Consequences of the Quill
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
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"Harry, can you for once try to concentrate on your homework?" Hermione scolded her friend, looking at him in annoyance. It was nearly midnight, and the two fifth years were still working on Harry's Transfiguration assignment that was due in the morning.
"Sorry," Harry muttered, unconsciously rubbing his arm that hurt strangely ever since his detention with Professor Umbridge earlier in the evening. It had not been his first detention with the professor, but so far, only his hand had been sore afterwards.
"Harry, is something wrong?" Hermione asked in concern.
'I can't let her down; she's only staying up to help me with the Transfiguration essay,' Harry thought and once again apologized and tried harder to concentrate on his homework. As soon as he was done, he went straight to bed, somehow not feeling overly well. 'My arm gets worse by the hour. I just hope it'll be better in the morning,' he thought as he let himself sink into bed.
However, when he woke up a few hours later, not only his arm, but also his head hurt badly, and he felt slightly cold in spite of the warm pyjamas that he was wearing. 'Maybe I caught a cold or something,' he thought and decided to take a hot shower. He remained under the comfortingly hot water for a long time, glad that his dorm mates were still asleep that early in the morning. Unfortunately, he realised soon that nothing helped. While he dragged himself through his classes, his whole body became more and more sore. 'Thank Merlin I don't have detention with Umbridge tonight,' he thought in relief as he took a seat in the Gryffindor common room together with Hermione and Ron, resolving to retire to his dormitory as soon as possible without attracting attention.
Although tried to hide from his friends how miserable he felt, Hermione noticed soon that something was wrong. She gave him a sharp look, taking in his completely white face and the beads of sweat that were covering his forehead, while he seemed to be shivering at the same time.
"Harry, look at me," she demanded, frowning as she peered into his half-open, glassy eyes, when he complied. "Harry, you're sick," she said, sounding slightly reproachfully.
"It's only a cold or something, not a big deal," Harry replied quietly.
"Come with me," Hermione ordered him and led him into the boys' dormitory, observing that he sighed in relief as he stretched out on his bed. She took a tissue from the night table and transfigured it into an old Muggle thermometer. Looking at Harry, who was lying on his stomach, clutching his pillow with both hands and burying his achy head in it, she said softly, "Harry, can you please turn your head just a little bit, so that I can take your temperature?"
Harry slowly turned to the side, allowing the girl to stick the cold, glassy device under his tongue. While they were waiting for the reading to finish, she explained to Ron in a small voice in order not to disturb Harry, who had his eyes closed, how a Muggle thermometer worked. Her eyes widened when she looked at the result.
"39.2," she read, "Harry, that's really high. What exactly is ailing you? Does something hurt?"
"My whole body is sore," Harry said miserably.
"That sounds like the flu," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Let me take you to the hospital wing."
"No," Harry groaned, "not to the hospital wing. I'll just sleep it away, and I'll be fine in the morning. Tomorrow is Friday anyway."
"Shall I send the twins to nick a dose of the flu potion from the hospital wing?" Ron suggested.
Hermione grudgingly agreed, and an hour later, she roused a very sleepy Harry to make him drink the potion for the wizard's flu and a fever reducer. Unfortunately, in the morning, Harry didn't feel better at all, and when Hermione came and took his temperature, his fever was slightly higher than the evening before.
"If I still don't feel better tomorrow, I'll go to Madam Pomfrey," Harry promised his friend, who was giving him a stern look that would have made McGonagall proud.
"You must do that, Harry. Everyone is going to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow, so you'll be all on your own here, and I really have to leave at least for a bit, because I need to buy a birthday present for my mother," Hermione replied in apparent concern.
Harry was glad that he had only Divination and History of Magic in the morning, where it didn't matter that he was hardly able to pay attention. 'Thank Merlin that we only have one class left,' he thought as he trailed behind his friends to the dungeons. 'However, does it have to be Potions?' He let himself sink into the empty seat between his two best friends in exhaustion, suddenly regretting that he hadn't gone to the hospital wing instead of attending the class with his most hated teacher. He tried hard to concentrate on the professor's monologue about the potion, which they were going to brew.
However, when the Potions Master instructed them to go and get their ingredients, Harry noticed in shock that his body was not willing to move. 'I can't move at all,' he realised, horrified.
All of a sudden, Snape towered over him and hissed, "Potter, do you need a special invitation? Move! Now!"
'What am I going to do?' Harry thought, terrified. 'I just can't move.' He tried to open his mouth and tell the upset professor what was wrong, but not even his tongue obeyed to his wish. Harry began to panic, causing his high fever to make him shiver violently. 'I need to make Snape see what's wrong,' he realised, but he could only stare right in front of him.
With immense relief, he heard Hermione, who just returned to her seat, talk to the teacher. "Professor, I think something is wrong with Harry. He has been in pain for two days and is running a high fever," she said quietly.
"And why did Mr. Potter not go to the hospital wing?" the professor spat. However, he took a close look at the boy that confirmed the girl's statement.
The instant Snape looked into his eyes, Harry summoned all of his remaining energy and pushed memories to the teacher, his detention with Professor Umbridge, the writing on his hand, the pain all over his body and not being able to move at all. He felt too miserable and terrified to care what he was sharing with the man, who hated him with a passion. 'Please help me, sir. Am I going to die?' he thought to the Potions Master. For an instant, a shocked expression appeared on the professor's face that was immediately replaced by his usual blank mask as he waved his wand over Harry to cast a diagnostic spell.
HP
Severus was shocked. 'How could that happen to the Headmaster's pet?' he thought. Not that he felt sorry for the boy, no, he was Potter's son, so he deserved everything that he got. However, considering the prophecy, this was bad. 'I need to help the imbecile,' he realised.
"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, you will be responsible for the class for the next thirty minutes," he said firmly, waving his wand at the two cauldrons of his best students to banish their potions. Seeing that they had both comprehended his words, he trained his wand at Harry and levitated him out of the classroom and into his office. More carefully than Harry would have expected, he lowered him into a chair, which he transfigured into a sofa right afterwards.
"Mr. Potter, you will not die of this; however, it is not a simple cold, and I need to confer with Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster," he told the boy, wondering why he was so kind to him, before he headed to the fireplace to call his colleagues.
The Headmaster was the first to step out of the fireplace. "Albus, Dolores seems to have used a blood quill on Mr. Potter. However, apparently, she used it too often, so that his blood became infected, and his magic is blocking his body in order to prevent him from further harming himself. We have to help him as fast as possible, before his inner organs will be affected by this and cease to work."
"I'm going to take Dolores to Azkaban. However, Harry's recovery has the first priority now. I completely trust you, Severus," the Headmaster said gravely. "Do whatever you deem right, since I have no idea how to help Harry. Will potions cure him completely?"
Severus let out a long sigh. "I hope that it is not too late."
The Headmaster shook his head. "Please, do your best, Severus. If anyone can help him, it is you. Is there anything I can do, before I head to the Ministry in order to get rid of Dolores?"
"Can you take over my classes?"
"Of course, Severus," Albus said gently, before he spoke to the boy in a quiet voice.
Severus could not understand what he said; however, he sighed in relief when the old wizard headed into his classroom. 'At least I don't have to teach the dunderheads, so I can concentrate on this. I hope Poppy is going to hurry up now.' He impatiently glared at the fireplace, letting out a contented sigh when it flared that instant.
The Mediwitch hurried to the boy's side, muttering to herself as she cast a series of diagnostic spells. "How could that happen?" she finally asked, turning to the Potions Master.
Severus relented the information that he had received from Harry earlier. "Poppy, I should urgently begin brewing the potion. Will you take him with you, or should he remain in my guest room for the time being?"
"Your guest room please, because I'll have to spend the weekend at St. Mungo's. I'll only be here and able to check on him in the mornings and evenings. It's better for him to stay with you anyway, because the two of you are able to communicate," Poppy replied immediately, before she instructed him to go and begin with the brewing.
HP
Harry heard how the Potions Master left the room, before he suddenly feeling himself being lifted onto something ice cold. 'Probably a stretcher,' he thought. He could see that he was being levitated out of the room, before he was placed onto a bed that was really soft and comfortable.
"Try to rest for a while, Harry," he heard Pomfrey speak to himself in a soft voice. "Professor Snape will be back with the first dose of potion in about two hours. I'm not sure how many doses you will need until you can move again; however, he is the one who is able to help you."
'I know,' Harry thought miserably but inwardly sighed in relief when he felt the kind witch spell a pain relieving potion and a fever reducer into his system. 'That's much better,' he realised gratefully. Still feeling absolutely exhausted, he drifted off to fevered dreams, although his eyes remained open.
HP
Two hours later, Severus entered his guest room with a batch of potion, glancing at the boy, who was lying on his guest bed, unmoving. Harry's face was as white as the sheets, and his cheeks were deeply flushed. Severus placed the box on the night table and studied the card that his colleague had left there. He waved his wand over the boy, frowning at the results. 'His fever should have come down more with the high dose that Poppy gave him,' he thought. 'I wonder what's wrong. Maybe I should cast Legilimency on him.' He quickly spelled the first dose of the potion into Harry's system, before he leaned over the boy to look into the half-open glassy orbs that held nothing of their normally beautiful green. Immediately, he felt himself being pulled into a nightmare.
A fat man was waving a leather belt, and Harry's mind screamed, 'Don't hurt me, Uncle, please, I promise I'll be good and won't do any magic.' However, he couldn't voice his pleadings and felt himself being restrained with ropes, so that he wasn't able to move at all. "You worthless ungrateful freak," the man hissed as he waved his belt once again.
Severus quickly pulled out of the boy's mind and gently shook Harry's shoulder. "Wake up, Mr. Potter. It's only a nightmare," he heard himself say in the soft voice, which was normally reserved for his little snakes. "I just gave you the first dose of potion. We'll see if it works in a few hours. I'll be back shortly." He slowly crossed the room, wondering, 'Why do I even explain such things to the dunderhead?' As he returned to his office, wondering if he should enter the classroom and dismiss the Headmaster, a small voice at the back of his mind replied, 'Perhaps because you realised that he is as abused as you were.' Severus frowned and recalled what had happened in the Potions class earlier. 'Granger,' he remembered; 'she knew that he was ill.'
"Cicero!" Severus called his house-elf. "Fetch Ms. Granger immediately. I don't care whatever class she might have at the moment." He remained seated behind his desk, impatiently awaiting the girl's knock.
Ten minutes later, a hasted knock could be heard, and as he waved his wand to open the door, the resident know-it-all stormed into the room, breathless. "What's wrong with Harry, sir?" she queried, before Severus could open his mouth to speak.
"Ms. Granger, take a seat," he finally said, raising an eyebrow at the girl, who complied right away. "How come that you knew that Mr. Potter was ill but did not take him to the hospital wing right away?" he asked sternly.
Hermione let out a long sigh, before she replied heatedly, "I'm really sorry, Professor. I tried to convince him, but Harry refused. He didn't want anyone to know that he wasn't feeling well, and he thought that he would be able to just sleep it off during the weekend. But he promised to go and see Madam Pomfrey tomorrow, when everyone but him is going to spend the day in Hogsmeade."
'Finally. I wondered when she would need to breathe,' Severus thought, smirking, before he stated dryly, "He will surely sleep it off considering that he is not able move at all." He slowly brought his hands up to massage his temples against the headache that was threatening to build up like always when he had to deal with Gryffindors. "Why wouldn't Mr. Potter want others to know that he was ill? One would assume that he would like being fussed over."
"No sir," Hermione said firmly. "He hates attention, and I think that he is not used to being fussed over. His relatives seem to ignore him apart from giving him chores to do."
"Ms. Granger, what do you know about Mr. Potter's home life?" Severus asked sharply.
Hermione remained thoughtful for an instant, before she admitted, "Not much. Harry doesn't complain, but I know that he asks Professor Dumbledore every year if he may remain at Hogwarts or go to the Weasleys over the summer, but the Headmaster always insists that he has to return to his relatives. When Ron and the twins rescued him before our second Hogwarts year, he had bars in front of his window, and he received his food through a cat flap in the door. That's all I know. I don't think they treat him well."
"He seems to be abused," Severus thought aloud without realising that he voiced his thoughts and looked up in surprise when Hermione agreed.
"I think that he is abused, at least verbally."
Severus sighed. "Ms. Granger, what do you know about Mr. Potter's detentions with Professor Umbridge?"
"She is evil," Hermione blurted out angrily. "She makes him write with a quill that hurts his hand, and she assigns him detention every other day."
"And why is that?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow in surprise. Of course he had heard the pink coloured toad woman complain that Potter was a liar, but that was no reason...
"Because she thinks that he is lying about Voldemort," Hermione pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Don't say that name, at least not in my presence," Severus hissed.
"Professor, will you please help Harry?" the girl asked, giving him a pleading look.
"Thank you for your information, Ms. Granger. You may return to whatever activity I summoned you from," Severus replied in a neutral tone, his face void of any emotions.
"Excuse me, sir, but may I see Harry?" Hermione asked quietly.
"No."
HP
Everything around him was silent. 'I still can't move at all,' Harry thought, wondering what was happening to him. 'Snape said he gave me the potion earlier, but will it work? He was very friendly compared to his usual behaviour.'
Harry was pulled out of his musings when he faintly heard the door being closed. "Mr. Potter, still not able to move? Such a pity," the Potions Master sneered, causing Harry to groan inwardly.
'Yes sir, it's the right time to laugh about me,' he thought angrily.
'Oh really? Well, I shall see what I can do,' the professor thought back to him.
'Oh no,' Harry groaned to himself. 'I didn't say that aloud now, did I? I can't speak.'
Severus smirked as he said thoughtfully, "Apparently your inability to speak caused your insufferable dunderhead brain to communicate telepathically. Mr. Potter, it is nearly dinner time. Are you hungry?"
'No thank you,' Harry silently communicated to the Potions Master.
"Very well then," Severus said, sighing. "Mr. Potter, I need you to show me a few memories of your detentions with Professor Umbridge. If she really used a blood quill on you, I shall see to it that she receives a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Don't waste your energy trying to protect your mind. You should know by now that you don't have a chance."
With that he unobtrusively spelled the second dose of potion together with a fever reducer and a pain reliever into the boy's system, before he stepped around the bed to look straight into Harry's eyes. A few minutes and several memories later he pulled off. "Mr. Potter, I am going to put these into my Pensieve and show them to the Headmaster. When I'll be back in a few minutes, we shall address our next topic, your home life."
'He probably witnessed my nightmare earlier, before he woke me up,' Harry thought, terrified. While the professor was away, he tried to recall all the good memories from his childhood in order to distract the teacher by putting them in front of his mind. Unfortunately, it only took the Legilimency master a few seconds to dismiss them and pull up the worst memories from the back of Harry's mind.
Harry sighed in relief as Severus finally pulled off and left his mind. "Does your head hurt?" the man enquired in a surprisingly gentle voice.
'No,' Harry thought to the man, astonished how simple it was to use telepathy. He heard how Severus pulled a chair to his bedside and felt from the movement beside him that he took a seat.
"Mr. Potter," the Slytherin Head began to speak in a soft, baritone voice. "You will need to tell someone about the abuse, which you are suffering at home. It does not necessarily have to be me. You can speak with your Head of House, the Headmaster, Madam Pomfrey or any other adult here in the castle, whom you trust enough to speak about the matter. If you do so, Professor Dumbledore will probably reconsider his decision to send you back to that hellhole every summer."
'I am not abused,' Harry protested weakly.
"Ms. Granger even confirmed that you are at least verbally abused, and your memories make clear that there are also physical aspects of abuse," Severus replied sternly.
'Couldn't you just show my memories to Professor Dumbledore?' Harry asked, feeling very uncomfortable at the topic.
"No Mr. Potter, child abuse is a very sensitive matter. You have to speak with someone," Severus insisted, causing Harry to groan inwardly.
'Professor,' Harry mind thought to the man, 'would it be possible to speak with you then? You already know everything, and you are the only one, to whom I can communicate at the moment.'
"You should be able to use telepathy to others as well," Severus said thoughtfully. "I suggest that you try it out when Madam Pomfrey comes to see you later on. If you want to speak with me, you may of course do so. As long as you don't expect me to pity and pamper you."
Harry groaned in annoyance. 'No sir. I don't expect you to make a fuss. That's why I'd prefer you over anyone else.'
"Very well Mr. Potter. We shall continue this conversation when your health improves and you'll be able to speak. Using telepathy for a longer time might further aggravate your condition," Severus replied in a gentle voice. "I am going to speak with the Headmaster about the issues. Try to rest for a while. I'll be back shortly."
Only now, Harry noticed how tired he was. Even if he couldn't close his eyes, he drifted off to sleep, before the professor had even left the room.
HP
Harry woke up to Severus' and Madam Pomfrey's voices. "Mr. Potter, try to move your head," the Healer's voice penetrated his ears.
Harry turned his head towards the voice, smiling happily upon realising that he could move again. "It works," he whispered in utmost relief.
"Indeed," the Potions Master, who was obviously back to his usual menacing self, sneered. "However, if you set as much as a foot outside this bed before I tell you otherwise, I am going to use your limbs for potions ingredients."
"Yes sir," Harry said quietly, before he succumbed to the potions, which Madam Pomfrey had just spelled into his stomach, and went back to sleep. During the next two days, he drifted in and out of sleep. His body was still sore, and he felt outright miserable whenever his potions wore off. However, every time he woke up, Severus was nearby, and Harry was surprised to see how gentle and patient the man was, especially when he had still problems moving his hands properly, so that he managed to spill his food all over his bed more than once.
On the third day, Harry finally felt better, and Severus motioned for him to follow him into the living room, where he made him sit on the sofa and told him to lie down when he wanted to. "Mr. Potter, I had a long conversation with the Headmaster about your so called family," he slowly began to speak in his soft voice, to which Harry had become used during the last few days. "Provided that you agree to speak with me about your home life, Professor Dumbledore is willing to take you away from your relatives; however, under one condition."
Harry rolled his eyes. "And what is that condition, sir?" he asked with a hint of foreboding in his voice. 'The Headmaster is a manipulating old coot,' he thought in annoyance.
Severus let out a long sigh. "Professor Dumbledore wants me to become your guardian and made it very clear that he won't accept any other guardian for you."
Harry looked up in shock. "I'm sorry, sir; it's all right, I'm fine with my relatives. The other day, I couldn't explain properly, but they don't abuse me. They only punish me when I earn it," he said quickly.
The Potions Master raised an eyebrow at the boy, knowing that he couldn't make him very upset in his still fragile condition. "And why would you earn punishment, for example?" he asked softly.
"For example when I did accidental magic, or when I did better on my tests than Dudley, which I wasn't supposed to, or..." Harry slowly trailed off, averting his eyes to the floor.
"Mr. Potter," Severus said firmly, "All magical children do accidental magic, which is as the name says 'accidental' and does not warrant any punishment, and not being supposed to do better on tests than your cousin is ridiculous." Seeing that Harry showed no reaction, he queried, "How did your relatives punish you?"
"They locked me into my cupboard without food, or sometimes, my uncle used his belt," Harry replied in a small voice, knowing that the teacher had witnessed his worst memories anyway.
"All these things are physical abuse," Severus said sternly. "When they told you that you were a good for nothing freak, that was verbal abuse." He remained silent for an instant, before he continued, "Mr. Potter, I have to apologize. I verbally abused you as well, because I misunderstood your behaviour, which resulted from your bad childhood experiences, and thought that you were like your father. You are very different from him and much more like your mother. I understand that now, and thus my apology."
"No sir, it's all right. I did not behave well either, and I absolutely detest what my father and my godfather did to you in your memory," Harry stammered. "I didn't know that they were bullies until I saw your memory, and I told my godfather as much."
Severus sighed. "I have to admit that I wasn't an angel either, but they were bullies. Your mother, however, was my best friend over many years. Now I believe it's time for you to take a nap. I suggest that you think about the Headmaster's suggestion and inform me about your decision later on."
"Sir," Harry said hesitantly, "I am sorry for looking into your memory, although I'm glad that I found out the truth about my father's and Sirius' behaviour. I promise that I won't speak about what I saw to anyone."
The Potions Master nodded sharply, and Harry continued, "If you're all right with Professor Dumbledore's suggestion, I'd like to accept it."
"I understand," Severus replied, and a hint of surprise flashed over his face. "I shall inform the Headmaster accordingly."
HP
When Harry woke up, feeling very refreshed after a good night's sleep, he noticed in surprise that Hermione was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Mione," he said sleepily, reaching out for the girl's hand.
"Hi Harry, I'm so glad that you're finally better," she said, smiling.
"Where is Snape?" Harry whispered. "Does he know that you're here?"
Hermione chuckled. "Yes, he knows. He even asked me to stay with you, because he had to visit the Dursleys and the Ministry of Magic in order to gain the guardianship over you. Professor Dumbledore is teaching his classes at the moment. Professor Snape said that this is your room and you're able to remain at Hogwarts even during the summer."
Harry smiled. "I know; he told me yesterday."
"Congratulations, Harry. I think Professor Snape is a much better guardian than your relatives were, and he was very nice when he called me this morning. He also seemed very concerned about you, which is why he asked me to skip my classes and stay with you." She gave Harry a sharp look. "Professor Snape also asked me to check your temperature and to make you take your potions and eat breakfast."
Harry groaned in annoyance but obediently followed Hermione's instructions. While she observed him eat a bit of his breakfast, she informed him that Professor Umbridge had been taken to Azkaban for what she did to Harry. 'Thank Merlin she did what she did,' Harry mused. 'Now I have a new guardian, and Hogwarts is really my home. I am so happy.'
"Mr. Potter, you don't think you'll get away with the three bites you have taken so far? Eat your breakfast now." Suddenly, a stern voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and the Potions Master towered next to Hermione, glaring at him.
'Yes, it's great to have a caring guardian,' Harry thought and smiled as he pushed his plate away and closed his eyes, ready to go back to sleep instantly.
The End