Control

AN: The fourth chapter for today and the last one- for today! Thanks for your comments, suggestions and constructive criticism- I try to improve my writing and my style. But I am no native and am so likely to make mistakes.

By the way- there is a reason why Snape acts the way he does, actually you find clues in the first chapter and will find many more while the story progresses.

ladylancelot


The Morning After

The sun filtering in through the window woke Harry up and yawning he wondered where the hell he was when everything came back with force. Sitting up he winced when he felt the pain shooting through his body and gritting his teeth he rose from the four poster bed to see where his clothes were.

He had no idea how Snape expected him to behave while here and just to be on the safe side he would assume that he preferred Harry the same as his relatives- pretend you do not exist.

Spotting his jeans and shirt in a heap by the lower side of the bed he quickly put them on and with a flick of his wand he cast a cleaning charm on himself.

In the last year he had made a habit out of wearing his wand inside the back pocket of his jeans- even so Snape in particular mocked him about young wizards burning their bum.

The room was surprisingly homely with a huge bed, a wardrobe to the side and a dresser with a couple of photos on it next to the door. Curiously he walked over and had a look.

One of the pictures showed a couple- the man did look a lot like Snape with his hooked nose and the slightly curled lip. The woman next to him had long brown hair and grey eyes and she smiled into the camera with warm eyes. That must have been Snape's parents.

Suddenly the memory of Voldemort taunting Snape about his father came back and Harry shuddered as he met Tobias Snape's stern gaze. To Harry's surprise the other picture showed his mother and she waved into the camera with a broad smile.

The last picture showed Draco Malfoy and Snape on the beach, the boy obviously building a sand castle and Snape spread out on the sand his face buried in a book. The picture must have been made more than a decade ago judging from Draco's age and once again Harry felt a surge of jealousy inside.

Averting his eyes Harry sneaked into the living room that was empty, the fire having gone cold over the course of the night. Silently he made it over to the front door wanting to apparate to London but he was stopped by Snape's voice.

“Do you want breakfast Potter?”

Slowly Harry turned around and was surprised when he found Snape not dressed in his immaculate teacher robes but in what could be considered casual attire. His hair was tied back with a black ribbon and the way he leaned against the door made him look like a predator.

“Eh, sure,” Harry mumbled following the older wizard into a spacious kitchen with a table in the middle.


Flopping down he was astounded when a cup of tea and a plate appeared in front of him complete with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages.

When Snape saw Harry's huge eyes he sat down with his own cup of tea and smirked.

“I have a house-elf,” he said sipping from his tea. “Slinky, he was an inheritance from my family. I gave him clothes several times but he decides to pester me instead.”

Around his mouthful of eggs Harry grinned. “Where does he live?”

“In the attic,” Snape replied. “I offered him a room of his own but he likes it there.”

“What happened with your family's stuff?”

Snape set his face into a grim expression. “After the first fall of Voldemort I was cleared of the accusation of being a Death Eater. However the ministry froze all assets on the grounds that my family had always been avid followers of the dark lord.”

“The two on the photo- they are your parents?” Harry asked and finished his meal.

Snape slightly tilted his head, “Yes.” Obviously he did not want to elaborate so Harry dropped it.

“So, what is going to happen with this bond thing?” Harry asked honestly clueless.

One of Snape's graceful fingers trailed a figure on the table obviously contemplating that.

“It should be satisfied for another month if that is what you are asking,” he said keeping his eyes trained on the far away wall.

“Good.”

Once again a heavy silence stretched between them and Harry was just about to break it again with another stupid question when the fireplace in the living room flared to life and Draco Malfoy stumbled out with a trunk floating next to him.

“Sev, I think I have everything and I decided to bring some swimming cloths with me. If I am going to stay the rest of the summer here, I-”


At that moment he had reached the kitchen door and noticed Harry sitting at the table.

“What is he doing here?” he asked clearly not happy.

“He was just about to leave,” Snape said as he pointed to the door to his left. “You will sleep over there. Why don't you use the time until Potter is gone to unpack?”

Hesitantly the blonde nodded and casting one nasty look into Harry's direction he left into his bedroom. Before Harry had the chance to say anything Snape pointed to the fireplace.

“You can use the floo to return to London. I do not expect any trouble from the bond in the next weeks but in case there are, you may find me here for the rest of the summer.”

With that he left the kitchen into the room he had assigned to Harry's nemesis and quickly the young wizard threw some powder into the green flames to disappear to London.