Disclaimer: This isn't my original world, it's JKR's, but then again, you're smart people, you knew that!!!
A/N: Well, since some were complaining about how short my chapters are, I tried to make this one a bit longer. Enjoy!
Harry looked around him in complete shock. How did he manage to get himself there? He just was trying to jump over the dustbins to try and hide from Dudley's gang. After he had come out for playtime that day, they were waiting for him with eager grins on their faces. Harry didn't like that look in their eyes. Immediately, he spun around and charged towards the other side of the playground.
The other kids pretty much ignored the scene unfolding before them. They didn't want to be next in line after they had beaten up that Harry Potter kid. So Harry had been running around by himself, dodging between girls jump roping, boys playing football, and the older kids standing around chatting. Harry thought he had found the perfect place to hide. He was beginning to become winded, yet amazingly Dudley's gang was still hot on his tail. At least Dudley had stopped long ago to try and catch his breath.
As Harry looked excited towards the dustbins, he knew that he could at least hide out for a little bit there to catch his breath. It wasn't the best hiding place in the world, but it would just have to do. The only way he could get behind them without someone hearing him push the dustbins aside would be to jump over them. Calculatingly, Harry thought that he could perhaps just make it. And if he didn't maybe Dudley's gang would see that he was already hurt and leave him alone. This decided it for Harry.
Harry sucked in a huge breath of air, shut his eyes, and jumped as high as he could. To his utter amazement, his jump lasted longer than he would have thought it would. When he finally stopped and hit the ground, though, he realized why. But not before he felt a crushing pain go through his ankle.
Looking down, Harry didn't think it was broken or anything, but it still hurt, so to avoid further pain, Harry sat down. He groaned and felt like hitting his head repeatedly against a wall. Only with a great deal of restraint did he manage not to do this. Why did he always manage to find trouble?
Harry looked about him and sighed. He would really be in for it this time. Harry shivered slightly, who would have thought that the roof of the school could be so drafty? But there was some pretty neat things on top of the roof. There was a sea of old balls and Frisbees of all kinds. There was also the odd lunchbox here and there. A few birds had cocked their heads at Harry and looked at him strangely.
Harry just smiled; at least he was alone up here. No Dudley and his friends to beat him up, no aunt and uncle to yell at him and make him do chores, no nosy teachers. Unfortunately, the last assumption was wrong. Well, at least partially. There did end up to be three teachers behind him. The principal of the school as well as his teacher and the teacher on duty on the playground were all standing behind him, looking quite upset.
Startled, Harry tried to jump to his feet to face them. In doing so, though, Harry felt a sharp pain shoot up his leg. He had forgotten that he had hurt it. His teacher looked worried, and rushed to his side. She latched herself onto his shoulder and asked him if he was alright. Harry nodded, no use making her even more worried that she already was. He stopped his musing though when he heard someone clear the voice.
"Mr. Potter, may I ask why you are on top of the roof," the stern looking principal asked him.
"Sir, I don't know. I just got here," Harry replied faintly, wondering if there was a cupboard that they would put him into at this school. He didn't remember one on the tour that his teacher took him on, but that didn't mean that there wasn't one.
"Don't be ridiculous, young man, you cannot just end up on a roof! You must climb up a ladder to get there or perhaps along the gutter?" The man looked at Harry like he had suddenly lost it.
"Please, sir, I did! I was trying to jump over the dustbins. I must have gotten caught in a draft or something and been pushed up here!" Harry replied fervently. His teacher suddenly entered the conversation.
"Why would you try to jump over the dustbins, Harry?" She asked as calmly as she could, although she was pretty sure that she had a good idea as to the reason. Harry did not want to answer that question though. He just lowered his head and said something about just playing a game. His teacher looked at him skeptically.
"You can tell us the truth, Harry. You won't get into any trouble for telling the truth," she gently prodded him, trying to get him to answer honestly what had happened. Harry looked up at her with his bright green orbs. His eyes filled with hope. Maybe he cold trust these adults. His teacher, at least, didn't seem to favor Dudley. On the contrary, she seemed to feel that Dudley was a rather dim child. Harry decided in that instant that he would at least try and tell the truth. There wasn't much lost if they were just like everyone else, anyways.
"I was trying to hide, Ms. Watson." Harry told her, boldly gathering all of his courage.
"From what, Harry?" she once again wanted to know more. This was more than Harry had ever let her know and she was going to use this to her advantage.
"Dudley and his gang," he answered in words that could barely be made out. Harry was willing to try and trust these people, but years of living in a cupboard taught him to tread lightly when telling on his cousin, or his friends for that matter.
Ms. Watson looked harshly at the teacher who was on duty on the playground. The teacher looked rather uncomfortable at the young woman's hard stare.
"Did you see Harry running from those boys, Mrs. Russel?" Ms. Watson demanded, coldly.
"Of course I did, they were just running around like all young boys do!" Mrs. Russel said in a defensive tone. Ms. Watson was looking like she wanted to slap her stupid colleague, but had decided against it. The principal had looked at the past proceedings with a small amount of interest, but he just wanted to get down from the chilly roof.
"Perhaps we should take this inside, and continue once we are all off this roof." He suggested in a tone that meant that that was what they were going to do. Ms. Watson merely nodded and grabbed Harry's hand. She went down the ladder first, then Harry, then the principal and the playground teacher followed.
Their meeting was redirected inside and Harry looked around sadly when he saw that Dudley and his friends were grinning maliciously at him. They were going to do something, he knew it.
~*~
Harry felt horrible. Nobody believed him. All it took was Dudley and his gang saying that they had seen him climbing the ladder and Harry was pronounced lying. Ms. Watson had lied to him. She said that if he just told the truth, they would believe him. Nobody believed him. Even Ms. Watson was looking at him like his story was impossible.
He knew better than to trust those teachers with the truth, now. They just got more and more mad at him every time that he repeated his story. In the end his Aunt Petunia was called and she came and picked him up, looking extremely livid. She pulled Dudley from class that day as well and took them both home. Harry was immediately put into his cupboard with no meals for a week. Harry sighed, he should have known.
~*~
Harry was back at school a week after the roof incident, as he called it. Word had apparently spread that he had been climbing on the roof and kids were whispering about him in the hallways. Harry hated this treatment, so after school was dismissed, he waited a while in the classroom.
He talked to Ms. Watson for a little bit about the work he had to catch up on and she gave him the homework and told him he could take the tests during playtime the next week. Harry agreed then limped out of the class room. Ms. Watson frowned as he went out, didn't he hurt his leg when he was on the roof last week? No, he must have tripped recently. Nobody would let a child go so long without medical attention.
Harry was wincing as he was walking along the deserted hallways. His ankle was really starting to bug him. He still hadn't recovered from landing so hard on the roof. It was just his luck when he saw that really strict teacher's, Mr. Snape's, room up ahead. What made it even worse was that the scowling man walked out of his room just as Harry had thought this.
Harry refused to be stalled by this man, especially since he wanted to stay outside of the cupboard now that he was out of it for the first time in a week, and if he didn't hurry home his aunt would definitely put him back in there. The man just scowled at him, though. To Harry's utter surprise, as he was passing his room and on the way to the door and freedom, Mr. Snape spoke to him.
"Mr. Potter, could you come back to my room?" the man silkily questioned, but to Harry it seemed more like it was a demand. Harry walked as quickly as he could back to the man's room. Once inside, the man shut the door firmly behind them and gestured for Harry to take a seat. The seats were a little too big for Harry and took him a while before he was situated properly.
"Now, Mr. Potter, I would like to see your ankle, if you please." Harry looked questioningly at the man, but decided it better not to ask questions. He lifted his pant leg up to his knee and tugged off his shoe and sock. He looked at his ankle in shock. He didn't think it was that bad. His ankle was huge, red, and puffy.
Mr. Snape, though, seemed unsurprised and merely brought out some bandaged and a small bottle. Harry wondered what the bottle was, but found that he didn't really care as Mr. Snape gently rubbed a warm liquid over his ankle and he immediately felt better. Then he wrapped the bandage around his ankle carefully. Harry then put his shoe and sock back on, as well as pulling down his pant leg. He then murmured his thanks.
"You are welcome, Mr. Potter, now would you be so kind as to tell me what happened?" the man was back to his previously cold self. Harry was torn. Mr. Snape had just been very nice to him. He had used some odd medicine that Harry had never seen before and made him feel better. But, the other teachers didn't believe him. Would he? Should Harry trust Mr. Snape? Something told Harry that he could. He didn't know what, but he decided it wouldn't hurt to try and see if this person would believe his story.
"I – I got it when I landed on the roof, sir." Harry looked up at him expecting to see disbelieving eyes, but was shocked when he didn't see them. Instead, the man seemed almost, accepting. Harry, taking this as a good sign, started from the beginning and told the man his tale. When he was done, Mr. Snape looked at him with acceptance. Harry couldn't believe it.
"Well, Mr. Potter, you will be fine. You may take the bandages off in a few days time. Report back to me then and I will take one last look at that ankle." Harry had a million questions running through his head, but Mr. Snape's tone clearly told him that he was dismissed. He gingerly slid off the chair he was sitting on, and began the walk back to Number Four Privet Drive.
~~~~~
To my reviewers:
Kateri1 – azntgr01 – DxInsider – Trunks-01 – MerlinHalliwell – ER – Jaximillion - Milenn Cassandra Riddle - Gaina Katrea – Snape-Slytherinking – kristendotcom – GoddessMoonLady – MORE – Amid the double moon – Samara chan – ntamara - shadow
Mystical Witch – I know, but I guess she just doesn't want to believe that someone could harm poor Harry!
Anora – I like random, it is at least interesting!!! Anyways, maybe Snape and Ms. Watson will meet at some point, maybe not….
Gina – Thanks, I'm glad you think so, I was hoping that would be the case.
Felinity – Thanks for putting me on your favorites list!!! That makes me so happy!!!
Cally – Everyone seems to agree with you!
RaistlinofMetallica – yeah! Hey, that's a good one! Terminally PO'ed!!! Love it!
Beppo 1 – Your question seems to be on everyone's mind!
Lovelydarkness- so glad that I made you happy before you die!!! Hehe!
Mikee- I dunno, you'll just have to wait to see.
Vanessa – I'll try and work on that!
Maikafuiniel – Yeah, that's a good idea!
Semirhage – thanks! I am always trying to better myself and my work! Would you like to beta, or know any good beta's???
Beth – That could happen.
Jessyka – I am trying!!!
Shortnsassy – So I take it you aren't the patient type?
Kenny7 – Wow, two reviews, thanks! I hope you like the update!!!
A/N: Ok, I hope y'all liked this chapter!!! Please review and tell me what ya think! (Sorry for my suddenly weird language tendencies!!!)
