Harry was still riding high from his day out with Draco after supper that night. When they'd returned to the Dursleys, Mrs. Malfoy hadn't just dropped him off and left like Harry had expected. They had stuck around to make sure that Harry would be alright.

Harry had offered to make dinner so that Aunt Petunia wouldn't get mad at having to do it herself.

Aunt Petunia had frozen at the offer. In hindsight, Harry realized that she had not wanted Mrs. Malfoy to know about just how many chores Harry had, but at the time, he had honestly just been trying to be helpful.

Mrs. Malfoy had stepped in saying that she would be delighted to try out Harry's cooking and had watched him closely as Harry had started pulling out ingredients.

It hadn't taken long before she had asked Draco to help with the chopping and stirring, while she had rolled up her own expensive designer sleeves to handle whichever tasks Harry wasn't tackling himself.

Looking back, Harry was amazed that she had never once taken control of the process from him. She had followed his lead and allowed him to make all the final decisions about seasoning and presentation and all of that.

After being shamed by her guests making her food, Aunt Petunia had jumped in to set the table and help out however she could, but without ever really getting to know Harry enough to predict his movements or communicate with him, she had gotten in the way more than anything.

It had still been the most fun Harry had had cooking in his entire life.

He had been very proud of what they'd made together, and Mrs. Malfoy had gone out of her way to compliment Harry on his skills.

Draco said that it was no wonder that Harry was such a genius at Potions, and the Dursleys had had to sit there in silence and allow talk of both magic and about Harry's intellectual prowess to be spoken of openly at their table.

After they had eaten, Aunt Petunia had even made Dudley do the dishes and had pinched his ear to drag him over to the sink when he had started to whine.

Harry had been free to visit with the Malfoys in the sitting room while his aunt and cousin did all the cleaning up for once.

Uncle Vernon had made a show of ignoring them all by rereading that morning's paper.

As they were leaving, Mrs. Malfoy had casually informed Harry that she had placed a monitoring spell on him, just in case he had any hidden karate injuries that acted up over the next couple of days until their next lesson.

Aunt Petunia had paled at her words and Uncle Vernon had gone red.

Harry had hidden a smirk as he gave her a big hug goodbye and promised to write to Draco before his next visit.

A monitoring charm meant that the Dursleys would have to keep their hands off of Harry and keep him well-fed.

Of course, Harry still had that perpetual platter of sandwiches up in his room, but the Dursleys didn't know about that. As far as they were concerned, their primary methods of punishing Harry had just been taken away from them.

It was brilliant.

When Harry skipped into his room, he was immediately accosted by Mercurius, who nipped his ear hard enough to bleed.

Harry doublechecked, but the window was open, and Mercurius' water and food bowls were both full.

Harry supposed his owl just had a rough way of saying he missed him.

He ruffled the bird's feathers and fed him a treat.

Mercurius hooted and nipped Harry again, more softly this time.

"I missed you too, boy," Harry said fondly. "I didn't realize I'd be gone all day. Did Professor Snape send anything back for me?"

The owl cocked his head toward Harry's desk, where a sealed letter rested.

Harry grinned and bounded over to it.

Harry,

I am glad that you made it home safely. I took the liberty of ordering you some new potions books to keep you busy over the summer, as well as some Defence Against the Dark Arts books, in case this year's replacement professor is subpar. They should arrive tomorrow.

Don't be a nuisance to your relatives and remember to ask me if they demand something of you that you don't believe is safe or fair.

I've heard that you will be spending quite a bit of time with Draco this summer.

Stay safe and keep your eyes open, especially while in public.

I am glad that you will get to spend the summer with your friend but remember that most of the protections on your Aunt's house don't extend beyond their property line. Keep your wand with you at all times, even though you aren't allowed to use it.

It is better to have to explain to the Ministry why you had to use magic in self defence after an emergency than to be kidnapped or hurt because you didn't want to get in trouble.

I'm sure you'll continue to do me proud and I look forward to seeing what you've learned over the summer once next term starts up.

Take care, Harry.

Professor Severus Snape

p.s.

If you would like me to come with you to take a closer look at some of the items in your trust vault now that you are more acclimated with our world, let me know. I would be happy to escort you and to answer some of your questions.

Harry read the letter three times. It was simple, but Harry knew Professor Snape well enough to know that there was a depth of caring hidden between the lines.

He was excited to see which books Professor Snape had gotten him.

He wondered if he should add more to his general research or pick a specific independent study.

Maybe once he skimmed through the books, inspiration would strike.

He wrote a quick note back to Professor Snape, confirming that he was still okay, and that his first karate lesson with Draco had gone well, then left it on his desk for Mercurius to deliver in the morning.

His owl deserved the chance to hunt and rest before going on his next mission.

Harry needed sleep too, he realized when he saw how dark it had gotten outside.

He had had a long day!

After cleaning up for the night, Harry curled into his bed and fell asleep almost as quickly as his head hit the pillow.