A slight guilt finally set in on Snape as he thought about how he just brushed off his mentor like that. Only Albus could make him feel this way. And it irked him to no end. After deciding that what's done is done, he decided on going up in an hour or so, just like the headmaster would expect him too. At the moment, however, what he needed was a stiff drink. Then he decided against it. There was no point in relaxing only to get wound up again when talking to the headmaster. After the unsuccessful attempt of reading, he abruptly got up to make his way to the headmaster's office.

He knew luck was against him when he ran into Potter. The weird thing about it was that the boy didn't even realize he was there. He was deep in thought apparently. Not caring one ounce, he continued and made a stop in front of the door to the headmaster's office. Just as expected, the headmaster knew he was there. He was willing to bet that the coot had some type of charm up for this. Not that it was a bad idea or anything.

Directly after entering, the headmaster had immediately asked Snape if he had seen Potter on the way up. Of course the Golden boy would be his main concern. Nodding his head, he took a seat. "You wished to speak to me headmaster?"

"It's Albus, my boy, Albus. No longer are you a student here."

"Of course….Albus", Snape replied, stiffly.

The Professor never really could get use to calling the headmaster by his name. The way he made him feel like a child and how he continued to call him "my boy" just didn't make it feel right.

As if suddenly remembering what he needed to tell Snape, he started speaking.

"Severus I believe it would best if you took Harry under your care for the time being."

Severus said nothing. The only indication that he had heard was the way his jaw was set and fists were clenched.

"Do you really think this a wise decision, sir?"

He knew this was coming but that fact that it actually happened made any remaining hope leave him.

"Out of all the possible places, yes, I believe he is safest with you. Voldemort (Snape flinches) will least expect Harry to be in the house of his trusted. Also, with all the wards that were placed on and around the area of the Snape house, he will be undetectable. Staying with anyone else would put said people in nearly as much danger as Harry himself. "

Once again the headmaster had taken down all possibilities in one go.

"So having Potter stay in a huge house, filled with the dark artifacts of a former death eater, who by the way must invite fellow death eaters over at times, is the safest place for the boy? Especially a boy who wanders and gets into trouble constantly? Not to mention that said house is in the middle of a delinquent neighborhood with many unruly boys that are possibly worse then Potter himself… if that is possible." Snape finished exhaustedly.

"Harry is not as bad as you believe him to be, I hope that you see that as you become more familiar with the boy. Harry can take care of himself, concerning the neighborhood. He's a tough boy and someone like Harry would hate being stuck indoors, but with the house's wards extending at a roughly 5 mile circumference, he doesn't have to worry about any wizard that does not wish him well."

Snape sighed. He doubted that Potter would be happy without his doting fans. He also realized how the headmaster had implied that he and Potter would become more "familiar" with each other. He didn't know why he even bothered to argue with the headmaster. It seems he always has everything completely thought out.

Resigned, he agreed with the headmaster that they would leave in three days time and left. The thought of Potter being in his house….living… in his house… made Severus feel like strangling someone. But sacrifices must be made and it seems like his sanity would be one of those sacrifices. He stopped walking when he realized that he would have to either inform the boy now or in the morning. The thought of Potter's reaction considerably brightened his mood. So he continued on towards the dungeons, destination changing.

Reaching the front door, he paused. For what, he did not know. All he had to do was go in, tell the boy that they were leaving for Snape house, and leave. But for some reason he found it easier said then done. Feeling some foreign emotion swell in his chest, he angrily pushed it away and abruptly swung the door open. Seeing the boy looking towards him, Snape couldn't help but be caught off guard by what he saw. The boy's eyes were somewhat dull and guarded. Not exactly lifeless, but it was expressionless.

It rather shocked Snape that someone so horrible at occlumency could act so like…..himself. No.. not himself, he mentally swore. The boy was nothing like him. Not wasting anymore time he barked at the boy to have his things packed by noon the next day so that he may be ready to leave for Snape house. He was planning on waiting for a reaction, but seeing the boy like that made him think he wouldn't get much out of him. So after saying what he needed to, he left not bothering to shut the door or look back.

88888888

Harry was depressed. He was currently packing up everything he had removed from his trunk. After double checking to make sure he had his wand and invisibility cloak, he sank into the bed, Marauder's map in hand. Not in the mood to wander or do homework, he lazily stared at the map. Catching Snape's name, he continued to follow it with his eyes while his mind was elsewhere, therefore it took him a while to realize that Snape had paused right in front of his door. Hurrying to stuff the map under the mattress and making a mental note to pick it up later, he lied down. Staring at his ceiling he continued to wonder why Snape chose to stand in front of the door instead of coming in or leaving.

Maybe the headmaster had told Snape to tell him to pack for the Dursley's and he actually felt a little guilty about putting him through all of this. Pssh. Like that was possible… this was Snape he was talking about! Snape's probably thinking that he did his duty of reporting it so it didn't matter anymore. He barely managed to suppress a sigh as the door swung open. Looking towards the potions master with dull eyes, he mentally braced himself so that little emotion would be exposed in front of Snape.

For the first few seconds it seemed as though Snape was just going to stand there. But then he started yelling for Harry to have his things packed by the next day. It wasn't easy to maintain his mask with all the emotions going through him at the moment. He barely managed to keep the flinch at bay. But, damnit, he hated when people yelled… Harry was sure the he'd be hearing a lot more of it by the end of the summer. He felt both shocked and scared at the thought of Snape taking him in. He also felt hurt that the headmaster would force Snape to do this.

Anyone could tell that the headmaster had made Snape just by the look that was on his face. Nobody would take him without being forced too anyways. The last feeling he felt though, was relief. It was weird that he felt he'd be better off with Snape. But then again, anyone was better then the Dursleys. But he still felt bad for being such a burden on everyone.

Sighing he got up and made his way to the owlery. All he wanted to do was be with Hedwig, his first and closest friend. The next two days passed in a blur. Harry would spend his time either catching up on schoolwork or visiting the owlery. Harry still preferred the monotony of schoolwork, however, as it got him away from his troubled thoughts and impending doom. Ok… maybe he was exaggerating but Hermione would be proud to see him in the library or actually applying himself.

Next thing he knew he found himself in the great hall with Snape and the headmaster, shrunken trunk in his pocket. He was currently staring in shock at Snape. The man was wearing MUGGLE clothes…he thought he'd never see the day. Of course, it was a tight black T-shirt and black….jeans. Suddenly standing next to the man made him feel much more puny then normal, though he should've been use to that by now.

Who would've guessed that Snape had muscle hidden underneath all those robes? Probably from all those years of potion making. He was skinny but definitely strong. Harry was silently thinking that he definitely didn't want to get on Snape's bad side.

The headmaster said goodbye to them both, and then they were walking out onto the school grounds. He couldn't help the dread he felt as Dumbledore and the safety of the school got farther and farther from him. He tried to cheer himself up by remembering he only had about a month left of summer break. He jumped when he felt Snape grab onto his arm and they were both sucked into the narrow tube of apparition.

Glad to have kept his balance, Harry surveyed the area. It definitely wasn't what he was expecting. Down the street there was a bunch of guys about his age. They were playing that muggle basketball game,, but a few of them stopped to look curiously at him. After looking at Snape, however, they just went back to the game. At least now Harry knew that Snape had that affect on everyone and not just his students. Looking down the other way, he sees a store with a radio blasting music in front of It.

What really got to him though, was the fact that they lived in a muggle neighborhood… probably somewhere in America. At least that explained the need for the muggle clothes. Harry felt out very out of place. There were many buildings and houses of different shapes and sizes. On private drive all the houses looked the same and it was a really quiet area. Where he was now seemed to be the complete opposite.

Looking at the building in front of him he noticed it was rather old looking. He never pictured that Snape would live….here! He then noticed that Snape was no longer next to him but now opening the lock on the door. The inside of the house did not look much better then the outside. The stairs were narrow and dusty and the single light bulb did not help much. It seemed dreary and Harry wished he didn't have to go in. Not ready to try Snape's temper yet, he closed the outside door and followed Snape up the stairs.

Reaching the top, he sees yet another hallway that led off to three doors. He knew curiosity would cause him to check them later on. But for now he followed Snape to the farthest door. When Snape opened it he realized it was a closet…..a closet? Then, to his surprise, Snape pushed the clothes to the farthest side and muttered some type of spell, revealing a huge lock. Snape then took an equally huge key out from his pocket. Opening the ancient lock, the both entered the hidden rooms.

Just when Harry thought he couldn't be any more surprised then he already was, his jaw dropped to the floor.

The house was HUGE! Nothing like what he had seen from the outside. He doubted that he would ever get use to the things magic could do. He was brought back to the present by the sound of Snape's voice.

"Potter… the ministry is unable to sense magic carried out in this house. However, I will not risk it. You will not use magic for menial things that you may accomplish on your own. Should I find you using it without good reason you will find your wand in my possession. As for leaving the house, you are to have our wand hidden and with you at all times. Should I find cause to confiscate it, you will not be allowed out. Only if the situation is dire should you use it whilst out on the off chance that the magic would destroy the wards. You will find muggle clothes with a wand pocket stitched into the side when you are shown to your rooms. Understood?"

"Yes sir," was all Harry said, he found no reason to argue with anything Snape had said, not that he would have.

Those rules were fair enough, and they wouldn't be hard to follow either since he spent most of his life living in a muggle household. Snape was surprised at the boy's easy compliance. Not letting it show, he continued. "This house has not been cleaned of the numerous dark artifacts as of yet. So until further notice, you are not to enter though this door. For now we will be staying in the muggle part of the house." With that said Snape led them back through the closet. Harry was silently wondering what was the point of showing him if he wasn't even allowed in.

Snape probably thought it would be better off knowing about it instead of discovering it himself and getting hurt wandering. Hah! Like Snape would care about that. He probably just didn't want Harry messing with any of his stuff and would have a fair reason to punish him if he went into those rooms anyway….not that Snape needed a fair reason. This reminded him of the fact that Snape would be his temporary guardian. It was too scary to think about the extra power Snape now held over him, so he didn't. Instead he thought about what he could do while he was there. Dumbledore had explained to him earlier that he wouldn't be able to correspond with his friends, but he wasn't planning to anyways.

He then thought back to those muggle boys playing outside. He never really got to play so Harry knew he would suck. Those boys would probably ignore him and act as though he weren't even there. Looking, Harry saw Snape open the first door they had passed after the stairs. Harry noticed that it looked like your average muggle house.

The door opened to a large living room with a TV and stereo. He never thought he'd see the day where Snape had those things in his house. The ambiance of the room was earthy and….homey. Snape will never seize to surprise him. Taking off his shoes he walked in and noticed a door opened to what was most likely a kitchen. He turned to see stairs that had been obscured by a wall.

"You may look around but you are not to leave this section of the house. I will be in my lab right through that door and down the stairs. I should not be more then ten minutes. You are never to enter the lab without my permission unless there is an emergency."

With that said, Snape went to the door by the corner of the living room and descended the stairs, somehow without making a sound. As Harry watched him go he pondered how Snape could give off that dramatic air even without his billowing robes. Harry made his way up the rug covered stairs. Reaching the top, he saw yet another hallway that led off to five rooms.

Opening the first, he saw a rather bare room with a huge bed, a neatly kept desk, and a wardrobe. All were made of dark wood and Harry already knew that the room belonged to Snape. He left quickly despite the fact the Snape had given him permission to look around.

Opening the next door he found that it led to the bathroom. But, like everything else in the house, it was no ordinary bathroom. First of all, it was huge. There was a deep, wide, round hot tub right next to the stand up shower. There were a lot of distorted windows, which made the room bright and welcoming.

After admiring for another few seconds, he made his way to the next room down. At this point he expected anything, so he was only half surprised to find a muggle weight room. That would help explain how potions master's muscular build.

Harry decided that he'd definitely be visiting this room a lot….. if he were allowed of course. The next two rooms were also bedrooms. The second one being nearly twice the size of the first.

He vaguely remembered Snape saying something about clothes in one of the rooms. He felt bad that someone had to spend money on him to get him them. It was probably Dumbledore. Harry silently prayed that his clothes weren't as….bright as the headmaster's clothes were known to be. He assumed the first room would be his, but decided to wait for Snape to tell him before he got into trouble. Going back down the stairs, he went in to the kitchens.

Opening the fridge, he marveled at all the food that was there. There was like…everything you could think of! I wonder if Snape would ever ask me what I wish to eat for meals, he thought. He remembered Hermione telling Ron and himself about the Snapes being a rich family. If that were true, then he was bound to have more then one house. Why would Snape pick this one? Already feeling bored, Harry returned to the living room. He didn't want to turn on the telly or anything on the chance that it would get the professor angry.

Right as that thought was running through his head, the potions master made an appearance. Just as expected, the smaller room had been Harry's. But truthfully, Harry was happy with it. Compared to the room at the Dursleys it was huge. It surprised him when his new guardian told him that he would be able to change the colors if he wished. Harry wished that Snape would set down some rules so that he would know what he would be able to do without getting in trouble. As through Snape had read his mind, he started calling off a list of rules.

"Your are not to enter my rooms, which is the first door on the right. You may enter any other room. When you are out, you will be back by nine unless I say otherwise. You are to tell me where you are going before you leave this house. Before bringing anyone in, you must inform me at least one day prior and I will decide if you may. I will show you the library later, but other then that you are not to enter any other part of this house. Today you will not be going out as it is already rather late and you will be unpacking you things. Any questions?"

"No sir," Harry said.

Snape was actually being fair about this, for now anyways. Maybe I might actually get to enjoy this summer a bit, Harry thought. Once Snape left, Harry then realized how tired he actually was. But the Professor said that he was to unpack. While doing that, he noticed a pair of pajamas. They were warm and Harry just had to put them on.

Taking a quick shower, he changed into them and landed on the bed for a dreamless sleep.

He may not have been wanted, but life was being fair at the moment.

Now its time to press that big green button thats right below this :) (please?)