H.P.
Harry looked up with a mixture of surprise and delight as a plain brown owl hovered above his plate and dropped a roll of parchment on top of his bacon. He opened the letter hurriedly, ripping the top of the parchment in his excitement and scanned its contents, certain it was the reply from Remus that he'd been waiting for.
Dear Harry,
I was disappointed to hear that you're having a hard time at school this term. I'm sure by the time you're reading this the situation will have resolved itself. If not I'm sure you know that Padfoot, among other adults, would be all too happy to give you advice.
I am well, thank you for asking, but very busy with work. I hope you remain in good health as I'm assured you have been since term started. Work hard and enjoy the tournament. Try not to be too disappointed that quidditch is cancelled, there's always next year.
R. Lupin.
Harry blinked down at the parchment for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief. He waited two weeks for this? It took Remus two weeks to write this? Harry wasn't completely dim. Reading between the lines Remus had essentially said the same thing as Snape had said the other day. 'Padfoot and other adults…' So more or less he'd just written two paragraphs of 'I'm actually really busy so could you talk to Sirius and Snape about this.'
Maybe Remus couldn't have helped anyway and if he couldn't help with his problem with Malfoy he wasn't going to help him with Snape. It wasn't that Snape seemed angry with him. He seemed as tolerant as he ever was at home, when he wasn't angry. He was insistent that Harry could speak to him if he wished, but only if it was really important.
Every time Harry tried to see him he brushed him off or told him to leave and go to his next class. He couldn't figure out why Snape was acting so oddly. He hadn't thought he'd done something to make Snape mad but maybe he was wrong. Then again, Snape wasn't the kind of man who left you guessing when you'd gotten on the wrong side of him.
"What's up?" Ron asked, waving at Harry with a forkful of egg.
"Nothing."
"My mistake," Ron replied going back to his breakfast, looking as if he didn't believe it for a second. "Wait, was it me? You're not mad at me, are you?"
Harry laughed, finally. "No, I'm not mad at you. Just got a letter that's all."
"So you, er, don't want to talk about it then?"
"No, not right now," Harry said, not really having any intention of discussing it at all. Of course, he couldn't anyway because Snape had insisted everything be a big secret. It's not as if he could even talk to Remus and Sirius about all this! Sirius hated Snape and Remus clearly wasn't interested in writing.
"Oh, is it, you know," Ron said, attempting to give him a knowing, conspiratorial look. Harry almost burst out laughing. Maybe telling Ron to refer to Sirius as Padfoot would be better than having him pull that face over breakfast.
"Ron, he said he'll talk to us about it later. In private," Hermione said, obviously caught between amusement and worry at Ron's lack of subtlety.
"It's not even interesting," Harry replied, stuffing the letter carelessly into his bag, not caring that it was getting torn and screwed up.
"What's that you got there, Potter? Letter from the big, scary muggles? Are you going to go crying to Dumbledore?" Malfoy called from the Slytherin table.
"It was delivered by an owl, Malfoy. How thick can you get?" Harry yelled back.
"You'd think it would have gotten old by now," Hermione said. "It will soon though, Harry."
"Come on then, lets go to Care of Magical Creatures and see if we can catch Hagrid before the lesson starts," Harry suggested, pretending to be unaffected by Malfoy's taunting. If it wasn't so humiliating he would just think it was pathetic how much time Malfoy spent harassing him.
"Yer early today. Lookin' forward to the lesson, eh?" Hagrid greeted them jovially as they made their way over to his hut.
"Oh, yes," Hermione replied. "We'll wait for everyone else to arrive though," she added quickly. Harry and Ron exchanged smirks.
"I 'spect yer all excited fer this evenin'."
"Yeah, what is it Beauxbatons and Durmstrang?" Ron asked, stressing the 'bow' and making Hermione wince slightly.
"When are they arriving again?" Harry asked.
As far as he was concerned the sooner, the better. No one's going to be interested in weeks old rumours about his relatives with the tournament starting and guests in the castle. The common room was already buzzing with talk of who knows who from what other school and how the delegations from each school would be arriving. The girls seemed particularly interested in meeting the boys from Beauxbatons. Harry couldn't think why. They had perfectly good boys at Hogwarts; what's so special about French wizards?
"We're all supposed to be out at seven to welcome them. Professor McGonagall put a notice up in the common room yesterday."
Soon enough the other students began to make their way over for the lesson and Harry tried to focus on the task in hand rather than the prospect of having yet another class with the Slytherins. It was beginning to seem as if he couldn't be rid of them.
"Please, Professor Dumbledore, don't make me go back to the muggles!"
Harry tried to drown out the Slytherins who were too busy sniggering and doing far too high-pitched impressions of him at the back of the group to pay any attention to the lesson.
"Ignore it. The more they see you're not bothered the quicker they'll get bored of it," Hermione murmured.
"Come off it. It's been weeks – we need to teach them a lesson!" Ron hissed back.
"They'll know it's us. We'll just lose a load of points for Gryffindor. I don't need anyone else fighting my battles," Harry insisted.
"No one thinks you can't. We're just sticking up for you," Ron replied under his breath, darting a quick look to see if Hagrid had noticed them talking.
"You got a problem, Longbottom?" Nott called out. Harry turned around and saw Neville uncharacteristically scowling in the direction of the Slytherins.
"Is everyone payin' attention?" Hagrid called out and Neville sidled forward, away from the Slytherins.
S.S.
Karkaroff's arrival at the school was just as he'd expected. Contrary to Moody's spurious insinuations he had not been eagerly awaiting the arrival of an old friend. No indeed. Karkaroff had bought his way out of trouble; his conversion nothing more than cowardice. The fact that Moody believed they were something alike was insulting at best. On the other hand, it was one other person who may have noticed the edge of darkness returning to their misguidedly tattooed flesh.
It was a distraction at best and one that he'd rather not suffer. The matter had been dismissed by the headmaster as unimportant. If it was too pale to be certain then it was at worst a situation to be expected as the Dark Lord would of course be returning. But do keep him informed, much as with Harry's scar…
The lack of disturbance to Harry made him feel…unsettled. Harry had been affected on numerous occasions over the summer and Severus had rather expected the frequency to increase or at least continue. The fact that it hadn't had certainly been a blessing, not only because Harry had developed an unfortunate tendency to call for him or at the very least expect his presence. And truth be told, if Harry wanted comfort from him, he would find it very difficult to deny him.
Moody's magical eye flickered between himself and Karkaroff with surprising regularity over the course of the feast and the disgusted expression on the man's face was enough to make Severus send a nod of greeting to Karkaroff before turning to meet the gaze of the vile magical orb resting in an equally despicable skull. The headmaster of Durmstrang seemed fairly at ease. How the man had earned that position was a mystery. His reputation as a Death Eater left him unsuitable for all respectable careers but his cowardice left him reviled by the Dark Lord's supporters. He would never have guessed that Igor Karkaroff would make so much of himself after he fled his trial.
Severus cast an eye over the students tucking into a more than generous feast. The Durmstrang students had predictably made their way to the Slytherin table. Draco was rather starstruck by the seeker; he'd been looking forward to Krum's arrival all through the summer. Harry had attended the game that the boy had played in too. His gaze sought out Harry at the Gryffindor table, curious to see how he was taking the influx of new students, especially a famous quidditch player. No real reaction, the Gryffindor table was as exuberant as ever, the boys tending to notice the Beauxbatons students as opposed to those of Durmstrang.
He could of course have simply asked Harry on one of the numerous times the frustrating child tried to get his attention, but that would have been counter-productive.
H.P.
"C'mon Harry, I've asked Fred and George, they'll help," Ron cajoled in the common room that evening. The feast had gone on for ages after the delegations had arrived and Harry was beginning to nod off in his seat.
"Oh, we'd be more than happy to." The pair in question plopped themselves onto the couch opposite Harry's armchair.
Sirius' replies to his letter tended towards the idea of getting Malfoy back, and at first it had irritated Harry because it reminded him of their row over the summer, but now… Well, everyone else was suggesting it, Ron all the more because he knew that Sirius would approve.
"We should do something but we can't go around attacking other students," Hermione said, crossing her arms.
"It's not attacking, it's just…distributing a bit of justice," Dean piped up and Seamus nodded beside him. Harry really appreciated the demonstration of solidarity even if he did wish it wasn't necessary.
"It's only fair, Hermione," Ron said, turning from Harry to her.
"Maybe you should tell a teacher," she replied and Harry was hard pressed not to roll his eyes. She hadn't been at all impressed with Sirius' reply. She seemed to think it was immature.
"I'm not telling on Malfoy. How pathetic would that be?" Harry scowled, deciding Ron's advice was far better than her own.
"It's not pathetic, Harry. It's not pathetic at all," she said shaking her head.
"I'm not going to tell a teacher. I can sort it out myself. We've sorted out far worse for ourselves than a bit of teasing."
"It's not just a bit of teasing." Harry sent her a mild glare to back off. He didn't need her making him seem even more weak.
"If we're all agreed–" one of the twins began,
"Then we can plan," finished the other.
Dear Padfoot,
Thanks for your quick reply. I really appreciate you writing so often. I haven't sorted out my problem yet but I think I'll be taking your advice after all. I'll let you know how it goes. It's going to be a bit of a team effort so keep your fingers crossed for us.
The students from the other schools arrived tonight. That Karkaroff seems a bit dodgy, he's the headmaster at Durmstrang. Do you know anything about him? Ron reckons that school's bad news. We're all hoping this year's champion's going to be a Gryffindor but better anyone than a Slytherin, I don't think I'd be able to cheer for Hogwarts if it was.
Hoping this finds you well,
Harry
S.S.
Draco Malfoy stood unabashed in his office, perfectly at ease with his head of house. Mere months ago he would not have said a word to stop Draco in his quest to break the Boy-Who-Lived but now he was beginning to tire of the rivalry between the pair of them.
It wasn't only Harry that was jealous of Draco. He was surprised he hadn't seen it earlier. He'd assumed that Draco had been indoctrinated into Lucius' beliefs and was acting on them, but Draco's actions could not be more obviously motivated by jealousy. Not only that, but he'd thought he would be able to turn the situation to his advantage, allowing Harry to take advice and support from one of the dogs as opposed to himself, but that tactic clearly wasn't working.
Severus set his face into an irritated scowl. "Do not force me to act against my students. Slytherins should not be so indiscreet as to draw attention to themselves in front of members of staff at this school when baiting Potter."
"It's not just me," Draco whined. "I know not to draw attention to myself in front of the other teachers."
"Then why, Draco, am I hearing tales about you taunting Potter?" Severus sneered down at him. "I hear enough about the Boy-Who-Lived at this school without having to deduct points because my Slytherins have no cunning."
That suitably chastened young Draco. If nothing else the boy had Slytherin pride. There was no need to tell him that no teacher at this school had approached him to discuss Harry this term. Not even the child's own Head of House had anything to say on the matter.
No sooner had Draco departed when Harry appeared suddenly using that infernal cloak. Clearly he would have no peace this afternoon.
"Professor?"
"Are you going to hover in the doorway or come in, Potter?" he asked pointedly, waiting until Harry shut the door behind him and sat down before turning his full attention on him. He didn't look unwell or in pain but the child wouldn't complain.
"Problems with your scar?" Severus asked when Harry did not immediately speak.
"No, it's fine," Harry said shaking his head and raising a hand to rub it absent-mindedly. Severus resisted the urge to pull his hand away.
It was more of a challenge than he had considered conveying that he had every intention of being there for him while at the same time trying to distance himself. "Harry, if you actually need me then come down to my office but I am quite busy at the moment," he said when Harry still had not spoken.
"You just had Malfoy in here for ages," Harry replied indignantly, his unguarded expression reflecting honest hurt and confusion.
"I am a teacher at this school and I have a responsibility towards my students. It is not your concern who I speak to or for how long."
"What's he got to talk about that's so important you've got time to hear it? Has he run out of new ways to make fun of me? Is he fishing for more information to spread?"
"Do not be so phenomenally arrogant as to think that every conversation that goes on in this school is about you," Severus said, keeping his voice even.
"Oh, hear we go, I'm so like my father, I'm the arrogant one, I love all this attention."
"I did not say you were like your father. Stop being hysterical."
"How come you don't have time to talk to me but you've got loads to spend chatting to Malfoy?" Harry said, his voice wavering slightly.
For the first time he feared his resolve might break and he looked down to shuffle his notes so he couldn't see Harry looking at him with wide eyes. He had no idea when he'd decided on this course of action how difficult it was to pull away from a child whose insecurities had him craving anything but detachment. This was what was best for Harry. He may not like it in the short term but he would be far happier and better looked after in the long term. He would not have it said that he neglected Harry's best interests.
"Do you want something in particular, Harry?" Severus repeated with disinterest yet again, aware exactly of what Harry wanted but was unable to articulate.
Harry looked mutinous for a moment. "Yeah, I want to know how come you like Malfoy so much when it seems to me he's even worse of a bully than my father ever was. What is it, one rule if it's being done to you but another for everyone else?"
Severus' upper lip curled automatically but he reined in the anger. "Go to Professor McGonagall, I'm surprised you haven't already. If you need something then you may seek me out but as you don't then I suggest you leave. Now."
"Right, so come talk to me if your scar hurts but otherwise sod off. Got it." The door shut behind Harry with a resounding slam.
Severus contemplated the door for a moment before picking up an empty vial and slamming it hard on the desk. He left the shattered fragments where they lay and left for his quarters for the evening.
H.P.
Harry didn't bother throwing back on his invisibility cloak as he stormed out of Snape's office. It wasn't like it was that uncommon for him to leave it in a towering temper anyway. He stopped in the middle of the entrance hall. Instinctively he'd been making his way back to Gryffindor but that would just invite a lot of questions he wasn't in the mood to deal with. Before Harry could decide whether to take a walk to Hagrid's, Malfoy's jeering voice broke into his thoughts.
"Please don't make me live with the muggles! Hey, Potter?" Malfoy called out obnoxiously and Harry ignored him, as well as the blood rushing to his face. "Hey, what is it muggles do to kids they don't like? Did they hit you, Potter? I'd want to punch you if I had to live with you."
"Furnunculus!" Harry roared, his temper snapping. To hell with Malfoy and to hell with Snape's rules.
Malfoy managed to dodge the spell just in time, twisting oddly to get out of the line of fire. A moment later, Harry fell flat on his face, his glasses crunching unpleasantly. "What's this?" Draco crowed from above him. "You're going to take us on all alone, are you?" Draco scanned the entrance hall and Harry realised that Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Nott had him at wand-point. From the smug look on Nott's face he guessed it must have been him who'd tripped him.
"He's not all alone," came a small voice beside Harry where Neville had appeared to stand.
He was once again a moment later as Crabbe knocked Neville clean off of his feet to uproarious laughter. Harry flung a hex of his own back in reply, too incensed to care that it was one against five. The Slytherins were finding it more hilarious by the minute. Malfoy was clutching his sides as he gasped. "No, no, let Longbottom try!"
Neville's shakily incanted curse was dodged easily and he dropped heavily to the ground, his arms and legs ramrod straight. Harry jumped to the side quickly to avoid a curse and landed straight in the path of a stinging hex headed his way.
"Had enough yet, Potter?"
"Finite incantatem," Harry gasped, ignoring Malfoy in favour of helping Neville up.
"What's it like knowing not even your own muggle relatives can stand the sight of you?"
"Densaugeo!" Harry yelled, incensed. The curse bounced off a hastily made shield spell from Nott.
"What kind of wizard can't even defend himself from a few muggles?"
"Shut up, Malfoy." Harry flew at the Slytherin. Malfoy not having expected a physical attack had nowhere to move and got caught straight in the stomach.
"MR. POTTER! What do you think you're doing?" McGonagall's voice came from the staircase above them. Harry stumbled back and away from Malfoy. Neville was clutching at his shoulder beside Harry, just having gotten to his feet again. "Longbottom, Potter, wait for me in my office. Do not move Mr. Nott, I can see you! You boys and you Miss Parkinson will be taking a trip to your Head of House."
Absolutely fantastic, Harry's brain supplied sarcastically. Now whatever McGonagall does is going to pale in comparison to how mental Snape's going to go at him. Absolutely great. Harry whirled about where he stood, his robes billowing around him in a passable imitation of Snape and stomped heavily up the staircase, Neville following close behind.
"You all right?" Neville asked after a heavy silence.
"Yeah, 'course. You don't need to go to the hospital wing, do you?" Harry asked, halting mid-step to check Neville wasn't badly hurt.
"No, I'm fine."
Harry opened the door to McGonagall's office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. He wondered how long it would take for her to bring the Slytherins down to Snape and explain what happened. He was going to be livid. If Snape hadn't been mad at him earlier then he definitely would be now.
"Thanks for helping me out there. You didn't have to," Harry said after a moment when Neville sat beside him.
"I wasn't actually much of a help, was I?" he replied, shrugging self deprecatingly.
"No, you were. Sorry I got you into trouble."
"It was worth it. He shouldn't be able to get away with what he's been saying about you." Harry remembered Neville sending the occasional glare towards the Slytherins over the past week or two. It had seemed odd; normally he didn't even stick up for himself.
"I don't need you feeling sorry for me. I'm fine."
"I don't feel sorry for you. I don't live with my parents either but I've got Gran and I always thought that you had your family, even if you didn't always like them."
Harry actually felt a bit bad as he realised he'd never given much thought to the fact that Neville was raised by his grandmother.
"Honestly, Neville, it's not a big deal."
"Okay. I just, I don't feel sorry for you but I know what it's like to not have parents so…"
"Thanks, yeah," Harry cut him off not quite knowing what he was agreeing to or with, but not wanting to go there.
"Did you really live with Snape this summer?" Neville blurted suddenly.
"Yeah, I did."
"That must have been awful. I think Gran's strict but Snape–" Neville let out a whistle through his teeth. "I really don't pity you, I just know how I'd feel if everyone knew about my parents." He sucked in a bit of a breath as if preparing himself for something unpleasant. "They're not dead. They're in St Mungo's. They were tortured and now they're… not the same–"
"You don't have to–" Harry started to say, feeling awful as Neville tried to tell him things that were obviously painful.
"I know. I just thought that if we were even and we both knew about each other's family, then if you wanted to talk to someone who knows a bit about not having parents then you might think it was all right to talk to me."
"Thanks Neville," Harry said, rather stunned but also feeling guilty. The urge to tell Neville the truth was much stronger than he'd ever felt with Ron and Hermione. He deserved a bit of honesty after telling Harry that. Not to mention that although Neville might be terrified of Snape, he might get it more than Ron and Hermione would.
"I write to Professor Lupin. I'm not all alone," he blurted out.
"I liked Professor Lupin. I wish he still taught defence," Neville said, seeming to understand that Harry wanted to move away from the personal.
"Moody's all right though. We're actually learning stuff, real defence."
"Yeah, he's just a bit, you know… He even looks like he intimidates Snape!"
"He doesn't intimidate Snape," Harry scoffed.
"That's Professor Snape, Mr. Potter. I should think you're in enough trouble without the disrespect," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Yes, Professor."
"I cannot tell you how surprised and disappointed I was by that display, gentlemen. I have been informed you threw the first curse, Mr. Potter."
"Yes, Professor," Harry replied defiantly.
"I'll deal with you in a moment, Mr. Potter. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Longbottom?"
"I was helping Harry."
"Helping another student is not achieved by fighting in the corridors. Loyalty between friends is admirable but not appropriate in this situation. That'll be twenty points each from Gryffindor. Do not complain, Mr. Potter." Harry snapped his mouth shut but scowled.
"Brawling and fighting in the corridors is disgraceful behaviour. Throwing yourself in the middle of a duel will not solve the situation, Mr. Longbottom. You may leave."
"Sorry, Professor," Neville mumbled, shutting the door behind him.
"Starting fights in the corridors against not one person but a group of Slytherins, what has gotten into you?"
"I didn't realise there were five of them."
"I'm given to understand you've been experiencing problems with Mr. Malfoy. Nonetheless cursing students in corridors is forbidden. If there is an issue with bullying you should come to me. As your Head of House I would have attempted to deal with any problems you were having." Harry unconsciously screwed his face up at that. She was telling him he should have gone to her to complain that Slytherins were making fun of him. Had she gone mental?
"I am not unaware of what is being said about you and the students in question have been taken to task about it. Bullying at this school is not tolerated, nor do we solve it by fighting."
"Fine, Professor."
"I understand that the subject of your family may well be upsetting."
"I'd rather not talk about my relatives, Professor," Harry said quickly.
"As you wish, Mr. Potter. You do understand why you could not have been placed in another home? It would be an impossible commitment to place upon someone to make up for the lack of wards."
Harry nodded, all the while thinking that it wasn't an impossible commitment to Snape.
"You will have detention tomorrow evening with me. You may leave."
"Heard about the big fight. Why did you do it without me?" Ron asked the moment he climbed through the portrait hole.
"I didn't plan it. I was all for ambushing the slytherins and pranking them. At least that way we might not have lost points."
"Are you all right?" Hermione asked, looking at him as if he was concealing injuries.
"I'm fine. They could hardly have tried to murder us with an audience."
"That's not funny. Has McGonagall said she'll sort everything out now?"
"I guess so. Can we just give it a rest now, I don't want to talk about Snape or Malfoy."
"What's Snape got to do with it?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I– well– forget it," Harry said panicking.
"No, go on! We know there's something you're not telling us, so just spill it. Hermione'll promise not to go on about it like she did with Malfoy."
"I'll promise not to try to help him you mean?"
"Don't argue," Harry said wearily. They'd been doing a lot of that recently. "All right then," he began as he had a sudden brainwave, "I'm not sure, but I think Snape said something to the Malfoys about the Dursleys."
"Really?" Hermione asked, frowning in disbelief.
"No, it makes sense!" Ron agreed, "Snape's always had it in for Harry. Why wouldn't he say anything? I bet he's cosy with all of that lot and Malfoy's always sucking up to him in class."
"I just... Maybe you're right but doesn't Lucius Malfoy work at the ministry? He'd have heard about it all there, wouldn't he?"
"Dumbledore didn't tell the ministry anything, just that I had to stay at the castle for a while."
"Well it's not exactly a secret that you and the Dursleys don't get on," Hermione continued.
"So it's my fault that Malfoy's spreading rumours about me all over the school?"
"No! I just don't think it definitely was Professor Snape."
"Well, it was."
"I think Harry's right. It's bound to be Snape."
"Of course you do," Hermione replied angrily and stormed off across the room to disappear behind a stack of advanced reading.
Harry had a long weekend to wait for Snape's reaction, which suited him fine. He told himself that there wasn't much Snape could actually do to punish him save for saying he couldn't go to Hogsmeade ever and that would be overkill even for him. Besides he'd want to save that to stop Harry telling Ron and Hermione all about his summer. At least that was the way he hoped Snape would see it.
There was no getting away from it though, he was in trouble. Ron and Hermione could tell he was apprehensive as they queued outside the potions classroom but they assumed he was worried that Snape would be angry that he'd attacked students in his house and would try and take points from Gryffindor. In reality Harry was a bit worried that he would try and punish Harry by taking points, but it wasn't the worst he could do, not at all.
The tension was palpable the moment Snape stepped through the door. Silence fell even before he demanded it. Not a person dared complain as a surprise test appeared on their desks, and half of the questions were from topics they hadn't even covered yet. Not that Harry had opened a single potions text over the weekend. His stomach had been in knots and he'd already lost an evening in detention with McGonagall.
For the Gryffindors merely breathing too loudly put them at risk of losing points as Snape loomed over them, stalking up and down the aisles as they scribbled on their parchment. Harry stared down at the mess that was his first answer – he knew exactly how to torture students.
It was an agonising hour waiting for the inevitable. Not to mention that giving in an appalling test was only going to make things worse. He risked a glance at Hermione and his jaw dropped in horror as her quill skated rapidly over her parchment. One glance at Ron had him giving a silent sigh of relief; he looked as if he'd given it up as a bad job and was doodling in the margin.
At the end of the lesson, Snape made a show of looking through the tests before dismissing them and Harry knew exactly what was coming. "Disgraceful, Potter," he sneered. "A standard I would expect from a first year." He lifted his wand and set the corner of the parchment alight and dropped it as the flames curled up the parchment. The class watched him intently for a reaction, the Slytherins smirking behind Snape's back.
"Detention. Stay behind. Everyone else leave."
Harry stayed in his seat as everyone else filed out, the Gryffindors sending him pitying looks.
"Not five minutes after you left my office, not five minutes and you were attacking students, duelling in the corridors. Are you suffering from memory lapses or did you simply forget my specific instructions not to fight with other students?"
"No."
"But you didn't want to fight with just one student, did you? No, famous Harry Potter is going to take on five," Snape roared.
"Don't call me that."
"Why hadn't you gone to Professor McGonagall if the situation was intolerable?" Severus said almost wearily, his hand going to his head as if to ward off a headache that Harry was causing.
"I went to you and you weren't interested," Harry retorted.
Snape seemed to go devoid of all emotion. "I could not do anything for you. Your Head of House could have."
"If you won't do anything about it, no one else will," Harry said with absolute certainty.
"You know very well why I could do nothing, you infuriating, stubborn child."
"I lost my temper, all right? You waited ages to mention going to McGonagall anyway," Harry said, confused at Snape's reaction. Why wasn't he demanding that Harry talk it all out with him or explaining to him why what he'd done was stupid. Snape loved lecturing about why he was an idiot and he was always going on about wanting Harry to talk about his feelings.
"I am not the only person you communicate with and I highly doubt Lupin at least would not have suggested the same. Furthermore," he continued, to prevent Harry interrupting. "'I lost my temper' is no excuse for such idiocy."
"You said you'd help me with that."
"You are not continuing Occlumency! Do not bring that up again," Snape said losing the expressionless façade and glaring at him angrily. He'd forgotten how angry Snape got over his suggestion that they carried on doing that last time he brought it up.
"But I want to do it."
"It is not about what you want, Harry," Snape said firmly as if that was somehow a matter of great importance to him. "You deliberately started a fight, you deliberately disobeyed me," Snape started, angry once more.
"You can't punish me. I already had detention with McGonagall," Harry said, seeing where Snape was going and attempting to head him off.
"I'm punishing you as your guardian; Professor McGonagall punished you as a member of staff at this school and you got off lightly."
"Yeah, I should have been expelled, you'd have liked that," Harry said automatically, instinctively remembering every time Snape had tried to get him expelled or taken off the quidditch team for any little thing he'd done wrong.
"I have not gone to considerable effort to become your guardian in order for you to lose your place at this school," Snape replied coolly. "I doubt you are incognizant of the dangers of attacking groups of students or the fact that it is against the rules. Not to mention that you specifically disobeyed my instructions. I certainly will be punishing you, make no mistake." Snape looked down at him for a moment as if he was thinking hard. "You may bring me your practice snitch after tomorrow's lesson has finished."
"You're taking it back?" Harry asked, almost horrified.
"I'm confiscating it."
Harry hadn't, in fact, used it once since he'd gotten back to Hogwarts but the fact that Snape would take it back hurt him. So if he stepped out of line was he going to take all the clothes back too?
"I didn't do it to disobey you."
"I do not care why you did it. There is no excuse!"
Harry shook his head, staring at Snape. He'd not been imagining things before, Snape wasn't interested in talking to him, or hearing about how difficult it was for Harry to deal with Malfoy and the other Slytherins taunting him. He was only interested in Harry obeying him and telling him if his scar bloody hurt.
He must have done something to ruin this… Or maybe Snape was regretting that he took Harry on but he was stuck with him now and couldn't do anything about it.
"Sir, I–"
"You will miss the next Hogsmeade weekend."
"What?"
"I cannot trust you to follow my instructions, I cannot trust you to behave in the castle and now I certainly don't trust you to behave in Hogsmeade."
"Is Malfoy banned from Hogsmeade then? Is his dad going to take away his things?"
"Draco's father did not expressly forbid him from fighting in the corridors, Draco does not need to consider the threat of the Dark Lord and Draco has not spent the summer being defiant and disobedient."
"Yeah, well, Draco's got a dad doesn't he! And Lucius Malfoy bloody likes him! And no one's going around the school humiliating Draco."
Snape cursed under his breath and stared down at him with an odd expression. "Go to dinner," he said after a moment's silence. "Now, Harry."
"We can't do it now, they'll know it was us," Harry insisted.
"We've given it time and they won't be able to prove it."
"Snape doesn't need proof, you know what he's like," Harry said rubbing his head as he felt yet another headache come on. Hermione reckoned he was getting tension headaches from stress or something. "Look, it's not as bad as it was and I've already lost us forty points over this."
"You and Neville lost the points," Ron said as if it made a difference to the total he'd lost. "They won't trace it back to us; you're not the only one that git is horrible to! Come on."
"Harry said no and he's right. It's being sorted out now," said Hermione.
"Malfoy's hardly stopped, has he?"
"Can we stop arguing about this? I've already lost Gryffindor points, I'm not losing us any more." That and Harry actually wanted to see Hogsmeade this year and not from under his invisibility cloak.
"Fine."
"Harry's right, Ron. It would be quite obvious if Harry were to do anything," Fred piped up, leaning over to grab some gravy and flashing Harry a grin.
"I didn't mean–" Harry started.
"Mean what?" Fred replied innocently.
"Don't you worry," George insisted.
"We've got this under control."
"We've done it," George murmured the next day settling next to Ron and grabbing a bread roll from the centre of the table.
"Give it five minutes," Fred said with an excited grin.
"What have you done?"
"Nothing permanent."
"Completely harmless," the other twin agreed.
Harry tried not to stare at the Slytherin table in case he made it obvious that something was going on. The squawking got his attention instantly as the fourth-year Slytherins spontaneously transformed into large canaries. Obviously panicked, Malfoy had tried to jump out of his seat, but as hard as he flapped his wings he couldn't move. "Sticking charm," Fred and George whispered.
"Wow," Colin Creevey gasped from the other side of the table, climbing up on his seat and snapping photos frantically.
"How long will it last?" Harry asked with a chuckle as large yellow feathers went flying.
"Couple of minutes, no harm done."
The teachers stalking down from the head table and the headmaster calling for silence most likely disagreed. Snape tried 'finite incatetem' but to no avail, which had the twins looking extremely proud of themselves.
"SILENCE," Professor Dumbledore called in a magically enhanced voice just as the feathers began dropping from the Slytherins and they reappeared in their usual form, red faced and gasping. Harry could even have sworn that Malfoy had been a bit red around the eyes. The giggles stopped and almost as one the students dropped back into their seats.
Sirius would definitely want to hear about this. Maximum humiliation – the whole school saw it!
S.S.
Severus' eyes were drawn to the goblet as it lit up for the fourth time that evening. The headmaster stopped speaking and the room watched in rapt silence as the cup prepared to expel another name. A fourth name.
His face held no shock. It did not betray the twist in his chest or the dread that washed over him as he heard the headmaster read out Harry's name. If it were to be any child in this room it would be Harry, who was gaping like a grindylow out of water.
Severus' eyes swept the faces of the staff in attendance. Did any of them not look surprised? Then again, only a fool would not prepare themselves to look adequately shocked had they been the ones to plant Harry's name in that blasted cup.
Harry stumbled out of his seat, meeting his eyes briefly as he made his way up to the head table. Severus stood as the murmuring increased in strength in the hall and followed the Headmaster into the side room. When he found out who planted Harry's name, who dared to think they could threaten his– threaten Harry right under their noses, there wouldn't be enough of them left for St. Mungo's to put back together.
The End.