kbinnz - Harry's New Home

"What? What is it? Harry!" Ron was getting more and more worried as his friend stared off into space, getting increasingly agitated. "HARRY!"

"Ron, I ruined everything," Harry breathed, his expression one of utter devastation. "I can't believe I said all those things."

"What? You mean before? To Snape?" Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, mate, you pulled a pretty major tanty there. You're lucky he didn't haul off and wallop you; my folks wouldn't've let me get away with something like that," he added with poorly concealed envy.

Harry drew his knees up to his chest and started to rock. "I just ruined it all. He'll never want to keep me now. He'll send me back тАУ I know he will."

"Snape? Send you back?" Ron scoffed. "Don't be daft. He's not going to take it seriously. I mean, yeah, he'll probably punish you for screaming at him like that, but it's not like he'll stop being your guardian."

"Oh, yes he will," Harry said with absolute certainty. "He became my guardian 'cause I asked him to, an' now I told him I don't want him any more, so he'll stop." He started banging his forehead against his knees. "Oh, Harry, you are so stupid, stupid, STUPID."

Now thoroughly alarmed at how distraught his friend was growing, Ron hurried back out to the kitchen to find Snape.

Dear Wizarding Youth Services, Snape mentally penned, precisely how illegal is it to administer an aging potion тАУ assuming one could develop one, of course тАУ to a child, thereby avoiding adolescence in its entirety? Even if it is illegal, is it less illegal than casting a Silencio on said child for six years? Of course, he mused, he didn't need to cast a Silencio on the brat, he could always simply put a modified bubblehead charm on himself and go about his day in a blissful state of deafness.

On the one hand, it had been gratifying to see how upset Potter had been at the confiscation of his broom тАУ Snape's master plan had certainly worked out brilliantly in that respect тАУ but on the other, he hadn't expected it to hurt when the brat repudiated him. Why should he care if the wretch screamed at him that he was a detestable, horrible person? He was, after all, and no one knew that better than he did. He had been the most hated and feared professor at Hogwarts for years now, so why should it make his chest ache when he saw fury and loathing in the Potter brat's eyes? Isn't that what he wanted?

"Erm, sirтАж?" He became aware of the Weasley spawn fidgeting by his elbow.

"What is it, Weasley?" he said, surprised to note how weary his voice sounded. Surely it should have come out more sharply than that.

"It's - it's Harry, sir. He's pretty upset."

Snape looked away. "His punishment stands, Mr Weasley. Potter will simply have to come to terms with the fact that all the spoilt shrieking in the world won't change that."

"No, sir, it's not that. It's about you, sir."

Snape stood, suddenly desperate to get away before his features revealed any of the turmoil he felt. "I am well aware of his feelings towards me, Mr Weasley. He made them abundantly plain." Just because the books said it was normal and even healthy for Harry to spew vitriol like that didn't mean he had to stand around and listen to it.

The brat actually grabbed him by the robe again, halting his exit. "No, sir! He thinks you're going to get rid of him. He's really making himself sick about it, sir. He says he's ruined everything. He тАУ he doesn't understand that kids are allowed to say stuff like that and grownups know we don't really mean it," he faltered, looking up at Snape beseechingly.

They don't really mean it? Snape was startled. After all, he knew he had meant it when he had sworn his undying hatred of his father. Didn't most children? Though, to be fair, most children probably weren't saying it after having had their nose broken by their parent. Again.

"Did you ever sayтАж such thingsтАж to your parents?" he asked the Weasley urchin, his tone overly casual.

"Sure!" The boy looked surprised. "Lots of times."

"But Molly and Arthur are widely regarded as excellent parents," Snape argued, frowning.

Ron squirmed, embarrassed. "Well, they are. But you know, sometimes you get mad and then you say stuff to make them mad. And I almost do kinda mean that stuff when I say itтАж but not really. And not once the tantrum's over." Now he was staring at his shoes, his face flaming. "I made my mum cry once," he half-whispered. "I told her I didn't love her 'cause she was too busy with Ginny an' the twins and didn't even care about me. I told her I wanted to go live with my Auntie Ann 'cause she'd actually notice me."

Snape's eyes widened. "And your mother cried?"

Ron nodded, shamefaced. "I didn't really mean it тАУ I mean, Auntie Ann is nice to visit, but she loves cabbage an' her whole house smells of it. An' she gives those wet kisses and has this annoying toad that she lets eat at the dinner table andтАж well, I wouldn't really want to leave the Burrow, but I was angry at my mum and wanted to make her sad, so I said something I knew would make her really upset."

"That тАУ" Snape blinked. Who knew that such dreadful things occurred even in normal families like the Weasleys? "- that was quite a horrid thing to do, Mr Weasley."

"Yeah, I know," he said miserably. "My mum forgave me an' hugged me and all, but I still feel really bad about it. And it was when I was really little тАУ like six or something, but I still remember it." He looked up at Snape. "An' I think that's how Harry's feeling now. That kind of sick horrible feeling, like you broke something you can't fix. And after last night and knowing that we lost your trust tooтАж" he trailed off. "I think he's really upset."

Snape sighed. Merlin save him from traumatized, fragile children. What had happened to all that nice, easy-to-handle rage? Couldn't the brat just pick an emotion and stick with it for a few hours? "Very well. I will go speak with him. You may get started on your essay andтАж thank you, Mr Weasley. Your concern for Mr Potter is much appreciated."

Ron grinned. "He's my best mate, Professor. That's what best mates do, right?"

As if I would know? Happily, the boy didn't wait for a response, and Snape headed down the hall to Harry's room. As Weasley had foretold, the boy was curled up in the same defensive ball that he had assumed in the infirmary that first week.

Snape sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose before sitting down next to the brat. "Mr Potter тАУ"

"I'll leave, sir." Harry whispered, though he didn't look up. "I won't take anything with me so you can return it all."

"Potter тАУ"

"I'm really sorry I bothered you. I'll tell all the Slytherins not to treat me like one of them any more."

"POTTER!"

But even his classroom bellow didn't seem to break through the boy's emotionless monotone. "If you want, I can ask the Headmaster to let me drop Potions, so you don't have to see me in class."

"Harry," Snape sighed, surrendering to the inevitable. Wide green eyes, impossibly startled, flew to meet his.

"You are an uncivilized, unruly, and impudent brat," Snape said, fixing those green eyes with a compelling stare. "This morning's outburst demonstrates just how much you need to develop better emotional control. That tantrum was more suited to a child half your age. Furthermore, while you are finally learning that you need no longer accept unjust punishments, I do expect you to show a great deal more grace in submitting to well-deserved discipline. Do not imagine that your little outburst will dissuade me from punishing you when you have earned chastisement; such immature behavior in future will only result in your close acquaintance with the Aguamenti spell."

Harry stared at him. " 'In future'? But you're not going to be my guardian any more."