Chapter 7: Potter Missing Potions

Severus watched as Harry ran out of his office. He looked dangerously upset… Snap out of it! You. Don't. Care. About. POTTER! He sulked to the potions lap to prepare for his first class, Potter would be in it. Snape found his thoughts drifting back to the boy as he set up cauldrons and wrote instructions on the board. Stop worrying—worrying? I am not worrying! –you're going to see him in a few minutes anyway. Those minutes felt like hours.

Finally class started, the students flooded in and Potter wasn't with them. Severus's heart plummeted. "Today you will be brewing—" he faltered slightly and glanced at the board "—an Invigorating Draught. A simple potion. Even Weasley can't muck it up," he continued, using that as an excuse to stare at Potter's empty seat. He crossed the room, glaring at Granger. "Where's Potter?" He asked with a smirk. "Too good for potions now?"

She didn't break eye-contact, but fear flashed across her face. "I don't know, sir," she replied solemnly. He studied her face for a few moments before he spun around and clapped his hands.

"Begin," he said in a clipped tone. Severus pushed the worry from his mind, writing it off as Potter being rebellious. Part of him didn't think it was true, but he had more pressing issues. Neville just exploded one of his cheap cauldrons. He lectured the boy but let him off easy: one detention with Filch. Severus was going to give him a more severe sentence, but he caught sight of Malfoy's broken nose as he was speaking. Blood was splattered down the Slytherin's tie and the front of his robes. Very unprofessional, Snape mused. "Mr. Malfoy," he said sharply, crossing the room and jerking Draco out of the room by his collar. "How did you get this?" He asked, gesturing to the boy's nose—a small trickle of blood still running from it. A smile spread across Malfoy's face.

"Potter punched me," he stated smugly. A muscle in Snape's face twitched.

"Where is he now?" He asked slowly. Draco shrugged.

"Probably hiding from you. He knows I'm your favourite." Severus fought back a snort. Draco was far from his favourite. He hated his Godson but obviously couldn't let it be known.

"Get to the hospital wing."

"What about my potion?" Malfoy whined.

"It's fine. Go." Severus hissed and Draco shot off like a bullet.

The remainder of the day flew by for Snape. Before he knew it, he was back in his chambers, getting ready to sleep. Severus lay awake in his bed that night. Worry was eating at his core. After an hour of attempting to sleep, he sighed and pushed himself up out of bed again. He sauntered to his kitchen and made a pot of coffee. His mind was moving at a sluggish pace due to exhaustion, but still too quickly for him to sleep. He grumbled as he poured the beverage in a black mug and sat at the table. Why would Potter punch Malfoy in the nose? At least that's obvious. I'd punch the little prick if I had the chance. But what happened? Where is the boy? Severus wracked his mind, thinking of where he could have disappeared. That's not the question that needs answering, he realized. Not where… Why. He grabbed a quill and parchment and wrote whatever came to mind.

Potter: Virgin, upset, defensive, tired, thin, emotional, backs down, hides, punched Draco, terrible past….

He wrote for hours on end. When Severus finally put the quill down, he studied what he'd written. So an emaciated, recently deflowered, grumpy ball of emotions. A teenager. I'm worried for nothing. But something nagged at the back of his mind. He was missing something and try as he might, he couldn't figure out what it was. A glance at the clock told him that if he fell asleep now, he could get in three hours of rest before his alarm. He gave up and retired to his bed, sleep claimed him instantly.

Harry left the bathroom after curfew. He returned to his dormitory without being noticed. Unfortunately, Ron was awake and heard him riffling through his trunk. "Hey, Harry," he said softly from the shadows. Harry froze.

"Hi," he replied in a clipped tone as he pulled on a pair of sweatpants.

"Where have you been?" Ron asked, clearly too tired to pick up on the tone.

"I just needed a day to get away from everyone and relax," Harry said softly. It wasn't a total lie, he reassured himself. Ron nodded in the dim light and fell back to sleep.

Harry climbed into his own bed and stared at the dark ceiling, remembering the night before. I wasn't scared… okay maybe I was, a little. Sometimes it looked like he was going to hit me, but he never did. I don't think I flinched much with Snape. He tried to think back to the night in better detail but was interrupted by awful memories. Harry remembered a few of the hundreds of times Vernon had hit him. He shuddered and tried to push it out of his head with thoughts of Snape. It was almost like he liked it too. Maybe it's all my imagination, Harry thought as Malfoy's words echoed through his mind again. The thought of Snape being angry with him ripped him to shreds. He hadn't meant to anger his potions master… just wanted to thank him. And win his heart, a voice in the back of his head chimed in. Harry's heart pounded at the thought of Snape enjoying the sex. He quickly shook the thought from his mind. Don't hope, it just hurts more in the end. At least my end will be coming soon. I just have to figure out how to get the ingredients…He sighed and rolled over, crying himself to sleep, as he always did.