kbinnz - Harry's New Home

He forced down his feelings of pride and scowled at the brat. "Do not imagine you will go unpunished, Mr Potter. The other parents may be so faint with relief тАУ and blind to the real goings on тАУ that they will excuse your peers, but you are not so lucky. I have no intention of permitting you to misbehave with impunity and grow up to be an irresponsible nincompoop."

"Awwww," Harry pouted, even as inwardly he exulted at this further evidence that Snape cared for him. He'd even said "other parents", like he really felt like Harry's dad.

"You will have detention every day for a week, Mr Potter. With me, since it seems that no one else is capable of seeing through your little deceptions." Perhaps by the end of the week, he would no longer have this overwhelming need to keep the brat within eyeshot at all times. If he did, he would just have to find another excuse to assign more detention. "You had best bring plenty of quills and parchment, as you will be writing numerous essays. If you are so determined to enter the struggle against the Dark Lord at such an early age, you will need to begin serious study of strategy and tactics."

"Cool!" Harry exclaimed. Then at Snape's narrowing eyes, he quickly corrected, "Uh, I mean, that's not fair." He struggled to think of something to complain about. "ErmтАж if no one else is getting punished тАУ"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I would be happy to assign Miss Granger and Mr Weasley a week of detention, if you insist. Mr Filch can always use assistants."

"No, no!" Harry hastily backpedaled. "It was all my idea. You're right."

"Hmf." Snape eyed him. "Perhaps several hundred lines of 'I will not prank Dark Lords' would be appropriate as well." Harry groaned. "That will be enough of your histrionics, young man. Come here."

Harry sighed, doing his best to keep up appearances. He hopped out of his chair and stepped over to where Snape had pushed his chair away from the table. "Just one smack, right? For disobedience in breakin' the rules an' pranking a professor. 'Cause I really didn't know about the danger," he reminded his professor anxiously. Was Professor Snape furious with him?

Snape was still haunted by images of Harry's broken, bleeding body тАУ tortured and left for dead in the Chamber of Secrets, staring sightlessly upward after an Avada Kedavra, sliced to pieces from his own spell тАУ and he couldn't help pulling the boy to stand between his legs so he could run his hands over the boy's shoulders and arms. He wasn't about to cuddle the brat тАУ Potter would hardly welcome being pawed by a Snape, for Merlin's sake тАУ but he just had to touch the boy to be certain that he really was alive, fit and whole and well. He'd been more shaken by the children's recitation of events than anyone had realized, even himself, but now that he was alone with Harry, the possibilities of what could easily have happened were making him tremble.

Harry looked at his guardian quizzically. Snape's eyes were even more shuttered than usual тАУ maybe he was really angry? Not only at Harry's actions with the DADA instructor but also at his arguing and backtalk? Harry bit his lip. Maybe he'd protested too much? It wasn't as if he hadn't expected to be punished, and after all, he had achieved his objective. He now had a week of one on one time with his guardian, and from the sounds of his assignment, they'd have plenty of things to talk about.

He turned slightly and leaned over his professor's thigh. "I'm ready, Pr'fessor," he offered, hoping that his willingness to accept what was coming to him would outweigh his earlier protestations.

Snape gritted his teeth. He knew he had to swat the child. It was an expected consequence for his misbehavior. Harry obviously was prepared to accept it. And the brat had deliberately taken on the Dark Lord тАУ or at least a DADA instructor, not that that was much better. But right now, all he wanted to do was hug the little fiend and feel him breathing and hear his heartbeat and reassure himself that Harry really and truly was fine.

But Snape had plenty of practice in not doing what he wanted, so he raised his hand and gave the wretch a sound slap right across the seat of his trousers.

"Ouch!" Harry shot upright, grabbing his bum. It didn't really hurt much, but he didn't want his professor to think he wasn't doing a good job. Professor Snape was trying really hard; Harry needed to help him gain confidence.

Snape cursed himself. Too hard! Obviously he still didn't have a sense of what was an appropriate, admonitory tap. He had thought he'd been being suitably gentle, but of course, he was comparing everything to his own bastard father's treatment of himself, and obviously he was still getting it wrong.

Harry rubbed at the smarting spot and wondered if he should cry. He was 11, after all, and it was just a single smack, so he decided it was okay to remain dry eyed. "Erm, Pr'fessor?" he ventured cautiously. His professor still looked awfully grim and grumpy.

"What?" Now the boy would surely want to go and whine at the Headmaster or Weasleys about how unfair and cruel he had been. Or perhaps he intended to ask Poppy to heal his backside?

"D'you think it would be okay if we joined the others on the tour of the castle?" Harry looked up at his guardian hopefully. Now that he had a parent of his own тАУ sort of тАУ he really wanted to show him off, and taking part in such an obvious parent/child activity was the sort of thing he had always dreamed of doing.

Snape frowned down at him. The brat actually wanted him to come along? Surely he had misheard. Why would Potter want to be accompanied by the greasy bat of the dungeons?

"Pleeeeeease?" Harry begged, forgetting to feign discomfort.

"Oh, very well," Snape huffed. He was in absolutely no condition to deny the brat anything. He just wants me to go along with him so he has an excuse for missing his morning classes, he told himself. That must be it.

Harry's face lit up. Grabbing his professor's hand, he pulled him out of his chair and dragged him towards the door. "What will you have me read in my detentions?" he asked curiously. "Will I have to write essays on everything, or can we talk about some of them? Can I loan the books to Hermione and Ron when I'm done? Where do you think Voldewhatsit has gone? Did you see Professor Flitwick flying yesterday? Can you do that? Can you teach me to do that? What was the spell that Quirrell used on the pumpkin? What would it have done to Madame Pomfrey if the pumpkin hadn't been there? Do you think Hagrid will be upset that he was being nice to Voldesnort? What aboutтАж"

Snape grumbled as he was tugged along. Little monster. He was only permitting this because it was obvious the boy was traumatized. Potter would never want to be seen with him in public if he weren't suffering from delayed shock. Better to just let the hysteria run its course. And, maybe, to enjoy it just a little bit while it lasted. Once the boy came to his senses, he'd doubtless be sulky and furious about his detention тАУ as what child wouldn't? тАУ but just for now, he could pretend that the boy actually liked being with him and that the guardianship would last beyond Black's exoneration.

Snape knew in his heart of hearts that he would never be able to compete with the mutt. Black was funny and lighthearted and charming. Everything he was not. And beyond that, Black had the imprimatur of Potter's parents. Of course the boy would want to honor them by living with their choice for his guardian.

Knowing that Potter would want to live with Black didn't mean Snape wouldn't fight tooth and nail to keep the boy, but it just meant that if he succeeded, Harry would be bitter and resentful at being kept from his godfather. And if he lost, it meant that he'd never see the child again as both Black and Harry would view him as the enemy. Either way, Harry would never again laugh and smile and pull at his hand the way he was doing right now. Not that it mattered. Not that he cared about the brat. But now, just for a few moments, he could imagine what might have beenтАж