kbinnz - Harry's New Home

"And this can go on for hours," Hermione continued chillingly. "And then they pack metal into the holes, and тАУ"

"Oh, come now!" Percy broke out, a light sheen of perspiration over his face. "You're making this up!"

"No, she isn't!" A Muggleborn Gryffindor fourth year was all too happy to support Hermione's story. "Look тАУ my folks didn't know I was a wizard until I was almost ten, and I'd gotten cavities fixed the Muggle way by then. See? 'Ere's one." He opened his mouth wide and pointed so that the fascinated and nauseated Purebloods could see his fillings.

"That's disgusting!" Flint said faintly.

Hermione's smirk nearly outdid Snape's. "And I'm not even talking about how Muggles straighten crooked teeth тАУ they put metal bands in your mouth and make them them tighter and tighter so that your teeth are dragged into position, and it takes years and years." Now several of the purebloods had shoved away their plates and were holding their napkins to their lips.

"And both my parents do this for a living. Day after day, month after month, year after year. And they come home and tell me all about it. So don't try anything with me, Singh. Inflicting pain is in my blood."

"Minerva," Severus frowned, studying the students. "Does it appear to you that many of the students are regarding your Miss Granger with a sort of fascinated terror?"

McGonagall looked where he was. "Good gracious. I don't normally see expressions like that unless NEWTS or OWLS are being handed out. What on earth is going on over there?"

Before the meal was over, Hermione's reputation in the Wizarding world was made. Oh, she was still known as a good student, if a bit of a know-it-all, but word spread like wildfire around the school: Do Not Mess With Granger. Between having parents who were skilled torturers and her own demonstrated proclivity to break the wands of people who offended her, Granger was obviously not someone to irritate.

Harry looked around the Hall and beamed. There were so many people who cared about him. For the first time in his life, he had friends тАУ and not just Ron, though he would always have a special place as Harry's first friend. But Slytherins had come to his rescue as well as Gryffindors, which was sure to make Professor Snape happy, and even Draco and Ron seemed to be getting along for a change.

He sneaked a glance up to the staff table. Both Snape and McGonagall were looked bemused, but Harry figured that was probably due to the unusual amount of chatter that was going on tonight. He rubbed the back of his head. Yeah, there was a lump there, and he was sure Professor Snape would make a big fuss тАУ to be fair, Harry would be a little hurt if he didn't make a fuss тАУ but it was worth every bruise to see how much people at his new school liked him. He remembered Uncle Vernon's parting words to him, about how none of the people at Hogwarts would like him any better than the Dursleys had, and he snorted. Professor Snape was right. Uncle Vernon was just a fat, stupid walrus. He didn't know anything.

Harry had found friends and a new home and even тАУ though he had to be careful not to say this too loudly lest he embarrass Professor Snape тАУ a new dad who worried about him and made sure he ate all his vegetables and saw the medi-witch when he was hurt. Harry sighed happily. He had to be the luckiest boy in the whole world.

TBC...

*Chapter 17*: Chapter 17

Even after Madame Pomfrey had healed the bumps and bruises that the four first years had suffered in the fight, Snape was unconvinced that Harry was all right. Obviously Weasley was fine тАУ he was used to brawling with his brothers тАУ and the fight had actually created an unprecedented closeness between himself and Percy. Similarly, Malfoy was reveling in his new popularity as the pet of Slytherin House.

The boy's arrogant swaggering from his first moments at Hogwarts had been disastrously received by the upperclassmen тАУ it was one thing to promote Slytherin superiority among the other Houses; it was quite another to promote Malfoy superiority within Slytherin тАУ and they had taken extreme pleasure in remorselessly cutting the younger boy down to size at every opportunity. By the time Draco realized how his behavior had alienated his entire House, it had been too late to make amends, and whinging about his treatment had only escalated the abuse. Snape knew all too well how expertly a Houseful of Slytherins could torment one of their own, and although Draco at least had the mindless allegiance of Crabbe and Goyle тАУ something Snape himself had never enjoyed тАУ it had been clear that the boy was finding life as a Slytherin lonely and unpleasant.

But his behavior today had been the epitome of Slytherin values тАУ protecting a Housemate, getting back-up rather than rushing in alone (like a Gryffindor would do), displaying physical courage when needed, and maliciously revealing a downed foe's previously undiscovered misdeeds, thereby further negating his future potential for harm тАУ and all this had been sufficient to wipe the slate clean for his Housemates. Draco was basking in Flint and Jones' obvious approval тАУ though the prefects had quietly made it clear to him that if there were any return to his conceited maunderings, he could once again find his backside conscripted to serve as the target for any Housemates who felt like practicing their stinging hexes.

His eighth night at Hogwarts, Draco had made the mistake of assuming that his Malfoy heritage entitled him to push ahead of a third year in the line to the showers. Flint had witnessed the event and, rather than permitting the furious third year to shove Draco's head into a toilet, had instead bent Draco over the back of the common room sofa, Stuck him in place, and called for a session of "House Target Practice". The following twenty minutes had convincingly demonstrated to Draco that (a) a towel around his waist (which he was only allowed to retain after much panicked begging) was wholly inadequate protection against stinging hexes, (b) tact and humility were critical survival skills, and (c) future smart-arse remarks about Malfoy superiority would inevitably lead to his possessing an extremely sore and stinging arse. He was also left with absolutely no desire to repeat such an experience again. As a result, Draco was now extremely appreciative of his newfound standing in the House and was unlikely to do anything to jeopardize it.

Hermione too was finding the reputation of a "stone cold kick arse" much more enjoyable than that of a "goody goody know-it-all", and having Jones' approval only made things sweeter. Obviously then, Snape decided, the other children had suffered no lasting harm from the encounter тАУ quite the opposite, actually.

Harry, by contrast, had once again had the illusory security of Hogwarts shattered. The boy had just begun to feel himself safe from the abuse of his piggish cousin when he was set upon in what had to feel like another round of that despicable "Harry hunting". Snape ground his teeth in fury. Those four Ravenclaws had doubtless caused enormous psychological harm to the fragile Potter brat, and it would once again be up to Snape to pick up the pieces.

After escorting the other students back to their respective common rooms, Snape had marched Harry back to his own quarters. The boy had expressed surprise that he was not to return to his dormitory with Ron and Hermione, but Snape wasn't about to have the impending meltdown occur when the boy was alone, except for his idiotic peers. Like Longbottom or Weasely would know how to react to a post-traumatic flashback! Snape snorted in derision at the very idea.

Harry glanced over his shoulder at his guardian. Just as he had expected, Snape had hovered over Madame Pomfrey the whole time she was examining Harry in the Infirmary. The medi-witch had even come close to hexing him when he insisted that she cast her diagnostic spells twice, in case she had inadvertently missed something. In the end, she had Stuck the professor to a chair at Harry's bedside and threatened him with a silencing spell if he kept trying to tell her how to do her job.