Every Heart
Chapter Four - First Day
by Firestar
He looked across the room. The curtain to the other bed was shut tightly, telling him that indeed, Snape was still asleep.
Harry paced around the room restlessly for a few minutes before deciding to go for a walk around the lake. Pulling on the new silver cloak he had purchased, he left the Slytherin dorms.
The morning sunlight was truly beautiful, dancing around in the sky. It's enchanting colors cascaded magnificently into the shimmer water, and the fresh air smelled heavenly. Occasionally, a small splash could be heard as the giant squid swam across the lake. He was so mesmerized by the sight that he didn't notice someone else walking up behind him. It was only when the person spoke that he was drawn out of his thoughts.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Harry whirled around, wand in hand, a hex on his lips, but he stopped short when he realized who it was.
Remus Lupin stood in front of him, wearing a pair of tattered-looking black robes. His brown hair seemed lighter than usual in the sunlight, and the look of surprise was evident in those amber eyes.
"My apologies," Harry said quickly, stuffing his wand out of sight. Feeling embarrassed, he took a moment to regain his wits before offering his hand. "Alexander Goldleaf of Slytherin, pleased to meet you."
He was happy to see that there was no sign of hostility in the other boy's expression at the name of his house.
The other took his hand firmly. "Remus Lupin of Gryffindor," he replied quietly. "Pleased to be of your acquaintances."
They both turned back to watching the scenery. After a moment, Remus spoke again.
"So you're from the Phoenix Academy of Magic?"
Harry stiffened slightly at the words, remembering how similar Simon Lestrange's question had been at dinner yesterday.
"Yes, it's located in North America," he said, reminding himself that this was Remus, not just some Slytherin he had never heard of.
There was as moment of silence.
"So... how are you settling in?"
Harry looked up in surprise at the question. Seeing the sincerity in the other's eyes, he answered honestly.
"I'm doing fine, although some of the Slytherins are rather... unfriendly."
Remus looked up incredulously. "How can you say that? You're a Slytherin yourself! Shouldn't you have some house loyalty?"
Harry's eyes flashed. "It's not the lack of House loyalty, Remus. It's because I refuse to fool myself with falsehoods. Although I'm a Slytherin, I willing admit that many individuals from my house are unpleasant. It's the same with Gryffindors. If you ask anyone from Slytherin, I guarantee that most, if not all, will tell you that all Gryffindors are rude and foolish. They are so blinded by their prejudice that they fail to realize: they can be as rude and emotion-driven as any Gryffindor. None of us are born perfect, Remus, and it's our choices beyond anything that makes us who we are. Anything beyond our control is not our fault at all. It doesn't matter what skin color we have, whether we're purebloods or Muggleborns, who our parents were, because deep inside, we all are the same."
Silence fell for a few minutes after his speech. It was a while before Remus spoke again.
"You know, Alexander, you really are an amazing person. I don't think I've met anyone quite like you before."
Harry smiled slightly at the unexpected praise from his future professor. "I learned from the best, Remus," he said quietly. "I owe it all to my teachers."
There was no reply from the amber-eyed boy. Suddenly, the sound of laughter back in the castle jerked them out of their thoughts. "It's almost breakfast," Remus said. "You coming, Alexander?"
Harry nodded and together, the two of them headed back to the school.
The Great Hall was already full by the time they got there. Each went their separate way as Harry slipped down quietly to eat.
The mail came a few minutes later. Harry, ignoring Malfoy (who was busy boasting about some news he had received), quickly found his new owl.
His owl was easily spotted, because unlike other birds, it was a curious shade of silvery-white. The clerk at the pet shop had said that it was a 'specially bred specimen from Greenland' and had made him pay more than usual for it. Harry had immediately named it 'Serenity'.
The beautiful bird swooped down next to him, and Harry quickly untied the parchment around her leg. It was a short note from Dumbledore, who had sent him his new schedule.
Harry quickly scanned the parchment, smiling as he read off Monday's classes: Transfiguration, DADA, Care of Magical Creatures, and Healing Lessons with Madam Pomfrey.
Stuffing a last piece of toast into his mouth, Harry, along with many others, headed to their first class.
As Harry sat down in Transfiguration class, it took him a while to realize that Professor McGonagall had not yet arrived. However, the Marauders were already there, along with Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Lestrange, Narcissa Black, and.... Snape.
"No, Padfoot!" Remus' familiar voice hissed, and Harry immediately whirled around. One look at Sirius' maniacal grin, and he knew what was coming: Trouble.
He felt more than saw the spell coming towards him. Inwardly, he smiled. So Sirius had apparently decided to "greet" the new Slytherin with a hex. Unwilling to display his wandless abilities yet, he quickly pulled out his wand and whispered a shield.
The spell hit the shield and disappeared into the air.
Harry turn back around, pretending nothing had happened. Normally, he would have used the rebounding shield so that the curse would be sent back to the one who had fired it.... But Harry had vowed to himself: no matter what his father and godfather did to humiliate him or anyone else, he would only use defensive spells in return, unless it was in DADA class. He knew he'd never be able to forgive himself if he accidentally hurt any of the two.
The class passed uneventfully, with McGonagall circulating the room every few minutes. By the end of the class, almost everyone had managed to transfigure their button in a kitten, although some were... less successful that others. James and Sirius had both done exceptionally well and received much praise and points from the strict professor. Harry noticed the ugly look on Snape's face at the words, but decided to ignore it.
As soon as the bell rang, most of the students rushed out of the room, eager to leave. Harry, however, chose to take his time to pack up his things. Saying a quick goodbye to Professor McGonagall, he walked out of the room and turned left at the end of the corridor....
..... Just in time to avoid being hit by the blue jet of light that flew past him.
Harry immediately quickened his pace to a run and raced around the corner in time to see Sirius raise his wand at Snape, who was fallen to the ground. James was standing behind the two.
"Malc----"
"Expelliarmus!" Harry muttered softly. Three wands flew at him and he caught them in a snap.
There was a moment of shocked silence before Sirius looked up, anger in his eyes.
"GOLDLEAF!" he barked sharply. "Give back our wands."
To the Gryffindors' surprise, Harry did so without complaint.
Sirius, however, wasn't about to give up so easily. He turned to Harry, a slightly confused look on his face.
"Why the hell are you doing this? Why did you give our wands back?"
Harry smirked at the oh-so-Gryffindor question. "Because you asked me to."
"Then would you listen if I asked you to leave me and James alone to hex Snivellus here?" Harry's eyes hardened slightly at the harsh question. "No. Leave Severus alone." He was surprised at himself for using his future Professor's first name, but at the moment, he felt strangely protective of the onyx-eyed boy on the ground in front of him.
"Oh, so it's Severus now, already, is it? Two Death-Eater-in-trainings --- however very sweet of you," Sirius' voice taunted.
Death Eater in training. God, as much as he hated to admit it, that hurt. It hurt him so deeply, the fact that Sirius would say such a thing to him just because he was sorted into Slytherin. His fists clenched into fists as he forced down the tears. "Shut up."
"Oh, look, the little serpent is upset. Missing his dear Death Eater parents already?"
Nearby, windows began to shatter, causing James and Sirius to jump. Harry took a deep breath, trying to regain his self-control. "Get out of here, Black. Potter. Now. Or I won't be held responsible for my actions."
Sirius' eyes blazed at those words, but James quickly grabbed his arm. Harry distinctly heard his father whisper, "Forget it, Padfoot, we'll get him next time," before dragging the other away.
Harry, seeing that they were gone, immediately dropped to his knees. He looked down at Severus for a moment before reaching out to help him stand up. Severus hesitated before gripping his hand tightly and pulling himself up.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked softly.
"I'm fine," the other replied harshly as he pulled out of Harry's grip. The boy winced slightly as he hit his arm against the wall, but quickly tried to cover it up. However, Harry saw it.
Reaching forward, the time traveler gripped tightly onto Severus' wrist before jerking up the sleeves of the black robes. He bit down on his lips as he saw the array of welts and bruises on the other's arm.
"Did they do this to you?" He asked quietly, barely-controlled anger in his voice.
Severus pulled away resolutely. "None of your business, Goldleaf. Get the hell out of here and leave me alone." He began walking again when Harry's voice stopped him.
"Please, Severus. I can heal it for you."
The black-eyed Slytherin turned sharply. "Oh really now?" he said sarcastically. "I believe the school nurse's position belongs to Pomfrey, not you, Goldleaf. I don't need your help."
"I don't pity you, Severus," Harry said quietly. He knew exactly how the other was feeling at the moment: he had often felt that way himself during his school years.
The other gave him a disbelieving look at his words. For a few minutes, they just stood there. Finally, Severus' shoulders slumped, as if all of the energy had been drained out of him. "All right, do as you will," he said, holding out his arm.
Harry smiled slightly at his victory as he pulled out his wand. "Sanato," he said softly as he waved it over the injured arm.
The bruising slowly faded until it was no longer visible. Only then did Harry let go of the other's arm. "Is that all they did? Can you walk right now?"
Severus shot him a murderous glare. "Of course I can. Now I've got DADA in five minutes, and I don't intend to be late." With a swish of his robes, he disappeared down the corridor. Harry, seeing this, quickly followed.
The two of them headed towards the DADA classroom in silence.
"Today, we'll be moving onto Dueling," Professor Viridians, the DADA professor said as the class entered the room. "The new spells I want to focus on today are the Impediment Jinx and the Blasting Hex. Does anyone know what they do? Yes, Ms. Evans?"
Harry bit down a chuckle as the Professor called on a girl with dark red hair and emerald green eyes. His future mother.
"The Inpediment Jinx is a spell devised to slow down your opponent for a certain duration of time. The amount of time depends on how magical your opponent is, and how powerful your spell is. It normally only lasts for several minutes. The Blasting Hex is charmed to blast a hole anywhere you aim: it's usually aimed at your opponent's feet so he or she will fall in." Lily recited, sounding as if she was reading out of a textbook. Harry smiled at the sudden reminder of his bushy-haired friend in his time -- If there was ever another Hermione, Lily would be it.
"Yes, Ms. Evans is correct. Five points to Gryffindor."
Lily seemed pleased but embarrassed at the same time. She smiled slightly when James turned to her and gave her a thumbs-up.
Harry inwardly smiled: it was nice to see both of parents so young and carefree.
"Now," the professor continued. "I'd like you to find a partner and practice the spells. The incantations are Inpedimenta and Lavinio."
Harry turned to Severus, who was sitting across from him. "I'll work with you," he said quietly.
The other seemed surprised by his offer, but nodded.
Harry easily managed the spells. After learning some of the hardest curses existing in the Founder's time, this, to Harry, was nothing more than a holiday ride.
Severus, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling. He had managed the Blasting Hex, but couldn't seem to get the Inpediment Jinx.
"You're doing the wand movement wrong," Harry said gently, not wanting to offend the other. Closing his hand around the boy's, he made a figure-eight in the air before sharply jerking it to the right. "Inpedimenta!"
The jinx shot out of the wand and bounced off the nearby wall before disappearing.
The onyx-eyed Slytherin looked up sharply, pulling back. "Look," he harshly. "What the hell do you want from me, Goldleaf? Why are you helping me?"
Harry looked up in disbelief. Were all Slytherins this distrusting? "Look, Severus," he said. "I'm telling you this: I don't want anything from you. I'm helping you because you're a fellow classmate who's having trouble. I'm not asking you to do anything in return."
His point made, he went back to the original topic. "Come on, try the jinx again: let's see how you do."
---SEVERUS' POV---
Instead of going to lunch after Defense Against the Dark Arts, I went down to the kitchen and grabbed some food from the house-elves instead. After that, I quickly raced outside to the Lake, where I settled down by the large tree and began to eat.
I intended to work on some of my homework, but I found that I couldn't concentrate. My mind kept on returning to what had happened in DADA.
Goldleaf. How he had turned my entire life into a mess up since he'd arrived. Before he'd come, I've always kept to myself: I was the loner of Slytherin. Potter and Black had always taunted me, and I have come to see it as nothing more than a routine. But then, Goldleaf had to come.
At first, I thought he would be just like the others, ignoring me and going on with life as a member of the Slytherin "gang". It didn't take me long to find out just how mistaken I was.
He proved me wrong on the very first day by claiming that he was a Mudblood. And by insulting Lucius Malfoy. He seemed to pay no mind to the fact that most of the Slytherins treated him with hostility after that. In fact, he seemed almost amused, as if such pettiness was beneath him. And perhaps in a way, it was.
What puzzles me the most is what he wants from me. For I have no doubt that he does. Everything a Slytherin does has a motive: I know that from experience. He attempts to help me endlessly, keeping the Marauders at bay. He seems so... naive and honest, but I know better than to believe such an act. All Slytherins must be cunning. It's a required trait.
And another thing I don't know how to react to is his touch. I can't help but remember how he healed me in the corridor, and the way his fingers had felt as they closed around mine during DADA. No one had ever bothered to help me like that before. It felt.... nice in a way that I've never experienced before.
I sigh, shifting slightly, as I tried to concentrate on reading. After a few more minutes, I throw the book down in defeat. There was no way I can read when my mind is in a buzz like this. Oh well, lunch time was almost over anyways.
Stuffing the book into my bag, I stood up swiftly. Replacing the cold sneer on my face, I strode back towards the school.
---End of Severus' Pov---
Care of Magical Creatures passed quickly with little problems. Well, that was only to be expected since Hagrid had not started teaching the class yet: Professor Kettleburn was a much more... cautious teacher.
Finally, after a long day, came the last class of the day: Healing. As he discovered, only a limited amount of people had chosen the course. Harry was one of the only Slytherins, and Gryffindor only had two participants: who happened to be, to his pleasant surprise, Remus Lupin and Lily Evans. There were a few Hufflepuffs here and there, but Ravenclaws had taken over most of the small class.
Madam Pomfrey, ever the strict nurse, had spent half the class going over safety ("It is a thing of importance and IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY!") before she had moved on to the more interesting stuff, including titbits and interesting facts on empathetic healings and natural healers.
Before long, the last class of the day ended, and Harry found himself smiling brightly. It seemed that Healing was going to be a class of his enjoyment. He had worked with Remus and Lily on some of their discussion, and discovered that Lily indeed, was much like another Hermione.
Harry's good mood, however, was promptly spoiled by a certain Lucius Malfoy at dinner. A few spells and well-placed insults later, Harry promptly left the Great Hall, satisfied.
A few hours later found Harry and Severus both back in their dorms, ready to go to sleep. After a quiet goodnight, Harry tucked in wand in under his pillow before pulling the curtain closed around him. Casting a few silencing charm (in case he had a nightmare), he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
--Many hours later....---
Emerald green eyes snapped open as Harry quickly made a grab for his wand. His heart was beating quickly as he wondered what had woken him up. His thoughts were disrupted by a small whimper.
In a flash, Harry pulled back his curtains, to reveal ... darkness. The moonlight shone in from the windows, illuminating the room, and as far as he could see, everything looked normal.
He was about to blame whatever he'd heard on his imagination and go back to sleep when he heard another moan from across the room. One thought flashed in his mind. Severus. Something was wrong.
He hesitated at first, not wanting to invade on the other's privacy, but quickly changed his mind when another groan was heard. He quickly pulled apart the other's curtains to find...
...Severus in bed, thrashing around wildly.
Harry sighed in relief. It was just a nightmare. Well he could certainly help with that. As he sat there, he heard the other boy mumbling quietly under his breath.
"No, no.... please, it wasn't me, I didn't do it.... I didn't kill her, it was Saevus... I didn't --- NOOOOO!!!"
Severus' voice became slightly hysterical as the urgency in his tone increased.
"Please.... no....."
Harry had had enough. Reaching out, he gently shook the other boy. "Come on, wake Severus... It's just a nightmare, nothing more...."
Obsidian black eyes opened and seemed to glaze over as they stared unseeingly at him. It took a few more minutes before those haunting eyes took focus.
"A-Alex?" Severus' sounded small and unsure, his body shaking violently.
Harry sighed before he did the only thing that he could. Carefully, he lifted the other from the bed before pulling Severus towards him. He put his arms around the trembling mass before pulling the boy into a hug. "It's going to be alright," he said fiercely. Somewhere deep inside him, he felt waves and waves of overwhelming feelings: sadness and anger that any child would have to suffer like this. He felt strangely protective of his future Potions Master as the two of them sat there. It took many hours for Severus to finally calm down.
The other Slytherin looked down in shame, his cheeks hot with embarrassment. "I--I'm sorry, Goldleaf, for disturbing your sleep."
Harry smiled slightly. "It's alright, Severus," he said kindly. "Everyone has nightmares, and having them does not in any way, make you weak. Don't be ashamed of them. Remember that." There was a moment of silence before Harry spoke again. "You should get back to sleep, Severus."
The other nodded slightly. A long while later, when Harry was drifting back into sleep, he heard a faint "Thank you" from the other side of the room.
"You're welcome," he whispered into the darkness before sleep overtook him.
EVERY HEART WILL NO LONGER BE POSTED ON FF . net!
It will be MOVED onto another archive.
Please read AUTHOR'S NOTES for more information.
Author's Notes: IMPORTANT-PLEASE READ:
If you've read my note above (and hopefully, you're reading this), Every Heart will no longer be posted on FF . net due to personal reasons. If you would like to continue reading (which I hope you do), the story can be found at:
TheSilverSnitch
All slash pairing fans, I REALLY recommend that you check out the Silver Snitch. It's an awesome site: the link (it brings to directly to my profile) can be found if you look under "Homepage" in my bio.
In the future, Every Heart will probably also be posted on AFF . net, so if you can't find the link to TSS -- You know where to go.
All of my other stories will continue to be posted on Fanfiction . net: This note ONLY affects this particular story.
Any questions about anything above, feel free to email me at emeraldphoenix038yahoo.ca
That's if for now, hope to see your reviews on TSS . com,
Firestar