Dear all,
Huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, you made my day! :)
I am aware this chapter is slightly shorter but I thought it was a good place to stop.
Tsurusaki Eiri - That's an interesting take on a character being OOC. I have to say I somewhat agree with you, as long as the story attempts to explain the reasons why the character is acting that way. Thanks for the grammar tip, you're absolutely right, unfortunately I learned it wrong when I was about 11, hence it is my nature to write this way (meaning I really have to make an effort when I write short stories for school as they have to be correct.. *sigh* :P) but I will try to correct it, but please bear with me if its faulty at times.
NobbyPotter - Thank you for pointing that out, it's been changed. :) It was literally 2 am when I wrote that chapter, hence the large number of faults (such as possible instead of possibly) but I've tried to correct most of them.
Andrea xxx
Harry couldn't sleep at all that night. He kept going over the conversation with Snape in his head so many times that in the end it seemed like a dream. The bed in which he had slept for the last six years seemed uncomfortable all of a sudden. He could hear the soft snores of his dorm-mates, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean, which made him feel more and more distant by the minute. He sighed and rolled over on his left side once more. Still no sleep. He lay like that for another two hours until he could hear Neville, who was always the earliest riser, get out of bed. Not wanting to face Ron this early in the morning, he decided he was better off getting up before him.
Twenty minutes later Harry left the Gryffindor tower, dressed in his usual school robes. The Fat Lady was the first person to greet him with a bright "good morning". As he walked through the corridors on his way to the Great hall the sense of loneliness filled him once more. Most students, he did not know, and the ones he did know looked down as they walked past him, pretending they didn't see him. The only person who said hello to him was Luna, but even she seemed somewhat hesitant to do so. After her quick greeting, she hurried down the corridor. Harry could not understand why it seemed as though everyone was part of a secret club, the sole purpose of which was to deny his existence. He stifled a yawn, not wanting to let anyone know how tired he was.
For the second time in his life, no one looked at him as he entered the Great Hall, something he found strangely relieving. As he sat down on his usual chair, he looked up to the Head Table only to find Snape eyeing him with nothing but indifference in his eyes. Harry came to the conclusion that last night's conversation could be nothing more than a dream. For some reason he felt disappointed. It would have been nice to talk to someone. He whispered a quiet "hello" to Hermione but she just looked at him despondently, neither acknowledging nor ignoring him. As he looked for the pumpkin juice jug, he found that there was already a glass of pumpkin juice in front of him. He looked up and found Hermione giving him a slight smile and he nodded at her. After having eaten a hearty breakfast to compensate for the lack of sleep, he stood up to leave and realised he hadn't been given his schedule. He happened to be lucky though, as McGonagall was standing right behind him.
"Here you are, Mr Potter", she said in her usual voice and handed him his schedule.
After taking a quick look at hit, Harry realised he had all his classes, except for Potions, with Ron. He cursed inwardly. This was going to be a long week.
The first two lessons were rather uneventful, Transfiguration and Defense against the Dark Arts. The new teacher in the latter subject was a young Dutch witch named Marjorie Johnson and Harry found her to be an okay teacher, perhaps a tad bit boring. None of the lessons had required any work in pairs which Harry was relieved for. By lunch he was so tired he was ready to fall over. Though he wasn't very hungry he made himself eat two full servings at lunch, hoping the food would fill him with energy. Ron was the only person who ate more, Harry mused. As he had nothing better to do, Harry spent the entire lunch break in the dining hall, pretending to read a copy of the Prophet someone had left behind.
Harry made it to Potions just on time and sat down on one of the chairs in the far back. He was surprised Snape accepted him in his NEWT Potions class, seeing as he had not taken any official exams, and he suspected the Headmaster had something to do with it, so he chose not to comment on it. The classroom was as chilly and dark as it always had been, compared to the class which was very different as the majority of the students were from Ravenclaw. The Potions Master began the lesson with telling everyone what a difficult course Potions would be this year. Probably trying to scare off the sissies, Harry thought and smiled slightly. Somehow he found his professor's voice strangely relaxing and his eyelids became heavier and heavier. As he sat in the far back of the classroom, no one but his professor noticed him falling asleep.
"You may start taking notes on the following pages", Snape drawled and scribbled a few numbers on the black board. He glared at his students for a moment or two, making sure they began working. The Slytherin then proceeded to the end of the classroom where he pretended to open a cupboard. After making sure that all students were concentrating on their work, he put two hands on Harry's shoulders and shook them slightly. He achieved the desired effect and Harry opened his mouth to explain himself. Snape gestured for him to be quiet and pointed a finger at the board. The boy nodded. The Slytherin then closed the cupboard and walked back to his desk. He saw the Gryffindor send him a look of gratitude. Snape was shocked at the large dark rings under the boy's eyes and reached the conclusion that he couldn't have gotten much sleep the night before. Half an hour later the lesson came to its end.
"I want these notes in by Wednesday. Class dismissed. Potter, stay behind."
The Gryffindor packed up his things slowly, waiting for everyone to leave the room before he approached his professor. When the last person had left the room, Snape shut the door with a flick of his wand.
"I always knew my lessons were demanding, but I never thought they could make students fall asleep out of exhaustion", Snape said dryly.
"I'm so sorry, Sir", Harry said apologetically. "Thank you for waking me up...like that."
Snape chose not to reply to the expression of gratitude and instead motioned for his student to sit down. "How has your first day been?" he asked and leaned back in his chair.
"Interesting", Harry said and rolled his eyes. He was certain his teacher knew the real answer; hence there was no need to say it. "I've made more friends than I've ever had before. It's been the best day of my life!" he said with faked cheerfulness.
"That bad?" the Slytherin stated and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
The Gryffindor just looked back at him with indifference in his eyes. He honestly did not know what to reply to that question. It had been one of the worst days of his life so far.
"Do you have any more classes today?" Snape asked.
"No, I'm free, Sir. Why do you ask?"
"I want you to take this", Snape said and removed a small vial from an inside pocket of his robes, "and go to bed. It is a dreamless sleep potion which, due to its concentrated form, will put you to sleep immediately. I will send a letter to McGonagall, stating that you are to be excused for the rest of the day".
"I'm guessing that is a demand, Professor", the student replied with a small smile.
"It is up to you if you want to take my advice or not, Potter, but you look like you could use some sleep." Snape rose and handed the vial to his student. "You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Sir", Harry said gratefully and accepted the vial. "See you tomorrow." He stood up and walked to the door when his teacher interrupted him.
"It seems as though you are in need of someone to talk to, Potter", Snape paused, carefully choosing the next couple of words, "feel free to knock on my door should you ever wish to have someone to talk to", he offered, his voice remaining strangely cool. "Even in the middle of the night, Potter", he added quietly and nodded at the boy.
"Thank you, Professor, I really appreciate it", the younger man replied softly.
"Now go, my next class will be here in a few minutes", the Slytherin said, pretending to be annoyed. He felt somewhat satisfactory as the Gryffindor left his classroom. Contrary to popular belief, the Potions Master actually enjoyed helping people. Especially the ones everyone else neglected, because, believe it or not, those were the ones who would surprise you the most.