kbinnz - Harry's New Home

Harry swallowed hard, his throat thick with dread. Put that way, of course it sounded as if he had done it.

His da leaned close. "Go to your room," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

Harry turned and fled, half-expecting to feel the sole of his shoe crack across his backside as he went. But his da didn't touch him, and he threw himself across his bed, already in tears. This was like being back with the Durselys, with incomprehensible things happening around him.

But he had learned that those events had been what his da called "accidental magic" тАУ things like turning his teacher's hair blue or apparating away from the bullies тАУ and he was supposed to be too old for it anymore. This was that same feeling all over again, only worse, because he hadn't even been upset or angry when it happened. And how did his shoes get smeared with that mess if he hadn't been there? But if he had, then why didn't he remember? He would have sworn that he had been here reading the whole time, but his shoes argued otherwise. They certainly wouldn't have gone for a walk by themselvesтАж

Could he have done it but not remembered? The only thing that made sense was the bizarre idea that he'd been taken over by someone else, who used his body to do something awful, then left him without a trace and without even the sense of time having passed!

Back in the living room, Snape paced back and forth. Clearly, desperate measures were called for, but what? And how? He couldn't afford to ignore this, but neither did he want to make the situation even worse. He considered his options carefully and began to plan.

It was close to an hour before Professor Snape again appeared in Harry's doorway. He regarded the puffy eyed, snot-streaked boy coldly. "Potter, get out here," he ordered sharply.

Harry snuffled and hastened after his da.

"Do you recall what I told you shortly after I agreed to be your guardian?" Snape demanded, looming over the small boy. "Well?"

Harry wiped at his eyes, trying to guess what his father meant. He'd said a lot of things, about how he wouldn't ever really hurt him, and how he was responsible for keeping Harry safe and happy, and how he wouldn't let anyone hurt him again, but somehow none of those seemed likely to be the thing that Professor Snape was talking about right now. Still, better not to admit that he didn't have a clue. "I тАУ I think so, sir," he hiccupped nervously.

"Good. Then you will understand me now, when I tell you that I do not BELIEVE this behavior of yours!" Harry rocked backwards at the venom in Snape's voice.

"I trusted you, you miserable brat!" Snape went on angrily. "I was foolish to believe that you could behave! I should have sent you back to those relatives the first day you earned detention from me." Harry's jaw dropped. His da was yelling тАУ which he never did тАУ and he was saying things that Harry knew he didn't mean. Hadn't Snape always said horrible things about his relatives? And yet now he was saying he should have sent Harry back to them? But he had promised.

"You are an atrocious, arrogant little fiend with no respect for others!" Snape continued viciously. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to bring you into my home like this! You deserve to be expelled and sent back to the Dursleys!" Harry gaped in dismay, his whole world collapsing about his ears. "I will give you one last chance, Potter, but know that the next time, I swear I will throw you out of Hogwarts! Do you understand?"

"I тАУ" Harry tried to protest, but he couldn't speak through the tears.

Snape nearly cursed in frustration. The boy was such a Gryffindor, never looking beyond the obvious, despite all his hints! All right тАУ he had one more trick up his sleeve. "No more of your cheek, young man! You have one more chance, but only after you've been soundly punished."

Snape grabbed Harry by his upper arm and dragged him over to the couch. "Do you remember how I warned you that I wouldn't accept any nonsense from you? How I told you what you could expect if you misbehaved?"

"Y-yes," Harry squeaked.

"Then you'll know exactly what's going on now," Snape retorted. "Accio hairbrush!"

Harry nearly choked. A hairbrush? His da had sworn he'd never, ever use a hairbrush on him! He began to struggle. It was as if he'd been transported into an alternate reality without noticing. First he had apparently destroyed a potions cupboard without remembering it, now his da was about to break his strongest rule and beat Harry like the Dursleys had. "Nooooo!" he yelled, but he was no match for the angry adult.

In seconds, he was bent over his da's lap and the man lifted the hairbrush high. "This should send a message to you," Snape snapped, bringing the brush down with a loud whack across Harry's rear.

Harry yelped at the noise, waiting for the accompanying sting and burn, but instead it felt as if a hairbrush-sized cushion had been gently swatted against his bum. He twisted around in shock, only to find his father's gaze upon him. "Well? What did you expect?" Snape asked, smacking him again.

Harry blinked as the light tap was accompanied by the sound of a horrific wallop. "UmтАж" he managed, utterly bewildered.

Snape rolled his eyes and gave Harry a quick look of exasperation even as he brought down the hairbrush for a third time. "I expect you to use that brain of yours, small though it may be, you dreadful brat," he scolded.

Harry tried to figure out what was going on. Why was his da acting so weird? If he was really furious, why wasn't he really hitting? But if he wasn't angry, then why pretend to punish Harry in the first place? Uncle Vernon sometimes had pretended to be nice to Harry in public when he thought someone was watching, but тАУ Realization struck Harry like a physical blow. His da thought someone was watching them!! That's why he was putting on this show. It was like Professor McGonagall had said about the chairs on the ceiling. If someone was trying to trick you, you tricked them back. You didn't let on that you knew what the other person was doing тАУ you just played along until you could figure out who they were and what they were up to.

That's why his da had said all those things and now was pretending to blister Harry's bum. The wave of relief that washed over him nearly made him burst into tears right then and there. His da didn't plan to send him back to the Dursleys! He was doing all this because he still loved Harry and wanted to find out who was trying to get him in trouble тАУ or maybe sent away. He felt limp with relief that his terrified thoughts had been unfounded, though in the next moment, he blamed himself for ever doubting his da.

"Try to at least act like a Gryffindor," Snape ordered gruffly, hiding his own relief as he felt the boy relax across his lap as he finally figured out what was going on. "Like one of those Weaselys!"

Harry snapped back to attention, realizing that now was neither the time for blissful relief or guilty self-condemnation. They were in the middle of a play, sort of, and his da needed Harry to act his part. Like a Weasley, he'd said. Well, Harry guessed he knew what that meant.

"OWWWWWWWWWW!" Harry howled, flailing with all his might as the feather-light hairbrush belabored his behind. "THAT HURTS! OWWWWWWW! STOP! STOP!" He sent a quick mental apology to Ron, but he knew his da thought the redheads were all noisy show-offs, and тАУ to be fair to Snape тАУ the boys did tend to be rather vocal in protesting their punishments. Over the holidays, Harry had seen enough to know that virtually any punishment, from de-gnoming the garden to an early bedtime, was met with loud complaints.

Harry felt his da pat his shoulder in approval, even as he continued scolding and smacking. "Horrible brat! I should just send you away right now, but I will give you one final chance!"