Severus woke early the next morning and was one of the first people to arrive for breakfast. As it was Sunday it wasn't until a half hour later that the Great Hall was starting to really fill up. Many of the upper years chose Sunday to sleep late while the younger students seemed to be awake and energized by the crack of dawn.

Looking around the hall, Severus noticed that Harry wasn't sitting with the other first years. In fact he was sitting all by himself at the corner of the table just poking at his food. Examining the other first years, he observed that only Theodore Nott seemed to be glancing up at Harry every so often. The others were all just ignoring his existence completely. It didn't seem to just be the first years ignoring him either, all the Slytherins seemed to be giving the boy the cold shoulder.

He could see why Harry's friends might be angry with him, he did disappear on them for the entire day but why would the other Slytherins care about that? The upper years were even shooting the boy a dirty look every once in a while. What was going on?

Then it dawned on him. Who had Harry been with during his little adventure yesterday? The Granger girl. He should have talked to the boy about that last night. He shouldn't be advertising his love for muggleborns while he was still new in Slytherin, that could come later once he had secured his allies.

On the other hand the child was a half-blood by its true definition and he shouldn't deny that his own mother had been a muggleborn herself. This was a delicate situation and Severus wasn't sure how to proceed. He could let it just play out but that would leave Harry isolated and that was the last thing the boy needed. He would seek out comfort in Granger and the relationships he had already made in Slytherin would be destroyed.

Yet if Severus stepped in he could cause the Slytherins to resent Harry. He was at a loss at what to do. He could let it work itself out for the next couple of days and if it hadn't resolved he would just move his meeting with the boy to Tuesday and talk to him then.

He finished the rest of his breakfast and on his way out he stopped by the Slytherin table.

"Mr. Potter," he said, "It would be much more beneficial for you to actually eat what is on your plate rather than just pushing it around."

The child looked up at him and nodded while he shoved a pile of eggs in his mouth. Severus shook his head at the appalling manners and continued on his way out of the Great Hall so he could get started on refilling his stock of potions.

SHSHSHSHSHSH

Harry watched as his professor left. He didn't know what to make of his but at the moment he had bigger problems. He had woken up early this morning and had snuck out of the common room before anyone else could follow. He had taken the long way to the Great Hall but he was still on one of the first to arrive.

He was just serving himself when his fellow first years entered. They all sat at the opposite end of the table without even a glance in his direction. Theo was with them and when Harry had caught his eye the boy just shrugged.

After he had finished what was on his plate he didn't know where to go. He wanted to go back to the common room but it seemed that all the Slytherins were angry with him not just his friends so that option was out. He supposed he could go to the library again but that seemed like it was where all this trouble had started.

He drank his potion and headed out the door determined not to look behind him at his friends. Maybe going outside and getting some fresh air would help him clear his head.

He walked around the lake, by the forest, and explored the quidditch pitch before he decided he was bored. Just being outside really wasn't very fun when you were all by yourself. He wished Draco wasn't so angry with him because the boy had promised to show Harry how to fly before they had their first class and today would have been the perfect day for it.

He wasn't in the mood for reading, but maybe he could explore the dungeons some more. After all, that is how he found his nook. Who knows what else could be hidden down there. If he found something really cool Draco and the others might even want to come see it with him.

It was with these pleasant thoughts that Harry made his way down to the dungeons with. He walked straight past the corridor the lead to the common room, instead taking a left and following the twisting and turning hallways.

"Look what we have here," a voice said from behind him. "It's the mudblood lover himself."

Turning around Harry saw three rather large sixth year boys from Slytherin. He took a step back. Ideas were running through his head on how he was supposed to get out of this situation but none of them seemed like they would actually work. He was small though and a quick runner; perhaps he could just outrun these guys.

They were getting closer and Harry was running out of time to make a decision so he just went for it. He took off and darted around the boys, back towards the main part of the castle.

"What's wrong, Potter?" One of them called. "You too scared to listen to what we have to say?"

Harry kept himself from turning back and willed himself to run faster, but another one of the boys yelled a spell which Harry dodged. A flash of purple flew by him and hit the wall with a bang! Suddenly, the walls began to buckle and the rocks from the ceiling began to fall.

He heard the boys behind him swear and yell out defensive shields around themselves. Harry just covered his head with his arms and kept running. He managed to avoid being directly hit but by trying to avoid the rocks he fell, landed on his wrist wrong, and felt his left ankle turn the wrong way. He recovered quickly and kept on running until he was out of the danger zone.

He leaned against the wall and slid down it until he was sitting with his legs out and cradling his right arm. His cheek was throbbing and when he went to touch it he realized it was sore and swollen. It could have been worse though; he made it out of the corridor with only a bruise on his face, a sore ankle, and a possibly broken wrist.

After letting himself rest for a minute and catching his breath he started on his long trek to the hospital wing, hopefully Madam Pomfrey wouldn't ask too many questions.

He was just limping to the staircase that lead out of the dungeons when the rest of the Slytherin first years were coming down them. Just the people that Harry had absolutely no desire to see at this particular moment.

"Harry, what happened?" Theo exclaimed, as he was the first person to spot him.

"Nothing," he replied, avoiding eye contact with any of them.

"Bloody hell! Your face is a wreck! Who did that to you?" Blaise said, moving closer to Harry to get a better look.

"I just told you, nothing!" Harry said, trying to step away form him.

"That's bull, Harry, and you know it. Now tell us who did this!" Draco said as he blocked the staircase and gestured to Harry's face and arm.

"If you must know it was a bunch of stupid sixth years who cornered me. They fired some spell which missed and hit the wall. This," Harry said pointing to his injuries, "is from me trying to make it out of the collapsing hallway without being killed. Are you happy now?" Harry said, getting louder and louder as he continued to tell them what happened.

They all looked up and down the corridor to try and see where the damage had occurred.

"It was back there," Harry said with an exasperated sigh.

"Well, we better get you to Snape," Blaise said, grabbing onto Harry so he could lean on him.

"No!" Harry cried. "I was going to Madam Pomfrey. Besides Snape is going to kill me. Oh god he really is! The corridor is completely destroyed and those boys are going to deny everything. What if he expels me?"

Seeing that Harry was working himself up Draco cut into Harry's protests, "Potter, Snap out of it! Of course Snape will believe you, not only are you hurt but I seriously doubt that a first year spell could take out an entire hallway. Now come on!"

Seeing no other way Harry didn't say anything as they lead him back down to Snape's office.

SHSHSHSHSH

Snape was just about to bottle the fever reducer that he had been brewing when the alarm that let him know someone was knocking on his office door went off. He put a stasis spell over the cauldron and walked through to his office to open the door.

To say that he was surprised when he opened the door would have been an understatement. All of his first years were surrounding one Harry Potter who certainly looked worse for wear. He was leaning slightly on Blaise Zanbini, was cradling his arm, and to top it off he had quite the shiner on his face.

Not really sure what was going on he spoke in a dangerous tone, "What happened?"

"Sir, it wasn't Harry's fault!" Malfoy spoke up.

"Yeah, he was attacked!" Parkinson added.

Severus studied the group for a moment before taking Zanbini's place in holding Harry up and led the boy to his usual seat.

"Tell me what happened," he said as he looked on his shelves for the potions and salves he would need.

"I was walking through the dungeons when these sixth year boys came up from behind me and…" Harry started but Severus quickly cut in.

"Wait, sixth year boys? As in sixth year Slytherins?" He asked in what he knew was a demanding tone but he couldn't help it. How dare they attack a member of their own house? One of the most important rules of Slytherin is your house is your family and if you harmed a member then you would suffer serious consequences.

"Yes, sir." Harry answered quietly.

Severus nodded while he continued to go through he potions stock, "Well, continue then."

"There were three of them and they are really big… so I decided to run before they could do anything to me. It would have worked except one of them shot some spell at me, which I dodged but it hit the wall. Oh sir, I am so sorry! The walls shook and then the corridor collapsed in. They cast some sort of shield on themselves but I just ran. The corridor though… it completely caved in." Harry said, nearly hyperventilating by the end of it.

Severus turned around and looked the boy directly in the eye.

"What happened to that hallway was not your fault so there is no need to apologize. Now, calm down and tell me when hurts."

"My wrist, sir," he said, still looking pale.

Severus gently took the wrist that the boy had been holding to his chest and winced as Harry let out a long hiss.

"Stay still," he said as he murmured the spell to heal it. Harry sighed a breath of relief as soon as Severus had finished.

"Now let me see you ankle."

Severus came around the desk and folded up Harry's pant leg and took off his sock and shoe. He examined the entire foot before he healed the ankle. He gave the boy back his shoe and went back to sit at his desk.

"Here is some salve for your face," he said, handing Harry the jar. "Put it on before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning and you should be fine."

"Thank you, sir."

"I think you should show me where all of this occurred and we can find those boys. The rest of you are dismissed."

His statement was met with various protests as Severus had predicted but he needed to get this all sorted out and the others hadn't been there. Besides, Harry didn't look as if he was seriously harmed but it wouldn't hurt to have a one on one talk with the boy either.

"I am not fighting with you. Mr. Potter will join you once we are done."

He ushered the first years out of his office and had Harry begin to lead him to the place where he had been attacked.

"Here Mr. Potter," Snape said, pulling a potion from his pocket. "I'm sorry I forgot."

Harry took the phial and inspected it. "What is it, sir?"

"For any pain you still have," he said gesturing for the boy to just take it.

"Thank you," Harry replied, sounding surprised as they continued on their way deeper into the dungeons.