Chapter 17

Snape stared at the headmaster, defeat growing on his face.

'I would only have to take him in the summer holidays?'

Dumbledore nodded, trying to conceal a small grin in his beard.

'Very well, but only if you don't tell him my true relationships with him. Tell him that you have appointed me as his guardian.'

'As you wish, Severus. I must tell you, that Harry is becoming interested in his family history, so I suggest a trip to the library would be in order. Find all the books that contain Potter and Snape records and do with them as you see fit. However, he will have to know one day, and sooner rather than later is recommended.'

'Are you sure that this is absolutely necessary?'

'Severus.' Dumbledore's voice brooked a warning tone.

'I'm sorry, Headmaster. Of course it's worth it.'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At the end of the week Harry was allowed out of the infirmary on the condition that he returned every night for a check up.

'But Madam Pomfrey,' Harry whined.

'Yes, Potter, and as well as that, you will be visiting Professor Snape three times a week for counselling - or as many times as he sees fit.'

Harry's face turned red with anger. 'I do not need a nosy Professor, poking his nose in where it doesn't belong. This is my business and I will not be discussing it with him, or anyone else for that matter.'

'Well then, Mr. Potter, it is going to be very boring for you in those sessions which you WILL attend, or I shall drag you straight back here again.'

Harry sent a withering glare her way before stomping out of the room.

As he swept through the corridors, people all around him stopped and stared. Pointing fingers followed him and whispering voices surrounded him as he fought to keep control of himself.

Eventually, when it had come to the point where a growing group of people was following him through the halls, he lost his temper.

'What the hell is wrong with you people? As much as I have just loved being your local attraction for the past five years, this is just going too far. You have all seen me before on many occasions and I fail to see what could be so interesting now. ... Ohhhhhh. I know what it is. You people have a fixation with scars. Five years you have been staring at my head and now that the novelty has worn off you want different scars to stare at. Well fine. Here are my bloody scars. Are they to your satisfaction? Do they live up to your expectations? Well it seems obvious that I haven't, so I'm glad that you at least have one part of me that hasn't let you down. Now if you will excuse me I have some friends to find, who don't just follow me around because I am disfigured, they actually give a fuck what happens to me. And if you morons can't see.if you morons can't. can't see that.then.'

After being dead or unconscious for most of the past two months, and having barely moved at all since then, Harry was extremely weak, and the ranting had used up all of his energy. He sank to the floor unconscious, unheeding the girls screaming around him.

While Harry had been yelling Draco Malfoy had walked around the corner, and seeing the crowd the Slytherin in him took over and he pushed his way forward hoping to see a fight.

What he did see however was a yelling Harry Potter, wavering unsteadily on his feet, face draining of the little colour left and then collapsing to the floor. Realisation swept over him as he forced his way through the crowd.

He ran to Harry and checked his vital signs, all the while snarling at the rapidly dispersing crowd.

'You fools, Dumbledore told you to leave him alone, what the fuck did you think you were doing? Well, don't just run away. One of you fuckers go find the nearest teacher.'

As a young Hufflepuff ran to find a teacher, Draco took off his cloak and covered Harry with it. He waited for five minutes or so, realising that since it was still class time that it might take a while to find a free teacher.

As Harry didn't seem to want to wake up any time soon, Draco took out his wand and began to levitate him down the hall.

'Mr Malfoy! What is going on?'

'Professor Snape,' gasped Draco in relief. 'The idiots were following him and he lost his temper, he was yelling at them and then he just collapsed.'

'I see.' Snape rapidly checked him over before pronouncing a verdict. 'He's simply exhausted. He should never have left the infirmary on his own. Stupid foolish boy. See if you can find Miss Granger or Mr Weasley and get them to take him to his dorm.'

'I know the password to the Gryffindor Tower, sir. I'll take him myself.'

Snape raised an eyebrow at this confession, but didn't comment.

Draco was halfway down the corridor with Harry under an invisibility charm, when he came upon Ron, Hermione and Seamus.

'Draco, Snape told us to look for you. He said it had something to do with Harry.'

'Yeah, Pomfrey let him out but people kept following him on the way back and he started yelling at them. He collapsed just as I came around the corner.'

'Well,' said Seamus impatiently. 'Where is he n-oof.'

Seamus stopped suddenly as he bumped into something that wasn't there.

'What the fuck?'

'You just walked into him. Snape told me to levitate him to Gryffindor and I couldn't very well just walk with him unconscious and floating above my head now could I?'

Hermione nodded.

'Well hurry up and get him back.'

They ran to Gryffindor Tower.

'Equilibrium,' panted Ron as they hauled themselves through the portrait hole.

After they had placed Harry in bed and Hermione muttered 'Enervate,' he sat up.

'Oh, dammit. I fainted, didn't I?'

'Harry, what were you doing, leaving the infirmary by yourself, let alone using up all your energy yelling at those people?'

Harry flinched at Hermione's stern tone.

'I'm sorry, Mione. I had to leave. Pomfrey was pissing me off. I have to go for a check up every night before I go to bed and then I have to see Snape three times a week for bloody counselling. Those fuckwits just kept pointing and whispering. I tried to ignore them, but when I turned around there was a whole group following me and I just lost my temper.'

'Well, it was a very stupid thing to do, Harry, but under the circumstances I guess we all would have done the same. Well, it's Friday, so you have all weekend to recover before going back to classes. The teachers have told me to ask you whether you would mind me coaching you, so that you can catch up for the OWLs. The holidays are in two weeks so I'll stay behind, if that's fine with you?'

Harry nodded timidly and before he could say anything else he had fallen asleep.