It was dark when Harry woke and dragged himself to the bathroom. He could not believe that he had slept solidly all day. He felt much improved and apart from a rather painful throat and headache was feeling better than he had since arriving at Privet Drive the previous summer.

He stripped his pyjamas off and climbed under the dormitories shower, turning the water on full to blast away the grimy feeling of illness from skin. Harry leant against the wall and let the water pummel him. It had been too painful to do this most of the term. He looked down at his chest which was now almost bruise free and took a deep breath in. Something else he had not been able to do.

This was shaping up to be a rather eventful holiday he thought with a smile; and Snape, well Snape had been....nice.

Harry left the shower once the water started to lose it's heat and wrapping a large towel round his waist, padded back into the dormitories to find his professor had returned.

The man looked up as he entered and gave him a worried frown. Harry knew he must still look ridiculously thin but consoled himself that at least this hadn't happened at the beginning of term when he had looked a whole lot worse.

"Thank you for sorting my ribs out sir."

The professor inclined his head in acknowledgement and lifted the scar salve from the bedside table.

"May I?"

Harry turned so that his back was facing the man and stood self consciously as Snape carefully covered every welt with salve. Firm hands turned him and applied smears of the clear liquid to marks on his shoulders and neck that had been missed the night before and the one on his cheek.

"Would it work on this sir?" Harry lifted his left hand to show the ugly raised skin that spread diagonally from wrist to index finger.

"What is this? What the hell is this?!" Snape spat angrily causing Harry to take an unconscious step backward.

'I must not tell lies' was still clearly visible between the raised scars.

"Erm... Umbridge's detentions last year," he explained nervously.

Snape's expression changed to one of absolute fury and Harry snatched his hand away.

"SHE USED A BLOOD QUILL ON A STUDENT?!" he roared and then seeing Harry's expression, closed his eyes and took a deep shaky breath before lowering his voice to a soft growl that if anything was worse.

"How many detentions did you serve with her Harry?"

"Erm, about twenty I think."

Snape winced and then his eyes still closed asked. "And was anyone else subject to this....treatment."

"Yeah, load of kids. I think it was just me for the first term because she was angry I had said Voldermort was back but probably half of Griffindor had detentions with her in the end and certainly all of the DA...erm, I mean the Defence study group we had."

Severus opened his eyes and regarded the teenager before him impassively. He had been subject to an illegal assault, by a professor in this school and was talking about it as if it was perfectly normal.

"Did you never think to inform your head of house about this punishment?"

"Well, erm." Harry was seriously confused. Why was Snape making such a big deal of this. "I think she knew, I mean she told me to just keep my head down and try not to make things worse."

"Harry," the professor said quietly. "I assure you she didn't. Professor McGonagall spent half of last year pacing the staff room, raging because one of her students had received a slap on the hand with a ruler. Blood Quills are illegal, anywhere. Even owning one can get you a hefty fine."

"You're kidding!" Harry blurted out and Severus smiled wryly.

"Have you heard of the expression 'writing a contract in blood'?" and at the boys confused expression explained. "When you write something in your own blood you are making a magical contract to comply with the wording, so to make someone write something of your choosing is a form of forced suggestion. It's considered the same as using an Imperius curse. In other words Professor Umbridge was using an unforgivable on her students."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "Bloody hell!" he whispered.

"Indeed Potter, come here."

Harry stepped forward and allowed the professor to take his hand and apply a liberal dollop of the salve over the white lines. Severus carefully probed the wrist at the same time, pleased to see it not appear too tender.

"Madam Pomfrey will have to re break that bone and straighten it a little once she is back but we should have it all sorted before the start of term. Will you be able to sleep tonight?"

Harry nodded. "I think so. I'm still pretty tired. Thanks for looking after me professor."

Severus gave the boy a faint smile. "You are welcome. I have left some potions on the side for you to take before you sleep and will send some more up with your breakfast. The fireplace in your common room is connected to the floo so if you start feeling unwell again then just throw some powder in the fire and call me."

Harry nodded, "I will."

He watched the professor leave the room and sat down on the side of his bed, his fingers going to trace the scars on his hand. Had none of the professors known what was going on? Snape had looked absolutely furious and Harry had to confess he had assumed that this type of punishment would be Snape's kind of thing; especially when dished out to Griffindors.

Harry climbed into some fresh pyjamas and curled up in the armchair Snape had vacated, happy to see a large bowl of stew and plate of fresh bread had appeared on the table. He ate it all hungrily and even had room for one of the chocolate frogs Ron had left him as a dessert.

He then grabbed one of the potions books he had been working on and climbed back into bed, surprised to find a few pages of parchment fall out of the back. Picking them up, his eyes widened in surprise. It was his potions assignment for the holidays and it was marked! Harry read the detailed comments, pleased to see he seemed to have done well. At the bottom instead of a mark, there was a yellow post -it with his professors spidery handwriting on it.

Mr Potter,

On the whole, this is an excellent essay and would currently receive an 'Exceeds Expectations' mark. However an extra paragraph on alternative applications for the potion would raise this to an 'O' and I thought you might like the chance to make the addition.

Could you also please tell me where I can procure some of these 'post-its'? They are rather useful.

Professor Snape.

Harry laughed and placing the essay on his bedside table, settled down to read a chapter of his book before sleep. The world had turned on it's head, he thought with a snort. Maybe he should write to Fred and George and suggest they sell muggle stationary supplies. It could be a useful side line.

Harry managed about four pages before he drifted off, his face pressed into the page of the book and slept a wonderful dream and cough free night.

)O(

Severus paced the floor of his study, his anger made worse by the few hours of sleep he had in the last few days. A blood quill! That toad of a woman had used a blood quill on his students! He knew it was irrational but he was angrier about that than the marks inflicted by those blasted muggles.

Hogwarts was meant to be a safe place he thought with a snarl. For many of the students in his house it was the only safe place in their otherwise miserable lives; Potter too he added sadly, still finding that mental adjustment painful.

The large glass of brandy in his hand was slowly steadying the man's nerves and eventually he was able to sit and think more rationally. That did not however calm his anger.

If that bloody woman thought she had gotten away with this then she was in for a nasty surprise. Indulging himself in a leery snarl, he reached for a roll of parchment and a quill and began plotting.