Disclaimer: Credit to JKR. Thanks to WittchWay for kicking me repeatedly.
Mad Magician
By Tracev
"Come on Harry." Hermione snapped.
Harry twisted his face into a nasty scowl, "I think I'll just nip down to the kitchens and get something." The idea of going into the great hall for dinner was not appealing. He had been standing in the little alcove off the hall for quite sometime and had heard more than one conversation about himself and his lack of… respect, regard and honor for his potions Professor.
Hermione frowned and opened the door… the great hall went silent as the students got a glimpse of the boy who lived standing behind her… she almost let him go. The last few hours had not been kind to Harry Potter.
Not kind at all.
Of course the story of what Harry had called Snape had spread like wild fire throughout the school within hours of it occurrence.
The school was decidable unbalanced with their support and not in Harry's favor.
Slytherins, naturally, went out of their way to show support for their head of house. Their show for house colors was now splashed everywhere, ribbons of green and silver now adorn every robe of Slytherin House and a more than a few sympathetic Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff's. Suits of armor were now encrusted with the Slytherin insignia and the great hall was now adorning the Slytherin banners that usually only graced its rafters at the end of the year.
There were whispers and pointing, dramatic retelling of the story. Those who had witness the chilling moment were now the new stars of the day.
Of course his fellow Gryffindor's were behind him, if not a little in awe of what he had done. After all who in their right mind would have the gall to insult Snape, and nearly to his face.
Hermione huffed and grabbed the sleeve of his robe and dragged him across the great hall… ignoring the whimpering protests of one, Harry Potter. After all one had to take responsibility for what one did… at least that was her theory. It wasn't like he could just let this lay. He was going to have to make restitution. He had to make amends… even if… well she didn't want to think of the even if quite yet.
Harry let himself be dragged across the hall never more aware that the Gryffindor table was on the far wall.
The way they looked at him. The way the room went silent when he entered… it was all very disturbing.
It made he feel as if there was something Hermione had left out of her explanation. Oh, he understood that little wiggle of the eyebrow she had done. He had understood perfectly well what it could mean...but he wasn't worried. Or at least he hadn't been, after all Snape was a teacher at the school. Snape was a professional if not a little unorthodox but then again who wasn't in the Wizarding world. Surely a teacher could not cross that line…. Could they?
Hermione pushed him into his seat and sat down next to him, glaring at everyone who dared to look his or her way.
Harry ate in near silence, he kept his head bowed and concentrated on what ever Hermione piled on his plate.
The few glances he did take around the room were unsettling. He was becoming increasingly worried with the way his fellow students were looking at him.
It was as if he were tainted, which he supposed he was. But he had done other foolish thing, had more shocking things written about him and his mental state in the Daily Prophet… Harry snorted to himself… perhaps he was mental.
Harry took a last sip of his pumpkin juice when he heard his name called. "Harry Potter," professor McGonagall called out, Harry gritted his teeth and looked to the high table where his transfigurations professor stood firmly, her hands on her hips, her hair pulled in the tight bun she preferred, a scowl was firmly planted on her face that could rival Snape any day.
"The headmaster wishes to see you Mister Potter," She beckoned him to follow her. He followed in silence out one of the side doors that led to the headmaster's office. She walked briskly as she made her ways through the darkened corridor and up to the second floor. She stopped abruptly in front of the stone gargoyle and looked down at Harry Potter.
"Mister Potter, I would just like to say I'm ashamed at the disrespect you have shown a Hogwarts teacher. I expect you to show appreciative behavior in the future. I'm sure what ever punishment Headmaster Dumbledore gives you will be well deserved and if not I will see that a suitable punishment is received."
Harry's jaw dropped, Professor McGonagall had never been this harsh with him, her tone, the way she looked over the tips of her spectacles, the thin press of her lips.
"I'm sorry madam…" Harry cast his eyes to his feet, slightly shocked at her demeanor toward him. Sure he had been yelled at, and on more then one occasion lost a great deal of house points, but never had she looked truly as furious as she did right now.
She turned suddenly and said the password to the Gargoyle, which moved aside with a jump. He stepped forward onto the platform, his head down, "I really am sorry professor" He nodded sneaking a peak up at her. But she just narrowed her eyes tucking her hands into the sleeves of her robes. He thought for a moment she was going to growl at him, but the stairs were already sweeping him on his way up to the headmaster chambers.
Harry gave a heavy sigh. His seventh and final year of school was definitely not going as planned. Like every student he had wanted to go out with a bang, a spectacular year made of legends. Something similar to the chaos Fred and George Weasley had left their final year. A nice looking swamp still graced the charms corridor tended to with great fondness by professor Flitwick.
Harry stepped lightly off the revolving stairs and raised his hand to knock at the solid door when it suddenly burst open casting a dark shadow in the form of professor Snape over him. Snape did little more than snort at him before brushing by, Harry swore he heard the man chuckle as he did so.
"Ah Harry Potter come in my boy." Dumbledore twinkled at him, calling from behind his desk.
Harry entered the room and looked back to where Snape had stood moments before...
Why did everything have to be so complicated?
Harry bowed his head and slumped down in the chair before the headmaster's desk, keeping his eyes locked on the clawed arm of the chair he sat upon.
Dumbledore remained standing, the twinkle in his eyes faded but still present. "Harry Potter... my boy." he opened his hands then clasped them together. "I'll have to say I'm disappointed in my child. It is quite a serious offense in calling a teacher a name… and such an insulting one at that."
Harry slumped lower in the chair. He wanted to tell Dumbledore what a prat Snape was being but he doubted the headmaster didn't already know that.
"Mister Potter, I expect you will be performing the proper traditional public apology."
Harry sat up suddenly very anger, "Why do I have to? Malfoy didn't have to apologize to Hermione when he called her a mudblood and that's just as bad."
"I know my child. A cruel double standard... you don't have to of course but you will," Dumbledore looked over the rim of his eyeglasses, his eyes darkening in color.
Harry sneered, and stood. This school year, his final year was turning into a cruel joke, "I think, I'll pass… Snape got what he disserved for all he's done…"
"SIT, Mister Potter." Dumbledore seethed.
Harry sat.
Fawks turned on her perch and ruffled her red and gold feathers.
"For once mister Potter you will follow the rules and traditions of this school and the wizarding community as a whole." Dumbledore sat suddenly and pulled a small scrape of parchment from his robes. "You will sign the document that binds you to follow through on this tradition" Dumbledore shoved the parchment and quill forward the Gryffindor and waited.
Harry scooted to the edge of his seat taking the parchment up. It simple said I Will. Harry sighed and signed his name to the bottom of the page with just enough hesitation to show his frustration, he knew he had just signed his life away.
Dumbledore tapped the yellow parchment once with his wand producing a copy of the contract and handed one to Harry Potter, "Now, tradition calls for a public apology, gifts as a expression of your sorrow and the corresponding garb." Albus Dumbledore waved his wand dramatically and a greenish blue robe and pants materialized followed by a smallish hat with a quail feather sticking out the back. It was not an appealing outfit.
"Now professor Snape may accept or decline your gift, if he declines you may ask a single question of him to point you in the right gift giving direction, you will wear said outfit when apologizing and each time following until professor Snape deems your apology acceptable.... " Dumbledore leaned back in his seat.
"Now, Have you thought of a gift?"
Harry traced the outline of the feather and nodded, "I thought I would get him a potions ingredient..."
"Hmmm..." Dumbledore grimaced, "I think that would be to practical. He would reject that right away... I think something that showed that you have put thought and some work into it would be more suitable... With the winter solstice coming up I believe an appropriate gift would be a wood cauldron."
"Wood cauldron?"
"Yes, Hagrid has just cut down a lovely oak, You could take one of the stumps and whittle out a lovely cauldron. Nothing fancy mind you but it is hard work. No magic can be used on the cauldron. He will need it pure to brew a healing potion he always makes this time of year."
Harry frowned, it was a good idea, though he had no experience at creating turning out such a thing. Of course it would show Snape he had put some elbow grease into the production of the cauldron.
"Okay," he nodded.
"Good" Dumbledore clapped his hands together, "you can get started this weekend."
"This weekend? It's the first Hogsmeade weekend..." He stood up astonished that he was not allowed to go.
"I am well aware of that Mister Potter, you insulted a teacher, in front of students of his house, you have embarrassed him, myself, and the name of Slytherin. You must make amends.... And you will make amends and all Hogsmeade visits are here by suspended until restitution are made and accepted. You have until Monday afternoon to complete that cauldron and ask your first question. I suggest you visit professor Hagrid and soon… you are dismissed Mister Potter."
Harry grunted and moved out the door, banging loudly on the stairs as they escalated downward. . This was Snapes fault, stupid slimy greasy bastard. Making him do this, giving up his weekend to whittle some stupid cauldron.
Harry growled as he crossed the school grounds, he knew it was late and already dark out but he had to get away from the stone fortress, the fortress that housed all of his irritations.
Keeping his eyes focused on Hagrid in the distance and the pile of wood he was chopping at Harry moved silently toward him. He watched the half giant swing the heavy axe splitting a piece a solid chunk of wood.
"Hi Hagrid"
"e'llo H'arry" Hagrid smiled brightly. "What c'atch em doing down here"
"Yeah...well... I need to make a wood cauldron for professor Snape. Dumbledore said I could get the wood from you." Harry eyed the patch of wood behind Hagrid, large stumps of golden raw wood, untouched by magic. It didn't even look something that would come from the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid eyed him peculiarly, nodded and hopped up on to the pile of logs. Harry watched him claw his way around the logs and choppings, tossing out nice size chunks until one of the pieces he tossed seemed to gleaming brightly. Something about that one piece just seemed right.
"That's it Hagrid." Harry called walking over to the piece he picked out, nudging it with the toe of his boot, "I have to make it cauldron shape."
"There's tools out back," Hagrid nodded toward the shed. "A nice workspace out there as w'ell" Hagrid said hoisting the chuck of wood up and taking it over to a makeshift workstation and set it down.
"Come back in the morning an work on it, this piece should turn out well."
And that's what Harry did.
He spent his entire weekend behind Hagrids hut, striping and shaping the wood, working out small tough knots and using sandpaper and scrappers to round out the rough edges until he had a cross between a cauldron and a large bowl.
He did a pretty good job on the cauldron if he did say so himself but doubt was slowly beginning to settle in. What if this wasn't what Snape wanted or it simply wasn't acceptable. Hermione and him had gone over several potential questions he could ask but he knew none of them were the right one. He just knew Snape was going to make this difficult… it wouldn't be Snape if he didn't.
TBC…
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