Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all the magical people, places, things, animals in this story belong to J. K. Rowling. I can’t even imagine owning all that.

Summary: AU. This is a Snape mentors Harry kind of story, also it is a sequel to Unexpected Visitor. If you haven’t read it yet then it is advisable that you read it first as you might have some difficulties understanding the story. When Harry starts his Second Year at Hogwarts in a grand fashion, Snape is not pleased. This year, Harry hopes that everything will be normal for once but in Harry Potter’s life, nothing is normal. Please. R&R.

Chapter Four

Snape sighed as he heard the Headmaster saying jovially, “Well, what are we waiting for, my boy?”

He had never been able to understand how the Headmaster managed to be so…happy and optimistic about everything despite the Wizarding World not being an ideal place. He was thinking just that when a throat cleared. Snape looked up and saw that the Headmaster was looking him with amusement. Snape glared at the other man and started following him. They were walking down the hallway when Snape noticed the two parts of the trio. He, immediately, grimaced inwardly and glared at them with all his might. He had heard it sometime ago that this was supposed to be his ‘If you so much as move, you wouldn’t be alive’ glare. Snape was always amused when his students put names to his glares though he never showed it.

“Professor! Professor, could we have a word with you? Please?” Miss. Hermione Know-It-All Granger asked, anxiously.

“Ah, Hermione! Of course, you could have a word with me but would you wait? I have a pressing problem that needs to be solved, I am afraid.” Headmaster said, smiling kindly.

Ron looked disappointed and restless and Granger, though disappointed, managed to say, “Oh, well. I’ll…I mean we’ll wait, wouldn’t we, Ron? But it’s just that we haven’t seen Harry since last night and I don’t know what happened to him, if he is alright.”

“Rest assured, Ms. Granger, that Mr. Potter is as good as is possible. He spent the last night in my chambers as the dunderhead managed to forget the password. No, no, actually, Mr. Potter didn’t even bother to ask the password.” Snape said, sneering. He was not going to show his affections in public. He certainly did not do that.

“What did you do to him? I swear if he….” Ron’s indignant outburst stopped as he was kicked by Hermione. He looked at her with grimace and got the message to shut up. He huffed and asked, “Well…umm…when could we meet him?”

Dumbledore who had been watching the whole scene with apparent amusement, cleared his head and said, “I am afraid that you would only be able to see young Harry in classes today. There is an important matter I wish to discuss with him.”

Both the Gryffindor student’s faces fell then they thanked and turned towards the Great Hall. Snape was sure that they were whispering something about him or rather his cruelty towards the famous Harry Potter. Snape smirked and found that Dumbledore was looking at him with a knowing look. Sometimes he hated that twinkling eyes, they were able to read more than he was ready to give away.

As they reached the chamber’s entrance, Snape whispered the password. They entered the chambers and saw that Harry had started reading some textbook, Snape was pleased with the sight and he allowed his lips twitch a little.

As the door closed behind the men, Harry started. He looked around wildly before zeroing on the Professors. He got up as he saw that the Professors seemed serious. ‘Well, Snape is always serious but Dumbledore? It must be something important.’ Harry thought uneasily.

“Good morning, Professor Dumbledore.” Harry said smiling at the old man.

“Ah, yes, yes. Good morning, Harry.” Dumbledore answered easily. Harry twitched, he didn’t like this feeling as if something was going to happen.

“Harry, my boy. Do you remember what happened this summer?” Dumbledore asked as though he was sure that Harry wouldn’t be able to remember.

Harry scowled and said, “Of course, I remember! I was brought here when Professor Snape found about the Dursleys. Then he accepted the guardianship of me for the summer vacation…..” He trailed off as he saw the point of this meeting. So, his guardianship had in fact, finished. ‘Snape would leave me now. Oh, how could I have not seen this coming?’ Harry thought wretchedly. He started wringing his hands as he said, “So, umm…this thing ends here?”

‘He needn’t have sounded so whiny as if he was relieved!’ Snape thought angrily. He almost sounded relieved to be free as if Snape had bound him. Snape glared at the air in front of him and refused to speak. After waiting for a moment, Dumbledore said, “I am afraid, Harry, yes. I know that you must have been close now, after spending the whole summer together.” His smile said everything the other two needed to know.

Harry was feeling miserable and it showed. He had thought that perhaps this guardianship would have been something that he got instead of his parents. Snape as guardian was almost a parent. Harry had come to look up to him and now he was going to vanish too. Just like everyone in his life. Tears came unbidden, he sniffled. He said in a tight voice, “I see so perhaps I shouldn’t bother Professor Snape anymore. I’ll just…go.”

He walked towards his stuff, picked it up and was just going towards the door when someone whirled him around. His tears, which he had been saving until after he got out of the chambers, rolled down and Harry mentally cursed.

“Where do you think you are going on your own?” Snape asked in a low voice. His expression blank, not an ounce of emotion present.

“I…I was just going.” Harry said, dashing his tears away while trying to unhand himself.

“Oh! That’s informative, Harry but still I do want to know what is going on.” Snape said, thinking about the boy’s futile attempt at unhanding himself. He secretly wanted to know what the tears or the sign of them was about but not in front of Headmaster, never in front of him. This was between him and the boy. He wouldn’t humiliate the boy by asking why he was crying or on the verge of it.

“I didn’t want to be a nuisance anymore, alright! That’s the main reason amongst others.” Harry said, irritated with his Professor. ‘The man never gave the impression that he was dense then why was acting like one? Just because he wanted to..’ Harry couldn’t complete the thought as he was forced back to the reality.

“What in the name of Merlin are you talking about?” Snape asked, looking incredulous.

“It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? I mean your guardianship over me is..well, over so I shouldn’t bother you anymore. That message I got but you needn’t have bothered the Headmaster for it. I would have gone if you had told me in person!” Harry said heatedly while cursing inwardly. The treacherous tears didn’t even ask for permission before tumbling out of his eyes. “Blast them!!!” He muttered darkly.

Since Snape was the closest of the two adults, he heard the last phrase and asked, “What was that? And what the….what did you mean by that speech?” Snape was really baffled as to what he had done that might have insinuated the kind of message Harry was talking about. He rubbed his brow and sighed.

After taking a deep breath, he said, “Harry, listen to me. Carefully. I don’t know what came over you but I didn’t bring the Headmaster here so that you would be told that you had to leave the chambers. Had I wanted it, you would have known it sooner than you could say, ‘Bezoar.’ Now, do tell me about what you were thinking and this time less dramatically. I am sure that the Headmaster would appreciate it as well as me.”

Harry looked at the men in confusion and gulped. ‘Oopsie! Perhaps he was a little too fast.’ He thought frowning. He said carefully now, “I guess I was little hasty.”

Dumbledore looked amused and his smile was as infuriating as could have been and Snape looked disbelievingly at Harry. His eyebrows, Harry was sure, reached hairline and almost giggled at the thought.

“Yes, Harry. I believe you were a little hasty with your conclusions, Harry.” Dumbledore said, smiling a little. He continued, “Now, before you leap to any more of those silly conclusions, I have something important to tell you and in turn ask you.” Dumbledore’s twinkle hadn’t disappeared so Harry decided that it was safe to say something.

“Umm…what would that be?” Harry asked, his brilliant come-back.

“Well, as you seem to have found out on your own that this guardianship for the summer is over now that the summer is over. So, for the time being you wouldn’t need a guardian as such because the school acts as a loco parentis during the school year. But if you need or wish that you have a guardian, we have someone willing.” Dumbledore peered at him from his halfmoon glasses. He waited for a breath then asked, gently, “Would you like that, Harry? I believe that after what happened this summer, I would not under circumstances send you back to the..Dursleys.”

There was a fierce light in the Headmaster’s eyes that made Harry shiver, he realised that this was a power unleashed. He sure wouldn’t want to be the Dursleys or anyone opponant of Albus Dumbledore. Oh, the man looked old, senile but he was powerful and brilliant of that Harry was sure. He looked at other man but found nothing in his face. Professor seemed to like his mask more than his emotions, Harry decided with a sigh. Harry asked, “Who is that person, sir?”

He had a feeling that somehow it was going to be the same person who had been his guardian for the summer and if that was true then Harry was glad. Harry’s palms grew sweaty with a nervousness that he hadn’t thought possible, he could practically feel what the Headmaster was going to say. ‘Please, let it be him! Please, I’ll….I’ll be a good boy and never stirr any trouble.’ He chanted mentally as he waited.

A throat cleared and Dumbledore said, “Well, I think that you do have an idea as to who it is, don’t you, my boy?”

“I would say that, yes.” Harry said, carefully. He rubbed his hands on his cloak and saw Snape grimacing. He looked a little…well, disgusted for the lack of better word.

“Harry, stop this. You two are so dramatic, it’s sickening. You all know who the person is, so why all this…sheer stupidity on your part?” Snape asked, thinking that it had gone long enough.

Harry’s gaze flew to Snape’s and saw that Snape was really serious. He stiffened and looked balefully at the Professor. Harry had almost childish wish to stuck out his tongue at Snape and was barely stopping himself. He jerked when a laugh disturbed his childish fantasies.

“Yes, Severus. I believe this has gone long enough. Well, now that you both are aware of what is happening, I would like your opinions on it. I would never force anyone to do anything unless it was a question of life and death.” Dumbledore said, lines of laughter still in place on his face.

“Harry, what is opinion on this? Do you think that you would want to be a ward to a…batty Professor?” Snape asked silkily.

Harry was so startled by the question that almost flopped on the tea-table because of the shock. ‘Snape just made a joke! Oh, I never ever in my dreams thought that he would be….funny.’ Harry thought dazed.

“Well, that depends on what you think of being a guardian of a foolish brat who lived and went on living.” Harry said lightly. He had barely completed the sentence when a sharp look was thrown his way, the glare was not unnoticed and it had the instant effect. Harry shut up and gulped.

Dumbledore smiled and said, “Well, now that is settled if I am not wrong. I believe the legal work would take a little time as this time, Fudge is bound to make a fuss out of this. I have been known to be a good pursuer though so I hope every thing would be as we want it to be.”

‘Yes, I sure hope so. I would never have thought that Snape would want me to be his ward again.’ Harry thought, a warm feeling in his heart that made him want to do something silly. Like going and hugging Snape.

Author’s Note: Well, I guess not a lot of action but hey, I did have something close to plot. grins Anyway, thank you very much for your reviews and your forgiveness. I was a little worried that many of you would have forgotten that there was a little story that you read called The Unexpected Visitor.

And now, I was wondering that if you liked my story then I am sure that you would love some of the jharad17’s stories. I simply love them, so be sure to check them out.

Now on to the begging point, can you see that little thingy called a button. Go on and click it, review it. That’s all I ask. I’ll be sure to give you chocolate cake, homemade.