Besides an awkward breakfast the next morning in which Snape tried, unsuccessfully, to draw Potter out of a strange mood, he had not seen the boy in a week and a half. Outside of classes, that is.

Even in classes, Harry kept his head down, finished his work diligently, but never met his teacher’s eyes.

It was the signing that made him finally take action. The boy had stopped using Snape’s sign. It wasn’t that it bothered the man. He couldn’t care less, really. It’s just that it was a very clear signal that something was going on with the child. Harry Potter may be brave, and a little vulnerable, and quick to temper, but he was not subtle. Indeed, he was a walking muggle child psychology textbook in the way he gave off signals with his behaviours. If it weren’t so frustrating it would be almost amusing.

So that afternoon, when Potter had responded to something he’d asked with only [Yes, teacher] and a slight blush, he asked Miss Granger to stay after class.

He did not waste any time on small talk.

“I trust you know what’s going on with Mr. Potter?”

“Going on, sir?”

He didn’t resist the eye roll that came in response. “Yes, as in there is something bothering him. I would like to know what that is.”

“Oh. Well. I’m not sure Harry would want me sharing his confidences, sir.”

He couldn’t resist arching a brow in question. Still an adult, still the enemy it would appear. “Miss Granger, I would hope that both you and Mr. Potter would understand that there is a time and a place for maintaining such confidences. As you well know, Harry has a penchant for keeping secrets that are harmful to him. I simply wish to ensure his well-being.”

The girl looked up at him with a small, sad smile. “You called him Harry.”

“So it would appear.”

“Did you do that on purpose to get me to tell you what’s bothering him?”

“That depends. Did it work?”

Hermione sighed. “Yes, it worked.” She took a moment to settle herself and then continued. “Simply put sir, he’s embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed?” He had not expected that. He had expected Harry to be angry about some affront on his part that he hadn’t recognized. Or angry even that he had to go back to the tower. But embarrassed? “Whatever for?”

He told himself to be patient as Hermione squirmed in her seat. “Well, sir, he told me that he asked you, well, not asked precisely, maybe indicated would be a better word, or hinted --”

“Miss. Granger.” He ground out.

“Right. Sorry sir. Well, it’s just that he wanted to be um, picked up. And he was tired, and comfortable, and not really thinking and he didn’t mean to offend you sir! If you only knew how horrified at himself he was when he told me about it.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes. Merlin save him from foolish children.

“And what, exactly, did you say in response?”

“I told him not to worry about it. That if you hadn’t gotten upset by that point you weren’t likely too, and that perhaps he was making a mountain out of a molehill.”

“Indeed. Thank you for speaking with me. I will endeavour to divest Mr. Potter of his misconceptions.”

He meant this as a dismissal, but the girl did not leave right away.

”Did you know that he’s got a sign for you professor?

“I am well aware of that Miss Granger.”

“Well, actually, it’s two signs.”

“And your point being?”

“I just thought you might want to know, that’s all.”

“I am well aware, thank you.”

She walked away for a few steps, and he thought for a moment the conversation was over. But then she spun back on her heel and asked,

“Don’t you want to know what they mean?!”

He folded his arms in a sign of calmness that he did not quite feel.

“I have no doubt that Mr. Potter will tell me when he is ready to do so.”

And with that, he was finally left to his own thoughts.

***

His plan had been to approach Potter in the Great Hall at dinner, tell him to come to the dungeons after his meal. The sooner they dealt with this, the better. How one child could be so simultaneously brave and insecure was beyond him.

However, Potter was not in the Great Hall for his meal. He may not know much about the boy, but he did know this. Even at his most embarrassed, there was no way Harry would let his pride keep him from a meal. He was still operating on survival instinct, and that instinct would have driven him to the Gryffindor table.

The other members of that lamentable trio were present and accounted for, however, which only caused his suspicions to rise. Finishing his own meal he quickly and quietly approached the bench where the two were sitting.

Approaching them from behind, he cleared his throat in an effort to gain their attention. They swivelled towards him almost instantly, the Weasley boy still mid-chew.

“Charming, Mr. Weasley.” He mocked. “Miss Granger. Is Mr. Potter having such a problem it is preventing him from maintaining proper nourishment?”

“Actually sir,” the girl in question broke in, “it’s not that. Professor Dumbledore sent him a note earlier, requesting to meet with Harry.” She dropped her voice. “I think it was something to do with his attack.”

Snape breathed a curse that caused the two students before him to drop their mouths in shock. He shot a glare in their direction just before turning and making his way towards the Headmaster’s office.

***

Harry had been glad that Dumbledore had called for this meeting over dinner. Once he had read the man’s note he’d known that he wouldn’t be able to eat even if he’d wanted to.

Harry –

I am pleased to be able to tell you that we have discovered the identities
of your attackers. I will be meeting with them this evening at 6:00 p.m.
I would like you to be there.

The password to my office is “Zingy Zaps”.

-- A. Dumbledore

He had been waiting in here 10 minutes, alone. He suspected the others were in an adjoining room and would join him shortly, so he simply seated himself on the couch and waited.

He was more than willing to wait as long as it took. Forever even.

Unfortunately that was the precise moment one of the side doors in Dumbledore’s office opened and in paraded three students followed by the man himself.

Harry stood, though mostly in an effort to lock his knees and stop the shaking, rather than out of respect for the headmaster. He certainly had none for his attackers.

“Harry, my boy, good to see you. Please sit down.”

He could only shake his head. His eyes never left Dumbledore’s face, although he didn’t really see the man. He just wanted to avoid the faces of the three boys to his left.

“Harry, I believe you deserve to know the identity of your attackers.” Here his voice hardened, Harry noticed. “Jovan Sirec, Conrad McWhinney and Honoré Leguin.”

Harry gave a very quick, sweeping glance in their direction. It was just enough to notice that they were all wearing Ravenclaw ties. Apparently it wasn’t just Slytherins that hated him. Great. He stood there, staring at his shoes for what seemed like ages. What was Dumbledore expecting from him, a “pleased to meet you”?

“I believe these three have a few things they want to say to you.” Harry was lost for a moment in the stunning realization that Dumbledore could sound so scary. Trying to gather what strength he could from the knowledge that the Headmaster was on his side, Harry finally turned his eyes towards his attackers.

It was a disappointing sight. They didn’t look like monsters. Weren’t they supposed to look like monsters?

One of them stepped forward a bit, causing Harry to instinctively take a similar step back. But he did not look away.

“Harry. I wanted to say I’m sorry. It was inexcusable what we did.” The boy’s voice cracked at that last. “I wish I had stood up to my friends and not done what I did. We deserve what we get for what we did to you.”

He only had time to nod before the other two broke in. Everyone seemed to talk at once and it was hard to understand anything. He did catch a few key phrases, however.

“…getting expelled…”

“…stupid little brat…”

He wouldn’t look away, he couldn’t. He would not give them the satisfaction. His eyes remained level, though unseeing, while his insides felt like they were melting and freezing all at once.

“…should have been you..”

“…pretty boy Potter…”

And then another voice broke through the rest.

“Stupefy!”

As the first boy froze, Harry turned to find Snape standing in the doorway looking darker, more fierce and angrier than he had ever seen the man. The blazing in his eyes stopped only for a millisecond when they settled on Harry. Then, before he knew what was happening, Harry found himself being pulled away and tucked against the man’s side, where he then turned Harry’s face into his robes.

For all the strength he had managed to have in facing the Ravenclaw boys, Harry broke when his teacher’s free hand came to rest against his cheek, as if he was trying to shield him using just the palm of his hand. The simple act brought a whimper to Harry’s lips and his hands seemed to move of their own accord, gripping Snape’s robes in his fists. He did not hear the man cast his second stupefy.

He did, however, hear what he said next, as it was awfully hard to miss.

“Are you completely out of your mind, old man?”

Someone gasped, and Harry realized one of the attackers was still free. Likely the one who had apologized; the one who hadn’t been yelling.

“One sound, one little sound out of you Mr. McWhinney, and you shall join your friends.

And you, Albus. What on earth were you thinking bringing him in here to see these three?” Harry noticed that Snape had somehow managed to make ‘three’ sound like an insult.

“Severus, I merely thought that before they left,” Harry did not miss how Dumbledore emphasized the word, “that these boys should be given once last chance to stay at Hogwart’s by renouncing their deeds. They assured me they planned to do just that.”

Harry could feel Snape’s chest rumbling as he spoke. It was a strange sensation, almost ticklish.

“Why is it that you insist on giving a multitude of chances to students who clearly don’t deserve it? It always seems to come at the expense of others.”

“Are we talking about the present or the past, Severus?”

“Both.” The man snarled. “I accepted it as the way of things as a child. I know better now and I will not allow you to do the same to Harry.”

The tension in the room was becoming too much for Harry, who just wanted everything to go away. He pressed his face further into his protector’s robes, seeking the darkness they provided.

Snape seemed to sense something then, and Harry felt his hands being pulled away from the robes, and then the man’s hands settled on his shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

Harry paused for a moment, before realizing that he didn’t have it in him to lie about it. So all he did was shake his head. No, no he wasn’t alright. He tried to meet his teacher’s eyes, but everything was a little blurry and he was more than a little wobbly on his feet.

He needed to get out of here, to get away from Dumbledore and the other boys. So he made two signs and hoped to be understood.

‘Home’ and the his sign for Snape. Whether the man understood his exact words he could not tell; but it was clear that he understood enough. For in the next moment Harry felt thin, strong hands lifting him, and he found himself being held against Snape’s chest just like during the holidays. Only this time he hadn’t needed to ask.

As the professor reached up and removed Harry’s glasses he spoke one word. “Good?”

Harry nodded, slipping his arms loosely around the man’s neck. Letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, he laid his head down on Snape’s shoulder.

He was asleep before they ever reached the dungeons.