"Mr. Potter, what are you doing wandering Diagon Alley alone?" Severus asked. The boy jumped which confused Severus as his serious voice hadn't contained its normal sneer.
"Professor Snape, I-I'm sorry, sir," Harry whispered as his eyes flitting to the sidewalk beneath his feet.
"Are you creating some sort of trouble, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked keeping any aggression out of his voice.
"No, sir," Harry answered quickly his wide eyes full of honesty.
"Then what are you apologizing for, Mr. Potter?" Severus inquired.
"I-I-" Harry tried to explain, but found he had no explanation.
"Will you please tell me why you are wandering Diagon Alley alone? How did you come to be here, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked again.
"I took the Knight Bus, sir," Harry answered.
Severus pondered that for a moment before offering, "An interesting choice most likely caused by an even more interesting situation. Will you tell me about it?"
"I accidentally magicked my aunt into some kind of balloon thing," Harry answered nervously.
"I'm sure your emotions were high and you understand the need to learn control, but that doesn't help me understand the why of you being in Diagon Alley," Severus prompted.
"My relatives weren't-they didn't appreciate my display of magic...at all. They were very-um-angry and were going to kick me out anyway. So, I decided it would be-better to just leave before things got-worse," Harry explained blushing.
"Well, Mr. Potter, it would be very irresponsible of me to let the boy-who-lived wander around alone so, where would you like to go first?"
"Oh, you really don't have to-" Harry started, but was quickly cut off by Severus.
"I know. Now lead the way, Mr. Potter."
On their way, Harry stopped at a wanted poster that drew his attention.
"Professor, what do you know about this man?" Harry asked.
Severus looked for a moment debating how much truth to share with the boy. "His name is Sirius Black. He was close friends with your father. The two of them were a part of a foursome-they made my life miserable, so my story is biased-but that's beside the point. Sirius was assumed to be your parent's secret keeper so when they were killed it was inferred that Sirius had given up their location to He-who-shall-not-be-named. Sirius blamed another member of their group, Peter Pettigrew. When Sirius pursued Pettigrew there was an explosion of sorts which resulted in thirteen casualties. However, the only thing left of Pettigrew was a finger and Sirius was sentenced to life in Azkaban without a trial," Severus answered.
"How did he escape?" Harry asked as they resumed walking to the book store.
"He was an animagus, along with the rest of their crew. I imagine that's how it happened, but I do not know the facts, Mr. Potter."
"Why are you always so honest with me, Professor?" Harry asked.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I was a child too once believe it or not. Children have an incredible skill for knowing when they are lied to and often become distrustful of adults. Such distrust leads to danger for everyone. I will explain why I may choose not to share certain details and I will always be honest. Hopefully, this will prevent danger, Mr. Potter," Severus answered honestly.
Potter averted his gaze to hide his tears as he offered, "Thank you, Professor."
"Let's get your books, Mr. Potter."
When they exited the store, Severus offered the child another question. "Do you have a safe place to stay until school resumes?"
"I-I guess I didn't think that far ahead, sir," Harry admitted.
"Well, if you're agreeable I can take you to Hogwarts with me," Severus offered.
"Dumbledore explained students aren't allowed as Hogwarts during the summer. Thank you though, sir," Harry replied.
Severus tucked away for later the information that the child had talked to Dumbledore about staying at Hogwarts through the summer. Instead, he answered, "Unsupervised students aren't allowed at Hogwarts through the summer because of the safety risk. If you were to agree to coming to Hogwarts, you would be under my supervision. Meaning you would have to obey me and reside in my spare bedroom. In exchange, I will make sure you are safe, healthy, and well. I can even help with homework if you wish."
"I'd really appreciate that if it wouldn't put you out, Professor."
"What do you need to get done yet before we head back to Hogwarts?"
Soon, Severus was seeing Harry settled in his spare room. While helping the child organize his room, Severus decided to get more information on the detail he'd tucked away. "Mr. Potter, when did you speak with Headmaster Dumbledore about spending the summer at Hogwarts?" Severus inquired.
Potter gave a bitter scoff before answering, "Only every year before the summer, sir."
"Interesting, Mr. Potter, and why were you so adament to stay?"
"My relatives hate me, sir," Harry answered as he suddenly became very fascinated with folding his clothes absolutely perfectly.
"How did they show their hatred, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked letting his calm hide his suspicions.
"Lots of yelling-I suppose. Taunting-most definitely. They um...made threats sometimes."
"Harry, will you please look at me?" Severus requested and waited for the boy to comply before following up. "Do your relatives hurt you, Mr. Potter?"
The wide eyes with both fear and confusion was all the confirmation Severus needed.