Chapter 4 Demons
By, Silver Lighting
Ugly gray spread across the sky, holding for a few minutes, before the pink, purple, blue, and gold hues of a summer sun up took its place. Like a ugly duckling into a swan. Harry sat, on his perch, the window sill, watching natures beauty unfold before him and knowing that no matter what happened, there was always a sundown and a sunrise, a chance to start anew. He promised to himself that he would not let anything happen to his sunrise.
Assuming that no one would be up at dawn but himself, he waited a few more hours till it was exactly 7 o'clock before heading down for breakfast. He hadn't had anything yesterday but a few crackers and some cheese and he was, rightly so, famished. Leaving his bedroom, he stole down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen, only to be stopped by the sight of Snape sitting at the dinning table.
"Potter," the older man said, "sit down, the elves will see to breakfast. Why didn't you seek your bed last night?"
The question was so unbelievable, coming from his potions professor, that Harry dropped the spoon he had been playing with. "Because……" seeing that he was about to tell this man about the demons that followed him into sleep, Harry quickly changed his mind and said, "……this place is so unfamiliar, and because I'm not use to it, I was up because of nerves." There! Harry thought. A perfectly believable cover-up.
"Really?" Snape asked. "Then why the mile long bags under your eyes? That alone is testimony to long weeks of not sleeping. Do you not feel comfortable at your Anut and Uncle's, even through you've lived there for 14 years?"
Damn! Harry thought. Why does everyone have to care so much? But really, Harry wouldn't mind if one of his friends, either Ron or Hermione, or ever Hagrid, had asked him about his sleeping problems. But Snape wasn't a friend, or even a family member, not even close.
Going with the first thing that came into his mind, Harry replied, "What do you care? Or is Dumbledore making you?" He watched his elder's nostrils flare, before the usual unreadable mask fell into place over the professor's face.
"Since I am in charge of you for the duration of the summer, or untill father notice, I am in charge of your well being as well. Now, with that out of the way, why were you *really* up all night?"
Harry was saved from answering right away; three house elves walked in, the tallest walking over to Snape and setting a full plate in front of him, the medium sized one carrying Harry's plate to him, and the last and shortest one filling first Snape a cup of storng black coffee, then giving Harry a tall glass of orange juice. "Thanks," he mumbled under his breath, thanking them for the food and their unknown help in giving him time to find an answer to Snape's question.
"Well?" Snape snapped after the elves had returned to the kitchen, sounding like a irritable snake in winter.
"Well, what?" the younger of the two muttered.
"You are so much like your father, it's not funny." his elder retorted.
"Thanks, I didn't think you'd notice," Harry said dryly, not really knowing why he was getting Snape all worked up, just loving it that he couldn't be giving a detention because of what he said.
Finally, Snape gave up, "Fine, I *don't* care. Kill yourself and see if I try to stop you." With that painful parting statement, Snape stood and walked out of the dinning room, leaving behind a full plate and one depressed teenager.
Harry waited a mintue, then stood, snatching a piece of toast off his plate before making his slow way up the massive staircase toward his room, pulling the door half-way-closed. Taking the chair to the oak desk that was against the wall across from the bed, he pulled a quill from an oriently carved silver quill holder and started a letter to Ron, telling him about coming down to breakfast to find the Headmaster and about leaving to come here, to this hated place. Picturing Ron's face when he read about staying at Snape's, Harry smiled for the first time since school had ended.
Adding the p.s., which asked Ron to tell Hermione about where he was, Harry walked over to where Hedwig sat on the sill, watching him as he tied the letter to her leg. "To Ron's, of course, who else?" After the letter was tightly in place, Harry held his arm out, watched as his snowy white owl jumped on to his long-sleeved arm, Moving to sit on the wide window sill, Harry held out his arm and watched as Hedwig took her graceful fight into the bright sunlight.
Watching the only contact he had fly away, Harry realized how alone he really was. He had no one to talk to and no one to listen to. He felt like he was a little kid again, back in the cupboard, without a friend in world.
Pulling his knees up to his chest, Harry stared out into the bright sunny day and hated the feeling of loneness that caused a lump to leap into his throat.
Not for the first time in his life, Harry wished he was just a normal kid, with a mom and dad that loved him and friends' that could come over and hang out.
Sitting there on that stone window sill, the coldness of which was creeping into his bones, making him feel older than he ever wanted to be, watching as life flew by him, Harry Potter vowed that no one else would have to live like him. He vowed that Voldemort would pay for all the heartache he'd caused. He vowed that Voldemort would feel the pain he'd caused ten fold before he died.
By, Silver Lighting
Ugly gray spread across the sky, holding for a few minutes, before the pink, purple, blue, and gold hues of a summer sun up took its place. Like a ugly duckling into a swan. Harry sat, on his perch, the window sill, watching natures beauty unfold before him and knowing that no matter what happened, there was always a sundown and a sunrise, a chance to start anew. He promised to himself that he would not let anything happen to his sunrise.
Assuming that no one would be up at dawn but himself, he waited a few more hours till it was exactly 7 o'clock before heading down for breakfast. He hadn't had anything yesterday but a few crackers and some cheese and he was, rightly so, famished. Leaving his bedroom, he stole down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen, only to be stopped by the sight of Snape sitting at the dinning table.
"Potter," the older man said, "sit down, the elves will see to breakfast. Why didn't you seek your bed last night?"
The question was so unbelievable, coming from his potions professor, that Harry dropped the spoon he had been playing with. "Because……" seeing that he was about to tell this man about the demons that followed him into sleep, Harry quickly changed his mind and said, "……this place is so unfamiliar, and because I'm not use to it, I was up because of nerves." There! Harry thought. A perfectly believable cover-up.
"Really?" Snape asked. "Then why the mile long bags under your eyes? That alone is testimony to long weeks of not sleeping. Do you not feel comfortable at your Anut and Uncle's, even through you've lived there for 14 years?"
Damn! Harry thought. Why does everyone have to care so much? But really, Harry wouldn't mind if one of his friends, either Ron or Hermione, or ever Hagrid, had asked him about his sleeping problems. But Snape wasn't a friend, or even a family member, not even close.
Going with the first thing that came into his mind, Harry replied, "What do you care? Or is Dumbledore making you?" He watched his elder's nostrils flare, before the usual unreadable mask fell into place over the professor's face.
"Since I am in charge of you for the duration of the summer, or untill father notice, I am in charge of your well being as well. Now, with that out of the way, why were you *really* up all night?"
Harry was saved from answering right away; three house elves walked in, the tallest walking over to Snape and setting a full plate in front of him, the medium sized one carrying Harry's plate to him, and the last and shortest one filling first Snape a cup of storng black coffee, then giving Harry a tall glass of orange juice. "Thanks," he mumbled under his breath, thanking them for the food and their unknown help in giving him time to find an answer to Snape's question.
"Well?" Snape snapped after the elves had returned to the kitchen, sounding like a irritable snake in winter.
"Well, what?" the younger of the two muttered.
"You are so much like your father, it's not funny." his elder retorted.
"Thanks, I didn't think you'd notice," Harry said dryly, not really knowing why he was getting Snape all worked up, just loving it that he couldn't be giving a detention because of what he said.
Finally, Snape gave up, "Fine, I *don't* care. Kill yourself and see if I try to stop you." With that painful parting statement, Snape stood and walked out of the dinning room, leaving behind a full plate and one depressed teenager.
Harry waited a mintue, then stood, snatching a piece of toast off his plate before making his slow way up the massive staircase toward his room, pulling the door half-way-closed. Taking the chair to the oak desk that was against the wall across from the bed, he pulled a quill from an oriently carved silver quill holder and started a letter to Ron, telling him about coming down to breakfast to find the Headmaster and about leaving to come here, to this hated place. Picturing Ron's face when he read about staying at Snape's, Harry smiled for the first time since school had ended.
Adding the p.s., which asked Ron to tell Hermione about where he was, Harry walked over to where Hedwig sat on the sill, watching him as he tied the letter to her leg. "To Ron's, of course, who else?" After the letter was tightly in place, Harry held his arm out, watched as his snowy white owl jumped on to his long-sleeved arm, Moving to sit on the wide window sill, Harry held out his arm and watched as Hedwig took her graceful fight into the bright sunlight.
Watching the only contact he had fly away, Harry realized how alone he really was. He had no one to talk to and no one to listen to. He felt like he was a little kid again, back in the cupboard, without a friend in world.
Pulling his knees up to his chest, Harry stared out into the bright sunny day and hated the feeling of loneness that caused a lump to leap into his throat.
Not for the first time in his life, Harry wished he was just a normal kid, with a mom and dad that loved him and friends' that could come over and hang out.
Sitting there on that stone window sill, the coldness of which was creeping into his bones, making him feel older than he ever wanted to be, watching as life flew by him, Harry Potter vowed that no one else would have to live like him. He vowed that Voldemort would pay for all the heartache he'd caused. He vowed that Voldemort would feel the pain he'd caused ten fold before he died.