A Time And Place To Grow

Chapter 4: Even Hotter

"You're up," Snape noted quietly.

"Brilliant observation," Harry shot back. He always felt grouchy and short-tempered after napping during the day. Part of him wanted to crawl back in bed, and the other part wanted to slug Snape right across the face.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "Well, we are cranky this afternoon. Would you care for some food or a walk through the gardens or should I send you back up to bed until you can act civilly?"

Harry scowled but nodded, "I want to go outside."

"It's bit chilly out there, and it looks like rain,"

Snape led the way to a cloakroom where he

handed Harry a green cape with cream lining.

"Keep this on at all times."

Slytherin colors - wonderful. Harry grudgingly slipped the cape over his shoulder and closed the clasp that (surprise, surprise) was in the shape of a snake. "What about my cloak?" he remembered suddenly.

"This cape will be warm enough," Snape opened the side door.

"No, my invis- my other cloak," Harry corrected himself just in time.

"I've put that away for the time being."

"It's not yours, and this isn't Hogwarts where you can confiscate our things," Harry protested, feeling a flush of anger rise to his cheeks. "It's mine, my father left it for me!"

A sneer contorted Snape's lips at the reminder of the father of the boy standing in front of him. Harry knew that Snape was relishing the fact that he had James Potter's only son at Snapdragon Manor, completely at his mercy. Harry could do nothing to stop the potions master, not while Snape was bigger than he was and had a wand.

"Don't argue with me, Potter," Snape said sharply. "This manor may look harmless, but there are certain rooms here that would like nothing more than to swallow you whole. I don't want you sneaking around invisible and undetected and getting trapped somewhere for weeks."

"But -"

"I know you'll say you won't, you'll even promise not to wear it, but at the first sign of trouble, you'll put on that cloak and find trouble, and I'll have to tear the house apart trying to find you. No, you may not have the cloak."

Harry huffed in frustration, but he could see the logic in Snape's argument even though he didn't want to. The Invisibility Cloak was a temptation even with the noblest of intents not to use it. And he didn't want to be trapped in some corner of the manor invisible and helpless.

"Well, can I at least have my wand?"

"I don't see why you need it," Snape crossed his arms firmly. "You're underage - you can't use it until school starts. The last thing I want is for the Ministry of Magic to send another letter, dragging you back to a hearing."

"But if the house is going to attack me

"The house will only attack you if you're up to no good. As long as you stay out of mischief and do as you're told, you should have no problems with Snapdragon Manor."

That was hardly comforting seeing as how Harry planned to search every inch of the manor for timeturners, but he dared not tell Snape that.

"Now, out into the garden with you," Snape opened the door, letting the cold July light into the dim cloakroom. "You can roam as far as you like in the garden, but do not try to climb over the wall."

Snape shut the door after Harry walked out into the spacious grounds. There were beds of plants that seemed to stretch for miles. Harry recognized some of the neatly grown plants from Herbology. Several large trees grew over the grounds, and there was a bench a few hundred feet down the path.