any of next year's textbooks or materials. What I did have was locked in the cupboard downstairs."

"We'll go into Diagon Alley tomorrow. I don't have any plans." Severus told him, placing the homework back down, "We'll collect your books and equipment, and plenty of parchment, and an organiser. I recommend to all my Slytherin's that they keep an organiser. I provide them for free to the first years, but after that it is their own responsibility."

"Thank you Sir… Severus." Harry said quietly.

Severus nodded stiffly. Though he was seeing a whole didn't side to the son of James Potter, he still did not endorse displays of affection or overly sentimental statements, "No problem, now, shall we unpack everything else?"

"No! That is alright -"

Harry tried to stop him but he had already opened the first trunk, the one with all Harry's clothes in. Severus gaped at what he saw - rags, and only half a trunk of them. He picked up the huge tops and fiddled with the massive trousers, several sizes too big for Harry. There was one extra pair of shoes at the bottom, with holes in. He hadn't realised, hadn't seen the state of the clothes, when he had summoned everything out of Harry's old room into the trunk. There were a few nice things, but nothing overly smart or comfortable.

He turned to look at Harry, and for the first time noticed how his top was just a little too big, and his belt was the only thing keeping his trousers up, "Harry?" He said the boy's name slowly and questioningly once again. It alarmed him how much he was having to do that.

"They're handouts," Harry mumbled, "Dudley's old clothes and a few charity shop things, anything Petunia could get for free, really. Stuff that was going to get thrown out. The few things I really like I spent my money on; there is a charity shop near to the entrance of Diagon Alley I managed to sneak away to, one time last summer."

Severus continued to stare at what was in front of him. How had to never noticed before? He was meticulous in checking on his Slytherins, both on their personal lives and education, just how they were getting on, they always knew the door was open to talk to him. Was it not the same in Gryffindor? He had simply assumed it was…

"Severus?" Harry said, nervously.

The potions master stood, and flicked his wand towards Harry with a small mutter, and his clothes immediately shrank to fit him better. Severus cleared his throat, "As well as a trip to Diagon Alley, we will go into Muggle London in order to buy you new clothes and shoes, and proper, working glasses too. Perhaps some formal dress robes for school. You could have a haircut."

"My hair used to always grow back after a haircut."

"Were you having your hair cut by a professional, or was it hacked off by Petunia?" Severus inquired, already knowing the answer.

"By Petunia."

"And was it done to a fashion you liked?"

"No, she made me bald but with a fringe. I hated it." Harry murmured.

"Exactly. Your hair growing back was just a reaction by your accidental magic to your embarrassment, just like the glamour charms." Severus explained, "It won't be like that when a professional does it. You can choose how you would like it done, so you are perfectly happy with it. And for the next month I will help you redo your homework."

Harry was astounded by the constant offers of help and support Severus was giving him. He had invited him into his home, brought him new furniture for his new room, offered to buy him new clothes, take him to get proper glasses and a haircut, and help with his homework too.

Harry hesitated, "That would be great… it is just that…"

"What?"

Harry looked up at the imposing potions master, who was waiting impatiently for his answer, "I feel like this is all too much. All the new things, and the help, and the potions to make me better… Is there something I should be doing in return?"

Severus truly despised the Dursley's. They had made an innocent child, Lily's child, have to work and sweat for everything - and had done it to such an extent that he expected to have to give back, in order to get anything good. This was not how a fourteen year old should live.

"Harry there is nothing you have to do in return." Severus said, as softly as his voice could manage. He had dealt with his fair share of abused Slytherins, "I am simply treating you how any decent guardian would treat their ward, something akin to how I am guessing the Dursley's treated their son. Yes?"

"Dudley was spoiled rotten." Harry agreed, "He never had to do anything."

"Well, maybe it is just your turn to not do anything, then." Severus remarked, "A helping hand around the quarters would be nice, I don't want you to turn lazy, and I expect you to do very well in your subjects now I am your guardian and will be helping you on, but you will never have to work like you did at the Dursley's. Understood?"

"Understood." Harry repeated, "Thank you."

"No trouble." Severus took out his wand and cast an enchantment at the clothes/rags, and they disappeared, "Would you like me to help with the rest of your things?"

"No, thank you." Harry smiled, "I've got it."

"Ok, when you are done, bring me your Gringotts' key and I will put it in the safety vault. You won't need to use that money anymore; we will discuss your allowance after dinner." Severus looked approvingly around the room, and then exited, leaving Harry alone.

The saviour of the wizarding world looked at the door and smiled. He had been so unsure about Severus, but now he knew he was going to be fine here. Severus seemed genuinely concerned with his happiness, though Harry knew it probably stemmed from guilt.

Harry unpacked all of his old school books from the other trunk, the one the Dursley's had kept locked under the stairs, and he set up his desk with the few materials he had. Then he sat on his bed, and unzipped his backpack.

In there were his most precious items - his cloak of invisibility, the marauder's map, the photo album holding his parents pictures, his Gringotts' key, and his wand, which sizzled at the touch of the wizard's hand after so long. He stowed the cloak and map underneath his bed, as he wasn't sure how Severus would react to such items.

After he was done, he went and gave his Gringotts' key to Severus for safe keeping, and told him he was going to start making proper notes for some of his homework pieces. He came back into his room, lay down on the bed, and just stayed there, grinning, for a little while.