At Hogwarts

Dumbledore stood in front of his window facing the grounds of Hogwarts. He had sent off the 4th year class to study abroad in America while the Triwizard Tournament was being held at the castle. He had heard too many rumors from his spies that stated that Voldemort was going to attempt to use the tournament for his own gain. Dumbledore smiled. Harry would be safe in the Americas and they would of course treat him properly, as surely they knew how much was resting upon the boy. They might not have been involved in the last war, but Dumbledore was sure that they understood why the child was so important.

'It helps that Severus is there,' Dumbledore thought with a small smile. 'His unwillingness to tell the boy his past and his dislike of the reminder of James will continue to fuel the boy's hatred towards everything dark and Slytherin.'

HJP/STS/HJP/STS

Harry stood in front of the American professor.

"What is this? Did you wait to the last minute Harry to write out this assignment?"

"No, of course not. I just had to finish it before quidditch practice."

"Do you truly believe that this work is acceptable for you to hand in?" The teacher asked staring hard into Harry's eyes. Honestly, who did this woman think she was, Snape?

"Lay off Pitlusky." Ron called from the desk the left of where Harry was standing. Harry was just clenching his fists in anger at being called out in front of the class for not being overly meticulous with his work. So what if it wasn't perfect? Potions were not something that he was good at in school.

'Anyways, doesn't she realize that none of this stuff will be important anyways? It's not like I'm going to need it in the real world anyways. Plus, its not like I'm going to get into Snape's NEWT class anyways… or that I even want to!'

"The name is Miss Pitluski, Ron."

"Whatever. It's not like you really have any power over us anyways being that we're exchange students."

The woman smiled tightly as she turned her attention from Harry to Ron. 'Ron, you are an idiot.'

"Congratulations Mr. Weasley, you have just won yourself a demerit, detention and a trip down to the principal's office in one go due to your attitude. Congratulations. This school hasn't seem someone accomplish that feat since the 1960s." The teacher's voice was both cold and hard.

'Really, does she think that really matters? It's not like the principle has any real power over us. He has to bow to Dumbledore's will in the end.'

"You can't do that! No one from Hogwarts gets sent to the Headmaster's office for being cheeky in class!"

The teacher leaned over Ron's desk, "Welcome to the United States, Ron. Now get outof my classroom."

"He doesn't have to go anywhere! He didn't do anything wrong!" Harry protested. This woman was as nasty as Severus Snape. It was bad enough Dumbledore sent the git with them to the US to study abroad, but now there was a teacher who fancied taking up his mantle as Gryffindor hater!

Ron had stood up but had remained standing to the side of his friend.

"You seem to have misheard me, Mr. Weasley if you believe that my former command was a request." The teacher stated as she moved to the front of the class, passing her students, as well as the students from Hogwarts houses. The American students chuckled at the idiocy of the British "Boy-who-failed," as did the Slytherins, a few Hufflepuffs and some Ravenclaws. Really even a blind, mute, deaf and lame person would know to avoid the Midwest Magical Institutes teachers when they were angry.

"Silence." The female teacher uttered in a soft voice without even looking up from her paper work to glance at the class. "Unless the rest of you would like to join Mr. Weasley, who is leaving this instant, down at the principal's office with a fresh pink demerit in their hands, I highly suggest you become quiet quickly."

Ron finally left the room after glancing at Harry and giving him a smirk. They both knew nothing would happen to them since the teacher was clearly in the wrong.

Still Harry could not help stating his case. "That's not fair profess…. Ma'am. Ron was just trying to defend me." Harry had received a hard look from the teacher reminding him that teachers over in the US did not use the title of Professor.

'It shows that they aren't as highly respected or educated.' Harry though with an air of superiority.

"Harry I did not realize that you were a damsel in distress in need of a knight to save your honor when all you needed to do was inform your instructor as to the reason why you have not completed your assigned work." The teacher said with a hard look before turning back to the work on the board. "I figure at the age of fourteen a student would be able to defend his own actions, Harry."

Harry sputtered at being call 'a damsel in distress.' This teacher had no right to talk to him that way, all because he didn't do his homework. So what tons of kids at Hogwarts didn't do their homework. What this woman was doing had to be a firing offense!

"That's what friends and Gryffindors do…. Ma'am." He practically had to force himself to spit out that last bit, before he continued speaking. "Of course you wouldn't understand that being as how you cannot possibly understand the idea of loyalty."

Pitluski turned around very slowly and Harry got the feeling that he had said something he shouldn't have. 'But it doesn't matter, because I'm right! This git of a woman probably doesn't have a single friend. I know Sirius would be proud of me for standing up to her!'

"You are out of line Mr. Potter and seriously misconstruing the facts." The teacher replied in a soft but deadly voice.

Harry stuck up his chin defiantly, "And what facts would those be Pitluski."

"One. You seem to be under the impression that you are still at Hogwarts. You are incorrect. None of the teachers here could care less what house you were in nor what inter-house wars you might be engaged in." She stated very quietly and Harry wondered if she was trying to keep her temper or make it appear like she cared.

'Yeah, right. Probably a Slytherin lover and a dark witch.'

She turned towards the rest of the class and gave them all a hard look. "Your houses mean nothing to us."

'Obviously she doesn't know much about life.'

"Two, which seems to correlate with one. You seem to believe that you will receive some special treatment because you keep mentioning that you are a Gryffindor. I have no clue what you think this is supposed to mean to me, but rest assured you will not be receiving any special treatment from any of the teachers. Neither will you be allowed to get away with this atrocious work that you seem to believe is worthy of being graded." The teacher's gaze had returned back to Harry. "I believe all the teachers and I made this clear when your classmates, your potions professor, and you arrived back in June."

"You seem to be under the impression that I use my title as 'Boy-who-Lived' to get favors from teachers." Harry bit back at his teacher.

"Three. You seem to believe that all quarrels or issues that the teachers of this institution have with you have roots with the fact that we resent your status in the British world. I hate to inform you of this Mr. Potter, since you have been too blinded by quidditch to realize this sooner, but no one in the US believes in that title. To all of us you are just a normal child whom the British wizarding society has foisted too much responsibility upon. " Harry opened his mouth to argue back, when the teacher raised her hand. "You will let me finish."

Harry watched as the teacher took a steadying breath. That was her weakness, she was close to losing her temper. Once he got her to lose that….

"You are merely another student here, who is subject to the same punishments and expectations as any of our other students. Only you appear to believe that you can skive on your potions homework and be passed along."

"That's unfair and not true!" Harry drew himself up to his full height, granted at 160.2 cm (5'5") Harry was not that tall for a boy of 14.

"Sit down now, Harry Potter." There was steel in the command. But it was a command that Harry intended to ignore, but the woman pressed on. "You will be staying after class as I will be escorting you down to the principal's office…"

"No." Harry said staring the teacher down. "I have practice after school."

"That remains to be seen Mr. Potter." Pitluski said as her eyes bored into Harry's.

Harry felt his jaw go slack and he stumbled backwards a little. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sit down now Mr. Potter. I will not tell you again." Miss Pitluski said as she turned back to the board once more. "Everyone turn your lab books to page 35."

Harry felt as if a steel rod had been shoved up his spine and like the pit of his stomach had dropped out. "No, I won't sit down. Now what in the hell do you mean?"

Harry could feel the eyes of his housemates, the other houses' students and the American students upon him, but he didn't care. What could the teacher possibly mean by that?

"Language Mr. Potter." The teacher stated as she turned back toward him. Her voice was not cold but it was firm and Harry felt as if he had been dropped into another world, like that girl from the book with the looking glass. "You will go to the lecture room now Mr. Potter. I will address you after I have gotten the rest of the class settled."

Still shocked by his teacher's lack of losing temper and her words, Harry complied.

HJP/STS/HJP/STS

Not much later, a yell could be heard throughout the school.

"What do you mean I am suspended from quidditch!" Came a rather high pitched boy's voice.

All the students realized it came from the principal's office. The American students went about their day as the Brits reacted to the shout. Really they should have realized that none of them would be getting special treatment 'on this side of the pond.'

STS/HJP/STS/HJP

"What do you mean I am suspended from quidditch!" Potter almost screamed at the top of his lungs. "You can't do that! You have no right to do that!"

Severus watched as the boy made a fool out of himself in the principal's office. He had only suspected it would be a matter of time before the brat was sent down here. The Americans, despite what other's deemed to be poor scores, were strong advocates in their private schools of children meeting the standards set before them. Potter had been coasting by for months now, believing that his ability to play quidditch would be unaffected.

"It is well within our rights to do so Mr. Potter. If you had read the agreement you had signed at the start of the June quarter you would have realized how seriously this school takes its students performing to the best of their abilities."

"I am doing the best that I can!" Potter exclaimed.

Severus could not help snorting at that. "Please Potter, all you do is play quidditch as soon as you get home. Your housemother has reported to school and I frequently that while you have the potential to do much better, you are too caught up with that game and pranking to even attempt to do your homework."

Potter glared at him and Severus mentally checked off another point in his head. It was so easy to rile the boy up.

'Too much Potter blood and not enough of Lily.'

'You seem to forget Severus, Lily had an Irish temper just as fiery.'

'Lily also wasn't an idiot and knew to do her homework.'

'True.'

Refocusing on the conversation, Severus realized how lucky the boy was that they were merely suspending his quidditch privileges. He could be like Weasley and be deported with a recommendation for a grade retention on his permanent record at the least and the chance of having his wand snapped.

STS/HJP/STS/HJP

"I see that the American have not fallen prey to your reputation, Potter." Severus said with some malice as they walked out to the lobby to wait to hear the principal's ruling about the conditions Potter would be under in order for him not to lose his wand.

The potion master watched as the boy's entire body stiffened and seemed to bristle. "I don't use my reputation to get by in my classes. Unlike your precious Slytherins."

"No you merely settle for copying Miss. Granger's essays and when that fails you turn in slipshod work." Severus said almost biting out the words. The boy was absolutely infuriating! "As for my Slytherins, they do not use any reputation to get by, either here nor at Hogwarts. They work hard to get their grades and actually attend tutoring when it is offered."

That was slightly a lie. It is more like they are forced to go to tutoring, but that was beside the point. The brat did not even have the ambition to do well in class!

"I do not and you are a bloody favoring git! Of course your Slytherins get by on reputation. Malfoy practically brags that he can get you to have any of the teachers change his grades!"

"Not that it is any concern to you Mr. Potter, but Mr. Malfoy only gets those grades changed after he does extra credit work, receives tutoring, or studies harder. " Severus said with an all out sneer. "You on the other hand just laze around Gryffindor tower playing chess and pranking with the rest of the idiot Gryffindors."

"I do not and I work hard on my school work."

"Perhaps we should have you tested for a learning disability than Potter. How else might you explain that pitiful mess you called homework for the past 4 years?"

"That… that teacher and you are against me. No one else has any complaints about me!" Severus knew he was getting to the spoiled brat now. It was rare that he could get the brat to stutter anymore.

"Really Potter? Apparently you have taken to not listening to the same discussion I was for the past hour and a half. If you had, you would have realized you are not performing to the standard in any of your classes. All the teachers here believe that you have been turning in substandard work." Severus wondered if the boy was just an idiot or he had been dropped on his head as an infant.

'If he had been, Potter Senior is probably to blame.'

Severus watched as the boy struggled to compose a retort for a minute or two. He could tell when the boy had gotten one because he stood up straighter and raised his chin defiantly once more. "Dumbledore won't let the ban stand."

'Lily, be glad that your child has not been invited to any of the poker games I have seen around the building after school. He would have lost everything you earned and saved for him within 2 minutes of entering the game.'

Severus' eyes looked directly into Harry's. "Perhaps you need to have this pounded into your miniscule brain Potter, but Dumbledore has no power over the schools here in the States."

There was that defiant look again along with Gryffindor bravo. "Of course he does."

"It seems that you are laboring under the false conception that the United States of American is a member of the British Commonwealth."

"No. I know they are a separate country. But of course Dumbledore has power here. Everyone in the world respects him!"

'Lily, he is as naïve and as sure as you were that everything Dumbledore and later Potter said was the Holy truth.'

"Headmaster Dumbledore has no more power here then the principle of the muggle high school a couple blocks down the road has over the magical population in Georgia, you idiot boy!" Severus practically growled at the boy. And this was the child that would be placed in his care as of…. five minutes ago.

"But I have never had trouble before with any of my teachers and I do the same thing at Hogwarts!" Potter exclaimed, seemingly worked up into a Gryffindor temper tantrum.

"Of course you have Potter, but the other professors took Dumbledore's words to heart and passed you along. The only class you have consistently passed is Defense against the Dark Arts and you have not passed it once in the two terms that you have been here!"

"They teach dark arts. " Potter stated as if it explained everything. "I am not going to study the dark arts."

"I was not aware, Mr. Potter that you were the supreme authority on what should and shouldn't get taught in schools here in the US." A female voice came from behind the Professor and the student.

There standing was the principal of the school, Sarah Tapia, emerges from the office's doorway. She nodded at the Potion Master before continuing. "I apologize for my tardiness, Professor Snape, I was detained filling out Mr. Weasley's paper work."

"Understandable Ms. Tapia. " Severus said with an incline of his head. The Weasley boy was even worse than Harry. He had come over to the States on probation. The Americans had given him a little extra time to turn himself around, giving him probation, but it had all been for not.

'That won't happen with Lily's boy. Even if I have to remove the Potter genes right out of the boy's body!'

"This is unfair Tapia! Ron was right, Pitluski is completely against Gryffindors as Snape is! Why aren't you punishing her?" Severus could practically feel the indignation flowing off of the boy.

"Typical Potter. Always blaming his faults on other." Severus said aloud, as was expected of him. 'That boy will be receiving discipline once we get home!'

"That is enough, Professor Snape." Ms. Tapia replied firmly and Severus had the good grace to be chastised. Potter on the other hand looked elated. At least until the principal set her sights on him. "Normally, my staff and I have no problem with our students… as long as they complete their work on time and to the best of their ability. However, you, as with many students, appear to be incapable performing to standard while having the privilege to play a sport."

"Quidditch is not just a sport…" Harry started only to be cut off by Snape.

"No, I am almost positive that you believe that it is your life, is that not correct Potter?" Severus said with a sneer. He was completely happy that the brat would not be allowed to play the dangerous sport. It would give him more time to do his school work.

"Of course, it is my reward…" The Gryffindor started to say before he caught himself and managed to silence his mouth.

'So he can be taught.'

Ms. Tapia looked the boy over. "Unfortunately for you Mr. Potter it is neither a reward nor a right to play quidditch in this country, but rather a privilege that can be taken away when one does not perform to the best of one's abilities. Especially when one is not even getting C's in his classes."

"You can't stop me from playing quidditch! Dumbledore won't allow it."

"Potter, we discussed this not even five minutes ago!" Severus snapped, causing the boy to turn and glare at him.

"It is alright Professor Snape. Believe me we have had a lot of this from the students of your … what do you call them… that's right, houses at Hogwarts. It seems that the students believe that the US, both magical and non-magical, is bound to the British Isles like all your other former colonies."

HJP/STS/HJP/STS

Harry almost smiled when he saw despair cross through Snape's eyes. 'Probably depressed that someone realizes his precious snakes aren't any good.'

He was so caught up in his thoughts about Snape's snakes being demoralized that he almost missed what Tapia said next.

"I am so glad that you are willing to take him, Professor Snape. It would be a shame if Harry was to be deported without the chance to make amends because he is not meeting the requirements of his visa."

It took Harry a second to realize what was going on before he cried out, "Wait! I'm not going home with Snape! I'm staying with Ron at the Houser's home!"

Snape glared at the boy, but Harry paid him no mind. He had to convince the principal that the evil, greasy git had no right to take him from his current residence.

"It is Professor Snape, Mr. Potter. As for not going with him, you have no real choice in the matter since Professor Dumbledore named him your guardian when you came over to the US since you have no other relatives in the magical world and since it not appropriate in American society for the principal of a school to have that much power over a student."

Harry was getting ready to shout 'Then why in the hell can Snape take me!' when the principal continued on.

"As for Mrs. Houser… she has decided that since Mr. Weasley will be leaving us… due to circumstances of his own making… to withdraw from the boarding program."

Harry heard that something was going on with Ron, but his mind was too wrapped up around the fact that the principal wanted him to stay with Snape.

"No Dumbledore won't allow for this! He wouldn't assign Snape as my guardian! He knows how much he hates me."

Tapia ignored him in favor of turning towards the nasty git and continuing on as if he hadn't even spoken. "He will need to bring his grades up to at least a C by the end of the quarter. You have 8 weeks to have him get those grades up. If he manages to bring them up by the end of the 8 weeks, than he will not be sent back to England to be with his muggle relatives."

Harry decided right then and there that that was his out. The Weasleys would be able to take him in and he would be able to return to Hogwarts.

"Send me back to England! I refuse to go with Snape. Dumbledore will take me back to Hogwarts for the remainder of the year."

The principal just looked over at Harry with a blank look on her face. 'She probably doesn't realize that no one in their right mind would want to face the persecution that her school is inflicting upon me.'

"Mr. Potter." The principal said in a very soft voice. "Do you not realize that if you do not raise your grades soon and quickly that there will be no going back to Hogwarts?"

"Of course I'll go back to Hogwarts! What could possibly stop me."

Harry glanced over at the professor and saw an incredulously look on his face.

"What?" Harry asked.

Snape seemed to snap out of his stupor. "Potter, you didn't read the international agreement you signed when you came here did you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Harry growled. 'Why does everyone keep bringing this up?'

"Potter. The agreement stated that if your grades fell below a C and you did not make them up within a restricted amount of time, there would be consequences."

"So what, I'll be deported! Anything would be better than this crap!"

"You idiot child." Snape growled and loomed over Harry.

For the first time Harry noticed the papers that the principle had handed Snape. It was the contract he had signed before entering into the exchange program. He looked up at the man generally confused as to what was going on.

Snape's dark eyes bored into Harry's eyes "If you don't pull your grades up, they'll snap your wand."

TBC…..