Well hello again! By popular demand I have begun the second instalment of the Rage series. Hopefully, you will love this one as much as the other one. In the same way as the first, I have no planned plot and no sure schedule. Instead I am going to wing it again. Feel free to comment, I love comments! This chapter is a bit expositional and slow. Hopefully it will pick up in a little.

IF YOU ARE NEW: Please read the first story, it will really help you understand what the hell is going on in this story.

O~~~~~~~~~O

It was always weird being in someone else's house during an argument. Even more awkward when the argument was completely silent due to a charm. Harry was sitting in a chair in the living room, trying not to watch Professor Snape and Mr. Dawson bicker behind their invisible shield. He tried not to stare, resisting the urge to bend his upper body and watch their lips for word from where he was sitting. Instead he was just glancing at them out of the corner of his eye, desperate to see what the emotional level was.

For the most part it did not look bad. Harry was so used to his uncles purple faced ranting that he was surprised to see an argument that wasn't accompanied by wildly swinging arms. Arguments in the Dursley house were the types that had the walls shaking and ears ringing. Instead Snape stood still, back straight and shoulders wide. His arms were crossed across his chest, a heavy glare on his face. Alex was standing with the same wide dominate stance but his arms weren't crossed. Instead he was gesticulating with sharp hand motions to make his points. From what he could see they weren't yelling. Though he probably would have been more surprised if they were. Instead Snape would stare stone-faced as Alex spoke, interjecting occasionally.

Harry turned back to the room. He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out Labyrinth. He let the snake curl around his hand, complaining weakly about the cold shock of air that came from leaving his cotton cave. He watched the snake start to slowly circle up his arm, doing his best to ignore the small niggling of fear in the bottom of his stomach.

O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O

"What in the world were you thinking?" Snape hissed after he had commanded Harry to sit and put up a sound barrier. Alex scoffed, rocking back on his heels. His immunity to the soul shattering glare rising up in full force.

"I was thinking that I would make the best of a bad situation. That you told me that I could try and find a solution and found that there was one." He snipped back.

"How is this a viable solution? He is in danger here. There is a reason that he was going back to his Aunts' house. The blood wards were the strongest protection that we had to shelter the boy." Snape sneered.

"We have protection here. At least here he will be safe from known physical threats, instead of potential ones. Can you honestly say you would rather him there? I am not a fool Severus. Do you honestly think that I would bring him here without bolstering our wards?" Alex griped back.

"Enough to keep out the Dark Lord?" He was slightly surprised when a roll of parchment was tossed at him. He opened in and scanned the list. He hummed as he traced a finger over some of the words. "You managed to get all of these in the last few days?"

"Given enough monetary compensation I found a Warder who had some extra time in his schedule." He explained.

"Some of these are blood wards. Which I have been duly informed are not legal." Snape quirked an eyebrow.

"Which we only have to worry about if a ministry employee comes for an inspection." Alex reasoned.

"I do not know some of these wards." Snape said, a slightly interested tone. Suspiciously he looked up at his husband. Severus's knowledge of wards had always been well fed and there wasn't much that he didn't at least have a small basis on knowledge. Surely if the warder was willing to do blood wards there would be little else he would not be willing to do with enough money. He was not the only one in this household with a working knowledge of the darker side of magic. Alex shrugged and looked coy.

"Yes there are some things in this world that you do not know." Snape didn't comment on the fact that he did not answer the unsaid question. Though he could not rightly say anything because he technically didn't ask.

"And you think all of these will be sufficient."

"No." Alex answered promptly, not one to fall into such a simple trap. "I think it leaves us enough time for us to escape. You said it yourself. No wards are impervious indefinitely. But all we really need is to be able to get out to a safe house. Those wards would not keep anyone out forever. They will, however, keep the Dark Lord out for at least fifteen minutes if he was the one trying to break them, five if he uses the full force of all his followers. This will allow us time to escape. To get us through the fire to Hogwarts and to block off the connection again." He reasoned. Snape crossed his arms as he considered.

"And do you plan on keeping the boy in the house for the entire summer? He can still be tracked outside of the wards."

"There are ways to go unseen."

"The Dark Lord is a skilled tracker. I know no protection charm that stopped him before."

"Do you remember that I used to be an Unspeakable?"

"Yes."

"Then you know that there are many things that can protect you from being tracked. The spell I know lasts for only a day. As long as I cast it before he leaves the house there will be no problem from tracking magic."

"There are other ways to track."

"Fucking hell Severus! Yes, there are. But I would think that it would be damn near impossible. If nothing else, this helps with that aspect. Before it would be easy to find the place that he was but hard to get into the wards. There is no chance of him being found here. The Dark Lord is not going to think of this place. He is in a muggle neighborhood, in a house owned by a half-blood finance lawyer that he should not know other than the fact that he is married to a professor that he hates by all accounts. The professor who no one actually knows is married! If the man is able to make those giant leaps and end up our doorstep then there was no way to protect him regardless of anything a person could do!" Now he was waving his hands as he gesticulated along with his reasoning.

Severus was just giving him a blank look. To be honest he wasn't even trying anymore. Alex was a smart man. He would not have even done this if he did not think he would win the argument. Sometimes he bemoaned his awful luck to be married to a Slytherin and a lawyer. It was not the most conducive to winning arguments. That wasn't to say he never won, more often than not debates to which there was no obvious transgressor ended as a draw. Sometimes though, Alex had the capacity to "out think" himself. For now he was just arguing because he knew he was supposed to.

"Fine." He finally acquiesced. "I hope you know what you are getting into. This isn't a puppy that you can take care of. He is an emotionally compromised teenager who is about to go through puberty. He has experience a myriad of tragedy and abuse. You won't just be able to ignore that."

"Which I am sure you will be helping out regardless. Him being here is infinitely better for all of us, irrespective of any problems may occur." Alex shrugged. He smiled lightly when his husband agreed. There was no doubt in his mind that he would. Severus had not wanted the boy to go back to his home. He also knew that Severus was reluctant to bring him to this home. While there was the element of surprise in terms of him being here, it also put him closer to the path of the Dark Lord. Severus had already returned to his false master's side, bowing his head. While the Dark Lord assumed that Severus still lived in Spinners End such close contact with the enemy could put Harry in danger.

Still Alex was not worried. He was not lying about the strength of the wards. Granted, some of the darker ones were placed by him and not the professional Warder. Not that Severus had to know that. They would hold long enough for them to escape. In the end, they would all be happier with the boy here.

"Well I need to finish my potion. I suppose you can handle the tour?" Severus asked. Alex nodded in agreement. He really was working on a potion, so it wasn't like he was trying to avoid the boy. Particularly the potion he was working on was liable to explode if left on heat for too long.

Alex turned back towards the living room where Harry sat. The poor boy looked so nervous, his eyes trained firmly on his lap as shaking fingers pet his snake. With a little sigh he dropped the silencing charm.

"Well then Harry, shall I show you to your room?" The boy looked up with a bright smile.

"I can stay?" He beamed.

"Of course. There was no way Severus was going to kick you out. Really, that was just for show. Better to ask forgiveness that permission I always say, and he does agree with the sentiment. Still, there are rules to these kinds of things. Well, follow me."

Harry tucked Labyrinth back into his hoodie and stood. Alex led him up a pair of stairs onto the second floor. Harry finally began to actually take the time to look at the house. Normally a house in the suburbs would feel cozy, with kitschy knickknack, doilies and a myriad of family photos. Or maybe sterile like at the Dursleys. Instead this house seemed to be along the industrial theme. The hallways were wide and the rooms large, larger than the house should be, so Harry assumed there was some sort of charm. The floors were a dark wood that matched the wood and leather furniture. The walls were exposed brick, making the area feel chic but also radiated a pleasant warmth.

"Welcome to the second floor. Above us is the attic so there is really no need to go up there to see. The first door to your left is our room." Alex didn't make a move to open that door though Harry wasn't surprised by that. Instead he followed him down the hall until they arrived at the last door.

"This will be your room." The room was larger than any room in the Dursleys house. The floor was the same dark wood, though the walls were a sharp white instead of brick. There was a large bed pushed against the back wall. The frame was a black wrought iron, simple and strong. The bed itself was adorned with a dark grey comforter, a stack of light grey pillows and a blood red blanket was folded at the foot of the bed. A black book shelf took up the majority of the wall to his left and like every bookshelf he had seen on Snapes' property it was brimming with books. A large dresser sat on the right wall, it was painted black as well. A door to the closet set close by. Finally Harry could see a large carpet, the color of garnet, spread out on the floor covering most of the room but not all of it.

Alex led him into the room and let him marvel as he pulled out Harrys trunk from his pocket and unshrunk it.

"Right, so over there is the attached bathroom," He pointed to the door in question. Then he strode over to the closet door. "This is your walk in closet." He leaned in and started to pull something out. "This is for Hedwig."

He pulled out a tall piece of wrought iron. It stood five feet tall, splitting near to top to form a 'y' with one side sitting straight and parallel to the floor and the other curled into a spiral. The man motioned for her cage. With practiced ease he slipped the cages carrying handle into the spiral so that it could hang. Then the cage door was opened and Hedwig flew out, landing on the straight part, hooting happily before settling down for a nap.

"Now, would you like to continue the tour?" Harry agreed and they went on their way.

"The next room over is an additional bedroom." The door swung open to reveal a nearly identical room, but instead of red being the accent color it was a dark blue. They then trudged down to the ground floor.

"You have already seen the living room." The living room did not have any real walls that defined it from any of the other rooms on the floor. But along the few walls that were there bookshelves were lined and filled. All the furniture, a long couch and two armchairs, were a black leather and they faced a rather large telly. There was another carpet in this room which was emerald green. There was a fireplace off to the side. A coffee table and the matching side tables were made of a dark stained wood and were strategically placed in the room so that they could be used but not take up too much of the open space.

"And the kitchen. God that smells great." Harry followed him through the living room into what looked like a dining room. The large table sat bare of everything except a center piece of two candles and a bowl of brightly shined metal orbs. Peering past the table you were able to see directly into the kitchen which was only separated by a small half wall that jutted part way into the room. The kitchen had the same dark wood and exposed brick, with the many cabinets matching the color of the floor. There was a large fridge, two ovens stacked on each other, a large six burner stove and a dishwasher. They were all top of the line and a slate grey. There was a large island in the middle of the kitchen that was topped with the same black marble that was around the rest of the room.

Standing at the island was professor Snape. He glanced up from his steady chopping before giving a small smirk. With a vicious precision he diced a handful of green onions.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, will you set the table?" He asked, turning back to the food that was simmering on the stove.

"Severus makes dinner." Alex explained as he began handing Harry bowls and cutlery. "Really he is a fantastic chef. Can't bake to save his life." Harry nodded along, a little surprised.

"You don't have a house elf?" He asked. He didn't know why he assumed that they would have one. Maybe it was the comfortability with them at Hogwarts. Also, it was always well known that a sign of wealth was having a house elf and they were far from poor.

"We hire from a service once a week for some housekeeping. But no, we don't have one ourselves. This house is not very large, so there is no need for constant cleaning. We both enjoy cooking as well. We never really saw the need." He flicked his wand and a row of glasses floated from their cabinet onto the table, three water glasses settling at each spot and two wine glasses setting at the head of the table and the seat to its right.

"You can hire house elves?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes, there are companies that allow it. Some house elves form 'guilds' where a person can send in job requests and they will see it done. Some things like one time cleaning, party setups and emergency babysitting. Also long term things like the weekly cleaning that we hire them for and full time nannying positions."

"I didn't know that existed."

"Well it is rare. People would rather own one than hire one. In some regards it costs less and there are less rules to follow on how you treat them. Though that will change soon, thanks to your little friend."

"You mean Hermione?"

"Yes. Her bill has passed the first legislative steps and is heading for the Wizengamont vote next week. Most analysts agree that it will probably pass. There will be some debating before the vote but I happen to know the woman who is representing it and she is quite the fierce debater."

"Hermione really admires her." Harry smiled.

"As she should. The woman is actually the daughter of a squib. Despite being related to the Malfoy family she has had to start at the bottom and has clawed her way up to the top. She is a great role model to have."

"Who are you discussing?" Snape entered, a large pot floating behind him. With a swish of his wand the pot landed on the table, a small piece of marble slipping under it before it landed on the table.

"Samantha Dorrington."

Harry sat with his meal letting the normalcy wash over him with a comforting weight. Snape turned out to be a fantastic cook, though that really didn't surprise him. The dinner was a pasta and chicken dish in a white sauce. Just enough cheese to enhance the flavor, but not enough to overwhelm. A small amount of nutmeg accented the cream, leaving behind a sweet but luxurious flavor.

"So at the office Kutkowski has started this thing with the meeting schedule-"Alex started, chattering away about what was happening at his office. He gossiped and griped for a while before randomly switching topics to ask Severus about his current potion.

Harry was in awe at the easy way that they talked. Snape was explaining some of the technical issues he was dealing with for his current potion. Harry was used to Aunt Petunia's response to the explanations of her husbands work, which was a glazed over look and the occasionally saying "oh really" at the pauses. Alex wasn't like that. He leaned into the conversation, nodding along with each long winded technical explanation and asking intelligent questions.

"Would the acidity of the Dragon Breath fruit be able to counter act the basic effects of the mushrooms? Because if the potion is too basic you wouldn't get the full effect of the unicorn blood." The fact that he seemed to know so much about his husbands' profession spoke volumes. Silently Harry hoped that he would eventually find someone that cared enough about him that way.

He smiled when he noticed a stray fork sneaking its way silently towards Snapes plate. Alex kept a straight face, still arguing about the need to get an extra pint of milk, as he tried to cross over the border of the plate.

Like a viper a second fork struck the intruder before it could spear a piece of chicken. A quick glance at Snape showed that he hadn't changed his expression, seemingly ignorant that his own fork had to defend his plate. The slightly ringing of struck metal filled the air and seemed to accent the awkward silence. Again the fork tried to pinch some food and it was knocked back with the same amazing accuracy. Harry watched this happen three more times before Snape finally broke.

"You have your own plate! And the pot is not more than a foot away. Stop stealing off my plate!" Alex put on an innocent expression.

"But it tastes better from your plate." Alex whined

"No it doesn't!" His tone came out complete exasperated. "You do this all the time. I make more than enough food, eat your own." He banged his fist on the table, only in mock anger but it was just enough time for Alex to launch his fork at the now open plate. Snape glared heavily and Alex looked back, cheeks stuffed with the large forkful of food that he liberated from Snapes place. Harry snorted and tried to hide his creeping smile behind his hand. He couldn't contain his laugh as Alex struggled to swallow, coughing when he finally managed to get it down. Alex smiled guilelessly and returned to his food as if that hadn't happened.

Snape mumbled a few insults before turning back to the food. The dinner continued with the same casual humorous tone. Harry couldn't remember the last time that he sat at a proper table and laughed as hard as he had. Perhaps when he was last at the Weasley's. Still, by the time that dinner ended and pudding was finished his sides hurt from laughing.

"Right, well then." Alex finally sighed, flicking his wand so that the dishes floated over to the dishwasher. Unlike the Weasleys, who had a charmed scrub brush, they used a muggle washer. "I think that I need to go to bed. I don't know about you, but I am tired."

"If you actually went to sleep at night instead of staying up watching B Horror movies you might feel rested."

"Hey! I don't say anything when you stay up late reading potions journals." He griped back. They continued to bicker back and forth as they cleaned up, the three of them migrating upstairs.

"Sleep well Harry." Alex waved, Snape grunting a goodbye as well. Harry returned the fare well before stepping into his room.

His room. God that sounded great. He glanced around at his space, the bed, the bookshelves, and the bathroom. This was his space and no one else's. With a little squeal of glee he jumped onto his bed.

Best day ever.