At 6 Severus woke to find Harry still fast asleep next to him, the boy looked innocent and peaceful and he smiled contently at him.

Quietly he got out the bed and made his way into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day, today was the first proper day of classes and he was already filled with dread.

As Severus was brewing his first coffee of the morning a small orb that sat on the mantelpiece began to glow orange, putting down his coffee Severus sighed instantly.

The orb provided his own personal wards for Slytherin house; it let him know if the students were fighting, upset, breaking rules and out past curfew, amongst other things. Knowing orange meant someone was upset he took one last glance back in Harry's direction before making his way to the Slytherin common room.

Severus was surprised at the silence that filled the common room, he could hear a few older students, probably the prefects, moving around in the dorms but other than that it was silent.

Eventually Severus' eyes fixed on the small girl in the corner who was sniffling lightly, awkwardly Severus made his way over to the student.

"Is there a problem?" Severus said simply, causing the young girl to jump.

The first year shook her head as she looked up at her head of house "no" she said simply.

"Then why are you crying" Severus asked "are you homesick?"

The girl shook her head "my brother got sorted into Gryffindor and I didn't" she said wiping a small tear.

Severus sighed, he knew too well how the houses could separate friends and family.

"Who is your brother?" Severus asked, he'd probably given the Gryffindor detention at some stage.

"Michael Holland" the girl said "he's my twin" she continued when it was obvious Severus didn't recognize the name.

Severus nodded simply "I can understand why that might be upsetting" he said "but I think you should try see the advantages of the situation"

"I don't understand, Professor" she said sighing lightly.

"Well you're going to have different experiences at Hogwarts, you'll experience different parts of the castle and you'll meet different people, and your houses will help your personalities grow and you can use that to help each other" Severus said.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

Severus nodded "and there's nothing stopping you from being friends with people from other houses or spending time with your brother"

"Thanks, Professor" she said simply and she awkwardly got to her feet.

"You're welcome" Severus said as he turned his attention to a group of boys that had entered the common room.

"Get back here, traitor!" a boy spat, Severus could instantly tell it was a fifth year named Jed Sneddon.

"Don't touch me!" another boy hissed.

Severus tensed at the sound of Draco's voice but continued to listen silently.

Jed pushed Draco against one of the walls and held him there, his wand raised to Draco's face.

"Get off!"

"You deserve everything you're about to get-"

"-I'm not scared of you!"

"Well you should be since daddy isn't here to save you-"

"That's enough!" Severus shouted, finally appearing from the shadows of the room.

Jed dropped Draco instantly, although both boys didn't break eye contact with each other as they continued to clench their wands.

"My office now!" Severus snapped and they both stomped off with Severus right behind them.

After a moment Severus sat down behind his desk, Draco quickly copied and sat on one of the chairs opposite his professor.

"Sit, Sneddon" Severus snapped.

Reluctantly Jed sat.

"What is going on with both of you?" Severus asked sternly "you both normally get on fine, better than fine"

Jed scoffed "he's associating with them"

Draco laughed lightly "at least they have an IQ higher than a baked bean"

"You'll regret that" Jed glared.

Severus held his hand up drawing a halt to the bickering "I assume by 'them' you mean a few of the Gryffindor students?"

Jed nodded and looked down.

"It's the first day of term and I'm not having a year of petty bickering" Severus said sternly "I'm giving you both a formal warning and if I see even a nasty look exchanged between the two of you then you'll both be serving a week in detention"

"What?" Jed gaped.

"If you keep speaking it'll be two, Sneddon" Severus threatened and both boys went silent "get back to your dorms and I expect to see you at breakfast on time"

"Yes, Professor" both boys muttered as they left the room.

Severus sighed as he shook his head, today was going to be a long one.

. . .

Quietly Severus made his way back to his bedroom to find Harry was still fast asleep. Before he had the chance to return to the kitchen there was a huge bang.

"Severus! Severus!" A voice shouted.

Severus rolled his eyes instantly knowing it was Dumbledore. He turned as Dumbledore came barging in.

"Harry is missing!" Dumbledore shouted waving his arms around dramatically "he's gone missing from the dorms!"

"Shh!" Severus hissed and pointed at the bed where the sleeping Harry Potter still lay, he was that deep in sleep he didn't even stir.

Relief poured onto Dumbledore's face. "Why's he in your bed?" he finally asked.

"He couldn't sleep" Severus said leading the old man out of his bedroom and back into the living room before he woke Harry up.

"Aw he missed have missed you!" Dumbledore blushed and Severus rolled his eyes although he had been missing the boy as well.

"Evidently" Severus finally said quickly to shake off the gushy atmosphere, he was back at Hogwarts after all "breakfast?" he asked and Dumbledore nodded pretending he didn't notice the distraction strategy, they both made their way into the kitchen.

"Are you not going to wake him up?" Dumbledore asked looking back towards the bedroom; he knew Harry didn't have to be up for a while but he was missing the boy.

"His first class isn't till 10 with me, he can sleep till 8" Severus said dismissing the idea and Dumbledore smiled. Severus poured them both a cup of tea and they settled down to eat their toast.

"How are you feeling about today?" Dumbledore asked cautiously and Severus shrugged.

"It will be an interesting day" Severus said unsure of how he truly felt "I've already given out my first warnings"

"Already?" Dumbledore asked raising a brow.

Severus nodded "Draco and Jed Sneddon"

Dumbledore frowned "I thought they two got on?" he asked.

"Not anymore" Severus sighed "Draco getting on with Harry was never going to be an easy transition"

"Well my doors always open" Dumbledore said and Severus instantly rolled his eyes "okay, I'll stop" he chuckled lightly.

About 10 minutes later Harry appeared in the doorway rubbing his eyes. "Morning" he finally said when he noticed Dumbledore was bright eyed and smiling at him.

"You can go back to bed for another hour or so if you want" Severus offered but Harry shook his head. "Toast then?" he offered.

Harry sat next to Severus and nodded, he just wanted to be closer to the man and he couldn't explain why he felt so clingy. They quietly ate and Dumbledore excused himself realising he should probably call off the search party that were already convinced Harry had been kidnapped by you-know-who , he opened the door to find Draco standing about to open the door.

"Hello Mr Malfoy! Excited for your first day?" Dumbledore asked and Draco glared at him, Dumbledore instantly chucked and made his way down the corridor. "See you at lunch, Severus" Dumbledore called back but Severus just rolled his eyes.

Draco entered quickly and sat on the sofa in the living room. "Is everything okay?" Severus asked approaching the rather defeated looking boy, Draco shook his head gently.

"None of my friends will speak to me because they know about my Dad and their parents have told them not to" Draco whispered fighting back the tears.

Severus didn't say anything he just wrapped the boy in a hug as a stray tear fell down his face.

Harry sat in the kitchen not too sure what to do. He had known since the second Draco refused the dark mark this was going to happen but he couldn't help but feel angry; the boy who had bravely turned down evil was now suffering for it and he didn't deserve it.

"And Jed started that this morning, not me" Draco muttered.

"I know he did" Severus sighed.

"Well then why give me a warning?" Draco snapped.

"Because I can't be seen to pick sides" Severus said simply.

"I hate this" Draco muttered.

"Draco, if they're behaving like this there not true friends" Severus soothed.

"But now I don't have anyone…" Draca gasped.

"You have Harry and I" Severus reminded him and he shook his head.

"I don't see you a lot during term times and Harry has his own friends" Draco said sniffling lightly.

"Draco…" Harry said entering the room. "You are welcome to hang out with my friends is you want to?" Harry offered but Draco shook his head. "They honestly won't mind, they've gotten to know you a lot this summer and they like you" he prodded but Draco shook his head firmly.

"Well Draco, you're more than welcome to come down here and stay if it gets too much, you both have rooms down here you can use at any time" Severus said looking at Harry as well, realising the reason he crawled into his bed was because Severus hadn't even shown him his own, he just didn't want to seem too pushy as he thought the boy would have been happier with Ron in the dorms.

They all finished up breakfast and after Severus had shown them their rooms the boys left together. They quickly ran back to their dorms and got the books they would need for that day.

. . .

Finally they found themselves in the potion class. Harry sat next to Draco which instantly caught the looks of various people in the class but he shook it off, the news of Harry's new living arrangements had quickly spread across the school like wildfire and he was noticing the questioning looks growing by the second but he didn't care, he was used to being looked at.

Snape stood awkwardly outside the classroom door, this was going to be his first attempt at finding the balance between parent and professor and he was anxious about getting it wrong. Severus had already heard students whispering in the corridor and he had come to the conclusion treating Harry too differently would just give them more to talk about.

Hermione and Ron were sitting in front and Seamus and Neville who were on the left of Harry and Draco. Neville was already looking a little bit pale at the thought of potions class; he jumped as the door slammed and Snape came flying into the room.

"Let's get one thing straight" Snape spat and all the students eyes grew wide "Potions making is an art, the potions for this next year are a lot more challenging and therefor a lot more dangerous, I will not take pity on anybody stupid enough to mess up" he said sternly and all the students nodded.

Harry had to fight a smile, he knew too well now all of this was just an act and he didn't feel threatened, Draco was grinning ear to ear; he loved potions a bit too much. Hermione also looked excited, after grilling Severus for most of the summer she was feeling more than prepared.

After a detailed explanation from Snape they began working on the calming draught potion, it was one Harry hadn't really looked at and instantly he grew nervous, he sighed in relief when Draco took charge seeming to have a better idea of what they were doing. Harry looked hopelessly at Neville who was feeling slightly abandoned by Harry, they always worked together in potions class.

Harry and Draco were about half way through their potion and Hermione and Ron weren't too far behind when Neville cautiously leaned over to talk "Harry" he whispered "we've put too may frogs legs in and we don't know what to do" he whispered and Harry's eyes grew wide, he knew this could get messy.

"Tell Snape" Harry finally whispered and Neville shook his head violently, unbeknown to them they had gained Snape's attention and he was watching them subtly from the other end of a book. "He's not going to murder you, just tell him" Harry insisted.

"He'll do more than murder me; he'll cook me and feed me to Hagrid's dog" Neville gasped and Draco threw his hand over his mouth to try and stop a laugh escaping but it didn't work.

"Is there a problem, boys?" Snape asked lowering the book, his voice was stern and Draco instantly controlled his laughter "Longbottom?" Snape asked coldly and Neville flinched at the question.

"N-no sir, j-just checking on H-harry" Neville finally stuttered and Harry rolled his eyes in defeat.

"They've put too many frogs legs in the potion, sir" Harry said and Neville's eyes grew wide with betrayal, Harry knew Snape would be angrier if they blew the potions class up and he'd explain that to Neville later.

"Is that right, Potter?" Snape asked and Harry frowned, he didn't like being called 'Potter' and Snape knew this. Snape stormed over to Neville's table and sighed at the potion "Longbottom, this is catastrophic, even for you" he said and with a flick of his wand the potion was gone.

"S-sorry sir" Neville said looking down, he was clearly disappointed in himself and Harry grew angry, he knew if Snape was nicer to him he'd get further in potions; it was the fear of messing up that kept causing him to mess up.

"He didn't mean it, people make mistakes" Harry said defensively shooting a glare at Snape who raised a brow.

"Is that right, Potter? Maybe you should be more focused on not making the mistake of talking back to a professor before the liability that is Longbottom's potion abilities" Snape said coldly before returning to his desk.

Harry's mouth dropped open, he didn't know why he was so angry, this was fairly mild for Snape in a potions lesson. Really he just hated being called 'Potter' it was making him paranoid the entire summer had been a dream and Snape still hated him; 'Potter' meant Snape still saw James Potter when he looked at Harry and that broke something inside Harry he couldn't quite explain. After class everyone fled the room in record time, Harry was the first to grab his bag and storm out, he made his way to the library to get some studying in and Ron and Hermione quickly joined him.

"What was up with Snape?" Ron asked, he was clearly as shocked as Harry was. Harry just shrugged; he knew Severus wasn't going to treat him any differently in class, he didn't mind it too much and he didn't even mind the odd Snape insult if it happened, but being called 'Potter' was boiling his blood. Neville entered and sat beside them.

"I'm sorry about him, Neville" Harry said apologetically.

Although Neville insisted he had nothing to be sorry for Harry still felt guilty, he quickly took out his potions book and explained the entire potion in detail to Neville who quickly understood where he had gone wrong with his calculations, the smile on his face showed it was all beginning to make sense and it made Harry angry, it would have taken Snape five minutes to show him this and it would be more beneficial for everyone.

Classes the rest of that day dragged and finally it was time for dinner in the great hall. Draco reluctantly had joined Harry's friends and already seemed a lot happier, Harry was more than happy he agreed to sit with them; as least Draco was acting like the real Draco, even at Hogwarts and it gave Harry some reassurance he hadn't imagined the entire summer.

Harry sighed to himself, he was still mad Severus wouldn't do the same. He noticed how tired he was, there first few days back had knocked it out of him and he realised he was probably irritated from tiredness too. He noticed Severus looking at him, he was offering him a small smile but Harry shot a glare at him and went back to talking to Ron ignoring the fact his bracelet had gone cold.

. . .

That night Severus sat up unable to sleep, he sighed lightly as he sipped his whisky and tried to ignore the deadly silence that filled the room. He couldn't help but think back to how angry Harry looked in the great hall, he hadn't been too harsh in potions, had he?

There was a faint knock at the door and with a small sigh Severus got up to answer it. He was surprised to find Draco looking defeated, with his eyes fixed on the floor.

"I don't want to sleep there tonight" Draco muttered still not looking up.

"Why not?" Severus asked softly.

Draco sighed "I don't feel safe"

Severus said nothing but opened his arms and allowed Draco to walk into his hug.

"Can I sleep here tonight, Uncle Sev?" Draco asked.

Severus released Draco and led him into the living room "of course you can, you know that"

"I just wish people could treat me how they used to" Draco muttered as he flopped down on the couch.

Severus cleared his throat "now the right people are treating you better and that's what is important, although it might be hard to see it now"

Draco nodded "I know" he sighed heavily.

Finally when Draco started to fall asleep Severus managed to move him to his own room, which would definitely be a lot more comfortable than the sofa.

"Sleep well, Draco" Severus said softly as he made his way towards the bedroom door.

"Night, Uncle Sev" Draco mumbled into the pillow.

Severus smiled lightly, leaving the door slightly open so he would be able to hear the teen if anything else went wrong.

. . .

A few hours later Harry found himself in a violent nightmare, he was dreaming of life before Severus rescued him. "NO!" he screamed instantly waking up the other boys in the room.

Ron quickly clicked what was happening and cast a silencing charm on the room so they didn't wake up the students in the other rooms.

"Please stop!" Harry choked again.

"Harry wake up, mate" Ron shouted but it only made Harry thrash out more violently.

"This is all your fault!" Uncle Vernon hissed slamming Harry's small body off the wall again. He began punching Harry so hard everything was going black.

"No!" Harry screamed again.

Dean stirred finally waking up "what's going on?" he groaned.

"Watch Harry" Ron ordered as he ran from the room.

Ron banged on the dungeon door as loud as he could "Professor Snape!" he shouted and within seconds Snape was at the door looking extremely irritated; it was 2 in the morning. "It's Harry, he's screaming and he won't wake up" he said and before Ron could say another word Severus had slammed the dungeon door and was running towards Gryffindor tower, Ron quickly ran after him but struggled to keep up.

He entered the room to find Harry clawing at his own neck "Stop I can't breathe!" he choked and Severus quickly grabbed his hands making Harry cry out again.

"It's just me" Severus whispered softly into Harry's ear "You are having a bad dream, Harry, you have to wake up now okay?" he soothed pulling the smaller boy against his chest and Harry began to stir gently. "That's it, keep listening to me, nothing is going to hurt you, now open your eyes" he said and almost instantly Harry's eyes shot open, filled with fear and pain. Instantly he noticed Severus looking at him filled with concern, he was wearing his dressing gown and his hair was messy and Harry began to wonder what time it was.

"Dad?" Harry whispered.

"I'm here" Severus reassured him.

"Can we go back to the dungeon?" Harry asked wiping a tear from his face; it was obvious he didn't want his friends to see him like this. Severus nodded instantly helping the still trembling boy to his feet.

"Sir?" Ron called out as Severus began to lead Harry out of their room.

"He'll be okay" Severus said offering Ron a small smile.

Severus walked quietly with Harry back to the dungeon, he was more than aware Harry was still partly in his own world reliving the nightmare. Snape instantly lit all the rooms to make them brighter, it actually looked a lot like home and Harry settled instantly.

"What happened?" Severus asked softly sitting on the sofa beside him.

"My uncle…" Harry said but he couldn't bring himself to say anymore.

"Has it been worrying you again?" Severus asked and Harry nodded. "Why?" he prodded gently.

"Because I don't want to live with my aunt again" Harry sniffled looking down at his hands and Severus heart sunk, he hadn't done this in months.

"Why would you go back to live with her?" Severus asked confused.

"Because…because you called me Potter again and that means you don't love me anymore" Harry said bursting into tears, he realised he was making no sense out loud but it made sense in his head, he had become so paranoid Severus didn't want him now he was just a pesky Gryffindor again. For the first time in Harry's life he had truly left a home behind to come to Hogwarts and although Hogwarts was home he was homesick from Snape manor and Severus.

"I've always called you Potter in class. I can stop if you want me to?" Severus offered putting an arm around the boy, Harry instantly settled into his hug and sighed.

"Really?" Harry finally said feeling slightly stupid.

"Yes really, and if I do something that upsets you again then you have to tell me otherwise I can't fix it" Severus explained giving the boy a gentle squeeze and Harry nodded feeling really stupid now.

"Can you be nicer to Neville? The reason he messes up is because you scare him" Harry blurted out and Severus smiled.

"Yes, I'll be nicer to Longbottom" Severus said rolling his eyes slightly.

"I don't want to go back to the dorms tonight, I want to stay with you" Harry said snuggling into Severus yawning lightly. He wasn't planning on letting the boy go back anyway but he was glad Harry was happy to stay.

"Let's get you to bed" Severus said directing the boy to the room next door to his, it looked almost identical to his room back at Snape Manor and Harry smiled climbing in to the large, comfortable bed, it was so much more comfortable than the beds in the dorms. He curled onto his side to face Severus who was sitting in the large chair by the bed.

"I'm sorry I upset you today, Harry" Severus said running his fingers through his hair and Harry nodded in response, he was suddenly too tired to have this conversation. As Harry fell asleep Severus started making mental notes on things he was going to have to change during their time at Hogwarts and realised it was going to be harder than he thought.

After checking on Draco one more time, Severus retreated to his own room more than convinced the next few days would be eventful.

HI EVERYONE! I've missed you all so much!

Sorry I've been inactive for so long, I've been busy/ too unwell to look at a screen for long.

Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favourites that have happened since my last update, it really means a lot.

New chapter soon!