Part I - Ashes

September 6th Year

The boy was insufferable. Severus had been saying it for years, and now they had all finally agreed with him.

"I just don't know what's gotten into that boy."

"It's as if he's possessed."

Not possessed, Severus had told them each Monday at the staff meeting as Potter was brought up again and again for the trouble he had caused. Just Harry, and that was the end of it in his mind, although the others still held that the child did not used to be like this.

"He was in the hall shooting bat bogeys at Peeves and laughing as Peeves scrambled for cover," Filius said with an air of indignity.

"Well what about his friends?" Pomona asked with concern. "Why aren't they keeping him in check?"

Minerva waved her hand to dismiss the notion. "No one in the tower will speak to him anymore. From what Mr. Weasley says he's set up curses around his bed and anyone who crosses the line into his space bursts out into pimples or something else unpleasant."

Severus crossed his arms as he surveyed the room of staff who were at a loss for what to do to the child. He had suggested expulsion on numerous occasions, but this was not to be, because the prophecy still hung heavy over Potter's head and he needed to be trained for it if they were to defeat Voldemort.

Albus cleared his throat and said, "We will continue with his current punishments. One night of detention for each offense he commits, and multiple detentions on the weekends. I still hold hope that one of us can get through to him, or that the punishments will straighten him out."

"He shows up late to detentions Headmaster," Filius said. "And last night he laughed all the way through mine, as if he didn't have a care in the world!"

"And let's not forget that he sometimes skips them altogether," Minerva said. "What are we to do with him when he skips detentions?"

Albus looked at his Potions Master who only raised a brow. Expell the brat, he thought loud enough to transcend the link between his and Albus' mind. Albus only cleared his throat again however and said, "I believe I have a solution."

Severus' face fell. Any solution that would come out of a look from Severus was not going to be a good one, as he was sure that the elder man would never expel the little terror.

Some of the staff shifted in their seats, anxious to hear what it was.

"Filius," Albus intoned, "what was Harry doing for detention last night?"

"He was dusting all the candles high on the ceiling."

"By hand?" Severus voice cut across, and Filius shook his head.

"By wand of course! How was he supposed to get up there to do it by hand?"

Severus rolled his eyes and the Headmaster turned to Minerva. "What do you do to him when he skips your detentions?"

"I assign him the same detention for the next night."

"I see."

"Severus, how many detentions has Mr. Potter laughed through or skipped when assigned detention with you?"

"None." His voice was flat. No, he did not like where this was going at all.

"And why is that?"

With another heavy eye roll, Severus crossed his arms in his seat and said, "Because I do not allow it. If he skips detention I find him and drag his sorry carcass down to the dungeons for double detention. He dare not laugh because he knows that if it appears he's enjoying it, he will stay longer and work harder. He served an all night detention last week for gluing Mr. Malfoy... to himself."

Despite the severity of the trouble that Potter had caused in his Potion's class, a few of the staff covered their mouths to hide a smirk. It was no secret that Draco was no peach to discipline either, although he fell a far sight short of the attitude that Potter held. At least Draco had the sense to keep his head low. The boy also had a strict parent at home however that would floo to the school on occasion after receiving a disciplinary letter to hide the boy, and was not shy about doing it publicly. There was no such discipline from home for Potter however. In fact Severus suspected that the little cretin's family was too lax on him over the summer, and that is why he had come back fully undisciplined as he was.

"Well then, for the time being at least, I recommend that all detentions Harry is to serve be served with Severus. He will decide the severity of the punishment based on his schedule and the nature of the offense committed."

Severus glared daggers at Albus, and this time the Headmaster raised his brow. "You know full well that I have a full schedule and do not have time to babysit a brat that needs to be thrown out on his rear end Headmaster. I have potions to make, lessons to plan, papers to grade, and a team to coach."

"And, a fifth year Gryffindor who is now fully under your disciplinary control. If need be I will allow you to assign a teacher's aid to help grade papers and brew potions. The aid will be paid from the school funds. I would suggest a Prefect... perhaps Mr. Cromby? He does plan on becoming a Potions apprentice after graduating, does he not?"

With another glare, Severus rose from his chair, all eyes in the room on him. "I will punish the boy as I see fit, and there will be no complaints from other staff about it." It was not a question.

Minerva sighed then and said, "Severus. At this point I'm open to almost anything. He's out of control. I don't know what's happened to him over the summer, but he's not the same boy that left last year."

Severus restrained himself from saying that this would not have happened if the staff had clamped down harder on the boy in previous years, and instead turned his back and strode out of the meeting. He had a Potions class in ten minutes, and he needed time to cool down before having to deal with a room full of first years. They were only a month into the term, and he could already tell, it was going to be a long year.