Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you VAspera, Gingerljf175 and Jasmin Kain:) for beta reading.
I really appreciate your help.
Chapter 8: Twenty-eight pounds

It's been over a week, and although Harry was hanging out on his favourite swing or sandbox with friends every day, he didn't meet Nott again.

It's been a weird week. Tobias was…well, Harry himself couldn't easily describe the man's behaviour. At times, the teenager felt that Tobias cared about him, but he was also quick to upset. The anxiety didn't leave Harry even for a moment because he could never guess what mood the man would be in.

It was different with Uncle Vernon. His uncle didn't like him, and neither did Aunt Petunia. So it was just better to stay away from them. The Dursleys’ behaviour rarely surprised him. Of course, it was for the best when he acted as if he didn't exist, but Harry also knew when and what he could get away with. Dudley was stupid, and Harry could run fast. So, the interactions with his cousin were simple too. Snape hated him, so again—it was just better to pretend he didn't exist (even though, in this case, it seldom worked). As for the other professors—they had no problem with him, and well, most of the time, they were simply nice. When he did something wrong, they took house points, but it didn't really change their behaviour towards him. However, Tobias sometimes acted like he cared about Harry, and other times as if the boy's mere presence made him angry.

Last Tuesday, the construction materials had been seized at the border. The East Build—the company Tobias worked for—ordered them from Eastern European countries to reduce the costs. For this reason, construction was halted, and employees were sent home until the materials went through customs inspections. Tobias didn't seem angry about it at all—he told Harry that they would refurbish his room and even took him shopping. They bought the cheapest white paint and a silver-grey bedspread. Tobias offered to buy a rug as well, and Harry readily agreed. In the price range the man agreed to, there were only three colours: neon pink, rotten green, and emerald green. Before Harry started Hogwarts, green was his favourite colour. Still, as it turned out to be the colour of the Slytherins, he wasn't so keen on it anymore. However, having not much choice, he opted for emerald green. They also managed to find cheap matching curtains.

By the evening, they finished the refurbishment. Harry washed the window, and Tobias repaired and oiled the wardrobe door and chair. The boy was impressed with the effect. The room looked completely different. Perhaps a bit too Slytherin, but he was delighted anyway. Until three years ago, his biggest dream was, cluttered with broken toys, Dudley's second bedroom. Now, he had his own room that was made specifically for him. He was overjoyed. He thanked Tobias over and over because he felt that this would be the place where he belonged.

But as the week went by and construction still didn't resume, Tobias drank more and more, becoming more and more exasperated. In fact, Harry hasn't seen him sober for four days.

Shortly after breakfast, Harry started washing up, and Tobias went to lie down on the sofa with his favourite beer because he was not feeling well.

As Harry was doing the dishes, he wondered if he should inform someone of Nott's presence in Cokeworth. He wanted to write to Ron and Hermione, but he was a little angry with them that they hadn't spoken to him since the beginning of the summer just because Dumbledore had told them not to. They were his friends, not the Headmaster's. He wouldn't leave them all alone. Sirius said that the Weasleys were supposed to stay at his place because it was supposed to be safer there than at the Burrow. Probably everyone had a great time there. Of course, Harry was fine, but he felt a little left out. Nobody told him about anything. If it weren't for Sirius, he wouldn't have had the basic information. He wondered if the Prophet continued to slander him.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected blow to the back of the head. The force of which was big enough that his forehead hit the cupboard above the sink. Surprised, he looked at Tobias, who grabbed his arm and began shaking him.

"D'ya think I'm rolling in money? You turned on the tap, and you're standing like a fool with your head stuck up your arse, and the water is running!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Don't apologize, just next time, think about what the fuck you’re doing! And stop daydreaming! Just get out of my sight!" He pulled Harry towards the kitchen door and returned to the sofa.

Harry clenched his fists, but he bit his tongue to keep himself from talking back. Since Tobias was in such a foul mood, he decided to stay away. Both his head and his arm throbbed painfully, so the boy rubbed them. He didn't go to his room but strode out of the house, slamming the door loudly to vent his anger at least a little.

He headed towards Oasis' house; unfortunately, he missed him. His father had informed Harry that Oasis would be going to London to pick up his aunt. Harry remembered that the boy had mentioned her and Tobias several times. Yuck.

Having nothing better to do, he decided to go to the park.

Suddenly, he saw the silhouette of Nott heading towards him. So, Harry decided to follow Slytherin. Despite the boy's explanations that Snape was teaching him Potions, it seemed very suspicious that he was in the area where Harry lived.

Harry went after him down a parallel path, hidden by bushes growing along the edge of it. It allowed him to keep an eye on Nott, with only a slight chance of being noticed. Harry saw that the Slytherin looked around suspiciously every now and then as if he was looking for someone. Perhaps he was given a mission to spy on Harry or something like that? Harry smirked. The roles were reversed, and Nott had no idea about it.

The Slytherin entered Mrs. Maggie's shop, so Harry quickly ran to the window and looked inside. Nott was buying something, but Harry couldn't find anything suspicious about the vegetables and yoghurts Mrs. Maggie was handing him. He wondered if the nice old lady thought the boy was slightly defective when he poured money onto the counter, trying to deduct the right amount, which took him a long time. Harry snorted softly, amused. Yes, his sense of humour definitely sharpens.

After a while, the Slytherin packed his purchases and began heading to the exit, and Harry hid behind the corner. On the way out, Nott looked around anxiously and only then started on his way back.

Harry decided to keep following him, but he had to wait until the distance between them was long enough. They were headed toward Reddish Road. When Harry finally made the turn around the corner of the street, the Slytherin was gone.

The Gryffindor regretted that he didn't take the Invisibility Cloak with him. He would have kept a shorter distance, and maybe then he would have noticed where Nott had gone.

Suddenly he heard, "Hey, Shortie!" Standing on the stairs leading to one of the houses was Roo. "What are you doing here?" his friend asked curiously.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm just knocking around."

"Do you want to come in and play with me on the console?”

"Sure." As a child, he’d dreamed of playing on Dudley's computer games so often that he was happy to accept the invitation now. "And your parents? Won't I disturb them?"

"My folks are visiting Grandma. Anyway, it's not like they mind that I invite my friends over."

Harry entered a spotless, well-kept house. He immediately took off his shoes so he would not make a mess on the floor. Roo took him upstairs. The boy's room was large, spacious, and even nicer than Dudley's.

"I've got a new Sega Saturn for my birthday. Wanna play Mortal Kombat?"

Harry shrugged. He didn't know much about games, so he didn't care what they were going to play.

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Harry had a great time at Roo's. They played Mortal Kombat and FIFA, then ate the dinner that Roo's mother left for him, and after that they played again, this time in Warcraft. He didn't even notice when it got dark outside. He lingered before going home but finally decided that it was really late and he should have to get going.

He hesitated for a moment outside of his house. He felt the anxiety again and started to wish he hadn't slammed the door so furiously when he was going out. He hoped Tobias wouldn't be angry with him. And that the man would be sober, although Harry seriously doubted it because the man started his day with a beer. On the other hand, Tobias could be so drunk he wouldn't even notice that Harry entered the house so the boy would be able to slip into his room unnoticed.

Harry could feel his palms starting to sweat. He closed his eyes and pressed the handle. As soon as he opened the door, the smell of baking cake hit him from the very threshold. It was weird. The boy was sure Tobias wouldn't bother with baking. If he could bake at all.

The man appeared at the kitchen door. "Where the hell have you been all day?" he snapped.

Harry lifted his chin and looked boldly at Tobias. "I was at my friend's house. What, suddenly I am not allowed to go out?"

Tobias snorted disapprovingly. "Come with me. I want to introduce you to someone." The man, not too gently, grasped the teen by the back of his neck and ushered him into the living room.

Harry scowled at the manhandling, but he didn't protest.

There, in the smoky living room, was a woman sitting on the couch. As soon as she saw the teen, she got up to greet him. She was a few inches taller than him and it was difficult to judge her age. She had a lot of wrinkles, but she was petite, with her hair cut short. She was wearing intense makeup: black, pencil-painted eyebrows contrasted with her pale skin and fiercely red lips.

"This is Sheryl," Tobias said, releasing him. "She will stay with us for a few days."

"And you must be Harry? Tobias told me about you." She held out her hand to him.

Harry squeezed it, rubbing his sore neck with his left hand. "Nice to meet you," he said, glancing uncertainly at Tobias, who went to sit on the couch.

"Harry, get yourself some food and go to sleep. It's late." As Tobias pulled the woman onto his lap, Harry turned around and left. He didn't mind giving them some privacy.

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Wednesday, July 20th, 1995

The following day, Harry was awakened by raised voices coming from the hallway. He got up quickly and put his ear to the door.

"…Then quit it and come with me."

"Fuck, why the hell won't you understand that I can't. I'm lumbered with the kid now!"

Harry froze.

"Then give him back. His previous caregivers somehow had no problem throwing the responsibility for the kid at you."

"You must be insane if you think I'm gonna give him up. I've waited fifteen years to meet him. He is mine."

"Just look at yourself. You can't even take care of yourself, let alone a kid. What can you give him?"

"You won't be telling me what I can and can't do! And the kid has everything he needs. He is fine."

"Then, leave him with someone just for two weeks. There is a vacancy at my workplace. And you have no job at the moment, and you definitely need money."

'So he had financial problems,' Harry thought as he stepped out into the hallway and through the ajar door entered Tobias' room. "You can leave me here alone," he said. Harry couldn't have imagined that he would live with one of Tobias' acquaintances or—horror of horrors—with his other son. "Really. I'll take care of the house."

"See?" Sheryl smirked wryly. "You can leave him. He's old enough."

"Are you crazy!? For two weeks?!" Then he turned to Harry. "And nobody taught you not to eavesdrop?"

"Well, you're screaming so loud it's hard not to hear it," Harry said, which he immediately regretted when he saw Tobias walking towards him. Flinching, he raised his hand defensively, but the man didn't hit him, just gripped his arm tightly and shook him.

"Don't talk back, you little shit! And don't get in the way when the adults are talkin'. We'll talk about it later." With that, he easily threw Harry out the door and slammed it behind him.

The anger that emerged from the rough treatment quickly turned into an uneasy feeling. Tobias' words, 'we'll talk later,' didn't bode well.

After a while, the voices in the next room faded. And after another few minutes, Harry heard the characteristic creak of the front door. He looked out the window and saw that both Sheryl and Tobias had left.

Taking the opportunity, he went for a quick shower. He decided not to show himself too much to Tobias when the man returned later, whenever that would be. After the shower, he lay down on the bed with an unpleasantly clenched stomach. An hour passed and the anxiety engulfing him began to be replaced by irrational anger. He slammed his fist on the bed. Rather than be content that Tobias had left him alone, Harry was angry that the man hadn't even bothered to tell him where he was going and when he would be back. That's why Harry wasn't going to sit at home either.

As he headed for the playground, he angrily kicked stones. Tobias was ungrateful. Harry just wanted to suggest a solution that would make the man's life easier. The boy sat down on his favourite swing. Sheryl wanted Tobias to get rid of him, but the man firmly opposed, so at least for now, Harry could be sure he wouldn't end up homeless.

Suddenly, in the distance, Nott's silhouette appeared. The Slytherin's presence in Cokeworth had bothered Harry all week. Nott passed the bench he had been sitting on the last time Dredd and his friends had accosted him and chose the one that stands a little further away and was partially hidden between the trees. He looked around, sat up, looked at his watch, and began reading the book. He was sitting irritatingly upright.

Cokeworth was pretty big. Why did Nott have to come here?

Like Harry didn't have enough problems, the Slytherin had to show up at Spinner's End. Harry was feeling more and more irritated. In the end, he couldn't stand it, so he got up and decided to go over to the other wizard.

Hearing the sound of footsteps heading towards him, Nott quickly lifted his head, tightening his fingers on the book.

"Potter," he greeted Harry with contempt in his voice.

"Nott," the Gryffindor replied in an equally contemptuous tone. "I told you not to come here. It's a Muggle neighbourhood." Harry clenched his fists in anger. He didn't know why the sight of a neatly dressed Slytherin sitting in the park and reading a Muggle book made him so angry.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's a public park, and everyone has a right to be here." The Slytherin rose, towering over Harry. He was several inches taller. "What? Asking for trouble again?" Nott looked meaningfully at his bruised forehead.

Harry got hot under the collar.

"It's a Muggle park, and I'm just surprised that Voldemort's pureblood minion hangs out in a place like this. What’s going to happen if your master found out about it?"

Nott turned pale.

"Shut up, Potter. You don't know anything."

"Yes, actually, I do. I saw your father in the graveyard. He was on his knees kissing Voldemort's robes." Harry realized what he was saying was terrible, but he was so angry that he didn't really care. He just wanted to feel released.

"I won't let you provoke me," Nott said through his teeth, although it was evident that he was barely in control.

"Why? Are you afraid of Snape?"

The Slytherin just shrugged. "You know that he has no problem with making someone's life difficult. And I don't need it."

"Even a Slytherin's life?"

Nott raised his eyebrows up. "Of course. Do you think that an irritated Snape can be pleasant to anyone?"

Harry calmed down a little.

"Just stay away from me," he said as he walked away.

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Upon returning home, he found Tobias in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Harry's stomach tightened again. "Sorry for the morning," he said quickly, seeing that Tobias was still angry with him.

"That doesn't answer my fuckin' question."

"In the park. Just for a bit."

"You're grounded until the end of the week. You are to wash the windows, clean and tidy up the yard behind the house."

"Okay." ‘A four-day grounding? Seriously? That's what he was supposed to be afraid of?’ "What about football practice?"

"You'll go there. I didn't sign you up there to make a fool of myself now," Tobias said, putting spaghetti on Harry's plate.

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Sunday, July 23rd, 1995

Harry was awakened by the warm rays of the sun falling through the open window straight onto his face. Recently, things have started to fall into place again. It was the last day of his grounding, and all the work that Tobias had assigned him had been done some time ago. Sheryl left on Friday. That day, Tobias also returned to work and actually became more liveable and absent more often. The day before, Harry's team had won one of the crucial matches. At Spinner's End, even the grounding was better than his daily routine when living at Privet Drive.

Harry got up, dressed quickly, and went downstairs. The man was apparently still asleep because his shoes were thrown around on the hall floor. He put them nicely, then went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Unfortunately, apart from a can of Coke, he found nothing there. Tobias had not done any shopping for a few days now, and any food supplies were practically used up. However, he did not dare to wake up the man and start complaining just because he was hungry. Harry knew Tobias wasn't like the Dursleys, and he wasn't starving him on purpose. Anyway, he could ignore his crying out for food. He drank a Coke to satisfy his hunger at least a little. It made him feel better.

He wished he had not spent all the money the twins had sent him. He could have forgone some clothes and now would have some pounds for a rainy day.

He went to take a shower, and when he came downstairs, Tobias was already sitting at the table with tea in his hand.

"Harry, go to Mrs Maggie's store and buy some food on tick."

"What do you mean ‘on tick’?" he asked, confused.

"Normally. Say that I will give the money back when I get my salary."

"You're kidding me..." He broke off; he was definitely not going to ask for food from the store unpaid.

"No. I am not joking.”

"But…”

"Don't argue," Tobias growled. "I should have received the money two days ago, but the boss is lingering with the payment." Harry could hear a hint of weariness in his voice. "Maggie is a good woman. She knows that life is not easy and this kind of situation happens. Tell her I will receive my money by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest."

Harry swallowed. He couldn't go there. It was too…demeaning.

"No, I'm not going to...er...ponce." Living with the Dursleys taught him very well to never ask anyone for food.

"We gotta eat something." The man's tone grew harsh, and his irritation was more and more visible.

"Don't worry, we will make it," Harry said, trying to smile reassuringly. "I saw some pasta in the cupboard. I will cook it, season it, and it will be fine, and you said it yourself that you have meals at work," he added quickly.

"Don't be an idiot. You will not go hungry. You already look like a scarecrow anyway. Go to Maggie's, get some bread, cheese, something for dinner, two beers, and ciggies."

"Well…no," Harry objected, lifting his chin higher.

"Harry…" Tobias narrowed his eyes.

"I won't go. You just care that I get you alcohol and cigarettes," Harry drawled, increasingly angry.

"I'm warning you, Harry. Do I have to get up?"

Despite the apparent threat and Tobias' sinister tone, the boy continued. "If you hadn't been drinking so much, you might not have run out of money." Even when furious Tobias got up and headed towards Harry, the teen continued, "and I wouldn't have to go to the fucking shop and beg for food and your⎯" he broke off as Tobias swung his hand to strike him.

Harry flinched, but his reflexes were good enough, so he raised his hand above his head. It slightly changed the direction of the blow, so Tobias' fingers hit Harry's mouth. The boy took a step back, so he was touching the wall now.

"Don't make me angry, boy," threatened the man, and his fingers went to the metal buckle on a thick leather belt. "I will whale the tar out of you so you won't even think about sitting down for the next week. And you will just start bawling. And in the end, you're gonna go to that goddamn shop anyway. It's your last chance. Though I should have your hide for your cheek anyway. I'm counting to three. One…"

Despite his fear, Harry gave him a rebellious look. "Fuck you."

"Listen up, you little bastard. You are to do what I say." Tobias grabbed his arm tightly, opened the door, and, pulling him with all his strength, threw him onto the sidewalk. "You have half an hour," he finished, then disappeared inside the house, slamming the door.

Harry slowly got to his feet and brushed down his knees. Noticing the tear on his trousers, he cursed under his breath.

As he walked towards the park, still a little shaky, he unconsciously wiped the line of blood that slowly clotted on his chin. The strike wasn't hard, but his teeth cut the delicate skin of his lips. He sighed. Even in the morning, it seemed to him that he was much better here than at the Dursleys'. Now, he had no idea what to do next. Sirius promised to visit him within two weeks and take him again to Porthcurno. Today was exactly the fourteenth day, and he hadn't heard from his godfather anything for the whole two weeks. He hoped the wizard would keep his word, show up, and take him away.

At that moment, he was afraid to go back home, and he started to regret his words. Besides, he knew that he will regret it if he goes home without going to that fucking shop first. He was scared that Tobias might eventually fulfill his threats. On the other hand, maybe Harry was worried for nothing again, and all of it will just blow over. Maybe Tobias was just all talk.

Harry looked at his watch, realized it was Sunday and Mrs. Maggie would close her shop soon. He ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. If the teen had been sure that Sirius would come for him as had promised, Harry would have forgone the visit in the shop and avoided the embarrassment. He would ask his godfather to let him stay in the massive house by the sea until the end of Summer. However, he had doubts that the man would keep his word.

He cursed under his breath. He knew he had to finally pull himself together, stop feeling sorry for himself all the time, and stop relying on others—as he had started to do recently. He was an idiot to let himself hope that he would have an adult he could count on. He didn't need one anyway. Hell, he was almost fifteen. He was practically an adult himself. He should just be grateful that he had a place to sleep and some food—Harry snorted when he realized his current situation—usually at least.

He had already had to sleep outside on several occasions at the Dursleys. He wasn't keen to repeat the experience. Each time it happened, his uncle did not let him into the house for the night due to some stupid reasons. Sleeping in the garden on the grass, without any blanket or a pillow, was one of the worst experiences, especially when it was raining. He wasn't going to do it again, so he couldn't just run away without any plan. And although the stay with Tobias put him in a permanent state of anxiety because the man, particularly when drunk, was like a time bomb, Harry had already been in worse situations. He decided to suck it up and survive the humiliation in front of Mrs. Maggie. Then he will go home, eat a humble pie, and perhaps by evening, he will be able to forget about the whole incident.

Harry sighed. He needs to swallow his pride this one last time, go to that stupid shop, and at the earliest opportunity, get the gold out of his Gringotts' Vault, convert it to pounds and prevent this kind of situation from repeating again.

The gloomy thoughts accompanied him until he made it to the store. At that exact moment, it hit him what he was about to do. He felt embarrassment and growing panic. He didn't want to go inside so much. Harry passed the building, only glancing inside through the glass in the door. Unfortunately, inside, some old man was standing by the counter buying something. Harry didn't want any witnesses of his humiliation, so he waited outside.

He looked at his hands and saw that they were shaking slightly. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath to calm down. Finally, the man left the store. Harry pushed back from the wall and was about to head to the entrance when he noticed some couple quickly approaching the shop. When they went in, Harry decided to wait a bit longer.

The teen thought that it would be easier to steal what he needed. Maybe not from a nice old lady, but from the supermarket. He wasn't a thief, of course, and he would have given the money back as soon as he had got it. However, if they caught him and the police brought him home, he was sure Tobias would kill him. Literally. Harry shivered at the mere thought.

Fortunately, the couple has just left the store. Harry looked around, and when he saw no one, he stepped inside.

"Good morning, Harry," Mrs. Maggie greeted him. "Why were you lurking outside?" She smiled good-naturedly at him.

"I…" he began hesitantly. "Because you see, the point is that..." It seemed a little easier when he was thinking about it than actually doing it.

"Yes, darling?" said the woman encouragingly.

"I would like..." He swallowed loudly. "Can I ask you for a favour?" he stammered out finally.

"What kind of favour? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing... I mean, could I buy something and pay on Wednesday?"

Mrs. Maggie frowned.

"Your father spent all of his money again?" she asked. "What an old sot," she added under her breath.

A crimson blush spread across Harry's cheeks. "No, it's not what you think. His boss was supposed to pay them this week, but something happened. I promise to give it all back on Wednesday. I promise."

"Of course," she nodded. "So, what can I get you?"

Harry listed a few things he needed, including alcohol and cigarettes. The woman did not comment on that.

"That will be twenty-eight pounds in total." She picked up a pen and wrote down the sum in the notebook she kept on the counter. "So, you're saying Wednesday, right?"

"It will not be necessary."

Hearing that voice, Harry froze. All the colour drained from his face. He wanted the ground to swallow him up. He would gladly disappear. Even one little Avada Kedavra would be better than his current situation. He would recognize that malicious, mocking voice anywhere. Harry didn't dare to turn around. He wished so badly that it was just a bad dream and he will wake up in a moment. However, nothing like that happened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pale hand pass the notes to the old woman.

"No, ma'am!" He interrupted hastily, "I'll give the money back to you on Wednesday. Really!" He wanted the woman to listen to him. He preferred to owe money to the nice old woman than to him.

"Shut up, you little idiot, this isn't a food bank," Snape growled. "And this, please," he added, handing the woman some vegetables that have been kept in crates against the wall in front of the counter.

Mrs. Maggie looked at Snape, took the cash, and turned to Harry.

"Then it's not me, who you will give the money back to," she said, handing him one bag and the other one to Snape.

"Goodbye." Harry said in a tense voice and left. Snape followed him.

Why has he always had the worst luck? If he'd only come five minutes earlier, he wouldn't have met Snape.

"I didn't ask for a loan," the Gryffindor said as he turned angrily to Snape. "I'll give it back to you as soon as possible," he added, his face burning with shame.

"It's ‘professor’ or ‘sir’ to you, Potter. And take your time, I don't need the money right now. When Tobias gives you some money, you will save it for next month. Be aware that this is not a one-time thing." Severus doubted he will be able to get the idiot boy out of his father's care by then, if it is possible at all. Not when Dumbledore disagreed with him on this matter. He could not count on the Ministry either. Even though he was a teacher at Hogwarts, everyone knew about his connection to Voldemort, and too much interest in the legal guardianship of The-Boy-Who-Lived would, at the very least, raise suspicions.

Besides, Dumbledore was right about one thing. The news of Potter's current guardian, much less the fact that he might be treated less than perfect, could not spread. He was sure Fudge wanted the boy under his control. There was also a chance that Malfoy would have applied for adoption of The-Boy-Who-Lived. He had money, and Narcissa was closely related to Black, who should have been the boy's guardian after the elder Potter's death. Of course, that was just an option, but it could have had dire consequences, beginning with the kid's quick death. Unfortunately, in the present situation, Severus' hands were tied. All he could do was keep an eye on Potter and reluctantly ease his plight.

Harry looked at his teacher, whose face was strangely neutral. The lack of the mocking smile he hated so much caught him off guard. It made him feel even more uneasy than usual. Not knowing how to behave in this situation, he reacted with anger.

"I don't want to be indebted to you. Tomorrow, I will go to Gringotts, exchange some Galleons and give it back to you."

"Potter, tell me, did you do a brain-swap with Longbottom?" Severus asked rhetorically. "Apart from the fact that, at the moment, you don't even have the financial capacity to get there, have you forgotten what happened in June? Who is back? Whose head the Dark Lord would want on a silver plate? I swear to you that if I find out that you set foot outside of Cokeworth unsupervised, I will give you detention every time Gryffindors will have Quidditch practice."

"You can't tell me what to do." The boy crossed his arms over his chest, and a grimace appeared on his face. "We're not at Hogwarts, and even if we were, you can't put me in detention if I don't do anything wrong. Anyway, McGonagall wouldn't⎯"

Snape smirked and interrupted the boy's tirade.

"Do you really think I need any reason to put you in detention?" Harry clenched his fists in frustration. "It doesn't matter, Potter. Your arse is to stay in Cokeworth if you know what is good for you," Snape said in a calmer tone, watching the boy. The truth was, the Potions Master must have a reason to put him in detention, which he later enters in his file. However, Potter did not know this. The boy believed that teachers could punish him whenever they felt like it. And, Severus had no intention of correcting his assumptions by informing him about the possibility of formally appealing to his head of the house or the Headmaster when the punishment was unfair or too severe. The kid did whatever he wanted at Hogwarts anyway. Severus saw no point in encouraging him any further.

The Potions Master looked a little closer at the short boy. He noticed his bony wrists, which looked as if they could be broken with bare hands without any effort. The already fading bruises in the shape of the large palm were imprinted on his left arm, his lip was split, and there was a visible smudge of dried blood on his chin. The sight of the boy was pathetic. After a moment, Snape cleared his throat, and Harry looked at him.

"If you want, you can work it off. You probably aren't aware, but every summer, I prepare potions for the hospital wing. Since you showed up at Hogwarts, along with that clumsy oaf Longbottom, I've got much more work to do because you're using up most of our supplies. So, you can help prepare ingredients for these potions. You will arrive at 37 Flukey Road tomorrow and the day after. Nine o'clock. I'll pay you five pounds per hour."

Harry squinted at the teacher, looking for a trick. He had no desire to visit Snape, much less work for him. The teenager was kicking himself for mentioning Gringotts. If he had kept his mouth shut, Snape wouldn't have threatened him with detentions during practices. He couldn't risk playing Quidditch just to give Snape his money back three days early and save his stupid pride. There was also a chance, of course, that Snape wouldn't find out Harry went there. Even though he did not have the money to pay for a ticket to London, he could always try to hitchhike. After visiting Gringotts, Harry would already have money to pay for the return ticket. But he knew that with his luck, at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, he would run into Snape or someone who might tattle to Snape on him. And then—no Quidditch for him this year.

Harry debated with himself for a moment. Then, he lifted his chin higher and with all the dignity he had left, he nodded. He turned on his heel and marched off as fast as he could.

On the way back, he was cursing under his breath. He knew Nott was staying with Snape. Harry was sure that Snape will tell the Slytherin about everything that happened today, and they will laugh at poor, hungry Harry Potter, who begs for food in the store. Nott will probably repeat everything to Malfoy. Harry sighed. He already knew that September won't be easy for him. Neither Snape nor Malfoy will lay back and leave him alone. He could already imagine the malicious comments, taunts, and laughs.

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’ve been through worse things before,’ he thought, trying to console himself.

As he entered the house, he again felt nervous at the memory of the last confrontation with his father. He put the groceries on the kitchen table and, through the open door, saw that Tobias was sitting on the couch, switching TV channels. When the man saw Harry, he narrowed his eyes, then stood up and headed towards him.

"It took you a long time."

Harry swallowed. "There was a queue."

"Fucking hell, stop lying!" Tobias took two quick steps forward. He gripped Harry's arm tightly, pushing him onto the table so the boy's chest was pressing against the tabletop and the edge of the table dug into his stomach. "There are no queues on Sundays! There are never fucking queues there! You were gone for an hour and a half!"

"Hey, what the hell, stop it! What are you doing! Leave me alone!" Harry tried to pull away, but a firm hand pressed his torso hard against the tabletop really hard.

"Shut the fuck up! I'll teach you how to behave! You will stop lying, and you will think again before giving me lip!"

"Seriously, leave me alone! You must be mental if you think I will let you beat me!" Harry shouted, panicking. He figured out what Tobias was about to do. He struggled harder and harder and tried to twist away, but it was in vain. Years of work on the construction site meant that Tobias had no problem holding a skinny teen down with one hand so the boy had no chance of breaking free.

Harry cursed loudly as he heard the click of an unfastened metal buckle.

Chapter End Notes:
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