Harry used Pomfrey’s preoccupation with her newspaper in order to make his escape. He sat cross legged on the bed and concentrated on his real face. After a few long moments Harry was sure that he was no long ‘Harry Potter’ and hence free to leave the confides of Pomfrey’s lair. He found it quite annoying that the neurotic nurse had announced to Snape that he was fine and yet she had not discharged him.

Grumbling he set out across the infirmary and straight out the door. As luck would have it he meet the same two seventh year Slytherins in the hallway. 

“You following us, kiddo,” Nero Parkinson commented looking entirely too jovial for a Slytherin. 

“Er... no...:” Harry muttered feeling strange that these Slytherins would deign to even speak with him. 

“Weren’t you a Ravenclaw earlier?” Tertius queried glancing at Harry’s uniform. 

“Me? Ravenclaw?” Harry repeated just a little slow on the uptake. “Oh yeah we had transfiguration and I thought I could impress some Hufflepuffs by changing uniforms.” 

Nero raised his eyebrow. “Did it work?” 

Tertius snorted. “They’re Hufflepuffs.” 

Harry smiled tightly and tried to edge away from the seventh years.  “So what are you doing in the infirmary?” Tertius asked nodding his head in the general direction where Harry had came from.  

“Nothing interesting...” Harry answered edging a little further away. The older Slytherins must have noted Harry’s discomfort; for with one final nod they left as quickly as they came. 

Harry head to lunch and was not surprised to find that the note from Professor Snape for his detention was already at his seat. That man was nothing but organised. Quickly reading the note Harry groaned to see it was scheduled for seven o’clock... 

At five past seven Harry raced down to the dungeons. Percy Weasley had accosted him alone in the toilets again and it had taken two bites of the hand to make the prat let him go. 

Red cheeked and breathing heavily Harry knocked on the Potion Master’s door knowing full well how much Snape hated tardiness. “

In,” came the curt reply. 

“Sir I...” Harry quickly gabbled as he opened the door swiftly. Perhaps if he explained quickly Snape might be in a forgiving mood. One look at the potions master however, froze Harry in his tracks... Snape looked ready to snap his neck. 

“Your lack of promptness communicates effectively to me that you do not respect me,” Snape said in his soft yet hard voice. “Tardiness to a detention is the height of disrespect, young man.” 

“Sir please...” Harry mumbled. It really wasn’t his fault this time.

But Snape seemed to be in lecture mode. “I do not appreciate being kept waiting, especially when this is not a real detention.” 

“It’s not?” 

Snape snorted. “It is now. Sit and write lines... As a young and respectable Gryffindor, I shall accord to the Hogwarts staff the same honour and respect as I would show my own Head of House... Unless of course in the dubious case you would like to share a reasonable excuse.” 

Harry sighed, they would be selling ice skates in hell before he told Snape anything about his problems with Percy Weasley.

Seeing Harry’s tight lipped grimace, Snape turned on his heel with a flurry of robes. “Thought not – get to work.” 

Harry sat where an ink well and parchment appeared and started scribbling frantically.  Snape glanced over his should at the young Gryffindor and shook his head sadly. “

Are you sure you don’t want to say anything, Mr Potter?” 

Harry shook his head and kept himself resolutely bent over his work. 

“Are you well?” 

“Yes, sir,” Harry muttered quickly. Snape didn’t look too sure that Harry was actually telling him the truth. A moment later he stared pointedly at Harry’s parchment and with a barely audible sigh the young Gryffindor continued with his lines. Snape’s gaze lingered for a moment longer. 

“Continue working, Potter, but listen carefully. I don’t fancy having to repeat myself for you more than once this evening.” Harry continued to write but he nodded in acknowledgement of the Potion Masters’ words.  

“Verbal answer if you wouldn’t mind.” 

“Yes, sir,” Harry mumbled glumly. “This voice you are hearing. You may not pursue the matter any further. The staff at Hogwarts is suitably qualified to handle this issue. If I catch you disobeying me you will be one sorry little Gryffindor.” 

Harry glanced up. He knew that Professor Snape didn’t make idle threats but wasn’t quite sure that the older wizard was alluding to. “Or more plainly your Gryffindor backside will be smarting for a week after I am finished with you,” Snape continued dryly.

Harry almost thought the Slytherin House master looked somewhat amused and he couldn’t help but feel his face blushing. “I know Gryffindor house has stopped the practice of corporal punishment and it has been a while I have seen fit to punish one of Professor McGonagall’s cubs in such a manner but I will do it if your behaviour warrants such a consequence. Do we have an understanding?” 

“Yes sir,” Harry stared hardly believing his ears.  

“Good continue with your lines.” 

Harry rushed to continue and missed Snape rolling his eyes as the older man went back to cataloguing his potion ingredients.  

“Sir?” It felt like Harry had been sitting at his desks for weeks writing lines. Snape glanced up abruptly and stared at the cringing Gryffindor pointedly. 

“You are being punished Potter,” the potions master dryly commented. 

“Yes, I know.” Harry faltered for a moment, swallowing audibly as he continued. “I just wanted to know if you have heard of Little Tykes Agency... I heard that they...” 

Snape cut Harry off unexpected. “It’s a disgusting lucrative business. You stay away from Sydney Higglesworth and her ilk if you value your life, boy.” 

“I just wanted to know about them,” Harry muttered almost mutinously. Snape glided over to the now cringing Gryffindor and leaned over the bench so their noses were almost touching.

“Sydney Higglesworth preys on young pureblooded witches to steal and sell their baby boys; selling helpless little purebloods for large profits because of their blood heritage. You stay away from that woman, do you understand me?” Harry nodded. “Good and let this be the end of your maudlin hopes of being adopted and having more family. Arrogant and selfish your father was; but I don’t see the likes of James Potter buying a baby boy... he held the Gryffindor virtues in too high regard.” 

Harry nodded again and continued with his lines.