For those who thought that Snape's behaviour towards Harry in the last chapter was contradictory to Teddy's idea that Snape would always protect his Snakes, an explanation for his behaviour is included in later chapters. For those who are completely against him at the moment, Snape didn't realise that Harry didn't know the answers to the questions; he assumed that Harry would have read ahead and be able to answer them correctly, therefore allowing him to award points. His dubbing Harry 'the new celebrity' is because he also wrongly assumes that Harry likes his fame and that's why Draco doesn't like him when it's actually the opposite. He also hadn't discovered how flinchy Harry was because he's only seen him in a group, which would hide his reaction.
Other than that, thanks for the thank you to my lovely beta ddamato for her contributions and suggestions.
Usual disclaimer applies: I'm brunette, Aussie and have less than five dollars in my bank account; only in my dreams do I own Harry Potter or anything you recognise.
Chapter Eleven
When Harry Potter came to Hogwarts, he didn't expect the teachers to care about how many injuries he'd received in his life, or how much he weighed. He certainly didn't expect his teachers to notice how ratty he looked, or how much he wanted to have new things like the other students. He almost certainly didn't expect to be able to ask questions about his parents, when the Dursley's had been so against questions of any sort.
"Potter, stay behind." Harry nodded at Snape as the bell rang. He'd been so focused on the potion that Teddy and he were making, he hadn't even noticed the time going by. "Mr. Nott, please stop displaying your Gryffindor tendencies and believe that Mr. Potter will be completely safe in my hands. Unless you think he isn't?" Teddy grinned sheepishly as Professor Snape commented on his reluctance to leave Harry alone.
"I believe you'll find they're Hufflepuff tendencies, sir. But please don't tell my mum I said that." With that last cheeky comment, Teddy darted out into the corridor, waving a goodbye at Harry.
"Mr. Potter. I believe I promised you an end to our previous conversation. Now, without lying," - This warning he growled, showing his impatience - "tell me why all your possessions are second-hand while your cousin has brand new possessions. Considering I know that the Potters left you a large inheritance and the Headmaster has been providing the Dursley's with a stipend for your care, I know money was not the issue." Harry made the stupid mistake of meeting Snape's eyes in surprise when he heard this.
"They," Harry cut himself off before he finished that sentence. He had money? That was news to him.
"You weren't aware of this Mr. Potter?" Snape seemed to be looking even more closely at Harry. "This has been happening ever since you were placed with the Dursley's. In fact, you should not want for anything until you are out of school, even just living off of your parent's money."
"No, sir, I didn't know. I don't know why they said they didn't have the money." Harry could feel a pressure building up inside him, much like the one that always happened before he did accidental magic. The Dursley's had always told him that he was too much trouble, and that he cost too much and yet they'd been receiving money for his care since he was placed with them! That meant… No, Harry wasn't going to think about that. Not in front of Snape.
"Obviously Mr. Potter, they have decided to use the money for their own gain rather than for your comfort as it was intended. As your Head of House, I can inquire at Gringotts about your finances on your behalf, if you would like me to." Harry heard the careful, quiet tone that Professor Snape was using and realized that it was his way of being kind.
"Thank you, Professor. I would appreciate that." Harry had resumed his habit of looking at his feet, waiting for Snape to go back to the angry frame of mind he'd held for the last week.
"As for your conversation with Mr. Nott during class, I don't hate any Slytherin with one exception, which I will not mention here. There are some I don't particularly like; however, at the moment, you hardly feature on that list. Rest assured that Mr. Nott is correct; there are very few people stupid enough to mess with any of my Slytherins. And I meant what I said at the opening speech; I want my House to be as close as any family.
Which means that if you're hiding something, I need to know about it." Snape said this while leaning back onto his desk, and regarding Harry with a serious eye. "Why do you not want to submit to a medical exam, Mr. Potter?" Harry knew that it was a tactic, declaring his intent to protect him so that he relaxed, but Harry was somewhat glad of the reminder that Snape wasn't just scary to him; a lot of other people had reason to fear his Head of House.
That wouldn't stop him from lying though – Snape was scary but Uncle Vernon was scarier. "I was playing around at the end of the holidays and I hurt my ribs. I didn't want Uncle Vernon to know that I'd been at the park because I was grounded and I knew that you'd have to tell him if I was injured. Sir." Harry hoped that this was conveyed with more belief than his last lie to Snape.
At the site of Snape's eyebrow rising Harry tried not to show any outward signs of guilt. It wasn't like he liked lying to people, but he had to. A teacher getting involved with the Dursley's usually ended with Harry getting really well acquainted with his cupboard. He didn't want to go back to that. "Mr. Potter," Snape started to growl then seemed to think about what he was going to say. He continued much more calmly, "Since you insist on lying to me, perhaps I will make you a deal. My mouthwash is famous among those Slytherins who chose to swear in my presence; it is quite an effective deterrent. So every time I find you lying to me, or another teacher, you will have your mouth washed for one minute, same as if you'd sworn. Now, for the last time, why do you not want to see the nurse?" Harry swallowed nervously. He had indeed heard the stories of Snape's mouthwash, especially from Prefect Flint. He had no desire to find out what the fuss was all about.
So he wasn't allowed to lie; he'd just not answer. He lifted his head and looked just below Snape's eyes. He didn't want to tell Snape what really happened and he couldn't lie so he couldn't say anything.
"Very well, Mr. Potter." Snape seemed to concede after a few moments. "You owe me a check-up with Madame Pomfrey. Grab your things and come with me." He swept over to the door and held it open while Harry grabbed his book-bag and quickly darted past him. He started as he felt Snape's hand clamp down on his shoulder. Obviously Snape expected, correctly, that Harry would be looking for a chance to run.
He felt himself be propelled forward and couldn't resist the urge to hang his head in shame. He just hoped that Snape didn't stay during the exam because then he could lie to the nurse without repercussions. They moved through the school quickly, but not fast enough that Dudley didn't notice his predicament.
"Hah! Already in trouble are you, Scarhead? Wonder if you'll get expelled?" Dudley's delighted tone made Harry clench his fists, ashamed that Dudley would start something in front of the strict Potions Professor.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Dursley. Move along if you don't want to make it more." Snape barely let them pause while he reprimanded the obese boy.
"You seem to have such loving family, Mr. Potter." Snape sneered quietly behind him. "Why exactly are you protecting them?" Harry stopped and spun around, shaking off the professor's hand.
"I'm not protecting them sir. I fell off the monkey bars, and hurt my ribs. Dudley and I have never got along, probably because he's an idiot and I'm a nerd. I'm not lying." Harry said all this with his head up and staring straight ahead, even if that meant his gaze was only level with Snape's chest.
"You owe me a minute for that lie, Mr. Potter." Professor Snape grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, pushing him to make him continue towards the hospital wing. "Perhaps I spoke too soon. It just seems suspicious when two children turn up to the same school from the same house, looking as if they belong to dramatically different social demographics." Harry screwed up his face, attempting to decipher the words he hadn't heard before. "You look poor, Potter, while you're cousin looks rich."
Harry acknowledged the explanation of the terms by nodding his head. "Sir, no offence, but what does it matter? As long as I have the books I need and clothes to wear, does it matter what they look like?"Harry knew this was a bold statement towards a person who had just declared himself interested in Harry's welfare, but he couldn't find it in him to care.
"Do you like being the laughing stock of your year, Mr. Potter?" Harry deflated at the mention of the mockery that had been making its way toward him since the other Slytherins had discovered the state of his possessions. "Do you enjoy Draco Malfoy lording it over you because you don't have good clothes or good supplies? You can't possibly wish to spend the next eight months defending your lack of well made possessions." Snape seemed genuinely interested in Harry's answer.
"It wouldn't be that different from usual," Harry muttered under his breath as they entered the hospital wing.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but my hearing can't be as good as it used to be," Harry knew that was a lie, since Snape could hear an insult from across the common room. "Repeat what you said, clearer and louder this time." Snape pulled him to a stop and turned him around, his eyes glimmering.
"Mr. Potter, at last, I assume?" Saved by the bell, Harry looked up to see a matronly looking woman walking toward him. Snape's eyes snapped up to her and he curled his lip in obvious displeasure at being interrupted.
"Yes, Poppy. See that he gets a full check up please. And I want a copy of your results. Mr. Potter, I will leave you in Madame Pomfrey's very capable hands. Report to my office at seven for your detention. Don't be late." He left the infirmary quickly, leading Harry to recall the saying 'like a bat out of hell.'
"Alright Mr. Potter, up on the bed with you. Since you're muggle-raised, you're probably used to a lot more fuss than a wizarding examination." She paused while he hopped up onto the hospital bed. "All you have to do is sit still while I scan you with my wand then I will transfer your medical history to this parchment." Here she pointed to the pieces of parchment sitting on a stand next to the bed.
"How can it tell my whole medical history? Wouldn't it just tell you what's wrong with me at the moment?" Harry was about to decide that maybe deceiving the nurse wasn't going to be so easy after all.
"Your body remembers every injury that it receives but not what caused the injury. Therefore, when I use this spell it records the history and from that I can guess the reason." As she spoke she waved her wand over Harry. She tapped her wand onto the top of the parchment stack. It began to fill rapidly and Harry realized that she was probably going to need more parchment. Sure enough, a small chime sounded and Madame Pomfrey frowned. She used her wand to summon more parchment and added it to the top of the pile. It automatically began filling up with writing.
"While we wait for that to fill up, we'll weigh and measure you. Hop onto the scale please, Harry." Harry jumped off the bed and walked over to the scale. After he'd stepped onto the scale, Madame Pomfrey reached above his head and pulled a flat disc down to touch the top of his head.
"Hmm. 4 feet, 2 inches and 28kg. You're small for your age, Mr. Potter. I think I'm going to ask Professor Snape for a nutrient potion for you that I want you to take every day until I tell you not to, okay?" Madame Pomfrey said this in a way that made Harry think about what she was saying, not take offense at the comment about his height, which had always been an issue.
"What will it do?" Harry couldn't stop himself from being curious. Even if Potions class was going to be a misery for the rest of the year, he still wanted to learn all he could.
"Hopefully it'll put some weight on you and it might assist when you get your next growth spurt. You should catch up to other boys your age." The nurse bustled over to the stack of parchment and while Harry watched, duplicated the stack.
She read the first sheet, and then glanced up at Harry in shock. "Mr. Potter, do you realize that have a fractured rib?" Harry opened his mouth to lie when Snape walked back through the infirmary door.
"I fell over, Ma'am." Harry decided that it wasn't really a lie because he had fallen over; it was just that he fell over after Uncle Vernon had knocked him down.
"Well, we'll have to do something about that. Severus, Mr. Potter is going to have to miss his detention. I need him to take it easy if I dose him with Skele-gro, which is what this rib needs." While she talked, Madame Pomfrey was already moving over to a supply cupboard by the window.
"Of course, Poppy. I didn't expect Mr. Potter to serve his detention scrubbing cauldrons anyway. I need to talk to him without distractions; therefore that will be his detention." Snape said all this while staring at Harry. Harry suddenly realized that that glimmer in Snape's eyes was the same one he'd had when Harry had lied to him. Snape was pissed and furthermore, he knew Harry had been hiding an injury. Harry decided to indulge his more juvenile side and flopped backwards onto the nearest bed and closed his eyes. He couldn't resist hissing as his rib twinged but it was worth it.
"Mr. Potter, aren't you in pain?" Madame Pomfrey's voice cut across the infirmary and Harry thought about sitting back up to answer her. However, he could still feel Snape's anger, even from across the room, so he decided against that.
"No ma'am. I've had worse." Harry told himself he wasn't giving up. He was just making his own life easier by appeasing his Head of House.
"As I can see, Mr. Potter." When Snape's voice sounded from next to Harry's head, Harry snapped his eyes open as he shot upward with a startled yelp.
"Stop doing that!" In his fear, Harry forgot himself for the first time in years and cried out.
"Mr. Potter! I realize that you are surprised, but I will have respect for teachers in this infirmary. Now, drink this, and then you're free to go." Harry almost laughed at how fast Madame Pomfrey got back to business, but he was too busy glaring at Snape to care. So much so, that he wasn't expecting the foul taste of the potion and he almost spat it out. Only Snape's hand shooting out and covering his mouth stopped him from spitting the dreadful thing out.
"Swallow, Mr. Potter. The sooner you do, the sooner you can get the taste out of your mouth." Snape sounded almost bored with Harry's distress. "And as for your previous comment, what exactly would you like me to stop?" Here he raised an eyebrow, giving Harry the impression that he wasn't going to change what he did even if Harry did offer an answer.
"You keep sneaking up on me. Seriously, sir, no offense, but you need a cat bell or something." Harry didn't look at Snape as he delivered this line but he heard Madame Pomfrey snort from where she was standing off to the side. He looked up and offered her a small smile.
"Perhaps, Mr. Potter, I will take that into account." Harry whipped his head around to meet Snape's eyes and noticed that his eyes were glinting. Could that mean that when Snape's eyes glinted, he was laughing inside?
"Well, good." Harry replied cautiously just in case he'd misjudged Snape's reaction.
"If we are done here Mr. Potter, then you should perhaps head to your meeting with Professor McGonagall. She will provide you with some lunch as well. You're too skinny to miss meals. Now get going. I need to talk to Madame Pomfrey. And take it easy!" Harry didn't wait for Snape or Pomfrey to change their minds; he darted out of the infirmary. He had been looking forward to this meeting all week, and now he was finally free of Snape.
Harry was happy to sit down with Professor McGonagall after the up-down morning he'd had. He had managed to make the meeting on time, even if he was just a little out of breath.
"You didn't have to run, Mr. Potter. Professor Snape came to see me to tell me that you had a meeting with Madame Pomfrey. Is everything all right?" Professor McGonagall seemed openly concerned and Harry almost breathed a sigh of relief. Professor McGonagall was too much a Gryffindor to be subtle which meant it was easy for Harry to talk to her; he didn't feel like he had to be on guard like he did with Snape.
"Yes ma'am. Professor Snape wanted all the first years to have a check up and I forgot so I had to be reminded this morning." Harry lied easily, forgetting that McGonagall had also gone to his house.
"And yesterday morning? I know Professor Snape talked to you then as well." Harry wondered if McGonagall had learnt that raised eyebrow from Snape or if that was where Snape had learnt it.
He resisted the urge to blush. "I don't like going to the nurse for no reason, ma'am. It seems like a waste of time and money."
"All the same Mr. Potter, it is a good practice for a Head of House to enforce. Slytherin especially tends to attract children who have unhappy childhoods, and Professor Snape caters to those students whom this affects. I'm sure he learnt from experience that the sooner he knows about problems at home, the sooner he can do something about it."
Professor McGonagall tapped her wand on a plate on the desk in front of her, and sandwiches appeared. Harry had learnt not to startle at food magically appearing, but he still couldn't get over his amazement. "Eat, Harry. You are far too skinny compared to your cousin."
"I think I'm just naturally skinny, Professor. I've always been skinnier than Dudley." Harry said while reaching for a sandwich.
"You weren't a skinny baby though." McGonagall tapped her tea set with her wand to bring it to a boil. "Would you like some tea, Harry?"
"Yes, please. You knew me as a baby?"
"Oh yes. Your mother and I were good friends after she left school. In fact, I was there when you walked for the first time. James was so proud of you; he loved you to pieces. Your mother adored you; every other sentence was Harry this, Harry that. It was quite endearing." Harry was content to sit back and listen to McGonagall paint a perfect picture of his life as a young child, dismissing any dark thoughts before they occurred.
Harry's weight and height puts him in the 3rd percentile in Australia. 28kgs translates to 61.7 pounds. 4 feet 2 inches translates to 128cm. For all those who don't want to have to look up converters to understand it. :)
