When he came down the stairs 10 minutes later, Harry looked ever so slightly smarter. Gone were his mismatched pyjamas and dirty grey jumper, and instead he was wearing large baggy jeans with a brown belt to keep them up and a light T-shirt in brown. Although both items were once Dudley's and were oversized, they were clean, an improvement on the last items he had worn. His socks were red and had holes in the toes, which thankfully couldn't be seen, and the brown shoes, though well worn, weren't broken. He had attacked his hair with a comb and the weight of the grease in it did make it lie flatter, maybe that was why Snape's hair was so straight, Harry thought. Harry had even washed his face, making a discernable effort to be presentable.
"Punctuality is important in this house, Potter," Snape said frowning. At least the boy looked more presentable, though his hair was a filthy mess. "We are going into the muggle town. I need to get some food. You are to stay with me at all times; you are not to leave my side at anytime. Do I make myself clear?"
Harry nodded silently. At least he wasn't under house arrest.
"I don't want you to talk to anyone out there and do not draw attention to yourself."
Harry looked at Snape quizzically. He was beginning to wonder whether when he returned to Hogwarts he would remember how to speak, if he was going to have to live in silence until the new term. "Why, sir?"
"If you cannot fathom why, you are more stupid than you appear," said Snape in annoyance. "You are to blend in as much as possible because, as the Dementor illustrates, you are in danger and it is my responsibility to keep you safe. I want my discharging of this duty to be as easy as possible and if the Dark Lord were to become aware of your existence here, due to a slip of the tongue on your behalf, it would become significantly more difficult. So, unless you want to be locked in doors for the next three weeks I would maintain absolute silence."
"Three weeks?" questioned Harry.
"Yes, three long weeks," said Snape darkly.
Snape unclasped the door and walked into the pleasant August sunlight. His sallow skin looked unnatural in the bright light of the street. Harry stepped out behind him looking up and down the street. It wasn't deserted. Down the road there were some teenagers standing around in the bus shelter shouting and pushing one another off of the path.
"They cannot see us," Snape said following Harry's gaze. "Muggles rarely see what's right in front of them, but aside from that the wards I have placed on the property disguise us. Come."
Striding forward Snape crossed the boundary between his lawn and the public street. However rather than walking straight at the pavement he turned at the last moment so that he sidestepped onto the flagstones, rather than entering straight on. Harry imitated this and continued to walk down the road, staying slightly behind Snape as they proceeded towards the gang of youths.
Even at this distance Harry could tell that the gang was rough. They reminded him of his cousin except older and bigger and nastier. He stepped nearer to Snape. They got closer and closer to the bus stop. Some of the boys turned to look at them, making rude gestures and swearing, directing their remarks at Harry, rather than Snape. Snape remained silent and glared at them and there abuse ceased. They looked down looking cowed. Harry wondered if it was magic or only that the boys found Snape just a scary as he did.
Snape stalked onwards.
"Have you always lived here, Professor?" asked Harry, having to skip slightly to keep up with him.
"Yes," said Snape, he did not want to have to talk about this with Potter. His private life was his own.
"Oh," Harry said, while they continued onwards. Harry looked around at the street, at the rubbish and graffiti and lastly back at the teenagers who were continuing to stare at him almost as if they were blaming him for Snape. "Has it always been like this?"
"No," answered Snape in a monosyllable, doing his best to extinguish the conversation. His characteristic frown was beginning to deepen as his annoyance increased.
"Oh," again they continued to walk further across the estate and around the corner, out of the eyesight of teens. "Sir, why is it like this?"
"Potter, I am not going to spend the rest of the day answering your inane questions. Yes I have always lived here and no it was not always like this. There was an intervening period between what it was and what it is now but I have no desire to go into the study of social disintegration with you," Snape said all of this in a low hiss. He grabbed onto Harry's shoulder and pushed him slightly in front of him. "Now walk on and do as you were told. Be. Silent."
Harry bit his tongue and looked down. He felt stung and he certainly felt stinging in the corners of his eyes as well as his shoulder where Snape had pushed him.
"Do not sulk," said Snape exasperatedly. Harry merely frowned even more. His lower lip stuck out and eyes filling slightly. Snape shoved him further forward making him begin to walk. His eyes were fixed on the back of Harry's head.
"How much further is the town?" Harry asked.
"Stop complaining and be silent," replied Snape angrily. If this was how Potter thought he was going to behave for the next three weeks he was sorely mistaken.
"I'm not complaining. I just want to know when we will be there. That's all," said Harry heatedly.
"Right, Potter, detention. I said I wouldn't stand for your cheek, your answering back or your disobedience and I am not," said Snape giving a snide smile.
"You can't give me detention. We're not at school," said Harry indignantly, though there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. It suddenly dawned on him that he was at Snape's mercy. He was trapped here with him and was now regretting he had angered him.
"Yes I can," Snape said in very low, threatening tones stepping close to Harry and looming over him. He had power over Potter. He could make him do whatever he wanted. He and his friend couldn't stop him. They couldn't get him any more. "Now get walking and shut up."
The high street was only in the next road. At the road's head there was a budget supermarket, aside from a betting shop and a pub there was very little else able to eek out a living in the area's poverty. They walked up the road to the supermarket and entered, Snape shoving two baskets to Harry, one for each of his arms, and shepherding him up and down the isles collecting bread, milk, pasta, fruit, vegetables, cereal, jam, beef, chicken… it went on and on. Harry was stooping towards the end of the hour the baskets, were overflowing and a pain was sinking down through his arms. Why couldn't Snape have just got a trolley? Wait…Snape couldn't get a trolley because that would make Harry's life easier and Snape did not want to make his life easier. Snape would want to make Harry's life as difficult as possible, especially now he was angry. Harry slumped down further.
As the hour stretch out and spilled over into a second one, Harry began to feel more despondent. He'd stopped paying attention to what was going in the baskets. It just seemed to be one heavy item after the other. Snape however was looking, and aside from various staples he also placed some chocolate and a very, very small cake.
They went over to the checkouts and began to transfer the groceries from the baskets to the conveyor belt. The cashier mutely scanned the items. Suddenly it dawned on Harry that he didn't know how Snape was going to pay for this. He hoped Snape didn't think he, Harry, had any muggle currency. From what he had learned from Ron, many wizards were largely ignorant of the muggle world with Hogwarts teaching Muggle Studies in the third year as a course option. Were they just going to grab the bags and run off with them?
The beeping of the scanner seemed to go on and on and Harry became more and more anxious. What was Snape going to do? Hand over a load of Galleons and demand change and hex the poor woman if she didn't do as she was told?
"Would you like any cash back?" asked the till woman looking up from her scanner. "Oh, hello Severus," she said in a shrill voice, rather like a violin played by a beginner with little talent, looking at Snape.
"Hello Clare," the movement was imperceptible but Snape definitely looked down at Clare's name tag, giving a shallow smile which did not spread through the whole of his face.
"I've not seen you since primary school, what have you been doing with yourself?" she chatted happily.
"I have been teaching," said Snape locking his eyes into hers.
"Ow that's nice. I never thought you'd be a teacher when we were at school…oh no not a teacher," her voice was gratingly shrill, "Oh and is this your son?"
"N-," began Harry
"Yes this is my son," said Snape. He almost looked as if he was in pain. The muscles in his face seemed to pull backwards as he said the words. Harry did not believe it, how DARE Snape pretend to be his father. How dare he!
"Ow, where's your name then," inquired the woman, fiddling with the till, removing two £20 notes from the till and handing them to Snape. The till also began to spew forth a receipt, although Clare had not pressed any buttons.
"Ha-," started Harry.
"He's called Harry," said Snape over Harry, again looking as if the sheer effort of saying Harry's name was painful. Snape took the receipt from the woman, ending the conversation and gathering up the shopping giving two bags to Harry and taking four, himself. "Goodbye Clare," he said giving her a small smile.
They exited the store.
"I thought I told you not to say anything. Should I be using smaller words for you to understand more easily," said Snape glaring down at Harry.
"She asked me a question. Or do you want people to think your son is so rude he doesn't speak when he is spoken to?" said Harry knowing he was on thin ice and was currently jumping up and down very hard.
"Careful, Potter," Snape growled.
"Don't you mean Harry, sir?" said Harry spitefully. He knew instantly that he had gone too far. Harry did not think he had ever seen Snape so angry.
Grabbing Harry firmly by the arm, Snape frog marched Harry all the way back to Spinner's End in absolute silence. They followed the same route that they had walked into the town. Walking past the bus stop, Harry saw some new graffiti daubed on the shelter's structure: 'Snape is a w' was the mark. Contemplating his day so far and Snape's treatment of him, Harry was inclined to agree.