The weeks that followed, and the run up to the end of the first term were relatively quiet for Severus Snape – largely because Harry had spoken to him very little in this time.
The boy had, grudgingly, adhered to his renewed grounding and had missed the last Quidditch match before Christmas. But he'd made no attempts to further explain his actions, and had simply grunted one word answers at his guardian whenever their paths had crossed.
The potions master was looking forward to the break from classes over the Christmas period. He couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach though, and he wasn't sure whether it stemmed from the fact they still had no idea who was responsible for the happenings at the school, or his concerns that something was wrong with Harry.
He'd imagined he would use the holidays to try and get to the bottom of the issue, but with the child giving him such a wide berth, the opportunity to do so seemed to be less and less likely.
He had initially thought that they might return to Spinner's End for the duration, but with tensions running so high, Snape concluded that them being cooped up together in such close proximities might not be for the best. No, it was far better to remain at Hogwarts, where Harry had the option to remain in his dorm room, should he so wish.
Right then, it seemed like he did.
Now, as lunch time drew to an end on the final day of term and as the potions master left his store room on the second floor, he knew there was only a handful of classes in between him and some peace.