— What exactly, sir? — Harry asked cautiously, following Snape hesitantly. He found himself in the professor's private quarters once again, which was somewhat unsettling.
— As your temporary guardian, — Snape emphasized the penultimate word, making it clear to Harry that he wasn't particularly pleased with the situation either, — I am required to provide you with a private room.
The boy was momentarily stunned. Then, a million images of a horrible basement filled with rats and cockroaches flashed through his mind, along with a filthy, dusty mattress in the middle.
— There's no need to worry about that, sir. I don't need a private room when there's the dormitory, — Harry tried to decline the offer, to which Snape quietly scoffed but said nothing.
— Wow… — Potter couldn't hold back a quiet exclamation when Severus showed him the new room. It turned out to be quite nice, decorated in pleasant shades of green and black. A huge bed stood in the very center, with an enormous golden lion embroidered on the bedding, which occasionally moved and even let out a soft growl. On one side, there were bookshelves and a large oak desk. Against the opposite wall stood a wardrobe filled with brand-new clothes. Other shelves held various amusing trinkets—a broomstick care kit, a few enchanted toy soldiers, an astronomical globe, and similar items.
— Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall took care of the room's design and furnishings, — the man explained calmly, observing the boy's reaction.
— So, I can come here from time to time? — Harry looked uncertainly at the Potions Master.
— Don't ask foolish questions, Potter, — Snape hissed irritably. — This is your room, and you may come here whenever you wish.
— Thank you, sir, — Harry was annoyed by the Potions Master's attitude, but he tried not to show it. After all, he would have to coexist with him for some time.
— Now, I want to discuss some rules with you, — the man began, gesturing for the boy to sit. Harry rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath:
— Of course, there had to be rules. I knew a private room wouldn't come for free.
Snape decided to ignore the pompous child's words and continued.
— First, I do not want you or your friends wandering around the school at night. Second, I do not want you getting into trouble. And if anything happens, I want you to come to me. I will also not tolerate disrespect. Otherwise, there will be unpleasant consequences. Do you understand?
— Yes, sir. May I bring my friends here? — Now it was Snape's turn to roll his eyes. How could the national hero do without his little friends?
— As long as they don't disturb my work.
Potter nodded. Having his own room in noisy Hogwarts turned out to be a great idea. Though he would still prefer to sleep in Gryffindor Tower.
— Then, may I go?
— Yes. Just make sure to tell your friends what we discussed. I do not want you risking your lives. Good day.
Harry left Severus's quarters with a satisfied smile on his face. His friends were still sitting by the windowsill.
— Well? — Ron asked anxiously, hurrying over to Harry.
— He's officially my guardian now. And I have my own room. He even said you guys could visit me. Pretty cool, right?
Ron and Hermione exchanged skeptical looks.
— What?
— Are you sure that man actually wants us to visit? I'd say, to put it mildly, he doesn't like us very much.
— I'd say he downright hates us. I'm sure of it.
— Ugh… You're right. I still can't forget the things he said to us last year, — Potter instantly recalled all of Snape's insults toward Hermione and Ron.
— Alright, no time to dwell on it. You guys have detention soon, so hurry up.
The two nodded and quickly went their separate ways—Ron to Filch, and Harry to Lockhart.
***
Like all previous detentions with Lockhart—Harry couldn't bring himself to call him 'Professor'—he barely listened to the man. Completely lost in his own thoughts, the boy mechanically answered letters, paying no attention to Gilderoy's meaningless chatter. Only a quiet whisper caught his attention.
— Professor? Did you hear that voice?
— What voice, Harry? Oh, look at the time! It seems we've stayed a bit too long.
Lockhart finally dismissed Potter, who hurried to get away. The strange voice wouldn't leave his mind. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice running straight into his friends.
— Ouch! Harry, do you ever watch where you're going?
— Sorry, but I have something to tell you, — the boy recounted everything that had happened in the last few minutes.
— How strange, — Hermione pondered for a moment. — That's not a good sign, even in the wizarding world.
— Lately, strange things keep happening to me, — Harry sighed. — So, what are you two doing here? I thought you'd be in the Great Hall by now.
— We were looking for you. Filch just let me go, and on the way, I met Hermione. We were going to the Great Hall, thinking Lockhart had let you go a long time ago. But Sir Nicholas said you weren't there, so we went to find you, — Ron blurted out in one breath, and Hermione nodded in agreement. But just as they were about to turn around and head to dinner, Harry heard the voice again.
— He's nearby. He wants to kill someone! — Potter shouted and bolted in the opposite direction. His friends exchanged worried glances and ran after him. They didn't have to run for long. As soon as they reached the second floor and turned the corner, they were met with an unpleasant sight. On the white walls of the corridor, someone had written in blood:
"The Heir of Slytherin has returned!"
— That's Filch's cat! — Hermione gasped when she saw a dark bundle of fur hanging by its tail from a torch bracket.
— We should get out of here. It'll be bad if someone sees us, — Ron was the first to come to his senses, trying to drag his friends away, but it was too late. Most of the students had finished dinner and were heading about their business. Before the trio could react, they were surrounded by dozens of students.
Then chaos erupted. Students from different houses began loudly discussing the words on the wall. And when Filch arrived at the scene, drawn by the shouting, he nearly strangled Harry. Thankfully, Dumbledore stopped him just in time, accompanied by several other teachers. Among them was Snape.
— All students except you three, return to your dormitories immediately, — the corridor emptied at once. Gilderoy Lockhart continued to boast about his great magical abilities, but no one was listening anymore.
— Argus, Mr. Potter and his friends are not guilty unless proven otherwise, — the headmaster explained with his usual kind smile.
— Let's assume Mr. Potter and his friends happened to be at the scene by accident. But why weren't you at dinner? — Snape turned to the trio.
— We… well, we… — Harry hesitated for a moment but quickly recovered. — I was with Professor Lockhart serving detention, and we ran a little late, — Lockhart confirmed this, much to the trio's relief, saying nothing about the voice Harry had heard.
— I also just finished detention.
— And I was waiting for Ron. We were going to the Great Hall, but Sir Nicholas said Harry hadn't arrived yet, so we went to look for him. When we met, he said that… — Hermione trailed off, unsure what to say next.
— And what exactly did Mr. Potter say? — Snape asked with barely concealed irritation, giving the girl a cold look.
— I said I wasn't hungry and that we were going back to our rooms, — Harry took the initiative. He didn't want to tell anyone about the strange voices, especially Snape. — But then we stumbled upon this, — he pointed at Filch's petrified cat.
— We really didn't do anything, Professor. We were just passing by.
— I believe you, Miss Granger. You have nothing to worry about, — the old man smiled gently. — You are free to go.
— Not so fast. I'd like to have a word with this trio, Headmaster, — Snape suddenly cut in, making Harry, Ron, and Hermione's hearts stop for a moment. The last thing they wanted was to justify themselves to the terrifying Potions Master.
— That is your right, Severus. But please, don't be too hard on them, — the headmaster wished the trio a good evening and disappeared around the corner with the other teachers, leaving Snape alone with the anxious children.
— Follow me, — the man ordered coldly, as always. No one dared to disobey.
***
Once again, Harry experienced a strange sense of déjà vu. He was sitting with his friends on a wide black couch in the apartments of Hogwarts' most disliked professor.
— I can't believe it. I just told you to stay out of trouble. And here we are, right back where we started, — Snape fumed, pacing back and forth in the living room.
— It's not our fault that trouble finds us on its own, — Ron muttered. The Potions Master was clearly unimpressed, but before he could say anything, Hermione continued.
— It's true, sir. We never thought something like this could happen. We were just going back to our tower after a long day.
— And Filch attacked me before any of us could even explain, — Harry supported his friends. He could still feel the iron grip on his throat.
— And what, you weren't even a little hungry? I recall that the three of you barely ate anything at breakfast, — their stomachs betrayed them before they could answer, confirming the professor's suspicions. The trio turned bright red and stared at the floor.
— Sigh… Wizzle! — with a soft pop, a house-elf appeared in the room.
— What do you require, sir?
— Bring dinner for the children and make us some tea, — the teenagers stared at Snape in shock. Who would have thought that instead of leaving them hungry as punishment, the professor would actually feed them?
— Right away, sir, — the elf vanished in an instant.
— Now, back to our conversation… — the trio's relief didn't last long. As soon as Wizzle left, Snape resumed scolding them for their uncanny ability to attract trouble. Fortunately, the elf soon returned with a large tray of food.
— Thank you, Wizzle.
— Always at your service.
Dinner passed quietly. The trio ate in silence, occasionally exchanging glances and sneaking looks at Snape, who sipped his tea. The pastries the elf brought for them were absolutely delightful. Although the older man disapproved of sweets before bedtime, he said nothing this time. By the end of the meal, the children were already nodding off. It was quite late, after all.
— We… should go back… sir… — Hermione yawned, unable to hold it back. She rested her head on Ron's shoulder. Harry, sitting on the other side, followed suit, using his friend as a pillow.
— You may stay here. I doubt you'd make it back to your tower in this state, — Snape sighed. The children were completely exhausted.
— No need to worry, sir. We'll return to the tower without any trouble, — Ron had no desire to stay in Snape's quarters any longer. So he carefully stood up, trying not to disturb his friends. But being half-asleep, he stumbled and nearly fell. Luckily, the Potions Master was nearby and easily caught the red-haired boy by the collar of his robe.
— Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Weasley, — the man carefully set the boy back on his feet. Turning to the couch, he saw that Potter and Granger had long since fallen asleep, leaning against each other.
— Come along, Mr. Weasley. The three of you need to rest, — Severus was surprised to find that lifting two teenagers was no trouble at all. They were too light. Sleepy Ron shuffled beside him, trying to keep up with the man's long strides and stumbling every now and then. At one point, he even had to grab the man's elbow to keep from falling.
— Harry should sleep in the middle; he sometimes tosses and turns and might fall off if he's in a new place, — Ron said just in case when they entered Potter's new room. — And Hermione gets cold at night, so it's better to give her an extra blanket.
Snape was slightly surprised by the boy's knowledge but nodded. He placed the children on the large bed. It was a good thing Dumbledore had chosen such a big one. Though the Potions Master had been against spoiling the boy, it seemed the old fox had foreseen something like this. The man did everything the redheaded boy had said, who by that time was already nearly asleep.
After tucking the trio under the warm blanket, as they instinctively snuggled closer to each other, he unexpectedly found himself saying:
— Good night.
Even more unexpectedly, three sleepy voices responded:
— Good night, sir.
— Good night, Professor.
— Good night, Dad...
A strange, pleasant warmth spread through Snape's body. He would have never thought he'd be pleased to have the troublesome trio resting in his quarters. James Potter's son, an insufferable know-it-all, and one of the Weasleys. At that moment, Severus couldn't suppress a small smile as he left the child's room. Being Potter's—no, the Golden Trio's—temporary guardian wasn't so bad after all.
With that thought, he headed to his own room to check the third-years' essays.