Adelberto Golpalott might have been a Potions genius, but he was a lousy writer, Harry thought crossly, looking up from chapter three of the sixth-year Potions text. From what he could tell by scanning through the book, it looked as if they were going to be studying Golpalott's Laws for most of the term.

The first fifteen chapters were composed mainly of Golpalott's essays on the symptoms and characteristics of various poisons and instructions for brewing their antidotes. All of which would be very useful, Harry knew, if only Golpalott could have written in words of less than seven syllables, or if his sentences hadn't been so rambling and twisted that Harry had forgotten the beginnings of them by the time he'd read through to the ends.

He closed his eyes and sighed. His head was starting to ache and he had still had several more pages to go before the end of the chapter. Thank goodness this was the last assignment for the weekend, and his friends were supposed to come down later. He'd have to get Hermione to explain it to him. She'd already had to help him through the first two chapters, although to be honest, her explanations hadn't made much more sense to Harry than the original text.

The logical thing to do, he knew, would be to go to Severus and ask for help. But somehow, Harry couldn't do that. He wasn't even exactly sure why. He didn't think Severus would sneer or make fun of him, but he still just couldn't do it.

He'd always considered himself fairly intelligent. Not like Hermione, but he'd usually done pretty well in his classes, and was quick to pick up on things. Except in Potions. And it had always been easy enough to dismiss his difficulties there by blaming it on Severus. After all, how could he really be expected to learn much when his stomach was a churning mess and he was on pins and needles waiting for Snape's next verbal attack?

Now, even though things were different between them, Harry simply could not go to him and admit that he was too stupid to understand the readings. He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he was back in class and had to actually brew Golpalott's antidotes, but maybe he could just watch Hermione and do what she did.

He wondered when he would be able to go back to classes. Today was Sunday, and Severus had said they would begin putting the Healing Salves on Harry's arms tonight, but that it would probably take several applications before the cursed wounds were truly healed.

That would be great. Harry looked down at his arms. The bandages were hidden now by his long sleeved shirt, but he knew they were there. He'd had to be careful about moving his arms for so long now, it would be weird to just be able to move them normally again, to not have to worry about starting the bleeding anymore. He could hardly wait.

As if on cue, Severus came to the living room door and called, "Harry, can you come here? We'll go ahead and put the salves on before dinner."

So Harry followed him back into the private office and laboratory. Unlike the other rooms, this one was plain and bare...a long cabinet along one wall, a few shelves on another, a worktable in the center of the room, and a tall stool to sit on.

A cauldron sat upon the table, and when Harry came closer he could see it was filled with a thick white substance. Severus motioned for Harry to sit on the stool and when he had perched there, Severus rolled up Harry's sleeves and Vanished the bandages.

The deep cuts along Harry's arms were as raw and open as they'd been the day the Death Eater had made them. Harry shuddered looking down at them and realized again how fortunate he'd been that Severus had known how to handle his injuries.

"I think you've had to deal with these quite long enough," the professor agreed. "Since your wounds are so deep and strongly cursed, it will likely take a few days before they're completely Healed. But we should see some improvement by tomorrow."

He dipped some of the salve out and gently smeared it over one cut. It stung fiercely at first, enough to bring tears to Harry's eyes, but then it cooled and faded into the cut.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked quietly.

Harry nodded, ashamed at being a baby, but Severus said, "I'm sure it is a bit painful. I'm sorry for having to hurt you."

"It's all right," Harry told him. "I've been through a lot worse."

But Severus frowned. "You shouldn't have had to suffer the way you have, Harry."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he just gave Severus a wan smile and said, "Let's just do the other arm."

A few minutes later Severus was carefully bandaging him up again. "We'll put more salve on tomorrow evening. Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt. It's only because the wounds were so open that the salve was painful. By tomorrow, they should have begun to close up."

"How did you create this Healing Salve anyway?" Harry asked. "Dumbledore said it was really amazing that you did it, that this salve is a lot more potent than any of the others and it can heal a lot of injuries that are supposed to be incurable."

Severus seemed pleased. "It is one of my better creations. I simply experimented with the ratios of the different ingredients. It was rather tricky, of course, the hellebore and Re'em's blood are dependent on one another, and upsetting the balance renders them both useless. And of course, too much powdered dragon's horn is combustible. Potion-makers have long considered the current top Healing Salves to be the strongest possible, but I discovered that adding a touch of acromantula venom makes..."

He trailed off, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, it required a great deal of experimentation."

"But that's wonderful," Harry told him. "Why haven't you told anyone else about it? I bet St. Mungo's and other hospitals would love to have some."

"Oh," he answered his own question. "Because Voldemort had to think you were on his side, and I guess Death Eaters wouldn't go around giving Healing Salves to hospitals."

"Quite right," Severus agreed dryly.

"You could now though."

But the professor shook his head. "These salves take a considerable amount of time to brew, Harry. I have a full teaching schedule and I just don't have the time to devote to it. Not to mention some of the ingredients are rare and expensive. Perhaps someday I can concentrate on researching and developing Potions, but not now, I'm afraid."

Harry decided to change the subject. "When do you think I'll be able to go back to class?"

Severus looked thoughtful. "I expect it will be two or three days before your arms are well, and even then I would like observe you here for another day or so, just to be sure. Perhaps by the end of the week, but I'm not making any promises."

"All right." Harry got up. "Guess I'll go finish my work."

"What are you reading?"

"Your book." Harry made a face. "That Golpalott mess. It's sure not entertaining reading." Too late, he realized he might have led to an opening for Severus to question him about the text, but fortunately for him, the professor was too busy storing the Healing Salve.

Severus did frown at him, though. "That ‘Golpalott mess' is at least partially responsible for the Healing Salve that will cure you, I hope you realize. My work was based on his findings."

"Sorry," Harry sighed. "I just meant it was a little hard to read."

He hesitated, wondering if he could admit how completely lost he was. But Severus was busy and he'd already looked so disapproving about Harry not liking the Potions text that Harry was afraid to say any more. So he just went back to the living room and struggled through the rest of the chapter of his own.

***

By Wednesday evening, Harry's arms were finally well. On Thursday evening, Severus agreed that he could go back to class on Friday, and ‘they'd see how it went.' He did insist on Harry taking the magical mirror with him, so he'd have a way to get in touch immediately if there were any problems.

Harry thought Severus was being a little paranoid, but at the same time, it was nice to have someone who worried about him and who wanted to make sure he was all right, so he didn't argue but dutifully packed the mirror (spelled with an Unbreakable Charm) into his bag with his books and parchment.

It was later that evening, as he was getting ready for bed, that it really hit Harry...he was completely well again. He was going back to class. He had Herbology, Defense, and Potions tomorrow. But was he really ready? He'd kept up with all the reading and writing assignments, even gotten a bit ahead, but he hadn't been able to use his wand and do any of the practical applications at all.

And he'd gone through the Potions chapter twice more, once with Ron and Hermione, and once by himself, but he still didn't understand it. And what would Severus be like back in class? Ron and Hermione said he hadn't been too bad this year, but Harry couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Some of his anxiety must have shown because when Severus came in to say good night later, he added. "There's no reason to be worried, Harry. You've kept up with your work, and if you need any extra help, I'll be happy to work with you. I'm sure your other professors feel the same way. You'll do fine in class tomorrow."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, thanks, Severus. Good night."

"Good night." Severus started back to his room. Now that Harry's arms were well, he was sleeping in his own bedroom again, though he left the door between their rooms open so he would hear when Harry had nightmares.

At the door, he paused and then said softly, "Harry? You'll do fine in Potions class, too."

***

Harry forgot his worries, at least for a time, the next morning when he and Severus entered the Great Hall for breakfast. Almost half the Gryffindors and some of the Hufflepuffs, too, left their tables and rushed over to greet him. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Lavendar, Ernie Macmillan, and Hannah Abbott...they all crowded around him, gripping his hand, clapping him on the back, hugging him. They were all so genuinely happy to see him that all of Harry's doubts vanished in a rush of joy.

At the head table, Professor McGonagall stood and tapped on her glass with a spoon to get their attention. "Everyone, return to your seats please." But she didn't sound very stern, and Dumbledore was positively beaming at them.

"You seem to be in good hands. I'll see you in class this afternoon, Mr. Potter." Severus' hand rested on his shoulder for just an instant and then he swept away.

As his friends guided him towards the Gryffindor table, Harry caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins glowering, but then he was taking his place at the table, and a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, and porridge appeared before him, and everyone was asking questions, and he forgot about the Slytherins.

After breakfast, Harry felt more like a celebrity than ever, the way everyone surrounded him in a crowd as they headed off to Professor Sprout's greenhouses. At first, everyone kept asking about his kidnapping and rescue, and Harry felt really uncomfortable. Even his closest friends knew only the barest details, and he wasn't ready to share more than that, but after a couple of vague answers, Ron spoke up for him.

"Hey, give Harry a break. He doesn't want to talk about that stuff right now. Harry, you won't believe what Sprout's got us doing. Those Venomous Tentacula plants ought to be illegal."

Professor Sprout smiled when they entered and welcomed Harry back happily, and the rest of Herbology went by pleasantly as well, in spite of the ornery Venomous Tentaculas. They were allowed to work in groups, and Ron and Hermione were able to quickly explain what they'd been doing so Harry didn't feel too out of the loop. He was almost sorry when it was over, though he was rather looking forward to Defense, too.

Dumbledore was waiting at the front of the classroom when they arrived for his class, wearing bright sapphire robes with silver spangles. He, too, greeted Harry with joy, and then they settled down to work. For most of the class they practiced nonverbal magic, attempting to cast and repel jinxes at each other. Harry took turns pairing up with Ron, Hermione, and Neville, and he was very relieved to see that Severus had been right...no one had mastered nonverbal spells yet.

Dumbledore wandered up and down the aisles, watching them practice, correcting mistakes and offering suggestions. The only trouble came near the end of class, when Dumbledore allowed them to speak the incantations aloud for the last few minutes, and Neville cast a Body-Bind Spell at Harry.

He'd repelled the Body-Bind before, it wasn't even particularly difficult. Harry had a good Shield Charm. But this time, just for an instant, he didn't see his friend Neville casting a harmless jinx. He saw hooded Death Eaters delighting in tormenting him, and attempted to say, "Protego" a shade too late.

The Body-Bind hit him and he fell. Almost the instant he touched the floor, Neville had released him from it and hurried over.

"You okay, Harry?"

Harry sat up, gasping for air, and trying to push his fear away. He took several deep breaths and looked up to see Neville watching him in concern.

"Harry, I didn't mean to..."

"I'm fine, Neville. Don't worry about it." Harry attempted to smile and quickly got back to his feet. Ron and Hermione started over towards him, but he waved them away. The last thing he wanted was to get everyone's attention.

"Class is dismissed." Dumbledore called. "Harry, could I see you for a few minutes?"

Harry waited til the other students had filed out and then made his way to Dumbledore's desk.

"Are you okay?" The headmaster asked gently.

Harry looked into Dumbledore's bright eyes and nodded. "Yes, sir. I just remembered the Death Eaters for a minute, that's all. It won't happen again."

Dumbledore placed his uninjured hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's all right, Harry. It's only been a few weeks since you endured that terrible ordeal. It's perfectly natural that you need some time to recover, emotionally as well as physically. Would you like to talk about it?"

Harry shook his head. "No, thank you," he whispered.

Dumbledore regarded him steadily and Harry forced himself not to look away from the headmaster's searching gaze. Finally Dumbledore nodded. "All right, then. But Harry, my door is always open to you if you should change your mind."

"Thank you, sir."

Ron, Hermione, and Neville were waiting for him in the hall.

"What'd he want?" Ron asked as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Just to see if I wanted to talk about, you know, being attacked this summer." Harry glanced over to see Neville still looking a bit worried as well as confused.

He suddenly decided that his friends could know at least this little bit. "When the Death Eaters had me, they put a Body-Bind Spell on me when they were torturing me," he said abruptly.

Hermione took his hand and Ron swallowed hard. Neville looked absolutely horrified, and guilt-stricken.

"Harry, I'm really sorry. I didn't know. I thought a Body-Bind Spell would just be nothing to you. I'm really sorry."

"Neville, it's okay. I didn't tell you to make you feel bad," Harry told him. "You didn't know. It's hard for me to talk about what happened, but I just wanted you guys to know something about it. You deserve that. You're my best friends."

They remained quiet for the first part of lunch, until finally Ron made an effort to cheer them all up. "Well, just one more class and then we're free for the weekend."

Harry had been trying not to think too much about Potions coming up next. He frowned down at his plate.

Hermione was watching him. "What's wrong, Harry? I thought you wouldn't mind Potions so much anymore."

"Yeah, it's won't be like before, will it?" Ron asked. "Snape seems to really like you now."

"Yeah, I know," Harry mumbled. "It won't be like before." But what if it is? "I just don't understand any of that stuff in the text. Do you?"

Ron considered. "Well, it's not easy reading. I have to concentrate on it, and I still have to get Hermione's help sometimes. But yeah, I think I understand most of it."

Harry groaned and put his hands over his face.

"It's not that bad, Harry. Really, it isn't," Hermione said. "You just have a mental block about Potions, I think." She hesitated. "If you're having that much trouble, why don't you ask Snape for help?"

Harry sighed. "I just can't."

He didn't know how to explain his complicated feelings any better, but when he looked at them, he thought they understood.

***

Severus had carefully planned this afternoon's lesson. He watched closely as the sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins entered. He was curious to see how Harry had fared on his first day back, not that they could chat about it now...that would have to wait til later this evening. But he could tell whether things had gone well just by looking at the boy's face.

Harry seemed tense when he came in with his friends, and Severus felt instant concern. What could have gone wrong? He'd always thought that Harry did well in his other classes. It was Potions where he'd had the most trouble, but that would change now. He smiled thinking about the lesson to come. Maybe it would cheer Harry up a little, and they could talk about his other classes after dinner.

It wasn't just because of Harry that he paid attention to the students coming through the door. Some of the Slytherins came from Death Eater families and now that his role as a spy against Voldemort had been exposed, he had to keep a close eye on them.

With Albus' help, he had fixed a complicated protective ward around his classroom and private quarters, something similar to the ones around the Burrow. If any student wished to commit bodily harm against him or Harry, an alarm would sound when they tried to enter.

It had been very tricky. Normally, Severus could cast protective wards perfectly well by himself, but this had been a special case. As Albus had rather cheerfully pointed out, there were probably quite a few students who wouldn't have minded seeing some minor harm come Severus' way. And they'd needed to distinguish between the relatively harmless students, and those who were a genuine threat.

But Severus thought they'd finally done it. One of his seventh-year Slytherins had already set it off and been expelled. That had come as a blow, Severus had to admit, though maybe it shouldn't have. He knew some of the Slytherins were doomed. He wished he could have done more for them, to dissuade them from following down a dark path, but his role as spy had prevented him doing very much. Maybe that could change now, too.

The wards were silent today, and as soon as the students had taken their seats, Severus announced. "Today we will be discussing Golpalott's Second Law. Mr. Potter, can you explain how this law applies to the diagnosis of a poison?"

He'd chosen Harry because he knew the boy had studied the Potions text diligently, more than once, even. He should have no trouble answering the question, and then Severus could praise him and reward Gryffindor with points, showing everyone how much things had changed between the two of them. He'd been looking forward to it all morning.

So he was utterly taken aback when Harry froze and gazed at him with the panicked look of a trapped animal.

There was a moment of silence while the two of them stared at each other. Then Hermione Granger raised her hand. Realizing that he needed to break the stalemate, Severus nodded at her. "Miss Granger?"

She answered correctly, of course, and Severus promptly awarded Gryffindor ten points, to the absolute astonishment of everyone in the room. The Slytherins seemed dismayed; the Gryffindors delighted, with the exception of Harry who ducked his head and stared at either his desk or cauldron for the rest of the lesson.

Severus left him alone for the rest of class, though he noticed that Harry didn't make a move without watching Hermione Granger first. Obviously, he had not understood the assigned readings, and Severus couldn't help feeling annoyed. Couldn't Harry have found a moment to ask for help sometime during the week?

Well, he fully intended to let Harry know how he felt as soon as class was over. But when he'd dismissed the others, and told Harry to stay, the boy looked so upset that Severus' indignation slipped away.

He walked over. "Harry, obviously you do not understand Golpalott's Laws. Is it really so hard to ask me for help?"

He was not prepared for sad despair in Harry's eyes when the boy looked at him and said miserably, so softly that Severus almost couldn't hear him. "Yes, it is."

Severus ran a hand over his face and then reached over to touch Harry's arm. "Why, Harry? I thought we'd become closer than that."

"We are. I don't know why...." Harry looked away but not before Severus saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes.

He pulled Harry into his arms and held him close. Harry's thin shoulders shook and Severus patted his back gently. The boy seemed so frail, so vulnerable. Severus felt a rush of anguish that he had ever hurt this child. With one hand, he smoothed Harry's hair and cradled the boy's head against his shoulder. Harry buried his face against Severus' neck and clung to him, weeping. It was a long time before they drew apart.

Then Severus said, gently, but firmly. "All right, Harry. We'll go over the Potions text this weekend, and anytime you don't understand something, you need to let me know." He hesitated, then said. "I want you to know that you can come to me, Harry. About Potions, as well as anything else. You don't have to be afraid."

Harry nodded, and Severus reached out to smooth his hair and then rested his hand on the boy's arm. "Are you all right now?"

Harry nodded again, and even smiled a little. "Yeah."

"Well, then, do you want to eat in the Great Hall or in our rooms?"

Harry considered. "I'm kind of tired. I think I'd just like to go back to our rooms."

Severus held out an arm to him, and Harry went to him. Severus wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders and together they left the classroom.