kbinnz - Harry's New Home

"What are you talking about, Potter?" the professor demanded angrily. Here he was, actually apologizing to a student, and the little idiot was only half listening. How dare he say it wasn't his fault! What was he suggesting, that Snape had been controlled by Voldemort's ghost?

" 'S okay," Harry insisted, hastily wiping at his eyes when the traitorous tears leaked out. "I know you tried. 'S my fault. I should've worked harder." Though in all honesty, he really didn't know how he could have. He was already staying up late every night trying to do all the reading and work on his handwriting and learn about wizarding society. "It'll be okay. They prob'ly won't be that mad." After all, his uncle's last words to him had been, "They're not going to like you any more than we do, you little freak!" Uncle Vernon would probably be pleased to have been proven right. That might save Harry from a beating for a day or two. Maybe longer, even, if he got right to work and painted the garden shed or something.

Snape ground his teeth in anger. What was the little brat babbling about? Why couldn't he just accept the apology, gloat like his bastard father would have, and let him return to his dungeons? But no, now he was whimpering and sniveling and acting as if Snape had fired a stinging hex at him. Any second now Poppy would be storming over, and this time she probably would make good on her threat. Snape really didn't want to see what a talented medi-witch considered "an appropriate punishment for child abusers". How dare the little monster play up like this just to get Snape into more trouble? "Stop that whining at once, Potter!"

Then something the brat said caught his attention: "Who won't be mad?" Dumbledore and the other staff were already mad at him, as the little creep must very well know. Why else would Poppy have hauled him bodily into her office as soon as he crossed the Infirmary's threshold? If he hadn't been so quick with a muffling spell, they would have heard her yelling at him all the way down in the Slytherin common room.

"My relatives," Harry answered, surprised.

Snape scowled horribly. Did the wretch think that he could threaten Snape with his Muggle relatives' displeasure? Would his dreadful uncle take exception to someone else using the boy as a punching bag? "What are you talking about? What do your relatives have to do with anything?"

"Wh-when you send me back. They didn't think they'd have to see me again until next year. I just meant that тАУ"

"What? Who's sending you back to those Muggles?" Snape exploded. "Did the Headmaster say that-"

Bad move. As soon as he started yelling at the brat, Pomfrey flew out of her office. "Severus Snape! I warned you! Now тАУ"

Rather more alarmed by her determined expression than he wanted to admit, Snape hurriedly pointed at Potter. "He said Albus is going to send him back to the Muggles!"

That distracted Poppy all right. "WHAT?" She was even louder and angrier than Snape. "HE SAID WHAT?"

Harry looked from one to the other, panicked. "No, no!" Somehow everyone was all confused, and he had a sinking feeling it was all his fault. Things usually were.

"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, GET DOWN HERE!" Poppy stuck her head in the floo.

A moment later, the twinkling Headmaster appeared, only to be confronted by two irate staff members. "What do you mean, telling Harry he was going to return to his relatives?" Poppy demanded.

Dumbledore blinked. "What?"

Poppy turned to Snape, annoyed. "Isn't that what you told me?"

Snape turned to confront the boy, only to find an empty bed behind him. "Where is that little monster?" he seethed.

"Ahem." The Headmaster pointed.

Both Snape and Poppy crouched down and looked under the bed. In the far corner, Harry had curled into a small ball, only his frightened green eyes were visible above his knees. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Please don't be very mad."

"Potter, get out here!" Snape snarled.

Poppy punched him in the shoulder. Hard. "Shut up!" she hissed. "Mr Potter," she said in much sweeter tones, "come here. No one will hurt you."

Harry's eyes flickered over to Snape and Poppy punched him again. "Get away!"

Affronted, Snape withdrew to nurse his sore shoulder. "Come on, Harry," she wheedled. "No one will hurt you. Come to Poppy."

To Snape's secret delight, the witch's coaxing was completely ineffectual. After a few minutes, she gave up in defeat. "What on earth is wrong with him? I promised him that he had nothing to fearтАж"

Albus twinkled at her. "Yes, my dear, but he had just seen you strike Severus. Twice. Quite firmly. I imagine he might have assumed that if you would hit a fellow teacher, you would be even more likely to strike a student."

Poppy's eyes grew wide with dismay. "Oh! I never thought of that! Albus, you try."

The Headmaster stooped. "Harry, my boy, will you please come out here?" No answer. "Harry? Please?" Nothing.

He straightened with a sigh. "It appears I have yet to earn the boy's trust."

Snape sneered. "Considering that he has you to thank for his living conditions for the last ten years, I think he shows remarkable perspicacity." Ignoring Poppy's scandalized look, he turned back to the bed. "Potter," he said, once again crouching down. "Are you going to come out of there?"

"Are тАУ are you very angry?" Potter gulped.

"I will be if you don't get out from under the bed," Snape retorted. "Hurry up!"

To Poppy's shock, Potter crawled out from under the bed. He stood up, half-flinching, but didn't jerk away when Snape picked him up and deposited him back on the bed.

"There." Snape couldn't resist sending a look of triumph at the disgruntled medi-witch.

"Harry," she said, coming forward very slowly and tentatively. "I promise I won't hurt you."

"Yes'm," Harry acknowledged nervously. That's what they all said, right? Well, not Snape. He'd never made such a ridiculous claim. That was why he could trust the man. When he was mad, he let you know it. He didn't lie or pretend. Harry was rather surprised Snape hadn't walloped him as soon as he'd emerged from under the bed, but hadn't the man come to apologize about having to send him back to the Dursleys? Maybe he felt badly enough that, this one time, he'd overlook Harry's hiding.

"Why did you tell everyone the Headmaster was going to send you back to the Muggles?" Poppy asked gently.

Oh no. Not again. If there was one thing Harry really hated, it was being asked why he had said or done something he hadn't. He knew better than to deny it, of course, but taking a punishment for something he hadn't done always made him that much angrier inside. Still, there was nothing he could do. He forced down his fury at the injustice of his life. Getting mad or talking back would just make things worse for himself. "Sorry, ma'am." He shut his eyes tight and hunched his shoulders, waiting for the first blow.

"Potter!" It was Snape again. He swallowed hard. He knew just how much a clout from the tall, dark man could hurt. "Look at me!" He didn't want to open his eyes, he really didn't, but he knew that he was just making them angrier. Uncle Vernon sometimes wanted you to see it coming, too. He forced his eyes open and glanced up warily through his fringe. The Potions professor was glaring at him, but his arms were crossed over his chest. Harry blinked. How was he going to hit him from that position?

Then Harry realized that Snape and the others had actually retreated a bit. No one was currently within arms reach, and Harry sat a little straighter.

"Potter," Professor Snape was looking at him strangely. "When I said I was sorry, you replied that it wasn't my fault." Both the headmaster and the medi-witch looked at him in surprise. "Is that correct?"

Harry nodded immediately. This was a lot better. He might still end up getting hit, but at least it would be something he'd actually said.