Every New Iteration by JAWorley
Summary: Something strange is happening at Hogwarts, and Severus Snape is determined to find out what. Harry’s acting strange, Dumbledore seems oddly aloof about the whole situation and… wait, haven’t they done this day already? Several times?
Categories: Teacher Snape > Professor Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Dumbledore
Snape Flavour: Snape is Angry, Canon Snape, Snape is Desperate, Snape is Stern
Genres: Angst, Fantasy, General, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Media Type: None
Tags: Injured!Harry
Takes Place: 5th Year
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Bullying, Neglect, Violence
Prompts: Groundhog Day At Hogwarts
Challenges: Groundhog Day At Hogwarts
Series: None
Chapters: 4 Completed: No Word count: 10627 Read: 19510 Published: 05 Oct 2021 Updated: 27 Jan 2022
And Again We Go Down The Rabbit Hole by JAWorley
It was Monday. Why was it always Monday? Severus felt like it should be Tuesday already, or Wednesday, or Friday, but he knew it was Monday. Monday Monday Monday. He had important things to do on Monday, like finding Filch and failing a bunch of first years for not studying the chapter about Wormwood, and finding out what Potter was up to. What was Potter up to? He'd been trying to tell Severus something with his eyes yesterday.... on Monday. Yesterday was Monday, but today was Monday too.

As Severus puzzled over it, his headache finally started to lessen. It didn't go away completely, but it wasn't like an ice pick driving through his skull anymore. It had been like that yesterday, on Monday. Today was not Tuesday, it was still Monday, but the headache was getting better. What the hell was going on?

He groaned and rolled over, sitting up and putting his head in his hand. Monday's were the worst. He'd always hated Monday's and he was certain he'd had this thought yesterday, and the day prior, and maybe even the day before that. It was the strangest feeling of déjà vu he'd ever had. He knew it couldn't possibly be Monday yet again, but it was. He knew it wasn't possible to know every single thing that was going to happen that day, but he did.

Severus skipped his shower and went up to the Great Hall. It was full of students eating breakfast. The Headmaster looked cheerful and was having a spirited conversation with Hagrid about the pumpkins he was growing for Halloween this year.

"What's happened to you?" Minerva asked as Severus took his seat beside her. "You look as though you haven't slept."

"It's Monday," he said, feeling some sort of grim satisfaction that he had finally nailed down what day it was, and what day it was going to be tomorrow, and what day it had been yesterday. Did she know it was Monday as well?

"Yes, well," she said, "only four more days until Friday. You look like you're not feeling well. Maybe you should ask Albus for some extra time off this week."

If only, he sneered down into his coffee. If only it were only four more days until Friday.

He forced himself to eat some toast and drank two cups of coffee. The more he thought about Monday as he ate, the better his head felt, until his headache was completely gone by the time he rose to go to the Dungeons. Maybe he would grade those first year essays after all. Or maybe he wouldn't. He already knew what grade each of the essays in the stack on his desk deserved.

"Happy Monday sir," came a voice from behind him as he crossed the Entrance Hall. Severus turned and glared down at Potter, who was sitting on the stone steps leading to the first floor by himself.

"Why do you have a black eye?" he snapped. He'd been wanting to ask the brat for ages... or for days at least.

Harry shrugged, gave him a meaningful look and said, "Things like this always happen on Monday sir."

Severus was about to open his mouth but Dennis Creevy ran past them at that moment and up the stairs. Severus closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. That boy! When he opened his eyes again a moment later, both Potter and Creevy were gone.

How he loathed Mondays.

Later that day when Potter entered his potions classroom, Severus snapped, "Detention Potter! Tonight at seven. And for every night this week."

"Yes sir," Harry said. "Would that be for Tuesday and the other days as well, or only for Monday?"

"Ten points from Gryffindor," Snape said. The other students sat quickly and quietly, having heard the back and forth between them. They were prepared to sit silently and not speak out of turn when Snape was in a mood like this.

He began to ask questions and Harry's hand went up into the air. The boy looked bored. "You're not allowed to answer questions Potter," he snapped, and the boy's hand fell. He heard Weasley mutter quietly, "Hardly seems fair if you know the answer."

"Do you know the answer Weasley?" Severus snapped, turning suddenly to face the three Gryffindors sitting at the desk halfway back.

"No sir," Ron said with a frown, "but Harry does."

"Of course he does," Severus said. He ended up giving the class the answers to the three questions himself in a short lecture and set them to work. When Potter turned in his potion at the end of class Severus looked at him and said, "Why bother even turning it in Potter? It's Monday."

"Yes sir," Harry said. "It is." He left the room and after he'd gone Severus stared down at Potter's perfect potion. Only it wasn't perfect. It looked as though the boy had not boiled the potion long enough in the first step to get all the impurities out. It needed at least another thirty seconds of boiling before the second step. But Potter's potion was perfect the day before. It was, wasn't it? Wasn't it always perfect on Mondays?

* * *

"I don't know what game you're playing at Potter, but it ends now."

"Sir?" The Gryffindor sat in the wooden chair in Snape's office. Severus slammed his hand down on the desk in front of him as he leaned over the fifth year. The boy flinched, but looked bored.

"How many times have we done this?" Severus asked, standing up. He wasn't angry any more, just confused and exhausted. It had been a long day.

"Sir?"

"You look bored Potter. How many times have we done this? In this office?"

"Since I've come to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Today!" Severus snapped.

Harry gave him a hard look, staring into his eyes, as if he was trying to determine something. Then he said, "Five or six sir. Five or six times on Monday."

"Five or six," Severus thought out loud, bewildered. This was the first one he could remember. He could remember other things from other Monday's but this was the first detention on a Monday he'd given Potter that he could remember.

"Explain."

"Every once in a while you remember a previous Monday, or I do something stupid in class or in the corridor because I can, and you drag me in for detention. Actually, the last time you gave me an all night detention. It didn't stop Monday from resetting though."

Severus stared at the boy as if he was an alien creature who had just crash landed in his office. When he didn't respond Harry continued with, "I'm kind of surprised it took you this long. I thought you were starting to remember weeks ago, but you kept forgetting. Then this week you kept shouting at Dennis that you'd already told him to quit running, and I thought you might be remembering for real this time."

"How long have we been stuck on Monday?" Severus asked.

Harry shrugged. "Don't know."

"And who else knows what's happening?"

"You and me sir. Maybe the Headmaster. I tried explaining it to people... to different teachers, and my friends. No one believes me, and the day always resets at midnight."

"And you have tried to break the loop?" Severus asked warily.

"Sure. I tried going to sleep in different places than my bed. I tried staying up all night. I've written myself letters and notes with the date. I tried flying as far away as I could from school. One time I flew straight from my dorm room window as soon as I woke up, and I flew all day and into the night, straight away from the castle. But at midnight, I'm always returned to Monday."

"What does Jade Jones have to do with this?"

"Sir?"

"You keep talking to Jade Jones."

Harry's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I like her."

"She's in Slytherin."

He shrugged. "She's nice, and she doesn't mind talking to me even though I'm a fifth year."

"If you do anything to her Potter-" he started, but the boy had a horrified look on his face.

"I wouldn't do that sir," he said.

"What did I give you detention for previously then?"

Harry gave him an irritated look. "Flying in the Great Hall."

"Flying your broom in the school Potter?" he snapped.

"I was delivering the mail. You already gave me detention for that, whether you remember it or not."

"Brat."

Harry stood up even though he hadn't been dismissed, and Snape didn't protest, his mind spinning from all he'd been told.

"If you forget again," Harry said, "I can't remind you."

"Why not?"

"When I try, you always yell at me. I'd rather you just keep believing it's a normal Monday." He pulled open the office door and left Severus there to his thoughts. Monday, Monday. He and Potter were stuck alone together on a repeating Monday.

To be continued...
End Notes:
I know it's been two short chapters. This story will probably have shorter chapters compared to other stories I have.


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