Disclaimer- The characters and settings of Harry Potter belong solely to J.K. Rowling.
Ebony Scales: I am pleased with the reviews I have received, but don't stop! This chapter helped along by Linkin Park!
This goes out to one of my reviewers: Manx- Thank you for pointing that out, I'll try to go back and fix it. Don't hesitate to point out any other inconsistencies.
Barbed Roses
Chapter 5: Without the Insight
Snape turned back to Mr. Dursley, his anger evident in his hard stare.
"Where are Mr. Potter's belongings? Bring them to me quickly," he spoke, softly, but with venom lacing every word. Vernon turned and hurried out to the garage, only to return a few moments later dragging a trunk. Harry had since gained his bearings and was marveling at his professor's tolerance of him and apparent anger on his behalf.
Snape placed a hovering charm on the trunk and started striding towards the front entrance. Absently, he turned his gaze back to Harry, who had not been following. Instead, Harry was peering nervously at his uncle, who had finally regained some nerve and was glaring viciously, yet impotently, at the small boy.
"Mr. Potter, are you able to walk?" Snape questioned carefully, trying to keep his anger from coming through in his voice. Harry glanced at him, disregarding the threat of his uncle for the moment.
"I think so. Well, I'm not sure," was his uncertain answer. When Dudley had forced him back into the cupboard, he seemed to have upset his leg injury. Snape came back and, after giving the boy a moment to duck back into the cupboard to grab his hidden wand, helped to support Harry as they left the house.
Vernon stuck his head out of the door and called to them after a moment of silence, apparently feeling the need to have the last say in the little confrontation that had taken place.
"That's right, Freaks! Run away while you can! If only I had my shotgun! Then I'd never have the likes of you darken my doorstep again!" he yelled, beginning to close the door. Snape paused, raising his wand. With a bored expression set on his face, a quiet curse was spoken and a violent purple light leapt from the raised wand. An agonized shriek erupted from inside the living room, shortly dwindling down to a pained moan. The man honestly had no self-preservation skills.
"Do not threaten me, Mr. Dursley. I won't take it too well," the Potions Master advised. He was rather amused by the man's reaction to the curse. Really, it wasn't that painful; the muggle should only be a bit sore. Snape continued helping Harry to their destination, the younger boy sneaking occasional glances at his professor.
As the two reached the edge of the anti-apparition wards surrounding Private Drive, Snape turned to Harry.
"From here, we are going to apparate to Hogsmeade. From there, we will have to walk up to Hogwarts. Can you make it that far?" he asked in a voice that contained next to no emotion. Harry looked back, unsure of himself.
"I'm not completely sure. I should be fine," he finally replied, still feeling off-kilter. His professor nodded and reached around Harry to pull him closely to his side.
Severus moved a bit too fast, causing Harry to flinch and trip when he tried to back away. The professor was silently admonishing himself for forgetting the boy's condition. It was obviously going to take some getting used to. He slowly moved forward to help the young wizard up, speaking as he did so.
"For me to successfully tandem-apparate, we must have substantial contact. I don't believe you would appreciate searching for a lost body part otherwise," he tried to explain in an effort to calm the boy. Harry allowed a nervous smile to cross his face at the comment. After getting to his feet once more, he allowed his professor to pull him into a one-armed embrace, closing his eyes at Snape's warning.
There was a feeling of weightlessness that passed over Harry. When he found the ground beneath his feet again, he swayed with nausea. His professor held him still for a moment before letting him go, obviously having felt how unsteady he was.
"Are you ready?" he asked in a business-like manner. Harry nodded, wincing as the movement jarred his head. Snape set a reasonable pace, and they both made their way towards the gates of Hogwarts.
On the path, Severus regarded Harry's health. He noted the boy's thin frame as well as the bruising on his face and arms. He did not have a view of the younger wizard's legs or torso, but from the limp and the way he held himself, it looked as if there were more injuries.
Severus quickly turned back to the path with a feeling of discomfort. He did not like his changing views on the Potter child at all. He rather enjoyed the arrangement of the years before: mutual hatred that had somewhat satisfied the lingering resentment that the man had for the boy's bully of a father. Severus did not usually react well to change.
Moments later, the duo's progress was halted as Severus heard a soft thump behind him. Checking for the source of the noise, he saw the Boy-Who-Lived picking himself off of the ground. The boy's arms were shaking with the effort of supporting himself. He looked rather sickly, pale and sweaty.
Snape kneeled next to the fallen boy, helping him back to his feet. A moderately embarrassed Harry muttered his thanks, and the two resumed their journey to the magical school at a slower pace.
As they reached the front doors, the professor hustled Harry into the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey had Harry settled on a bed in record time and was checking over his health using a variety of magical scans. She clucked her tongue at his weight and bustled around gathering various potions. Before administering them, she turned to the waiting professor.
"Severus, would you be so kind as to fetch the Headmaster for me? I need to speak with him before finishing up caring for young Mister Potter here," she asked politely. Severus scowled and, feeling quite like a servant, carried out the medi-witch's request.
After catching the old man as he was leaving his office, Severus made an attempt to sneak back down to the safety of his dungeons. Not that he would ever admit to doing so, he just really had hopes of avoiding any conversation with the man. Unfortunately, Albus kindly 'requested' that the Potions Master join him in the hospital wing, foiling his plans of escape. Defeated, he complied.
As the two reached the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey called to Dumbledore from her office. The kind Headmaster quietly made his way over and closed the door behind him, leaving Severus alone with the injured child.
Both stayed resolutely silent until the Headmaster returned with the medi-witch close behind. Severus noted that Albus definitely looked a bit less jovial.
"Hello, Harry. How are you feeling?" he asked with the air of a loving grandfather.
"Fine, I guess," Harry answered. The Headmaster gave the younger boy a piercing look, but did not comment. Instead, he continued.
"First things first. We need to get you healed up. Maybe afterward we could bring up something for you to eat?" Dumbledore suggested. Harry gave a non-committal shrug, to which the Headmaster nodded. Poppy Pomfrey bustled about, gathering different potions from her stores, occasionally conferring with Albus and seemingly pointing things out to him. Once she was finished having Harry take the healing draughts thrust at him and using the occasional spell to speed along the healing process, the medi-witch left the three to discuss what was to be done while drawing up her own report.
Dumbledore looked upon Harry with an unreadable expression on his face before obviously putting effort into keeping an upbeat attitude.
"Well, then. Shall we consider your living arrangements? You will not be returning to the Dursley household; that much is obvious. I rather believe you would not enjoy being kept in the infirmary, either," Dumbledore looked fondly at Harry. Relieved that he wouldn't be immediately forced to speak about everything, Harry responded.
"Can't I just stay in the Gryffindor dormitories?" he asked, confused. He was very uncomfortable with the idea of putting himself under the power of someone else once more.
"No, no. That simply would not do. The dormitories are locked up during the summer. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on you. It is not that you aren't perfectly capable of looking after yourself, but while you stay in the castle, it is the responsibility of the staff to oversee you. What would you say to lodging with one of the professors? I'd allow you stay with myself, but I'm afraid I will not always be available," the Headmaster reasoned.
"Well, who would I stay with?" Harry asked, fearing what the Headmaster would come up with. He didn't really have a close relationship with any of the professors, but some were certainly worse than others.
"Actually, I believe Severus, Professor Snape that is, would be free. He will be spending the most time in the castle of all of the staff. Severus?" The Headmaster turned to the irritated Potions Master. Harry looked at the Headmaster with wide eyes, but wisely stayed silent.
Not wanting to make a fool out of himself in front of the boy by getting into, and subsequently losing, an argument with the Headmaster, he agreed. He knew that no matter what he did, he'd still be stuck with the boy. In the end, the manipulative fool would get what he wanted anyway.
Snape nodded briskly and swept out of the hospital wing. He planned on making the most of his peaceful time in his chambers before Potter invaded them. Even knowing the kind of home life that the boy had endured, his opinion of the student was largely unchanged. The boy's attitude and disregard for authority would be the death of him.
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Ebony Scales: Well, it took a bit longer than expected to get this chapter out. I'm trying. Please leave an opinion. Believe it or not, they really do help.
Din Dawning: Hi peoples! I bet you're all wondering why I chose the name Din Dawning. Well, I'll tell you! It's the name of my manga character. Ebony & I are into anime & for all those who don't know what it that is; you have no life. Ok, well that's not true, but so what. Anywayz… I have my own little series going & if & when I ever get it up on the net, y'all can read it! Its called Dusk till Dawn! I'll probably have something up before ebony's done with her story so I'll clue ya in on what it's sorta about. Anywayz, bye for now & hey, leave some opinions! Tell us how you like the story so far or if I should shut up or something! Ask about Dusk till Dawn! Just leave something, 'k. bye.
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(Edit 1/29/15: A bit was changed in order to attempt to make Harry into a character that I like a bit more. Only a couple more chapters to edit before I am ready to continue the story. I'm having a bit of trouble with the point of view, since I'm often sharing both Severus' and Harry's opinions in the story. Please let me know if it comes out a bit odd.)