Never Expected

Disclaimer: All the Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

This is a SS and HP mentor fic. There will be no slash in this story.

I hope you like the story!


Chapter 1 – A Day I Want To Forget

The still air in the dungeons was as stifling as Harry remembered it to be. The light was as usual, dim and barely sufficient for Harry's poor eyesight even if he was used to being locked up in his cupboard back in Privet Drive. Glancing a look beside him towards Hermione who had her hair scrunched up in a messy bun, squinting her eyes to read off the instructions from the board for the potion they were making, Harry resisted the urge to tell her to relax. Hermione was strangely wound up since the first day that they got back to school. It was a their first Wednesday morning back in Hogwarts in potions class and Snape had already started them off with practical potions making, claiming that they were fourth years already, and should not be given any leeway, or time to adjust.

Sighing, Harry realized that he forgot what the next step was as he stared at his cauldron helplessly. Looking up at the board to check for the next ingredient to add, making sure he didn't make a mistake, Harry was suddenly thrown into a memory, one he wished he could forget.

-Flashback-

"I said why have you not completed your chores freak!" The loud voice from a large figure boomed.

The large man, known as Uncle Vernon to Harry, was crouching over him as he back up against the wall of Number 4 Privet Drive, wishing he had learnt to apparate away from this place.

"Well? I'm talking to you freak! I expect an answer!" Uncle Vernon yelled, backhanding Harry. Harry's head snapped to the right as he felt the familiar sting against his cheek. Cradling it quickly, Harry scrambled to get away from the large man.

"I'm sorry sir, I will work faster, I promise!" Harry whispered desperately as he tripped over the carpet of the living room and fell to his knees harshly. A stab of pain ran up from his knee all the way to his rib cage where just yesterday he received a beating from his cousin Dudley.

"Trust the freak to get nothing right!" Uncle Vernon bellowed, delivering a well-aimed kick to Harry's stomach as he tried to get up, causing him to crumble to the floor once more, this time both his hands flew to his stomach that seemed to have exploded. A wave of nausea hit Harry as he tried to breathe. He mustn't cry, he mustn't make a noise, it would be irritating, and Uncle Vernon hates being irritated.

Whispering 'sorry' over and over again as Uncle Vernon started to remove his thick black belt from his waist, Harry whimpered in anticipation of the pain that he knew all too well. "Please sir, it rained in the afternoon and I couldn't get the weeding done, but I will get it done right now!" He whispered, knowing that if he spoke too loudly, Uncle Vernon would get even angrier.

Kicking Harry once more as he wound his belt around his fist, Uncle Vernon sneered, "Shut up freak! You know I hate it when you complain!" Satisfied with the length of the belt that hung around his fist, Uncle Vernon raised his hand, bringing down his fist and the belt on Harry swiftly with a crack.

-Flashback-

For a moment, Harry was puzzled, as the pain that he felt did not feel like how Uncle Vernon's belt usually did. Closing his eyes instantly, he felt like Uncle Vernon had poured wax on him from a candle again, but this time, he managed to pour it all over his body all at once, and Harry found himself wondering how he could possibly do that.

Harry brought his hand up to his eyes as he let out a whimper, realizing suddenly that he was falling to the ground. Wasn't he already on the ground?

It wasn't until Harry realized that there was someone yelling at him very harshly, that he realized that he was not with Uncle Vernon at all. It was another person, scary as hell, but not Uncle Vernon.

"MISTER POTTER! MISTER POTTER! You imbecile! Move! All of you move away!" the familiar voice of his potions teacher rang out in his ears and he flinched as the voice drew closer to him. "Move! I said! Move! Mister Potter! You inapt buffoon! What have you done?"

Almost like an automatic response, Harry whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Harry could almost hear the sneer in Snape's voice as he felt a spell being casted on him, most likely the Scouring charm, "I would hope you are not so stupid as to try to kill yourself!"

Harry felt the professor grab his arm, harshly, but it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. "Can you stand up on your own Potter? We need to get you to the hospital wing. Do not try to open your eyes; they are hurt from the explosion and the potion. I mean it! Unless you want to be blind then by all means!" Snape tugged on him arm as he nodded, trying to stand with the professor's help.

"Sir, I don't need the hospital wing, just give me something for the pain. I'm sure a shower will do." Harry said, hoping like hell he wouldn't be taken to the hospital wing. He had too many secrets that he did not want anyone to find out.

With an exasperated sigh, Snape pulled him along with a strong, giving him no choice but to follow, "Are you the professor here? Have you been practicing potions for years? Are you actually an expert in the field? Or even in healing? If not Potter, I'd ask you to shut up and follow me. The rest of you, pack your things, class is dismissed, and no Miss Granger, you are not to follow. Go to your next class or the library if you have to."

Harry protested by pulling his arm away from Snape, knowing that if he went to the hospital wing with his freshly bruised body from the break, they were going to see it, and he had no explanation, as they have not started quidditch practices yet. "Please sir, I'm sure it's nothing serious." Harry pleaded, resisting the urge to open his eyes; the fear of becoming blind permanently was too great for him.

Snape scoffed at his impertinent student, "I said Potter, shut up, or I will make you."

Harry was practically dragged out the door towards what he assumed was the hospital wing, feeling a fresh new bruise coming right up where the professor had held him. Feeling tired suddenly, Harry stopped fighting against Snape, but realized that he had lost control of his knees and was falling quickly.

The hand that held his arm steady tighten, and he felt Snape's other hand go around him and grabbed him at the waist. Harry wince at the pain in his ribcage. He had yet to recover from the beating he got, and he suspect that he might have a broken or fractured bone. He was going to wait till he could summon Dobby to help him still a couple of potions from the hospital wing, but he had been too preoccupied lately, slipping into flashbacks exceptionally often recently.

"Lost strength in your limbs now, have you Potter? Like I said, if you are not an expert, don' t try to pretend to be. This is a side effect from an incompletely brewed potion. It saps your energy very quickly. Now hold still, I will levitate you there." Snape said as Harry felt himself become lighter, and vaguely felt the sense that he could be floating.

It wasn't long until he heard the sound of the hospital wing doors being flung open, a sound that he had grown accustomed to from the years of experience being a patient there. "Poppy? Where are you, you naggy witch?" Snape yelled. Harry presumed the hospital matron was not present, or Snape would have addressed her already.

"Sir, surely she is busy, I can lay here until she comes back. You can go about your business. I'm sure you are a very busy person." Harry said, considering the possibility that he could slip away once the potions master was gone and left him alone in the hospital wing.

Harry felt himself being thrown on a bed and he scrambled to sit up properly.

"That is true, I am a very busy man Mister Potter. And if you had considered this earlier, I'm sure we could have avoided this completely. How entirely irresponsible and dimwitted you are, just like your father." Snape snapped.

Harry frowned, hating that he insulted his father at all. He really hated when anyone talked about his dead parents in any way. But one beating two months ago had changed him mind about retaliating. As usual, Uncle Vernon and Dudley had insulted his mother and his father, calling them names and claiming how they were absolutely deserving of their deaths. Harry had fought back, telling them to shut up and not talk about them that way, only to end up with him being beaten up and whipped by both his uncle and his cousin. From that day on, every time he heard an insult to his parents, he bit his lips, restraining himself while he apologized to his parents in his mind, over and over again.

A silence, followed by sounds of vials clinging before Snape spoke up, "What, no retaliation this time Potter? Or are you actually seeing the light and agreeing with me?"

Harry bit his lips even harder as he fought the urge to cry. He would not, not in front of this man who hates him and would revel in the fact that he would cry and feel sad.

"Drink this. And undress, you can use the shower in the hospital wing; I will apply the salve for the burns after. Your eyes need healing too, but that has to wait for Poppy to be back. Her magic is more precise for something like that." Snape said, and Harry felt himself grow cold. He had to undress in front of his most hated potion teacher? He would see everything! All the scars and the beatings! He would mock him! He would laugh and tell everyone!

Harry back away towards the head board and held his robes closer, "S-Sir, please. I don't need any salve, it will heal on it's own. I can shower back at the dormitories." Harry said as he trembled.


Snape stood there, his mind reeling with possibilities as to why the boy was acting like so. He had noticed that Potter had been skinnier and quieter this year, and kept to himself even when he was with the golden trio. He had noticed that he didn't quite enjoy skin ship with his friend as much as he used to, and now this. He had considered one particularly possibly that he had seen quite often with his Slytherin pupils, but surely Potter would not be one to be abused?

Shaking his head, he looked intently as the boy who was backed up against the headboard breathing frantically. It just wasn't possible. He had considered this a possibility years before, but there wasn't any evidence like that, and if there was he knew Minerva would have picked up on it. The Gryffindors were a weak bunch that liked to be comforted. Potter would have told someone. It wasn't like one of his Snakes who were prideful and most came from influential families who rather no one knew about their indiscretions.

But what faced him now was a trembling boy. Potter. James Potter's son. He tried to ignore the hate that bubble at the back of his mind and focused on the fact that he was technically also Lily's son. But it was no way the boy was being abused. Petunia Evans, who took the boy in had married into a sufficiently wealthy family who could take care of him appropriately. Potter must have misbehaved at some point and thought that he would not get punished and is now suffering for thinking so. He was rightfully punished, wasn't he?

Questions swirling around his mind rapidly and the potions master incinerated all those thoughts. He needed to get the boy to drink the potion before he lost all the energy in this body and fade away. It would take a day for that to happen, but he going to let the boy suffer anymore than he should, even if the was his childhood bully's son.

"Take the potion now Potter. I am not a patient man by nature. You will listen to me, or Merlin help me, I will manhandle you." Severus said, thrusting the vials into Potter's hands.

Watching the boy shiver as he put the vial to his lips slowly, downing the potion, the boy offered up the empty vial, "Please sir. I've already taken the potion. I can shower back at the dorm. If it gets worse I'll come back."

Severus resisted the urge to silence the boy with a spell, how stubborn can he get? Severus took the vial from the boy harshly, remembering that the boy's father was infinitely stubborn and proud. Potter must have inherited those traits, making him uncomfortable undressing in front of him.

"I will not look at you shower Potter. Just be done with it. I will only look at the areas where you got burned by the potion. Nothing else. Stop being a child and get to it!" He said, his teeth clenched together, feeling himself getting more and more annoyed at the stupid boy's antics.

Severus watched as the boy hesitated and bit his lips once more. He could see a bit of blood already forming at the boy's lips and rolled his eyes, "Please refrain from chewing your lip off as well Potter. I will not be inclined to fix your disfigured face."

Potter sighed, "Please sir." And said nothing else.

The possibility that the boy could have been abused nagged at the back of his mind and Severus tossed the idea out of his mind as much as he could. There was no way. The boy was being monitored by Albus as much as he could. The old man coddled him and this child has grown to learn to be a difficult child when being sick. This was Potter getting hurt and wanting to be coddled. Severus will do no such thing.

"I will not coddle you boy. Get up now!" Severus said as he walked briskly towards the boy and yanked him up by the arm.

Severus had not missed the wince on the boy's face as he pulled on his arm, neither did he miss the bruise that he saw momentarily as the boy's shirt was pulled along with him.

What Severus seemed to have missed, or chose to have missed, was the possibility that the boy could have been abused.


Please review, or send me a message if you have any comments. Or just to let me know that someone is interested in reading this so I'll know whether to continue. This is an entirely new fiction, so I may need a little encouragement to keep posting.

Love,
theroadsofar.