Harry continued to pound the door with his fists, rage overcoming him. He released a high grunt of anger giving the door a final thump before throwing himself onto the bed, letting tears of frustration role down his face and soak into his pillow. No matter how he told them, how he articulated the story nobody ever believed him, they only thought he was lying. He could forgive his Aunt and Uncle for their disbelief but even Wizards refused to accept he was telling the truth. If Harry hadn't been there himself he wouldn't have believed it. Now Snape had him locked in this room, this house, and he was trapped in the same situation as before except this time he didn't have Hedwig to keep him company.

Harry took an almighty sniff, retaining the runny snot that was coming from his nose and rubbed his eyes vigorously to stop himself from crying. His stomach gave a gurgle and a slight spasm that told him that he was hungry: aside from some chocolate he had eaten nothing since the previous evening's offering though the cat flap, cold tomato soup and stale bread. Looking at his watch he could see it was half past twelve: Snape could leave him hear for hours. He could let him starve. No one knew where he was he had no way of talking to anyone. He was utterly alone and for all he knew he would never see Hogwarts or his friends again.

Harry stopped rubbing at his eyes and just let himself cry.

As the pounding on the door stopped, Severus glanced up briefly to the ceiling before turning back to what he had been doing. Harry's banging had reverberated through the whole of the house even reaching Snape's ears in the cellar. Snape used the bottom section of the house to store some of his rarer potions and ingredients and also items either too delicate, valuable or dangerous to be kept at the school. He arranged all of these items in neat, alphabetized rows along the walls of the cellar. Between the U and W sat what he was looking for, V - Veritaserum. Potter was going to tell him the truth. Potter was going to tell him everything whether he wanted to or not.

Having retrieved the veil of clear and potent truth serum Snape ascended the stairs and walked into the kitchen placing the tiny bottle next to a plate. The plate had nothing on it. Snape would have to buy some food later. He didn't want to leave Potter here alone, however, so he retrieved some 'dried food' from the cupboard. 'Dried food' was effectively a wizard version of a muggle ready meal and was equally appealing in terms of taste. However, they had relatively little nutritional value only really filling a gap. Too many of them and you put on weight quite literally overnight. Snape had heard of cases at St. Mungo's of people who had eaten so many of them that they had to be deflated by medi-wizards. You couldn't live off of them.

Snape poured the contents of the packet onto the plate and touched the tip of his wand to the dusty, multicoloured powder. There was a low slurp as the dust swelled into, in this case, a ham sandwich and a green salad. The only real thing that Snape did to the meal was dress it: salad cream, a little oil and the clear Veritaserum. After pouring a glass of water, Snape went to take the meal to Harry.

Yet again his journey up the flight of stairs was not uninterrupted. Normally owls were infrequent visitors to the area not only due to the lack of need for them, with Snape receiving relatively little post and also being the only wizard for a 30 mile radius, but also because nature of the neighbourhood meant the owls were rather reluctant to fly into it. The muggle children and teenagers tended to attack anything that moved throwing rocks and shooting air rifles at the birds flying about their business. For a time, the owls had refused to enter the area at all, meaning Snape had to collect his post from the local post office. It wasn't until Snape had hexed some of the Muggle teen's weapons, threatened to disembowel them and painstakingly removed all loose rocks, bricks and stones from the area the owls were willing to return. In any regards the teenagers had lost interests in Scary Snape. The owl that fluttered through the open window was taking no chances, however. It swooped low at the window before loosing the letter from its leg un-aided: it never even landed. The letter was the traditional Hogwarts one with the school's crest on the reverse. It was addressed to Harry Potter, Severus Snape's Spare Bedroom, Spinner's End. It merely served to underline the permanence of Snape's situation. Well that would mean a trip to Diagon Alley.

Snape resumed his walk. The door to Harry's room was still locked and listening carefully Snape could hear a persistent whimpering and felt a sudden pang. He'd cried like that in there before. For a moment he looked down at the plate contemplating his options. He placed it on the flat top of the banister. Potter would have one chance to tell the truth.

He unsealed the door and walked straight in. Harry shot off the bed. He hadn't expected Snape; it had only been half an hour, and now he was standing before him with a damp face, bloodshot eyes and runny nose: his face flushed with embarrassment. His mouth was drawn downwards in a pronounced frown and he twisted his hands behinds his back.

"Well, now that you have ended you tantrum," his voice heavy with distain, a cold look in his eyes, "perhaps you can find it in yourself to tell the truth."

"I am telling the truth," Harry said letting fresh drops of tears fall on to his cheeks while his stomach gave an audible gurgle. Snape looked at Harry's stomach, registering how hungry the boy must be: and how small he was. The scowl on Snape's face deepened and Harry looked down at his feet stepping back slightly.

"Look at me," Harry looked up and made eye contact with Snape. It appeared almost that Harry's eyes remained in the same place while his face shrank backwards; the look Snape was giving him was so intense. Snape turned and left the room before returning with lunch and some toilet paper. "Wipe your eyes, blow your nose and eat that."

Harry followed Snape's instructions to the letter, quickly devouring the sandwich and salad and drinking the water given. The whole meal calmed him, he suddenly felt as if he didn't have to worry, he could say anything and it would all be fine.

Snape looked at Harry once more and contemplated his questions. Was it important? Did it matter? Yes. It did matter to him. It mattered very much. If Potter were a congenital liar he could work to correct that and he would correct that. If he were telling the truth…well.

"Potter, how did the dessert end up on the floor of the kitchen?"

"Dobby the House Elf did it. He levitated it," said Harry automatically without a pause. He just stared up to Snape with his bright green eyes, the empty plate resting on his knees and for a moment and just a moment Snape saw Lily rather than James in the face before him. Harry had been telling the truth. "He said there was a plot."

Snape pursed his lips pulling his nostrils upwards as if there was a bad smell in the room. "What do you mean, Potter?" If he had not given the boy Veritaserum he would have felt sure that the golden boy was trying to instil some mystery and awe into his world.

"He just kept saying 'Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts'," Harry said imitating Dobby's shrill voice, "that there was a plot 'to make terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. And then whenever he said anything else… anything he thought he shouldn't he … he hurt himself."

Harry then thought back to something that had been troubling him since he had met Dobby and received the letter from the ministry, in fact it had troubled him ever since the Dursleys had kept him prisoner: What if they wouldn't let him back in and, now that he was with Snape, what if he had to stay here forever. "Sir, can I go back to Hogwarts?"

"Well, the stunt you orchestrated with the Weasleys certainly means you're relatives won't be welcoming you back with open arms any time soon, however I am…satisfied you shall be returning to Hogwarts," Harry's face glowed while Snape glowered. "Until then you shall be staying here with me," he said it briskly; Harry's face glowed a little less.

"Can't I go to stay with Ron?"

"I'm sorry the accommodation doesn't reach famous Harry Potter's high standards and that you can't spend the summer causing trouble with your little friend," said Snape his voice heavy with sarcasm. "Don't think I want you here anymore than you want to be here." Snape looked smug, making Harry fell that the man would be taking any opportunity to make Harry miserable until and after the term had started.

"Well if you don't want me here why did you take me from the Dursleys?"

"Sometimes, and this is a lesson you will not yet appreciate, one has to do things what one doesn't want to," said Snape. "While you reside here, Potter, you will follow the rules which I lay out and unlike the rule at school I suggest that you do not break them. I am to be addressed as either Sir or Professor Snape or, if we are to enter a muggle area, Mr Snape. You are to study and complete you homework before the term begins. You are to do what you are told and to be obedient and treat both me and this house with respect." Snape looked around the room and to the case which still hadn't been unpacked. Just because Harry had been being honest did not mean that Snape had to be pleasant. He still didn't like him.

"Just to underlie the point here is a letter for you," said Snape withdrawing the letter from his pocket and handing it to Harry. Harry looked down at the front of the letter and opened it. It was written in the characteristic emerald green ink of the Hogwarts Headmaster and it contained his Hogwarts school list. Harry knew he would have to buy longer robes and new cloths, replenish his potions kit as well as the book list.

"Before buying them we will retrieve some money for the books from your relatives. I-"

"They don't pay for my books."

"What?"

"They don't pay for my books, sir," repeated Harry.

"I understood what you said, boy," snapped Snape. "You're twelve. You don't pay for your books"

"Yes I do. My Uncle says he won't pay for some 'crack pot old fool' to teach me magic so I pay, sir," said Harry earnestly. Snape looked down at his wrist watch. The Veritaserum would still be working.

Snape looked at Harry. Again, he didn't look pleased.

"You mean to tell me that you have been paying for your school equipment."

"Yes."

Snape flashed a furious look once more. "Are the Dursley's poor, Potter."

"No, sir. Uncle Vernon has a good job and Dudley goes to a private school. They just don't want to help me learn magic, they think it was unnatural."

The glass at the windows shook Snape's anger was so great. Muggles.

"Get dressed, Potter. We are going out. Meet me down stairs. You have five minutes"

Snape was furious. How dare they. How dare the muggles do that, say that. He may not like Potter but more and more he was seeing that Harry was not well treated at home. He still felt he was arrogant, insolent, disobedient and incredibly self centred but he did have some pity. Muggles just didn't understand wizards. They did not understand the magical world or the people within it.