When Harry woke up he was in a room he had never been in before. He blinked silently at the ceiling for a few minutes, disoriented. Rubbing his sleep-crusted eyes with one hand, he brushed a lock of unruly hair off of his cheek with the other. His face was sticky-feeling from dried tears.

He felt strange.

He lay there for a moment, studying the soft blue comforter beneath his fingers. A blue comforter? He didn't own a blue comforter…

A large window to the right of his bed let in just enough light for him to see the light cream-colored walls and the small oil painting that hung on the wall opposite from his bed. Simple blue curtains framed the window. Outside he could see what looked like a well-kept garden. In the middle of the garden there was a huge willow tree, so tall that he couldn't see it's top from where he was laying. A lovely wooden swing hung from of the trees thick branches. Harry thought that it looked like a nice place to sit and have some afternoon tea.

Harry blinked again.

"Where am I?"

"You're in my house Potter."

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin as he bolted into a seating position, startled by the reply to a question that he hadn't even meant to speak out loud. His heart pounded in chest as he searched for who he knew to be the owner of that voice.

Snape simply raised an eyebrow at the expression on his student's face.

"Your home P…Professor? But how…?"

It was then the events of that morning finally came back to Harry with such force that they might as well of slapped him in the face.

Harry dropped his eyes, his fingers again reaching to play with the soft blue fabric that was still draped over his lap. How could he have let this happen? How could he have let Snape figure everything out? Nothing good could possibly come from being in Snape's house.

What was his uncle going to do when he realized that Harry had lost his job on his first day?

By the last thought Harry had slowly worked himself into a panic. He felt the familiar prick of tears as they formed behind his eyes, and his breathing was becoming more and more labored with each additional thought.

Severus sighed deeply as the teenager in front of him quickly closed in on himself. Standing, he set down the book he had been reading in the old wooden rocking chair seated beside Harry's bed. Gently, he lifted the boy's chin, forcing Harry's green pools to meet his dark eyes.

"Potter I have not brought you here as a punishment," Severus assured the teen softly.

The teen nodded numbly.

"There are many things we need to discuss, but first I am assuming you would like to freshen up?"

Once again the teen shook his head in affirmative, his gratitude for the distraction outweighing his confusion about the way his professor was acting.

"The washroom is through there," Severus said, pointing to a door across the room. "You should find everything you need for a shower. There are clean clothes for you as well. I will be expecting you downstairs when you are finished."

With that Severus left the room, leaving Harry to marvel at how strange it was to see Snape wearing muggle clothes.

Deciding it would be best to do as he was told, and that frankly a shower sounded wonderful right about now, Harry slowly dragged himself out of his warm bed.

As his right leg reached the floor he felt a very small twang of pain, but he was surprised to find that it was nothing like how it had felt this morning.

In fact, in Harry was really feeling generally well. For the first time since Sirius's death he felt like he had actually gotten some sleep. The shaky, panicky feeling that had stuck with him over the last few months had lessened, and the persisting dull ache in his gut was gone.

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Harry stood carefully before making his way to the bathroom.

He finished with his shower quickly, not wanting to make Snape any angrier than he already was. He threw on the clothes than had been set out for him hastily, taking just a moment to check himself in the mirror. Harry stared blankly at the way the clothes hung loosely off his thing frame. The outfit was simple, a soft white T-shirt and some dark grey sweatpants. He didn't even want to think about whom these clothes belonged to.

Harry broke his gaze away from the mirror, turning towards the bathroom door. For a moment he hesitated, he really didn't want to go down and face Snape. He didn't know what he was going to tell him. Obviously, he couldn't let him know the truth…

Eventually, however, he concluded that it was better to go down and face some unwanted questions than to face the wrath of Snape if he didn't.

With a sigh he glanced back quickly at a small window, wondering briefly what his chances would be if he tried to make a break for it.

Not good.

Groaning, he ran a hand through his wet mess of dark hair before finally walking out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

Harry could only stare at the walls of Snape's home in confusion as he walked. This place was nothing like any place he would have ever imagined his Potions professor living. It was warm, light and clean. The stairway was decorated with photos of Miranda, Cassy, and a beautiful woman that he assumed to be their mother. There were even a few that included the man himself.

Harry chuckled quietly as he walked. There was no way anyone was going to believe him with he told them about this. If they thought he was going crazy before, now they're going to think he has turned into a hallucinating madman.

At the bottom of the stairs Harry found himself following the most wonderful smell into the kitchen. There he found the pretty woman from the photographs, her wild blonde curls marking her undoubtedly as Cassy's mother. She stood with her arms overflowing with cooking utensils and a pink polka doted apron wrapped around her waist.

"Oh hello," she greeted him enthusiastically, dumping her load onto the counter in order to shake his hand.

"You must be Harry. I'm Marissa Snape."

As he shook her offered hand Harry marveled at the warmth and kindness that exuded from the woman in front of him. Her smile reached all the way to her dancing blue eyes, and he almost found himself blushing.

"Severus said you would be awake soon, please make yourself at home and I will let him know that you've come down," Marissa said as she left the room to find her husband.

Harry watched her retreating back dumfounded. Make himself at home? He looked around the sunny kitchen in confusion…

He wouldn't even know where to start.

Marissa made her way quickly to Severus' study, her heart aching for the young teen she had just met.

Severus looked up as she entered, his lips twitching into a small smile at the sight of the ridiculous pink apron she insisted on wearing. But his smile quickly faded at the worried look that shadowed his wife's face.

"Severus, Harry is in the kitchen, would you like me to send him in here?" she asked.

He nodded, slipping the letter he had been reading into his desk with a frown.

"If you would please Mari," he answered.

She inclined her head in affirmation and turned to walk out. Pausing briefly at the door, she looked over her shoulder with a small smile.

"Try not to take to long Sev, dinner will be ready in an hour," she called back gently.

Severus smiled and nodded in confirmation. He knew that she was worried. His wife had a soft heart, and to see a child in Potter's present condition was hard for her.

Severus shook his head. He was sure that had she gone to Hogwarts, the damn woman would have been a Hufflepuff. The thought made him grimace for a moment, but his expression quickly faded into a grin. He would never admit it to anyone, but knowing that just made him love her even more.

Miranda, meanwhile, arrived back in the kitchen to find the dark-headed teen standing exactly where she had left him, his troubled green eyes a little hazy as he stared at the floor in deep thought.

"Harry," she called to him lightly, not wanting to startle the boy.

"Harry, Severus is in his study and would like to talk to you. I'll show you where if you'd like."

Harry nodded, his eyes still on the floor as he acquiescently followed the golden-haired woman from the room. He trailed her silently until they reached the study door.

With an encouraging smile from Marissa, Harry hesitantly knocked.

"Enter," commanded a voice on the other side.

Drawing a shaky breath, the nervous teen opened the door, wondering briefly why the pit in his stomach had returned. He had faced Snape plenty of times. Sure the man was greasy and mean, but Harry had never let that get to him before. But this time was different. This time Snape knows….

Harry shuddered lightly at the thought.

He stepped into the room, letting the door click shut behind him. He could still hear Marissa's retreating footsteps, and he resisted the urge to call her back as a witness. Once again he contemplated bolting, but his hands had began to shake again and he knew he wouldn't make it very far.

Silently, Harry walked over and stood in front of a large mahogany desk, his eyes glued to the hardwood floors beneath his bare feet.

"Potter," Snape greeted him, his voice soft and steady.

"Professor," Harry answered quietly.

Severus briefly sat back and studied the raven-haired teen that stood before him. The change of clothes suited him far better than the rags he had been wearing that morning, but even still the boy looked less like a teenager and more like a child who had been playing dress-up in his father's closet.

What concerned Severus most, however, was the complete lack of spirit in this new Potter. Where was the boy's defiant spark? Where was the classic Potter glare?

Instead his student seemed almost mechanical, only the slight shaking of Potter's hands betrayed what the boy was feeling.

"Please take a seat," Severus said, gesturing towards one of the leather-clad armchairs positioned in front of his desk.

Severus noted the look of shock and fear that flashed through the boy's eyes, and he briefly wondered just what those bloody muggles had done to him. He watched as the teen sit on the edge of his chair uneasily, as if at any moment it might be pulled out from under him.

Severus sighed, reaching for the drawer beneath his right hand. Potter's eyes snapped to his in a panic as the potions master pulled out a small vial filled with an amber colored liquid. Frowning, the professor carefully set the potion on the desk in front of his student.

"A calming drought," he explained smoothly, tilting his head in indication that Harry should take it.

Harry did so timidly, nodding gratefully as the tremors in his hands slowly subsided. He set the empty vial back on his professor's desk before finally raising his eyes to meet Severus' dark gaze.

"What time is sir?" he asked quickly, surprising them both. He had suddenly realized that it must be well past time for him to be home, and if he didn't find a way to leave soon he was sure to be in for it with Uncle Vernon.

Severus raised his eyebrow at the boy before gesturing smoothly to a small, golden clock that sat on one corner of his desk. It was the muggle kind, digital, and had been a Christmas present from his daughter. The numbers read 7:16.

Harry's shoulders tensed.

"I should really be getting home sir, my relatives…"

Severus held up a hand to interrupt him.

"It has been taken care of Potter. Your uncle thinks I need you to work tonight shelving a new shipment of books."

Harry returned his gaze to the floor, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Severus used his silences as an opportunity to continue.

"I have a proposal for you Mr. Potter."

Harry simply frowned.

"Sir?"

"How would you like to leave the Dursleys?"

A spark of anger flared within Harry's emerald eyes as they flew to meets Snapes black orbs. Finally something was making sense. Snape knew that he couldn't leave the Durselys. Even if there were not blood wards to worry about, with Sirius gone Harry had nowhere else to go. Snape was just trying to mess with him, to rub it in.

Severus sat back in shock as the teenager suddenly transformed before him. Potter sat up pin-straight in his chair, setting his jaw and leveling his fiery glare onto his professor.

When Harry spoke, his voice was ice cold.

"You know that I can't," he said, pausing before adding an obligatory "sir".

Severus winced at the deep hurt painted across the teen's face.

"Potter, I think that you have misunderstood what I am asking," Severus started cautiously.

Harry said nothing.

"What I am proposing is that you leave the Dursleys and stay here," Severus finished quietly.

Harry was certain that he misheard him. Severus Snape did not just invite him to spend the summer in his house.

Severus kept his face carefully blank as the teenager stared at him in disbelief.

"It has come to my intention that your relatives are…unfit for guardianship. Therefore my wife and I have discussed it and would like to invite you to spend the rest of the vacation here with us."

Harry hesitated. He did want to leave his relatives, but to stay with Snape? The man hated him. Besides, Dumbledore and the Order would never allow it. Right?

"Is that even allowed?" Harry asked in a small voice, his eyes lowering to study Snape's desk.

Severus leaned forward, unsure of how to answer. To be honest he wasn't exactly sure. He had sent an owl earlier that afternoon informing Dumbledore of what had happened, and so far he had no response.

"Frankly Potter, I'm not sure yet. But I do know that you cannot return to the care of those muggles. I am waiting on a response from the Headmaster, but until then I must ask that you remain here."

Harry inclined his head slightly, his face flushing. He was angry that Snape had told Dumbledore about his relatives, but he was grateful that the made had at least given him an honest answer.

"Thank you for your offer professor," Harry replied awkwardly.

"But Dumbledore will never let me stay."

Severus looked at him, confused by his student's response.

"And why is that Potter?" Snape asked.

But Harry offered no response.

After a few moments of silence Severus sighed, deciding not to push the subject for now.

"I expect that we should be hearing from Professor Dumbledore soon. In the meantime, there is one more thing that we need to take care of."

Harry looked up as his professor stood up from his chair and walked slowly around the desk to stand next to him. After motioning for Harry to stand, Severus led him over to a leather couch that was similar to the one which he had healed the boy on this morning, except this one was a light tan instead of grey.

"Sit," Severus commanded lightly.

Harry made no move obey, eyeing his teacher wearily.

"I will not ask again Potter," Severus warned. Harry's eyes flashed momentarily in protest, but after a few seconds he sat down .

Severus rolled up his sleeves and pulled out his wand. Glancing at the frightened teenager who was now fighting to stand up in alarm, he placed a firm hand on the boys shoulder to hold him in place and quickly cast a deep medical scan charm.

"Relax," he said gently."You need to hold still, the scan will take a few minutes to complete."

Harry looked up at him skeptically.

"What are you doing to me?" he asked.

Severus slowly removed his hand from the teens shoulder and began moving back towards his desk. Reaching into the same drawer as before he began pulling out a number of small potion vials.

"Finding out what other damage those bloody muggles did," Severus replied shortly.

Harry turned white.

"That's not…" Harry began stuttering, desperate to get Snape to stop the scan.

"I mean...they didn't…"

Harry rose to his feet and was making wild attempts to grab the parchment that had appeared in front of him. Snape had already figured out enough, the last thing Harry wanted was for him to know everything…

Severus let out a small growl of frustration. In two long strides he managed to carefully hook his arm around the boy's waist and gently push the struggling teen back onto the couch.

"Potter what are you doing?" Severus asked gruffly. His patience with the unruly Gryffindor was running thin.

Harry said nothing as hot, salty tears began to slide once again down his cheeks. He was sure that with the information Snape had learned today the man was going to make his life a living nightmare. Harry had been coping just fine. From his very first year at Hogwarts he had worked hard to learn to heal himself. Every spring before break he made sure to brew enough lower level pain potions to get him through his uncle's…lessons. It was just his luck that he had made it five years keeping his secret, even from Madam Pomfrey, although the mediwitch had certainly done her best to try and pry it out of him, only to have it found out by the last person in the world that he would ever want to share it with.

Harry closed his eyes miserably. Dropping his head, he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

Severus walked silently to a small cabinet that sat against the wall behind his desk. Opening it, he retrieved a small, empty glass. With a tap of his wand he filled it with clear, cool water before returning to stand in front of Harry.

"Potter," he said softly, pressing the cold glass into the teenager's hand. Harry took the water but made no move uncoil himself to drink it.

A small ding and a puff of smoke alerted both wizards that the scan had completed, but neither of them made a move to retrieve the parchment that now hovered about a foot above Harry's head.

Severus took a moment to check his emotions. He was letting his past judgments cloud his reactions to the present situation. The teenager who sat before him was not the insufferable Gryffindor who was constantly causing him trouble. Severus felt a small knot begin to form in his stomach as he wondered how many of the boys "adventures" could have been avoided had they cause Potter's abuse earlier. Severus was very familiar with the kind of trust issues that came from years of abuse, and he had witnessed firsthand the difficulty that students who came out situations like Potter's had with accepting help from authority figures. All these years he had thought Potter just had an unhealthy does of the hero complex. Dear Merlin, how wrong he had been.

Severus blinked for a second, before bottling up the regret that had begun seeping into his mind and switching quickly into Head of House mode.

He reached for the floating parchment, scanning the contents quickly. His eyes darkening at what he found.

Most of the injuries listed were superficial—cuts, bruises, burns, ect. But the parchment also listed two half-healed cracked ribs and a sprained wrist. What concerned Severus most, however, was what appeared to be the beginnings of some organ damage, which he suspected to be related to years of malnourishment.

Wordlessly, Severus returned to his desk. After reaching in to pull out two more small positions vials and a large jar of some sort of pink salve, he pushed the drawer closed. Straightening, he waved his wand, levitating the potions over to sit on the couch next to his student.

A light flick transfigured the dark-haired teen's clothes into a light-blue hospital gown, causing the teen to look up in alarm. Severus took this opportunity to slowly remove the water glass from Potter's hand, replacing it quickly with the first potion vial before he finally spoke.

"Potter I need you to understand that I cannot allow you to remain in your current condition," Severus said carefully, waiting for the boy to give a small, unsure nod before he continued.

"The reason that I cannot allow it is because it is wrong. Adults are not supposed to hurt the children in their care. Your relatives are not supposed to treat you this way."

Harry stared straight ahead, too exhausted from emotional whiplash to fully comprehend what his professor was saying.

"Harry," Severus said sharply. The teen jumped in surprise at the sound of his given name. His green orbs rose to meet Severus' dark, serious gaze.

Severus summoned a chair and took a seat, his knees just inches from Harry's. With one hand he cautiously reached out to touch the teens elbow, indicating that he should drink the potion he was holding in a death-grip.

But Harry didn't move, his stare held steady on his potions professor.

"Harry," Severus started again, before saying the five small words that Harry desperately wanted to here but knew he would never fully believe…

"This is not your fault."

One tiny tear rolled down Harry's face, pausing for just a moment at his chin before falling to splash on his lap.

"Potter we are going to have to discuss this," Severus continued quietly.

"But first, you need to be healed."

Severus motioned once again to the vial in Harry's hand. The teen bent his head to study it for a moment.

"What's the point?" Harry asked bitterly, his voice raw and shaky from the crying.

His professor's eyes darkened, and he placed two fingers firmly under his students chin, forcing him to meet his determined gaze.

"The point, Mr. Potter, is that no one, not even you, deserves to be left in pain when something can be done about it," Severus said definitively.

The teenager blushed and turned his head, breaking away from his teacher's grasp.

Severus sighed, his heart sinking heavily as he realized just how badly he had failed his student. All those years he had thought he was doing the world a favor by knocking the Gryffindor's ego down a few notches. In reality he had been chipping away at the boys near-inexistent sense of self-worth.

"I believe that my wife will be finished with dinner shortly. As we are not going to be leaving this study until we get this over with Mr. Potter, may I suggest we begin sooner rather than latter?"

Harry reached up to wipe his eyes with his free hands before straightening to face Snape. For a short second he studied his professor, before finally pulling the stop off of the potion vial and downing it.

Severus nodded in approval before handing him the rest of the bottles, one-by-one. When he was finished, Severus picked up the jar with the pink salve and turned to the black-haired boy.

"Mr. Potter I am going to need to see your back," Severus said quietly.

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but his words died on his lips. He figured that resisting was pointless. Snape was going to win in the end.

After carefully clearing his face of emotion, Harry turned until his professor could see the open back flaps of his hospital gown.

Severus gently pushed the flaps aside, cursing silently as the marks he was expecting appeared.

Potter's back was littered with nasty red welts in various stakes of healing, and a large greenish handprint covered his right shoulder. A line of small circular burns ran just bellow the boy's shoulder blades. Severus felt his stomach churn.

The potions master quickly opened the jar in his hand and began gently applying a thin layer of the pink substance to the teen's injuries.

Harry was surprised at how cooling and soothing the salve felt on his skin, the faint scent of lemongrass reaching his nose as his professor continued to spread the stuff across his back. He involuntarily let out a breathe of relief as the ointment began healing his Uncle's handiwork.

Severus worked in silence. When he had finished, he slowly eased the boy back around to face him.

The potions master motioned for the teen to lie down on his back and cautiously asked him to remove his gown from the waist up. Harry did so with mechanical movements.

Severus masked his face carefully as he began working on the bruises that littered Harry's scrawny chest and abdomen. Harry watched him diligently, blinking only when his professor finally capped the jar and set it aside.

Severus then pulled out his wand, hovering it just above Harry's ribcage.

"Two of your ribs are fractured. This is going to be unpleasant for a few moments Potter," Severus told him, his tone practically apologetic.

Harry simply inclined his head in understanding, his eyes firmly fixed on the tip of his teacher's wand.

Moving with deliberate motions, Severus swiftly healed the broken ribs. Harry winced as his chest grew unbearably hot for a moment and a sharp pain began radiating from his ribcage. The pain lasted only for a few seconds before quickly disappearing. When it was gone the inhaled deeply, sighing contently as his lungs took in a full, painless breath.

Severus cast a quick spell to make sure the bones had healed properly before moving on to Harry's left wrist. The potions master tapped the appendage with the tip of his wand, watching in satisfaction as a bandage wrapped itself securely around the sprain.

Finally, Severus sat back, motioning for his student to sit up.

"I am assuming you can take care of the rest," Severus asked him with a pointed look, handing him the pink salve.

Harry nodded, taking the offered jar.

"Very well," Severus said.

Standing, the professor pulled his chair back to allow the teen to get on his feet. With a flick of his wand he transfigured the boy's gown back into his T-shirt and sweats.

Severus led Harry through study door to a small washroom located across the hallway.

"You might as well wash up for dinner while you're in there," Severus said shortly.

"Yes sir," Harry replied quietly, obediently turning to walk into the room.

"And Potter," Severus said quickly, stopping the boy as he crossed into the doorway.

Harry turned to look at him.

"If I find that you have intentionally neglected to use that salve for its intended purpose than I will take care of it myself," his professor warned.

Harry's face flushed, but he nodded and continued into the washroom, closing the door behind him.

Severus stepped back into his study. Leaving the door open, he dropped himself into the closest chair and closed his eyes. His fingers found his temples, and he slowly began to rub out the pressure that had been building there over the last hour.

Merlin help me, Severus thought. What on earth am I going to do about Potter?

A/N: I know what you are thinking…you can't believe that I updated this story twice in the same year. Me neither. Yet here it is. The story has started deviating from how it was when I originally posted it, mostly because I am now a semi-rational adult instead of an emotional middle schooler (at least on the good days). But hopefully the changes will end up being for the better.

Reviews are always welcome, and a great encouragement to continue! Thanks for reading!