Where I belong by Handa

“I know he took it sir!” Draco yelled before Harry had even a chance to breathe.

“I saw him looking at it yesterday and besides he wasn’t even at the feast so he must’ve had ample time to steal it and-“

“Mr Malfoy, I will take it from here.” Snape commanded and he rounded on Harry.

Harry gulped. He should’ve known the universe wouldn’t have wanted him to be happy for that long and there would be downward tip somewhere and here it was. Harry had never seen Snape so angry before, he eyes narrowed as he stared down at Harry over his crossed arms.

“S-sir, what’s-“

Snape didn’t even give Harry chance to finish. “Mr Potter, are you aware that theft at Hogwarts is an offence worth expulsion?”

Harry’s stomach did a flip, he felt even more violently ill than before. He seriously regretted the Halloween sweets now. Harry’s breaths became erratic as he forced himself to speak.

“I-I didn’t steal anything-“

“He’s a liar!” Draco yelled, causing Harry to flinch. “There’s no one else who would’ve taken it!”

Harry was stunned as a million questions ran through his head. What were they even talking about? What had been stolen?

“As your head of house, I have the right to search your belongings, Mr Potter.” Snape narrowed his eyes so menacingly at Harry he had to look away. “Step aside.”

“I didn’t steal anything, sir! I don’t even know what you’re-“

“Then you won’t mind me searching your trunk then, Mr Potter?” Snape sneered. “If you have nothing to hide?” He spat.

“Sir I-“

“Step aside, Mr Potter!” Snape yelled and Harry jumped from the volume of his professor’s voice. On shaky legs, he obeyed and then backed away from his bed, his eyes tearing up and hands shaking.

The Potion’s master sighed and ran and hand over his forehead and he strode towards Harry’s trunk, Harry thought he must be tired from the long night and the feast.

Unfortunately for the Professor, Harry was in such a state that he forgot the stinging charm he had put on his trunk and Professor Snape paid for that moments later, pulling away from the trunk sharply with a hiss and then a deathly look to Harry.

“Why in merlin’s name do you have a repelling charm on your trunk, Potter!” He yelled, waving his wand with what Harry assumed was a countercharm, but Harry still flinched from the sharp movement, biting harshly on his lip.

“Probably because he has all his stolen belongings in there.” Malfoy sniggered, and the other Slytherin’s all promptly fell into barrels of laughter.

Snape rubbed his temple, Harry wondered if the Professor had a headache.

Then he looked at Harry steadily for a few minutes that felt like a lifetime before addressing Harry’s dormmates. “Boys, go wait outside in the common room. Mr Potter and I require some privacy.”

Harry didn’t like the other boys there, but one on one time was not at all what Harry wanted with his professor when he was this angry, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers and his hands trembled.

“Sir that’s not fair!” Draco protested, his face looked betrayed. Harry guessed he was greatly enjoying this whole ordeal, that he had no doubt conducted himself.

“This is our dorm too!” Blaise bravely added, but Snape was not in the forgiving mood.

“Leave! Now!” Snape roared and even the Slytherin bullies knew better than to argue with their head of house when he was like this.

Snape was breathing heavily, and it was the only noise in the room apart from the ringing Harry heard his ears from his panic.

“Well Potter?” Snape snapped. “Why is there a stinging charm on your trunk?”

“S-so the other b-boys can’t get in it, Sir.” Harry stuttered, cursing himself for how weak he sounded. It reminded him of his first week at Hogwarts. He was an honorary Gryffindor now; he could do better than this.

“And what business would any of them have to go in your trunk?” Snape asked bewildered by Harry’s answer, but Harry just looked down and avoided his gaze.

Snape studied Harry for a while, as if he realised something but didn’t wish to believe it to be true.

He then turned back to Harry’s trunk and unbuckled the top without a stinging hex this time. Harry still wondered what on earth Snape was looking for, and if he’d find some sort of way to blame Harry for this crime.

Even with his anxiety levels so high, Harry still feels his face heat up with embarrassment as Snape pulls out his old hand-me-down clothes from Dudley and his even worse for wear pyjamas that the other boys had come to call ‘rags’.

The only thing keeping Harry going was the fact he knew there was no way Snape would find whatever he was looking for - he hadn’t stolen anything.

“Where are all your other belongings, Potter?” Snape asked. Harry noticed that Snape’s voice seemed less angry now the other boys had left, he sounded tired and confused.

Harry was also confused though, was that another one of the Professor’s trick questions? “What other belongings sir?”

Snape ignores his question and continues searching, pulling out Harry’s toiletry bag, full of all the basics he had acquired through the Gryffindors. “Why isn’t this in the washroom?”

Harry wasn’t going to keep it in the washroom after what had happened last time, when they shoved all his belongings down the toilet. Anywhere apart from Harry’s trunk wasn’t safe from the hands of Malfoy and the other boys in the dorm.

Harry no longer trusts his voice, so shrugs his shoulders softly while looking down at his tatty shoes, hoping Snape doesn’t call him out for his lack of verbal response. Surprisingly, the professor doesn’t.

Snape slams the trunk closed with a slam making Harry jump and looks to be deep in thought as he studies Harry from across the room. Harry had hardly realised he’d been slowly moving away in fear since his professor had arrived and now found himself flat against the wall of the dorm.

“Where were you this evening, Potter? Why didn’t you come to the feast?” Snape asked, his voice once again in the slow calculating tone.

Harry opened his mouth to reply but promptly closed it again. How could he tell Snape he was mourning his dead parents? How could he tell him that his friends had sat with him and held his hands while he looked up to the stars? How could he tell Snape he didn’t go to dinner because his friend stole from the kitchens instead?

The silence seemed to be enough of an answer to Snape. “I see.” He muttered and then promptly marched over to Harry. “Do I need to continue this search Potter or will you save us both the time and the effort and just give it up. You’ve been caught.”

“Sir, please, I don’t even know what you’re-“

“You’ve stolen Draco’s Family watch, no one else could’ve had the chance as they were all at the feast! All apart from you, Potter!” Snape snapped, his voice growing furious again. “Mr Malfoy’s watch has anti-summoning charms on it, therefore someone must have taken it.” Snape explained so fast that Harry’s mind was racing to keep up. His voice grew soft and deadly. “Now, hand. It. Over.”

“His watch? Why would I…?” Harry muttered, his heart thumping nearly as fast as his head was spinning trying to make sense of what was happening.

Someone stole Malfoy’s watch. And everyone thought it was Harry. Of course they did.

Harry was reeling so much in his own head, he didn’t even notice his professor’s hand coming his way until he was already flinched away from it sharply, his hands covering his face out of habit away from an incoming blow.

Harry’s heartbeat was in his throat as he looked timidly through his hands to see his potion professor and head of house’s face staring back, a shocked and almost haunted expression on his face and his hand still placed out in front of him.

“Your bag.” Snape’s voice was low and heavy as he beckoned his hand, in signal for Harry to hand it over. Harry blushed in realisation that his teacher wasn’t in fact going to smack him and took his bag off his shoulder with shaky hands and gave it to his professor, avoiding eye contact.

Snape emptied the contents onto Harry’s bed but still came out short when all he found were textbooks, quills and a few sweets left over from his night in the tower.

Snape sighed in frustration staring at Harry’s belongings, before he pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry’s bed.

Harry watched with horror as he watched his professor levitate the side of Harry’s mattress and his lovely silk green sheets fell gently to the floor.

And alongside them fell Draco’s watch, clattering to the floor.

The silence was all too much to bear as Harry felt his despair rise even more, the sounds of breathing were the only sounds echoing through the dorm as they both stared at the watch.

Snape bent down slowly to pick up to the golden pocket watch and studied it.

Harry tried to be brave.

“Sir, I didn’t know, someone must have-“

“Silence, Potter.” Snape immediately interrupted with a sneer. “I will collect you after breakfast. And we shall take these matters to the headmaster.”

Harry felt himself shiver as he felt a cold rush flood through his veins, in fear and sadness. Had the Slytherin’s really found a way to get rid of him for good?

“T-the headmaster? But I swear I didn’t-”

“I won’t hear of any more of your excuses tonight. It is late.” Snape snapped, his hand rubbing down the side of his face. “The evidence will speak for itself in the morning, and you will face the appropriate consequences.”

“I-I-I’m not…” Harry whispered, tears now rolling down his face. He couldn’t leave Hogwarts; this was his home. Sure, it wasn’t perfect at times, but life never was for Harry. The fact is that Harry had never been happier than at his time at Hogwarts. And now it was going to be taken away from him.

“Get to bed. Now. You’ll be dealt with in the morning.” Snape sneered, looking maliciously down at Harry before sweeping out the dorm, pocket watch in hand.

Before the door slam, Harry saw a flick of his wrist which made Harry’s belongings tidy up, and silk sheets sweep back onto his bed neatly.

Harry rushed to his newly made bed and immediately pulled his curtains shut before the sobs erupted from his tiny body. He muffled his cries into his pillow when he heard the other boys re-enter the dorm, but for some reason they didn’t bother him and went straight to bed too.

Tears were still pouring down his face as he fell into a restless sleep, while wondering how his life went from so right to then so wrong.

---

Severus Snape often prided himself on being a good head of house. He kept a close eye on his students, and he felt protective over their safety, wellbeing, and their education.

Slytherin house was home for him when he was in Hogwarts. It was a place away from his bullies, a place away from the Gryffindors, and a place away from his father.

It was for that reason that he accepted the job offer all those years ago from Albus Dumbledore, he still felt a loyalty to his old schoolhouse and a new sense of protectiveness over his snakes, who already face too much prejudice from other houses.

It made any late night staying up with seventh years to perfect essays, and any early morning meeting with his prefects to keep up to date, all worth it. It was piece of mind that he was looking out for all his students.

That was until Harry Potter was sorted into Slytherin house. At first, he had seen Harry Potter as the carbon copy of his father and his cronies; arrogant, cruel and a bully. In fact, until he had been called to the first-year dorms by none other than Draco Malfoy, reporting theft of a magical family heirloom, Severus was still standing by his early assumption. Now he was a little unsure.

Perhaps it was the darkness of the night and the tiredness that Severus felt from grading papers late into the evening, or perhaps it was the fire whisky Minerva had convinced him to drink at the feast itself. Whatever it was, it had thrown Severus, and he felt a sense of dread settle in his stomach.

This was routine. He’d always preferred when prefects could sort out any petty spats between housemates, usually all focused on friendships and relationships, but it wasn’t unfrequent that he had to get involved to ensure peace was still achieved in his house. Slytherin had fewer arguments from what he had heard from other houses, but it was inevitable with teenagers living in such close quarters that quarrels would occur. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when he was called to the Slytherin first year dorms after the feast, and he also wasn’t surprised it had involved the infamous golden boy.

The Potter boy had caused nothing but trouble since he had arrived through the Hogwarts gates. He’d refused to listen to authority numerous times, caused trouble within his social circles and even made inter-house friendships, clearly as an act of rebellion. His schoolwork was average and showed little care to the true craft of magical studies. It frustrated Severus to no end, it was as if all his usual tactics were failing him, the Potter boy refused to be intimidated.

But theft was on another level to these annoyances and Severus decided he had clearly been too lenient with the boy and was prepared to unleash hell on the thieving boy as soon as he returned to the dorm, intent on finding Draco’s watch but also ensuring the boy learnt a lesson in decorum, perhaps deterring his behaviour and lack of respect for rules.

It was clear Potter was the one to take the Malfoy watch. He wasn’t at the feast and Severus noticed his little Gryffindor cronies failed to show up for the Halloween celebrations also. The fact the Slytherin boy had refused to tell Snape his whereabouts during the feast confirmed this.

This was simple. Routine. Potter was clearly breaking the rules, he had evidence to back this up and the boy’s track record this term didn’t suggest anything was amiss. So, what was bothering Snape so much so that he’d had to pour himself another glass of fire whisky when he’d returned to his quarters? A feeling of dread had settled further in his stomach and no matter what Snape did he couldn’t escape it. Every time he closed his eyes, the Potter boy and his peculiar reactions haunted him.

It was as if he’d looked at the boy for the first time when he was in that dorm room. His small hands had been shaking, tears streaming down his face, and when he flinched away from the professor’s hand, it triggered something within Severus that he didn’t quite understand himself.

The green eyes, so full of fear, so full of despair, yet so similar to the eyes of his childhood best friend. The child’s mother.

It was so much emotion, more emotion than Severus was used to feeling in a long time. Perhaps he was delirious from the fire whisky. He'd decided to figure out what to do with the boy in the morning, an alternate perspective from his mentor would help too. He couldn't straight when it came to Harry Potter. It was unnerving.

There was also the boy’s trunk. It wasn’t unusual for his snakes to protect their belongings, but it often meant they had something to hide from the eager eyes of their dorm-mates. When Snape looked through the measly belongings of the boy, he couldn’t see any reason for the boy to be so secretive. So, what was he hiding?

These thoughts haunted Snape’s sleep. The trunk. The washbag. The stinging charms. The flinches. Those eyes.

It left him staring down at his third coffee at the staff table the next morning, trying to wake himself up from his awful night’s sleep. He needed his wits about him if he was going to deal with the Potter boy again. He still hadn’t decided what to do.

He hadn’t lied to the boy. Theft was an apt reason to build a case for expulsion. But something wasn’t right. The stupid feeling of dread hadn’t left his stomach since the previous night, and he needed to squash that before any decisions were made.

If Severus himself felt exhaustion from his rough night, when he looked up and saw Potter enter the great hall, he could see the exhaustion living his face, possibly mirroring his own. He pulled his glasses aside to rub his eyes before taking a solitary seat at the far end of the Slytherin table. He grabbed a piece of toast from the centre of the breakfast feast and nibbled it. Severus couldn’t keep his eyes off the small boy, he was like a logic puzzle that Severus needed to figure out the answer to.

It seemed as if not even his Gryffindor friends could cheer up the boy as they entered obnoxiously loud as always. He saw one of them, the youngest of the Weasley’s call out to him but Harry just hunched in on himself taking another small bite of his toast.

His Gryffindor friends frowned as his reaction. They all took their places at the Gryffindor table, but Severus noticed the Weasley boy and the intelligent muggleborn girl- Granger hesitate. They finally sat down but cast concerned glances his way. How had one of his Snake’s made such an impression of friendship on the opposing house? Especially when he struggles so to maintain relationships with his house and dorm-mates. And how had this happened right under Severus's nose?

Severus decided he was only delaying the inevitable and the boy seemed to not be eating much of his breakfast any way, perhaps from nerves. Where did this feeling of sympathy for the boy come from? He reminded himself of the trouble and frustration he has caused all term. The boy brought this on himself, he doesn't deserve Severus' sympathy.

With one last sip of his coffee, he stood from the staff table and swept over to the end of the Slytherin table.

“Mr Potter.” He called and he saw Harry cringe. “Follow me. Now.”

Harry snuck a glance at his professor from under his eyelashes and then nodded, swinging his legs around to stand. He was about to follow his professor when Severus noticed the boy cast his eyes longingly over at the Gryffindors. Snape rolled his eyes.

“Anytime now, Mr Potter. Don’t waste my time.”

As if the familiar drawl reminded him of his fate, and he begrudgingly looked away from his friends and followed his professor, his gaze firmly on the ground.

They walked side by side all the way to the headmaster’s office, Severus’s head still spinning and the boy’s head still firming facing the ground.

“Sherbet lemon.” Snape murmured eventually and he heard Harry let out a little gasp as they watched the large griffin statue begin to twist and emerge into a staircase and they both made their way up the stairs to visit the headmaster.