“No! I’m not agreeing to that!” Harry shouted with a snarl of defiance. Just because he was weak didn’t mean he was a doormat.
Snape snorted in disbelief. “Potter, it’s for your own good, and you don’t really have a choice.”
“You can’t do that! I’m not going to cooperate!”
“Potter, what you don't seem to grasp is that I don't need you to cooperate. I have things to attend to, but until then you may occupy yourself with a bath. The water has been turned back on...and if your behavior is acceptable it shall remain that way. In the meantime, attempt to make yourself more presentable,” Snape said coldly as he closed and locked the door behind him.
What did Snape know anyway? Angrily Harry crossed his bedroom to his trunk and pulled out fresh robes. He laid them out on the bed and then went to the bathroom to clean himself up.
As he stripped his dirty clothing he caught a glimpse of himself the mirror. So that's what he sees, Harry thought. Maybe he did need help, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He turned the taps on and settled into the empty tub, to sit as it filled with hot water. Harry let his mind drift as the water soothed him. He could easily become angry again when Snape returned.
“Potter! What in Merlin’s name is going on!” Snape was pounding viciously on the bedroom door that he had locked himself. He seemed to have forgotten that Harry had neither a key nor a wand to unlock or lock the door.
Startled, Harry jerked out of his bath induced trance and slopped cool water all over the floor that had a large pool of water started already. Oh Merlin! The tap was still running when I dozed off! The tub was flooding over now. When Snape saw it he would not be pleased.
Snape was coming through Harry’s bedroom door now. It would only be a matter of seconds before he saw the water on the floor. Harry struggled to turn off the spigots to the tub and then scrambled out of the full tub for a towel. He had nearly broken his neck in the attempt, but he had wrapped a towel around his waist before Snape entered. Harry was seated on the toilet lid when Snape entered the bathroom and running his fingers through his dark hair in a gesture of nerves.
“Potter,” Snape growled, “Why is there water all over my floor?”
Harry swallowed when he saw a little muscle twitch in Snape’s jaw. The man was livid.
“I’m not sure what happened, sir,” Harry answered with a sickly smile.
Snape waved the water away with a flick of his wand, and then turned to the boy. With the mess cleaned up he felt better. “It would be wise to try and explain, Mr. Potter.”
“Well, I turned the water on, got in the tub and then I heard you yelling. That’s when I realized I’d drifted off in the water. The tub was full and the water... it just overflowed. I’m sorry about the mess,” Harry answered quietly. He placed his cheek in his palm; he had a bad headache brewing. He wanted to be alone.
Snape looked around, as if to be certain he'd cleaned the entire mess. “Yes, well, don’t be so careless in the future, Potter. Now go and get dressed. I'll return in a few moments.”
Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed when Snape returned as he’d promised. The boy groaned; he was not in the mood to deal with Snape now, even if he had just let him off easily for the mess in the bathroom. Snape strode over to Harry and set a small satchel on the night stand. Snape folded his arms and gave Harry a menacing stare.
“It’s time that you had something to eat, Potter.”
Harry groaned, Not right now. “Please Professor, I’m really not hungry right now.” Harry felt dizzy. His head was pounding, if he did eat anything it was going to come right back up.
“I thought that you would say something like that. I haven’t brought anything that will upset your system. In fact it should be rather soothing. If you eat it willingly that is.” Snape reached into his satchel and withdrew a clear sack filled with what appeared to be runny, tan-colored vomit.
Harry put his hand over his mouth and shook his head as his belly gave a rumble of dizzy protest. No way! I can’t eat that!
“However, it appears that you do not intend to cooperate, am I correct?” Snape was reaching into the pouch again, and Harry was staring into the carpet to keep from dry heaving.
“Please,” Harry pled. “I really don’t feel well. I can’t eat right now.”
“Potter, you feel ill from a lack of nourishment. This food will help,” Snape said matter of factly.
Harry shook his head.
“All right, Potter, have it your way.”
Harry sighed with relief. Snape had decided to leave him alone! Harry looked up, and was about to say something when he heard Snape cast a charm.
He couldn’t move! Snape strode over and easily maneuvered Harry’s helpless body back onto the bed. He was holding a coil of clear tubing, and it became clear what he intended to do.
“Don’t fret, Potter. You won’t choke. You don’t even have to swallow, except for when I slide the tube down your throat. Swallow it and it won’t hurt. Resist and... it will be unpleasant.”
Harry narrowed his eyes. Snape was sitting on the edge of his bed now, leaning over him with a slightly amused expression on his face. Snape used his left hand to gently squeeze Harry’s jaws apart and the other hand slipped the smooth tubing past Harry’s teeth, over his tongue and then Snape paused.
“Try to relax, Potter,” Snape fed the tubing carefully down a small ways. “Swallow it, boy.”
Harry squeezed his eyes closed, and felt his throat catch in a reflexive gag. His eyes watered, and his entire body twitched, despite the fact that he’d been immobilized. Snape pulled back a tiny bit, and then pressed forward once more. As much as Harry hated to submit, he knew that there wasn’t anyway to get Snape to leave him alone. He swallowed on the second try and felt his own tears hotly streaking down his face.
“Really Potter, you’re making this much harder than it had to be,” Snape said softly, as he began to carefully guide the slurry-like substance into the tube that was down Harry’s throat. He lifted his end of tube up a bit to allow the stuff to travel downward more easily.
When the some of the slimy goo had made it’s way into Harry’s belly, it felt warm. Harry was almost glad, something cold probably would have felt more like a kick in the gut. It faintly reminded him of the sensation in his stomach after sipping warm hot chocolate, but this was not something he would recall fondly.
How would Snape tell when he was full? Would he just feed Harry until he burst like a bloated tick?
Harry Potter the boy who lived has died from being overfed. Harry’s eyes grew wide at the thought.
Snape was watching the slime travel smoothly down Potter’s tube. The teacher narrowed his eyes at a bubble of air and gently smoothed it down the line until it filled with the goo.
Harry could see that the slime was almost gone. Only a few more minutes of this utter humiliation before Snape would take out the tube and Harry could let his body puke up the predigested stuff if it wanted. Snape was reaching into his pocket for something. Not a potion!
“For your upset stomach, Potter. This will keep your insides calm until the food has had the chance to settle and do you some good,” Snape said as he poured the contents of a vial into the tube and squeezed it down the line with the remainder of Harry’s meal.
Snape gave the line of tubing one last squeeze before he began to slip it back out of Harry’s throat. Harry’s belly was full and calm, but the rest of him was quite upset.
“This could have been avoided. You do not always need to resist me. I am trying to help you,” Snape said as he wiped a bit of spit off of Harry’s chin with a rag from his satchel. Snape put his used supplies back into his bag and stood.
Harry waited for Snape to set him loose from the spell, and he waited. Snape’s hand never did reach for his wand, and Harry wanted to cry out in protest.
“Rest now, Potter. The charm will wear off on its own in a little while. I fear you are too wound up to be trusted at the moment. When you are calmer I’ll speak to you again.”
Snape was leaving him stuck like this!? NO! Please, don’t leave me like this. For the second time in less than an hour Harry felt the strong urge to cry, and once Snape had left he didn’t resist it any longer.