AN: Welcome (back) to the world of The Murtlap Thief! This story is a sequel to The Murtlap Thief, but it can also be read on its own if you wish. The Murtlap Thief is set in the world of the fifth book, and Harry is caught trying to steal Murtlap from Snape's potions stores after a bout with Umbridge's quill. After being punished by the irate potions master, Harry and Snape develop a rapport which eventually brings down the evil Professor Umbridge. Upon some revelations of abuse in the hands of the Dursleys, Snape also feels compelled to offer to be Harry's guardian, which Harry accepts. This book is set three months later, starting at the end of June. I welcome and encourage reviews, comments, encouragement, ideas, and criticism. I answer many of the reviews that I get and value developing a relationship with readers. Comments that are abusive towards the author however will be summarily deleted without a second thought.

Disclaimers: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I own any of the familiar characters. I will not give chapter headings as to this fact, I think we can all assume that I won't own these characters at any point in this story. Also, this story will likely contain the parental spanking of a teenager, so if that bothers you please don't read my story or at least skip that part.

Harry looked into Snape's cold, angry face and shivered in fear. He had made it a study on how to avoid the ire of the man he had hoped to be his guardian, but he knew he had really stepped in it this time. He had a really bad feeling that this was going to end badly, and probably with him on the business end of a paddle. Since the time he had paddled him for peeking in the pensieve Snape had not taken a paddle to him, but by the look on his face he could see that was his intention.

"Let me see if I have this correct," Snape intoned, visibly trying to calm himself. "You accepted a ride from someone that you had never met at home in order not to bother me?"

"I did," Harry replied, licking his lips.

"That is a lie," Snape told him, his voice dripping with fury. "And you have risked your life for frivolous reasons."

"We are in the suburbs!" Harry protested. "What danger could there have been?"

"What if that friendly neighbor offering you a ride had been a death eater in disguise?" Snape asked, his voice sharp.

"Then I would have been in danger," Harry admitted, looking down. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Did no one ever tell you it was dangerous to accept rides from strangers?" he asked, towering over Harry.

"Not really," Harry admitted with chagrin. "The Dursleys only cared that I didn't bother them too much. I'm sorry, professor, I didn't think about the danger. I truly was trying to to save you the bother."

Snape gazed at the boy, assessing. He felt his fury fade, he realized that it wasn't an act of willful disobedience, but rather of expediency. He realized that fear had been fueling his fury more than anything else, and having the boy unharmed in front of him did a lot to lower that fear. But he still needed to know that the child would not do anything so foolish again.

"I wonder how we should make sure that this won't happen again?" Snape asked, his voice still low and threatening but ever so slightly lighter.

Harry, picking up on the change of tone, smiled disarmingly. "A good beating always works. So is the cane or perhaps being chopped up for potion ingredients?" he asked.

"Don't be cheeky," Snape growled, but with a smirk. "You are far too skinny to make good potion ingredients. And a few stripes with the cane would do you some good."

"Probably," Harry agreed, feeling relieved. If Snape smirked, the chance of him getting spanked was a lot less. "So should I go bend over a desk somewhere? But I'd advise you to not leave any marks that could cause the ministry to deny your guardianship."

"Cheeky brat," he said, but without passion. "You don't know how unpopular you are at the Ministry. Some bruises or stripes might clinch it for me."

"If that's true, by all means apply a few," Harry smirked. "Anything to end the waiting."

"They did let you stay with me this summer," Snape drawled. "Perhaps they were thinking I might change my mind after some quality time with you."

"Maybe," Harry agreed, feeling pretty assured he wasn't getting punished. He had definitely developed a rapport with Snape over the past few months, but he still worried if the man was going to eventually either brutalize him or decide he was done being his guardian. But, unbelievably, the man had done neither. He had even become, well, if not exactly loving and warm at least sort of . . . friendly. Less intimidating.

"But in all seriousness, if you ever take a ride from someone else, anyone else, without my permission I will see that as officially endangering your life. You understand what I mean?"

"The paddle," Harry nodded solemnly. "I understand."

"You will be thankful if it is just the paddle," Snape told him darkly.

"I understand," Harry nodded soberly.

"Then we will chalk this up to another unfortunate Dursley side effect for now," Snape nodded. "Like how you felt like you had to prepare every meal and clean everything every day. I feel like we need to have a review of basic human safety. You are remarkably unprepared."

"Most of the preparation they gave me was in how to be a house elf," Harry smirked. It made it easier to joke about it.

"Then I would assume you to keep your room tidier," Snape admonished. "I have specifically instructed Botters not to pick up after you, and I think your room is going to give her a nervous breakdown."

"I'll work on it," Harry agreed. "I'm sorry, I'll work on being more organized. I've just never had, you know, enough stuff to really make a mess."

"Hmmph," Snape replied enigmatically. He was trying to appear stern, but in reality he wondered at how much his heart had softened for this ridiculous Gryffindor boy. Lily's son. And in some ways it was good to see the boy be a little messy - it was a far cry from how he had nervously tried to clean everything when they first arrived at his home. "See that you do it before you go flying this evening."

Harry nodded. "So you haven't heard anything else from the ministry?" he asked.

Snape gave his head a small shake, and saw the boy's shoulders hunch. "You know that I think no news is actually good," Snape told him. "The longer you are in my custody the better. It's not that long until you are seventeen, after all."

"What do you think the delay is?" Harry asked. He knew that guardianships like this were often granted within a week or two at most, especially given that Harry was nearly sixteen, and only a year from the age of majority. They had applied three months ago, right after Snape had made the offer.

"I am not sure," Snape answered carefully. He actually had some good ideas as to what the delay was, but did not want to trouble Harry with the information. Dumbledore, after all, was one of the men that Harry looked up to the most. He didn't want to shatter that without reason. "I am investigating why it is."

"You're right, at least I'm here for the summer."

"With the evidence of abuse you so bravely supplied they would not have been able to deny you," Snape told him firmly. "If the Dursleys were wizards and subject to our laws, they would have been arrested."

Harry squirmed, feeling uncomfortable. Discussions about the Dursleys always made him feel that way, as if it had been his fault. "They weren't that bad . . ." Harry started, his voice sounding young.

"They were," Snape replied firmly. "I saw the memories. You did nothing to deserve such treatment, Harry."

Harry blushed and looked away. It always warmed him to hear Snape use his first name, and hearing Snape assure him always felt good too. Nine months ago he would have thought Snape would have been cheering the Dursleys on, not adamantly insisting that what they did had been wrong. In his head Harry knew that they were wrong, but it took a lot longer to actually believe it.

Snape raised his hand, and even though Harry knew the man would not hit him like that he still flinched. Snape, pretending to ignore the flinch, continued his intention and placed his hand firmly on Harry's shoulder. He patted in what he hoped was a reassuring way, he did not have much experience with this.

Snape could have continued to reassure him, but he thought of something different instead. "Sometimes you look so much like your mother that I hardly know what to say," he told Harry.

"You had said you were friends," Harry encouraged, feeling the reassurance from the shoulder pat.

"We were friends as children," Snape told him. "You knew that. She was my only friend, truth be told, until we went to Hogwarts."

"I know Petunia was her sister," Harry nodded. "Were their parents nice?"

"Nice enough, I suppose," Snape told him. "I'm not sure why Petunia ended up so . . . well, so horrible to you. She was a jealous and spiteful child, but most people grow out of that. She, apparently, did not."

"Was my mother anything like her?"

"No," Snape answered firmly. "I mean, there is some iota of physical resemblance, but little else. Just because they are sisters does not mean that they are alike as people. No, you would have been very happy being raised by Lily."

"I know James was awful to you . . ." Harry stammered, blushing at the memory both of him peeking in the pensieve and of what he had seen there.

"You saw an immature adolescent at his worse," Snape told him softly, pushing down his sense of betrayal that surfaced again of Harry breaking his trust. Reminding himself that the boy had paid enough for that particular transgression, he capitulated. "James Potter grew up. He was quite brave in his work with the Order and I believe he was a good and loving husband and father. I believe you would have enjoyed being raised by him as well."

"I really appreciated the memories you showed me of them," Harry told Snape, not meeting his eye. "But I can't help having questions."

"Of course, it's perfectly natural," Snape replied, hoping that it was true. What did he know of normal?

"Am I, well . . .?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Am I like her?" he asked, not looking up.

"Yes," Snape answered firmly. "You are also like your father as well, but I see many traits that remind me of Lily. Pity a talent for potions isn't one of them."

Harry smiled at the dig. "Well, at least this next year you don't have to deal with me in Potions. I'm better in Defense."

"We shall see," Snape sniffed without commitment. "Your Defense training has been spotty at best, so we shall see what happens when you have a competent teacher. And one that isn't named Harry Potter."

Harry flushed. "Even you have to admit that the Defense club worked," Harry told him. "Thanks to all the help you gave us."

"I suppose," Snape sniffed. "I think if Dumbledore is successful in convincing Professor Slughorn from coming out of retirement you will not find him to be too easy of a Potions Master."

"He was your Potions Master, wasn't he?" Harry asked.

"He was," Snape confirmed. "And my head of house. I never fell in with his 'in-crowd' but I did well enough. He recognized me as good at potions, but not of good social standing. He was quite fond of your mother."

"My mother?"

"Yes, I believe she was one of his favorites," Snape mused. "Oh, and speaking of favorites, Dumbledore wanted to check on you. Presumably it is to make sure I'm not beating you more than necessary. Perhaps next week."

"Maybe I could see him on my birthday," Harry smiled. "It would make the day fun."

"Having a check in with Dumbledore on your birthday is fun?" Snape asked, but then nodded. He would have considered anything fun to acknowledge his birthday as well. "Perhaps you can spend part of the day with your dogfather as well. I'll contact Lupin."

"That would be great!" Harry smiled broadly. "But would you be okay with being there?"

"I see him for Order business, Potter," Snape told him smoothly. "I can see him long enough to drop you off."

"You wouldn't be . . . staying?" Harry asked, uncertain.

Snape frowned, wondering what the boy was getting at. Did he actually want Snape there?

"I would have thought you would want to have time alone with him," Snape told Harry in a softer tone. "He is your Godfather, it must be difficult not to live with him."

Harry knew what Snape was saying, but he didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. He wanted to say that he liked Sirius, but he knew he was in no place to have Harry stay with him. He wanted to say how much he appreciated that Snape had stepped up for him, and how much he was growing to like the man. And he also wanted to say that he didn't like a birthday plan that would mean he was separated from him for the majority of the day. Birthdays had never been a big deal to him, and had been barely acknowledged by his family, let alone celebrated. He wanted to say that he hoped this year would be different.

Instead, Harry replied, "I'm surprised you'd leave me alone in that next of Gryffindors. Won't they undo all of your teachings?"

Snape smiled in amusement, and watched the boy carefully. Yes, it seemed as if the boy wanted him to go. Did he actually want to socialize with these people? They were work colleagues and Order colleagues, but he rarely socialized. But this could also be the perfect way to confront Dumbledore about the guardianship. He was unlikely to deny what the boy asked for face to face.

"Perhaps if we invite a few others to distract me I would be willing to stay for a short while," Snape answered, as if hesitant. "I can stand the company of your head of house, and I find Arthur Weasley tolerable. Perhaps I will see if Lupin is capable of arranging something of a small party."

"That would be brilliant!" Harry agreed, his smile broad.

"I suppose I will see what can be done then," Snape answered, sniffing a bit. "From what I understand a gift is traditional on one's birthday from one's guardian, was there anything in particular you wanted?"

"You've given me so much already," Harry answered, looking away. "New clothes, my own room, good food to eat . . . I can't ask for anything more, Sir."

"Then you will leave me to my own devices," Snape told him, his dark eyes flashing with humor. "Pickled Murtlap it is."

"Essence of Murtlap works better," Harry shot back, smirking. "And I believe we've gotten rid of that source of injury to myself."

"I have some nice Skrewt spleens," Snape continued. "Dead useful for hemorrhoid cures. Perhaps I could just brew it for you myself . . ."

"All right!" Harry exclaimed, laughing. "I have always wanted one of those fancy wand holsters that flip out on command. And anything to do with Quidditch is brilliant."

Snape nodded, satisfied. "Perhaps we should invite that Miss Granger as well. At least she encourages academic pursuits."

"I don't know what to say," Harry answered, looking away.

"I'm sure it will come to you later," Snape told him briskly. "But for now, I believe you haven't completed your summer homework. Get to it."