Hey... I started a new fiction a while ago, involving Snape and Harry... I've written around around ten pages thus far, but I'm not sure if I'm going to continue... So do you want me to continue? Please rate and review.

By the way, I know this sounds like a Harry's abused story, but that's just the beginning I assure you, personally I prefer the confident Harry, but I love it when Snape cares...

I am not going to write the story in chapters, as I'm rather tired of dividing it into chapters. Instead, I'll divide it into parts, the length will vary, although I guess each part will be at least two pages.

Andrea xxx

Everything isn't what it seems like

The dinner at Hogwarts was probably one of the loudest dinners in the world. As this was the first day of term, everyone was happy to see their friends again. The feast was brilliant as always, to the students' pleasure.

The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, greeted the students with an eloquent speech and then introduced the new teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts, Kate Melody. The pupils were then told that the feast could begin.

"So Harry, tell us what you've been up to all summer! We've missed you, you know." A pretty, brown-haired seventh year girl, called Hermione Granger, asked her friend.

"I have just been relaxing; the Dursleys were actually really nice for a change." The boy next to Hermione, called Harry Potter, mumbled quietly. His shoulders were hanging and he was just poking in the food, barely eating anything at all.

"Really? Mate, that's fantastic!" Ronald Weasley, the red-haired boy on Harry's other side, replied cheerfully.

"Yeah, I suppose it is…" Harry said expressionlessly. "Sorry mates but I have to go send a letter to someone. See you later." He grimaced as he rose, apparently he hit a bruise. The second he got out of the Great Hall, he breathed out, relieved that no one had asked more specific questions about his summer.

The owlery was cold as usual, because the windows were open for the owls. The boy down on his usual place, in a window frame which was hidden from the rest of the room.

He didn't know how long he sat there, the only sign that it was getting later and later was the moon outside. The boy's arms grabbed his legs and pulled his thin body, trying to make some warmth. His head fell down on his knees and he pushed the world outside. Therefore he didn't notice the person entering the room.

"Potter, you are out after curfew." Professor Severus Snape sneered, approaching the boy.

Harry flinched and one of his shoulders hit the wall behind him which made him close his eyes in pain. "I'm sorry Sir, what's time?" He asked when he had regained some energy.

"Half past one. You should have been in bed three hours ago. 20 points from Gryffindor and detention with me tomorrow, at seven pm. Go to bed now."

"Yes, Sir." Harry rose, trying his best to walk normally although it hurt as hell.

"Good night, Potter." Severus muttered and watched bewildered how the thin student exited the room, walking very stiffly.

"Harry, where were you yesterday? You never turned up!" Ron exclaimed as he woke up.

"I…umm… I was taking a walk. I just forgot about the time." Harry got out of bed and hurried to the showers, hoping they were empty. The last he wanted was someone seeing him naked. He knew how they would all react. They would all say he looked disgusting and then they'd run away. Quickly he showered and got dressed before anyone would come.

Harry watched the day pass, with himself in it, although he didn't really feel like he was a part of it. Instead he felt like a ghost, who was watching over the world. The NEWTs lessons were way harder than anything else he had been through, so he tried to concentrate but found he was too distracted to focus. Even Potions was a total blur. He didn't even notice that Professor Snape was watching him more carefully than normal. Harry tried his best to move gracefully but found it hard as his entire body was aching.

"Severus is it just me or is Mr Potter not eating anything at all? He barely touched his food either yesterday or today." Albus Dumbledore said to the teacher in front of him.

"You are right, Sir." Severus admitted and looked at the headmaster questioningly.

"He is thinner than usual and he is alone all the time. I spoke to Minerva and she confirmed that he sat all by himself in her class today. It is just that this behaviour is so unlike him. What is even stranger is that when I sent him a letter, in the middle of the summer, asking if he wanted to visit the Weasleys, he turned me down." The headmaster explained.

"I understand, Sir, but what has this got to do with me?" He asked impatiently.

"You have got a detention with him in thirty minutes; maybe you could talk to him. Invite him for tea after he has served his detention, show some kindness for once. He deserves it."

"Albus, why on earth does that brat…" Severus began but was interrupted.

"Please, Severus. Show him that he can trust you. Harry is not James, remember that."

When time was approaching seven, Harry walked down to the dungeons, ready to serve his detention with Professor Snape. He opened the door to the classroom to find Professor Snape at his desk, staring at him.

"Potter." Severus nodded to the boy in front of him.

"Good evening, professor." Harry greeted quietly and looked down on his feet.

"You're going to restore the recipes in the shelf over there. Alphabetical order."

"Yes, Sir." He said and walked over to the shelf.

Three quarters later, Harry was finished and he turned to the professor again.

"I am finished, Sir. What more shall I do?"

"Your detention is over, although I want you to stay because I have some matters to discuss with you. This way." Severus told him and walked through a door Harry had never seen, leading them into a small room with two couches and a small table in the middle of them. There were a couple of paintings on the dark walls and some lights on the ceiling.

"Sit down." Severus said, trying not to sound to stern. "Care for some tea?" He offered.
"No, thank you." Harry rejected politely and sat down on the couch opposite to Severus'.

"Potter, I want to tell you something, but you have to keep it to yourself. Are we agreed?" He looked harshly at the boy whose face was almost frightened.

"Yes, Sir." The young man did his best to avoid all contact between his back and the coach.

"When I was your age, my mother died." The professor began speaking very softly. "Everything in my life turned upside down, I even tried to kill myself. I have always despised my father, mostly because of his ideas about how the wizard world should be like. My mother was the one who took care of me; I barely had any friends, as I suppose you already know after you looked into my pensieve. Those who did not despise me were afraid of me because I am homosexual. I tried to kill myself because I thought I had nothing left in this world." He paused to breathe. "I made a potion which was supposed to kill me. When I drank it, I was weeping. What I did not know back then is that tears neutralise that potion. If I would have been ready to die that day, I would not have wept. Voldemort found out about my suicide attempt and he offered me something I thought was better. One year later, I joined him. On my first meeting, I killed a young woman. She had recently given birth to a child, who was dying in front of my eyes. That made me realise that I was wrong from the beginning. I began as a spy for Albus two months later. I think you know the rest." He finished talking and looked at Harry as he ran a hand through his silky, black hair. "You realise I would not have told you this if I did not trust you?"

"Yes, Sir. But why did you tell me this?" Harry asked quietly.

"Because I need you to trust me. I have seen that you are not eating at all, you are not with your friends, nor do you show any interest in anything. I know when I see a broken soul. Now, would you tell me what has happened to you during your summer?" To Severus' amazement, Harry started trembling.

"He told me not to tell anyone." Harry whispered.

"Who is 'he'?" Severus asked calmly.

"No, I'm not allowed to tell you." He refused.

"He can not do anything to you anymore. I will make sure that you will never return to that house again. Now tell me." The man demanded.

"N-no." Harry stuttered.

"Would you rather tell someone else? That could be arranged." Severus offered.

"No, please… Just let me go, okay?"

"I am not going to force you to stay here. You may leave, but I expect you here tomorrow evening at seven. Good night, Mr Potter." He said nonchalantly.

"Thank you, Sir. Good night." The young man nodded to his professor before he left.