Severus scrambled up the stairs to the headmaster's office, gripping the wrought-iron handrails to propel himself along, all the while mentally preparing himself for a fight. The sign-up sheets to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays had been posted a week ago, and Harry Potter had not put his name down.

Dumbledore had cornered Harry at breakfast, and demanded a meeting with the child after class, which had ended fifteen minutes ago. Unfortunately for Severus, Harry's last class of the day had been Charms, situated a relatively short walk from the headmaster's office in comparison to the potion's classroom down in the dungeons.

While Severus had serious reservations about handing Harry over to the Malfoys' custody over the holidays, he was certain that bullying Harry into remaining behind in the depressingly deserted castle while his best friend left to celebrate with his parents would only drive the boy further into the Malfoys' hands.

Lucius Malfoy was eerily good at playing the victim, and while the man never allowed himself to look week, he did have a knack for portraying the very image of the noble underdog.

Salazar, even knowing what Lucius was, Severus found himself rooting for the man, when his mind was not actively guarded against such manipulations.

The devoted husband and doting father was not only a respected member of the Wizengamot and esteemed leader of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, but was also a generous philanthropist who had championed multiple valiant causes over the years and had single-handedly raised scores of underprivileged yet promising young wizards and witches into rightful prominence within their respective fields.

His carefully cultivated public persona was downright heartwarming.

No, if Dumbledore pushed Harry too hard too fast on this subject, he would lose the boy's trust forever.

Severus needed to intervene before it reached that point, and if he could not, he needed to stand in visible opposition of Dumbledore's ultimatum, in order to cement his viability as a non-platinum blonde alternative as a trustworthy adult figure in Harry's life.

He barrelled past the gargoyle's, nearly colliding with them as he spat out the current password, and they stepped ponderously aside.

Pausing just outside the office door, Severus took a moment to collect himself. He breathed in a deep, steady breath, and combed through his potion-greased hair with his fingers.

Beyond the door, Harry was shouting. "No, you can't make me!"

Severus pinched his nose, and took another deep breath. Things were going well, then.

"Harry, my boy, please sit down, and try to see reason. I only desire to keep you safe."

Severus scoffed under his breath, just as Harry loudly snorted in derision.

"Safe? You've done nothing to capture the person who has already actively tried to kill me on school grounds, and you want to keep me here, on those same school grounds, when my classmates won't be around to protect me, in order to keep me safe?"

"Harry…"

"You want to separate me from, and slander the name of, a member of your own Board of Governors, a man who has shown me nothing but kindness, mind you, to keep me safe?"

"It is not that simple, My Boy."

"No, I think it is. I think you must have seen my acceptance letter addressed to 'the cupboard under the stairs', and yet you still waited for over a week to send Professor Snape to check up on me. I think you know why the Slytherin prefects had to warn us on our first night here, to stick together to ward off bullying from the other houses, and still let it slide. I think I was almost murdered a month ago, and yet you've only elected to call me to your office to speak to me now that you know I'll be leaving, and I will be leaving, Headmaster. You can't stop me."

Well, shit. Plan B, then.

Severus straightened his robes, and burst through the door, into the headmaster's office. "Albus, I heard you had some concerns regarding Mister Potter's holiday plans, and as his Head of House, I thought I'd stop in to ensure the issue was resolved. Ah, Harry. It's good to see you."

Harry, whose fists remained clenched and trembling at his sides, nodded respectfully to Severus. "It's good to see you too, Professor."

"Severus, my friend, Harry and I were simply having a friendly chat. I see no reason to invoke any formal protocols regarding his Head of House; I was merely voicing my concerns."

"Bullshit," Harry snarled, shocking Severus to deeply that he forgot to chastise his student for his language. "You were trying to force me to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas, instead of going with Draco to his parents' place. You have no right to keep me here."

"Severus, perhaps you could talk some sense into the boy. Lucius Malfoy is a dangerous person, Harry. I do not feel comfortable handing you over to his 'care' for weeks on end."

"Lucius Malfoy is a Governor at this school, and if you try to prevent me from leaving on the train, I will submit a formal complaint with the board, Headmaster. Do you really want to deal with the embarrassment of having to convince the board that one of their own respected members, and a father himself, is unfit to look after a child over Christmas?"

Severus very carefully kept his face blank. Potter had clearly adapted Draco's 'run to his father' strategy of problem solving and melded it with more conventional Slytherin tactics. Severus could not help but be proud of his little snake. "The boy has a point, Albus. The board will never uphold such a ruling, and not even Lucius Malfoy could buy his way out of Azkaban if he murdered The Boy Who Lived within his own walls, when everyone will know where the boy is. I think Potter will be safe enough."

Dumbledore gave Severus a look, hidden behind the thin veneer of grandfatherly concern. Severus shivered, but soldiered on, grabbing Potter's shoulder protectively, as Dumbledore spoke. "His life is not all that is at stake, Severus. You are around children often enough to know how impressionable young minds can be, I'm sure."

"And yet," Potter jumped in, before Severus could formulate a response, "I've lived in the Slytherin dorms for months, and have yet to turn into a Death Eater. It seems I'm capable of thinking for myself, after all."

"Harry, my dear sweet boy, you have a good heart. I commend you for it, but your earlier defence of Lucius Malfoy's character proves that you are not as objective in your assessments as you think you are. Grownups can be very generous to us, and spin very pretty lies, but that does not mean they are on the side of good."

"No one's perfect," Harry said, tilting his head stubbornly to set his jaw, "but that doesn't mean I need to take your word for it, either. I'm sure you've got skeletons in your closet."

"I'm sure he does, Harry," Severus said, giving the boy's shoulder a gentle, warning squeeze, "and I believe you've made your point. How about a compromise? You write to me every day while you are away, to set our minds at ease, and in return, the Headmaster and I will focus our attention over the holidays on tightening security around the school, to make sure no more close calls befall you. Deal?"

Harry scowled, clearly not happy that the person who had nearly killed him in November was still walking free, but once he caught the hidden warning and promise in Severus' eyes, he nodded. "I can do that. I'll even let you know if I find the Dark Lord hiding in their pantry, yeah?"

Severus smiled, but Dumbledore tisked. "His name is Voldemort, Harry. The fear of a name only increased the fear of the thing, itself."

Fighting back a groan, Severus pointedly turned his attention to Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, who was lazily preening his iridescent feathers. The man simply did not know when to leave well enough alone.

"Voldemort, is it? His mother must have had it out for him. Maybe I should find a way to make people afraid of calling me the bloody Boy Who Lived. Now there's a stupid name. In the meantime, though, if I really am surrounded by Death Eaters, like you seem to think I am, Sir, then I see no problem with addressing the man with a title that won't put an even bigger target on my back, do you?"

Dumbledore did not seem to have a response to that.

"That would be prudent, Harry," Severus said, ushering the boy to the door before things devolved further, "and quite Slytherin of you. Using socially acceptable titles of respect, even when referring to one's enemies, does not make one weak, after all, so long as one is confident and secure in one's own position and beliefs. I'll walk you back to your dorms, Potter, but don't forget we have a deal. I expect a letter from you, every day."

They left the Headmaster's office quickly, and Severus managed to make it past the gargoyles before a chuckle slipped past his lips. "The Headmaster certainly got you riled up, didn't he?"

Harry rolled his eyes in the overly-dramatized way that only an eleven-year-old could pull off with absolute sincerity. "He was being stupid, and calling Mr. Malfoy names. I noticed that you didn't do much to defend Mr. Malfoy, either."

Severus dismissed the accusation with a wave of his hand. "It would have caused more trouble for both of us, if I had."

"Why?"

Severus paused to think his answer over. There were portraits on these walls, and while Lucius was not a master Legilimens as Severus was, he was certainly adept enough to slip through the unguarded mind of a first-year student who wore his heart on his sleeve. "Challenging a person's deeply held beliefs will always invoke resistance, Harry. If you can further your cause, and get what you want by other means, then it is often wise to do so. You must learn to pick your battles."

"Even if it means abandoning or betraying your friends?"

"Lucius Malfoy wears the accusations against his character as a badge of honor, Harry. The headmaster's misgivings are nothing that he cannot handle on his own. Taking a strong stance on the man, whether for or against, will invariably damage one's own reputation far more than it will dent his. He does not want nor need you to fight his battles for him."

Harry sighed. "Do I really have to write to you every single day?"

"It'd be for the best, yes. A simple note will do."

"Fine. What are you doing for the holidays, Sir?"

"I'll be staying here, Potter."

"Alone?"

"I'll have the other staff to keep me company, and the odd student to terrorise. And Peeves…"

"That sounds dreadful, Sir. I'll ask the Malfoys to invite you over for an afternoon."

Ah yes, tea with the Malfoys would be much less of a headache. At least Peeves had a sense of humor.

"There's no need to bother your hosts on my account, Potter."

"They won't mind!"

No, they probably won't. Lucius was itching for another update. Severus had been hoping to stall the man for a while longer, but perhaps this was the perfect excuse to get the meeting out of the way, and build up a non-Death Eater excuse to be seen associating with each other. He was both Harry and Draco's beloved Head of House, after all. Nothing suspicious there. No reason to have the dementors on stand by.

"I will consider it, Potter, but I make no promises."

"Brilliant. I'll save your present for when your visit, then!"

Severus was stunned. "You bought me a present?"

Harry was indignant. "Of course! You rescued me like a fairy tale hero this summer. Buying you a few trinkets was the least I could do. You'll like them, I promise! I made sure to get you useful stuff, and not just clutter."

Severus shook his head in bemusement, as the Slytherin entrance closed behind Harry. James Potter's son had bought him a Christmas present. Would wonders never cease?