Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Chantale-of-da-last-generation Thank you for beta reading!
Jasmin Kain - you too;)

Thank you for your support guys!
Chapter 14: Plangentine

Sunday, August 6th, 1995

It was the last meal he was to spend in the company of the two Slytherins. A week earlier, he had been sure that there was nothing worse than a few days of being locked in the same house with the oversized bat. It seemed more terrible than sitting in the cupboard under the stairs, or bars on the window, rows of padlocks and a can of cold soup per day.

However, to Harry's surprise, it had turned out quite the opposite. He didn't know if it was from regular meals or potions, but he felt much better physically than the week before or when he was living with the Dursleys.

Besides, it seemed to him that he was slowly becoming friends with Nott. It turned out that despite being a Slytherin, the boy had quite a pleasant personality. He was rarely malicious or unpleasant. Perhaps if Harry had gotten to know him earlier, he would not have been so prejudiced against the inhabitants of the Slytherin's house. Nott was intelligent and had a broad knowledge of various topics. He could be described as a typical bookworm; however, he wasn't as pushy about sharing his expertise as Hermione was. Of course, Harry loved his friend dearly and would have given his life for her without the slightest hesitation, but sometimes her behaviour was simply irritating. Two like her would probably be too much for him.

As for Snape, the man was still acting nothing like himself. The day before, the Potions Master decided they would order a pizza for dinner, and then they played Monopoly all evening. To Harry's surprise, he found himself forgetting who he was spending time with, and he was even enjoying himself for a moment. Pizza, hot chocolate and Muggle games? If it weren't for the fact that Harry saw the man didn't drink anything for more than an hour, he would have thought someone had impersonated him with a Polyjuice Potion.

Maybe he was high on some cheering potion?

Either way, something was reassuring about being in the Potions Master's house.

It struck him how much their relationship had changed over the course of several days. Harry also noticed that, involuntarily, he was starting to trust Snape. At least enough not to be afraid of poisoning by him at the first opportunity. During these few days, since his return from the hospital, the man never yelled at him or called him names. And the only thing that bothered the Gryffindor was that being around Snape made him feel some illusionary sense of security. In the hospital, the gesture of the Potions Master stepping between him and Uncle Vernon, completely shielding him, hadn't escaped Harry's notice.

Regardless, Harry tried to tiptoe around him because the teen was sure that after his abstinence from malice towards him that lasted for so long, the man was like a ticking bomb – once it exploded, everything would crash down and then return to its normal state.

"Potter, how are you feeling?" the Potions Master asked the teen, spreading jam on his toast.

"Okay," the boy replied, trying not to roll his eyes when Snape, once again, asked, according to Harry, an utterly unnecessary question.

"No dizziness? Shivers? Nausea? Are you feeling any itchiness from that damn tattoo of yours?"

Harry shook his head.

"That's good. Remember, if you feel anything disturbing, and I repeat anything, come to me straight away. Understood?"

"Okay."

"Your hearing is on Saturday morning. Dress appropriately. And no hoodies. Take your dress robe with you and be here at seven o'clock. And don't you dare be late. I have no idea what possessed them to set the hearing on Saturday, but they decided to do so. I'll take you to the Ministry. And if you would like to, ask Tobias' permission to let you spend the weekend with the mongrel. "

"Really?" That got Harry's attention, and his face lit up at the thought of meeting Sirius, the Weasleys, and Hermione. "Of course, I want to see him."

The Potions Master nodded.

"Then I'll pick you up at eight o'clock on Sunday evening. You are to be ready because I am not going to spend there a moment longer than necessary. Understood?"

"Yeah," answered Harry, and after a while added: "Thank you."

"And behave yourself. Listen to Tobias and don't on any account talk back to him." When Harry nodded again, the man continued: "And by Salazar, don't hang out at nights with those Muggle hooligans. If you have any problems, come here immediately. If you argue with Tobias, do the same. If you have nothing to eat because Tobias will spend everything on alcohol, I will see you here." The man waited for the boy to nod his head once more. "And if you get into any trouble, which I advise not to, of course, come see me immediately." Harry rolled his eyes. "Under no circumstances wander out of the neighbourhood because I will skin you alive myself." The last remark made Harry glance at him. The man seemed to be slowly coming back to himself because he finally started to talk like the old Snape.

 

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As soon as Harry returned from Flukey Road, where he was forced two more times to listen to the tirade about what he should and should not do, he started to clean the house. It wasn't like there was a big mess. Oasis cleaned everything up after the birthday party. But some little things were lying around; the teenager wanted to put them back in place before Tobias returned. That way, the man would have no reason to get angry at him the moment he is back. When he finished, Harry sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. More episodes of The Mysterious Golden Cities were on, but it was hard for Harry to concentrate on the cartoon. His thoughts were drifting away. He hoped Tobias would come back in a good mood and not be in one of his drinking binges.

Hearing the sound of the lock being twisted, he felt his pulse quicken.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and went into the kitchen to say hi to his father.

"Harry! Good to see you, lad," he greeted him, placing his travel bag on the table.

"Hi," Harry answered, smiling hesitantly. He smelt the distinct smell of alcohol and cigarettes from the man. "How's your trip?"

"Ah, great, great. I'm workin' so fuckin' hard on the construction site that I deserved some rest.  Wait... I have something for you." The man started to search the bag.

"For me?" Harry smiled again, pleasantly surprised when Tobias handed him a poster of some soccer team and a bag of crisps. "Er... thanks."

"So, what's up? I hope you weren't up to any mischief when I was gone?"

"No. Of course not," said Harry, trying to look innocent. He guessed that if Tobias heard that in only one week he had managed to get a tattoo which caused blood contamination, throw an alcoholic party for forty people, spend a few days at the Potions Master's with whom the man fell out, and on top of that he was thrown out of school for using magic and got summoned to an official Ministry interrogation, the man wouldn't be thrilled. So, the teen added briefly: "Nothing happened".

"Really? "

"Really. It was really boring," said Harry, deciding to emphasize how much ‘nothing happened’ during the man's absence.

Luckily for Harry, Tobias was looking in the fridge, not at him, because the teenager's expression clearly indicated that he was hiding something.

"You didn't even do the shopping? What? Have you already spent every penny I left you?" Tobias sighed and reached into his pants for his wallet. "Go over to Maggie, get me a Vodcat and buy something to eat," he said, handing Harry the money.

 

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Tuesday, August 8th 1995

From the very morning, Harry had been trying to clean the house so that Tobias wouldn't have anything to complain about that day. He spent over an hour in the kitchen preparing the man's favourite dish for dinner, caring too much about the weekend with Sirius to let anything go wrong. He had delayed the conversation with the man for two days now. The teen wanted Tobias to be reasonably sober because only that would allow him to talk to the man rationally. Unfortunately, on Sunday, as soon as Harry returned from the store, his father practically drank a whole bottle of alcohol at once. The next afternoon Harry went to football practice, and when he returned, Tobias got himself drunk again. This time the teenager was hoping to catch him as soon as the man came home from work. So, he waited for him in the living room, pacing back and forth. He hoped his father would not stop at the store on his way. Though the teen was slowly starting to lose hope because the man was already two hours late.

As soon as he heard the front door open, he hurried into the kitchen. Tobias smelled of alcohol, but he acted reasonably sober. Knowing that this was practically the last moment Harry could ask for permission to stay at Sirius', he decided to go for it.

"Hi," Harry greeted him. "How's your day? I made Shepherd's pie. Would you like some?" On the other hand, he didn't even know why he tried so hard. Tobias had no reason to refuse him.

"Yeah, I can have some." Harry placed the food on a plate, set it in front of the man, then handed him the cutlery and sat down opposite him.

"Er... I wanna ask you something," he began. "My friend, the one I told you about, Ron, invited me home for the weekend. Can I go?"

"Where?" Tobias grunted.

"To the Burrow. I mean Ottery St. Catchpole."

"Why the fuck do you want to go there?"

Harry grimaced; it was not the reaction he expected.

"Well, to meet up and play Quidditch a little."

"You can play football here and leave flying on broomsticks for the school year," Tobias replied as he was eating the Shepherd's pie. "That's pretty good. If you get bored with all this damned witchcrafting, I'll get you a job at Waldek's bar. Such a scrawny stick like you won't make it on the construction. Though maybe you'd man up a bit and get a little tougher carryin' buckets of cement." Harry felt his face flush at the comment.

"You don't have to worry; I won't get bored," the boy grunted, gritting his teeth. Still, not wanting to deviate from the topic of the weekend at Sirius', he cleared his throat and, trying to soften his tone, continued: "I can go, right? It's been a long time since I saw him and his family... and all." Of course, he couldn't say that he wanted to visit his godfather, believed to be an escaped murderer, so Harry told it was Ron that he wanted to see.

"No, you can't."

"Why not?" Harry asked, clenching his fists.

"Because I said so. You're not going to sleep at some strangers'."

"They're not strangers, and it's only one night. I go there every year."

"This year, you will give it a miss. I have no money to give you, and you won't go empty-handed. Anyway, you'll see your moronic friend in less than three weeks." Tobias' tone of voice was very dismissive, which irritated Harry to no end. Nevertheless, the boy tried not to show his anger.

"But I really have to go." Harry was becoming more and more desperate.

"No, and I'm done talking about it. I don't want to hear any of your whinings today. I don't know his parents. I have no idea who are these people. You're not going, and that's it."

"Merlin, what do you care? On the weekend, I don't have any match or training or anything."

"Well, yeah exactly, what on earth are you doing all day?! Lying on the couch watching TV?"

"I've cleaned up the whole house today if you haven't noticed," huffed Harry.

"Ooooh, you've done sooo much, then," the man mocked. "I'll bring you a paint tomorrow, and you'll repaint all the rooms. At least that much use will be of you."

"Fine." Harry clenched his fists even tighter in anger but took a deep breath, trying not to explode. "But listen." Harry couldn't let go, not this time, so he added a word that so seldom was used by him: "Dad... It's really important to me. You went to London for a week. I would also like to get away from here for at least two days." Seeing Tobias furious expression, he thought he might not have chosen the right words.

"Do you really need to have your arse whipped first to understand what's being said to you? When I say, bloody no, then you fucking don't argue."

"But..."

"Stop whining, brat," Tobias interrupted him. "Can you, just for once, obey without talking back?"

"And can't you just for once, let it go? What do you care? It's only two days," Harry growled and stood up, putting his hands on the tabletop. "I don't know, maybe some things didn't work out for you at work, but that doesn't mean you can…." Harry jumped as Tobias hit the table with all his strength.

"One. More. Fucking. Word. Get up to your room, and you're grounded until Sunday."

"Fine. We'll see about that," Harry huffed, expressing his displeasure. He made his way to his room, walking around Tobias as far from him as he could so that the man wasn't able to reach him with his long arms.

 

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Wednesday, August 9th, 1995

Harry hurriedly walked down Flukey Road. He needed to talk to Snape about Saturday's hearing and visiting Sirius. Despite his best efforts and resolve to act maturely and not letting his emotions take him over, he screwed up the conversation with Tobias.

It did start well. Harry cleaned up the house and made dinner. All of this just to put the man in a good mood so that he would let him go to Sirius. The plan had failed. Harry had no idea how things could go so wrong. Perhaps that day, something really happened to Tobias at work because he was pretty irritated initially. For all the arguments Harry had tried to give, Tobias was adamant. Eventually, Harry got angry, despite keeping himself in check for most of the conversation. If he didn't show up at the Ministry on Saturday, he would have to say goodbye to Hogwarts forever. The conversation ended with grounding that could, in theory, destroy his whole life. Of course, Harry wasn't going to quit trying. At worst, he'll just run away to get into that damn Ministry. However, the risk that Dumbledore, who for some reason was interfering in his private life, would send him back here was considerable. And the teen was sure that Tobias would not end the conversation with only threats.

But Harry had one more option left. Ask Snape for help. And since their relationship had improved over the past week and couldn't even be called hostile anymore, he decided to take the chance. 

And so, he, Harry Potter, on his own free will, was going to the Potions Master's house. Tobias was at work anyway, so he had no control over whether the teenager obeyed him and stayed home.

After a moment of wondering if it was really the right decision, Harry rang the bell. While he waited, he looked around. From the outside, the house looked really nice. The teen would never have guessed that the teacher could live in such a pleasant surrounding. If Harry didn't know the truth, he would rather bet on some gloomy castle with dungeons and flying bats or a manor right next to the cemetery, surrounded by lots of dried trees without leaves.

Suddenly the door opened, and Nott greeted him.

"Oh, Potter, hi." The pale teenager smiled shyly. "What are you doing here?"

"Hiya, I need to talk with Snape."

"He's not here. He left somewhere but should be back soon. Do you want to come in? You can wait for him inside."

Harry nodded his head. He hoped to get this done quickly and get away from the house as soon as possible. Theodore took him to the lab.

"What are you brewing?" Harry asked, seeing a bubbling cauldron.

"A Bronchodilator Potion, I have to concentrate because, well, you know how even a little mistake will end. There are books Professor Snape is reading." Nott pointed to several volumes lying on one of the tables. "I think that they concern interrogation of minors by the Ministry. If you want, you can check them out."

Harry nodded and flipped through the book on the top. It contained cases related to the violation of the wizarding law by minors. Apparently, Snape was another person who preferred to learn everything from books before doing anything. Harry thought that he might as well learn something about Saturday's hearing. He sat down on the tabletop and, swinging his legs, began to read.

Suddenly he heard the sound of glass breaking and a loud curse. He looked at Nott and saw that the teen was kneeling on the floor.

"What happened?" Harry quickly jumped off the counter.

"Shit, Snape is going to kill me..." Nott quickly put on the dragon skin gloves, picked up a new vial and began picking up some plant covered in white fluff. "Skin me alive... I'm dead ... I'm so dead." Theo looked up and, noticing Harry's panicked expression, added: "Gosh, Potter, I mean it figuratively. Snape will not hurt me, except that he will probably forbid me from entering the lab without his supervision for a while."

"I know that," said Harry, but he let out a breath without even noticing that he was holding it. He came closer to the Slytherin. "Blah, it's disgusting. What is it anyway?"

"Plangentine," Theo said as if stating the obvious.

"Yeah, well, how could I not recognize the Plagnentine."

Nott gave him an odd look.

"Plangentine, you know, a plant that can only be harvested once a year, in the first quarter of the new moon. Worth around thirty galleons. The largest part of our potions' summer assignment?"

"Er... Yeah. Sure, I know that."

"Don't tell me you haven't started writing yet." The Slytherin looked at him in disbelief.

"Of course, I have. How can you accuse me of resting during my holidays instead of swotting up?" Harry's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Nott rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, back to the actual problem. Snape won't be delighted when he finds out, ergo he will be rather in a bad mood. I don't know what you want from him, but if you have any bad news, I will come tomorrow if I were you."

Harry totally shared Nott's opinion. Even though the man had been behaving quite okay with him lately, the boy had no intention of being at hand when the man will find out about the broken vial and the damaged, apparently important ingredient. Even his Gryffindor bravado had limits.

"Then I'll come by tomorrow," Harry said with an apologetic smile. Still, he looked closely at the substance on the floor and remembered that he had seen something similar before. "You know what? I'm not sure, but I think I have something like that in the basement in my house."

"Are you serious, Potter? How did you get that? Are you some hidden fan of Potions?"

"Yes, and I'm hiding, so Snape doesn't get jealous of my talent and then hate me even more," Harry snorted. "But seriously, if you want, we can go and see if it's this thingy and if so, I can give it to you."

"Really?" Nott asked. "And what do you suggest in return?"

"Nothing. Have you forgotten? I am a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin. I take from the rich and give to those in need or something."

"It was Robin Hood, not Godric Gryffindor. If it turns out to be Plangentine, I will pay you for it."

"You don't have to. I don't need it anyway."

"Give me a second. I'm just going to put out the flame under the cauldron."

 

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As he was about to open the door to the house, Harry wondered for a second what would happen if Tobias had already returned home. Sure, it was only noon, but Harry wouldn't be surprised if the man wanted a drink so badly that he would leave work early, or he would just get so drunk there and got fired. Fortunately, the house was empty. Harry invited Theo in. The basement door was to the left of the stairs. Gryffindor opened it and looked for a light switch on the wall. He went downstairs, but when he turned around, his companion wasn't behind him.

"Nott. Nott, come on!" When he heard nothing, Harry walked back upstairs to the hall. "What's going on? Why are you standing here? We must hurry."

"Potter, it looked like you walked through the wall like a ghost."

"Er... But the door's open."

"I can't see any entrance, just a solid wall." Nott held out his hand but suddenly pulled it back. "It's solid. There is no way to go through it."

"Come on, maybe it's just an illusion."

"No, Potter. There is nothing here. Let's go back." The boy's voice was urgent and full of anxiety.

"See for yourself. There's nothing there, just the opened door."

"No, it doesn't make sense, come on, we have to go back before Snape returns." Nott was about to turn around when Harry grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the basement. They felt no resistance. As soon as they passed the passage, Harry let go of Theo's hand, and the Slytherin shuddered. "It's like the Bloody Baron walked through me," he said as they descended the stairs. "It's rather complex magic. You didn't warn me your basement is so loaded with spells."

"How was I supposed to know?" Harry asked, surprised. "I didn't feel anything."

"No?" Theo frowned.

"No. Nothing strange."

"Weird. It might be a little more complicated then." Nott paused, looking around.

"What do you mean?"

"The fact that you did not feel this barrier at all, and I did, and it is not as simple as it sounds."

"I just wonder why someone would cast it?" Harry wondered.

"I don't know, maybe Dumbledore? I heard he was here."

"Maybe... but I doubt it. I think it was Eileen. I mean, my real mother." He looked uncertainly at Theodore.

"Perhaps she didn't want Muggles to come in here and see magical items. You know, she threw something like Hogwarts wards. Those that are supposed to repel Muggles only here repel everyone except the inhabitants. It felt like even touching that wall was pointless, and I should go back to Snape's."

"I don't think so... At my birthday party, one guy mistook the door for the bathroom and had no problem opening it."

"Weird. If that doesn't work for Muggles, why bother to cast this spell at all?" he looked pensive.

"I dunno. I guess it looks like ... your mother wanted to scare wizards? Except for me and Snape. Tobias said he was here as well before he kicked him out."

"So, she had to play a little with dark magic. All of it indicates that she used blood magic. What is in here that she was so anxious about not letting any wizard get in?"

"The thing is, the basement's just full of rubbish. Except for some rotten, slimy remnants of potion ingredients."

"Yeah, the potion's ingredient expert just said." Nott snorted.

Harry shrugged. After all, the Slytherin was right, so Harry ignored the comment and said:

"A few books and cauldrons, but these are things that are supposed to be hidden from muggles, not wizards. So, it was either something Snape had already taken or an old trunk that I can't open."

They immediately walked over to the chest in question, and Harry unhooked the latch and showed it to Nott, who looked at it closely and raised his eyebrows.

"What's the matter?" Harry urged him, stepping closer and also examining the latch.

"I think it might be the Potter's coat of arms."

"Potter's? Why the hell she had Potter's trunk?" After a moment, he added: "Do you think my mother traded me for some old trunk?"

"I doubt it," snorted Nott. "From what I can remember from genealogy lessons, one of Potter's daughters married Prince, which was your mother's maiden name."

"So, it's kinda family heirloom. She could just inherit it."

Nott shrugged.

"Probably."

"Anyway, I can't open it; I don't have the key."

The Slytherin looked at the lock more closely.

"I've heard of trunks like this. Without the key, it's almost impossible to open them. Unless you are very advanced in runes and spells. But I don't know if even Professor Babbling and Flitwick working together could disarm it."

"I'll talk to Hermione about it."

"Potter, I admit Granger can learn everything by heart, but it will take a little more than that."

"She just so happens to be able to solve various puzzles and is quite good at it."

"I'm telling you, Potter, no matter how good she is, she doesn't stand a chance."

"Then, we'll see," Harry replied, sure of his friend's skills. "And, anyway, genealogy lessons?" He raised an eyebrow, smiling a little mockingly. It sounded so snobbish.

"Yeah. I had classes with Draco, Pansy, Vincent, Greg, and the Patil twins as a kid. Every pureblood wizard should know, at least more or less, where he comes from and who is related to whom."

"Whatever for?"

"Really, Potter? You are so ignorant." Saying this, Nott rolled his eyes. "It's about magic, connections and politics. Show that Plangentine, because Snape will be back home soon."

Harry opened a cupboard filled with various substances. He pulled out one of them—an ingredient that resembled the one Nott had destroyed.

"Whoa, Potter. It really is Plangentine! Thanks a lot, I owe you one," He exclaimed happily. And relief appeared on Nott's face. He looked away from the vial in his hand for a moment, peeked into the cupboard and opened his mouth in amazement. "Merlin's beard! Potter, don't say you have basilisk skin! Man, do you even know what it's worth and what can be done with it?!"

"No, but let's go back. We need to hurry up."

"Arsenic! Unicorn blood! Merlin, Potter, it's not even quite legal! Moonstone, Saarko Stone and… oh well, those are mouldy earthworms."

"Hello? Do you remember? Snape was going to kill you, already forget that?" Harry urged him, and seeing that the Slytherin wasn't paying much attention to him, he pulled his sleeve.

"I'm going, I'm going. But let me tell you, your mother certainly didn't brew boil-healing droughts in here."

 

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As they had been running all the way back, they arrived breathlessly just before Snape returned.

"Potter? What are you doing here?" the man asked.

"Can I talk to you, please?" Harry began as politely as he could. After all, he was going to convey somewhat problematic information.

Snape nodded and invited him into the living room.

"What happened?" He asked, sitting down as usual in his favourite armchair and pointing Harry to the couch.

"Tobias is a jerk."

"Yes, that's nothing new. And I'd prefer if you refrain from saying it straight to his face. But what happened that you deigned to visit me?"

"He did not agree to let me go on Saturday and er... I kinda got a little angry."

When Harry told him about yesterday's conversation, Severus rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. "Can't you at least try a little to control yourself? I will deal with it. Be here Friday evening. Now go home. And by Merlin, don't get yourself into any more trouble and, under no circumstances, speak back to your father."

 

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Thursday, August 10th 1995

Bored, Harry was lying on the couch and flipping channels. He wondered what he should do with Eileen's trunk. The teen searched the entire house and couldn't find a key anywhere. He wanted to show the trunk to Hermione so she could help him find a way to open it.

However, the transport of two heavy trunks to the platform was rather problematic. In theory, Harry could ask Snape to shrink it for him. He was surprised that he had even thought about it because it usually seemed ridiculous to ask for help from someone who was not Ron, Hermione, or the twins. And yet the man had been really good to him lately. Most importantly, he had not yet begun to hate him again, so there was a chance the Potions Master would agree to do something as minor for him as casting a shrinking spell.

On the other hand, however, he didn't really want to share the knowledge of the trunk with Snape. At least not yet. He was sure there was something related to their mother. It could be the only way to help him get to know the woman who gave birth to him and whom he really knew as much as nothing. Maybe he was driven by a bit of selfishness, but he wanted to open this trunk in solitude, and Snape would certainly not let him do that.

Suddenly, he was disturbed by the slam of the door.

"Harry, get in here right now."

"Shit," he muttered under his breath because Tobias' tone of voice didn't bode well. He tried to remember if he had done something wrong. Maybe someone saw him on his way to Snape and told Tobias about him? His stomach tightened. He got up quickly and headed towards the kitchen. On the threshold, he met Tobias, who swung to punch him in the face and, unfortunately, Harry did not have time to shield himself.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" The man roared, grabbing the teen's arm and shaking him vigorously.

"What's that for? I didn’t do anything! Let go off me!"

"How dare you, you fucking snot. You called your buddy's father on me!" The man's face was pure rage.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Tobias gripped his arm so tightly that Harry felt as if he were about to crush his bone. But his helplessness frightened him even more, because no matter how hard he tried to pull it free, the grip didn't loosen for a second. "Which buddy?"

"Sure, you don't know, you fucking little bastard. So fucking innocent! Some Weasley accosted me so you can visit him. Have you snivelled already to him? That I treat you badly because I don't let you go there?"

"No. Get off me! It hurts! I swear it! I haven't contacted Ron. I didn't know his father was coming here."

Tobias pushed Harry so hard he stumbled and hit the wall.

"He'll come for you tomorrow after the game and take you there. Only, I warn you. If I hear one complaint about you, you will regret you were even born." Harry just nodded, not trusting his voice. "Now go to the store and get me ciggies and a bottle before you get it again," he said, tossing a note on the table. "That's all you are good for, anyway," he added, walking towards the couch.

 

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Friday, August 11th, 1995

Fucking Dredd, he thought as he finally managed to hobble over to the Potions Master's house. During the match, when the opportunity to score a second goal within fifteen minutes arose, Dredd, trying to take the ball away from him, jumped on his leg in such a way that he almost crushed his ankle. The teenager could barely walk, let alone play. The worst part was that they were both on the same team. The coach suspended the teen for the next two games, which did not improve Harry's mood in any way.

He spent an hour in the shower in the locker room, pouring cold water over his foot. While with the team, he pretended he was fine. Still, he was sure that if Hermione didn't come up with something to heal his leg the next day, he wouldn't be able to play football until the end of the summer vacation. And the final match, which was said to be a great event here, was approaching fast. The players invited their families, and the official presentation of cups took place. Even Tobias said he wouldn't miss it and after the match, he would take Harry out for burgers and to the cinema. And Harry always wanted to watch a movie in a real cinema. And sure, the man was in a bad mood lately, but he had taken him somewhere a few times, and the boy really had fun on those evenings spent with Tobias. Besides, Harry knew he would do his best, and he was thrilled that he would not stand all on his own after the game, but just like his teammates, he would have someone who would cheer for him and be proud of him. The teen smiled to himself.

Harry rang the bell, and after a moment, Snape appeared in the doorway. The man sized him up, frowning. He stepped aside, letting the boy in, and then led him into the living room, where he gestured to the couch.

"Hi, Potter."

In one of the armchairs, in the corner of the room between the fireplace and the window, sat Nott with his legs tucked in and a book in his hand.

"Merlin's beard, tell me, Potter, what happened to you again," the man growled.

'Uh-huh,' Harry thought. Snape's gone off his cheering-calming potions.

"I was playing football, and one guy clogged me. I think I might have twisted my ankle," said Harry.

"What about your face?"

"Er, I was elbowed." When Severus sent him an irritated look, Harry added: "Really. But... At least we won?" The boy tried to smile, but it looked rather unconvincing.

Severus sighed.

"Damn, Potter, are you going to be a little more careful or should I prepare more supplies for Pomfrey?"

"But I'm not doing this on purpose," Harry scowled.

"If you were at least a bit as devoted to learning potions as to sport, then maybe you could get something better than a Poor.

"My final grade is Poor?"

"Naturally, Potter. Don't tell me you expected something better," Snape sneered.

"Actually, I thought it was going to be Dreadful, so it's not too bad."

Snape raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Ambitious much, aren't we?" said Snape snidely, and then muttered under his breath: "I can't believe you really are my brother". Snape shook his head. Harry looked at him more closely. It was the first time Snape had said it aloud. "You know that although this grade allows you to pass the year, you must have at least Acceptable in your O.W.L exam to pass? Take off your shoe and sock. I'll have a look at your foot."

This time it was Harry who raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.

"Really?" he asked, and when the teacher shot him a basilisk glare, he compiled hastily. The teen gritted his teeth to keep from groaning as he pulled off his sneakers. The foot had doubled in size and was slowly turning blue. As Snape gently touched his ankle, Harry sucked in a breath.

"What, like a distrustful little idiot, you thought I'd leave you with a sprained ankle?" The man pulled out his wand and muttered a spell under his breath. "Do you still think I'm like that bastard Dursley and enjoy your pain?" It wasn't a question but a statement.

"Not true," Harry said quickly. "I just didn't think."

Hearing that, Snape snorted.

"Wait here, I'll go get the potions," he said, rising from his knees.

When he left, Harry spoke to Nott.

"Gee, is Snape slowly coming back to being himself? It wasn't Panti… Plantak… wasn't it the ingredient, or what?"

"Plangentine, and it was." Nott glanced at the door. "But, not now. Snape will be back soon," he added, then returned to his reading.

Harry nodded. On the coffee table, he noticed the book he had begun reading two days earlier while Nott was making the potion. So, the teen picked it up. It wouldn't hurt if he finished it.

"An excellent book, it explains how case law works and, in addition, contains cases similar to yours. If you want, you can take it and read it. If I can advise you, don't stress about tomorrow, Potter. It's standard procedure," he said, but Harry felt a certain tension in his voice.

"I was rather more stressed that I wouldn't be able to show up there at all… you spoke to Mr Weasley, didn't you? That he would convince Tobias to let me go." Snape smirked and shook his head. "It was him who thought to come? You didn't ask him for it?"

"No, Potter, you'll see tomorrow." The man crouched down and started smearing his ankle with some potion. "The important thing is that it had worked, and you will be able to show up in the Ministry tomorrow."

"Yes, it worked perfectly," Harry said slightly tartly, but then he reflected. He couldn't blame Snape, much less Mr Weasley, for Tobias' behaviour. Snape was right. The important thing was that he would go for questioning.

"What now, Potter?" Snape looked at him closely.

"Nothing, everything is fine."

"You got hit by Tobias for that," Snape said slowly, looking at him intensively.

Harry sat so close to the man that he could see the man flexing his jaw muscles, gritting his teeth, and the pulsating vein that slowly appeared on his forehead. When the teenager shook his head, Snape gave him another poisonous look.

"Watch out now, Potter. It'll hurt a little. Ready?" When Harry nodded, closed his eyes and clenched his hands on his trousers, Severus whispered: "Talus Redintegro." The boy grimaced but made no sound. He didn't want to make an even bigger victim of himself. "Put this on your bruise under your eye because you look like a hooligan, and it certainly won't help you tomorrow," said the man, handing him some potion. Snape got up from his knees and sat down in the armchair in front of the couch.

"Hey, it's not my fault."

"I know, Potter, but the impression that you are going to give is crucial." He sighed and then added: "Accio plates!" After a moment, a plate filled with previously prepared sandwiches and two empty ones flew in and fell on the coffee table, making no sound. "Theo, leave the book for now, and come eat." Harry looked at the other teenager, completely forgetting that he was also in the room. "You too, Potter, and after that, go to bed so you can get some sleep before tomorrow. I left you a clean towel in your room."

"Thanks, you didn't have to..."

"What the hell didn't I have to do, Potter?" Harry jumped as Snape slammed his fist hard on the armrest. "Provide food, a bed or access to a shower for the teen I am in charge of?"

"Honestly, none of those things”. Harry shrugged his shoulders and added: “It's not that you wanted to have me over. It's just that circumstances forced you to."

"Potter, aside from the fact that it is mere decency, I promised Tobias that I would take care of you, and I swear to you that I keep my promises. Always." Taking a deep breath, Snape got up from his chair and, after a moment, added: "I'm going out, you both need to eat and go to bed. I trust that the house will still be standing when I get back."

 


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