Thank you so much for the reviews! Here comes the next part.. ) Please rate and review.
I have not finished another chapter for Our love is the real thing yet, although I might do it in the future. It's just that I don't have much time, and I prefer writing fanfictions that's funny to write.
Oh, and I'm sorry I said that the confident Harry would enter this part, I mean the next one. I wasn't sure how I would divide the story when I wrote that...
xxx
The dungeons were quite full of people and Harry avoided looking at them as he walked through the corridor. Along his way, he heard some people whisper words about him, especially when they realised that he was on his way to their Potions Master's office. Harry only managed to distinguish a couple of words like "trouble", "been up to" and "poor guy."
Just the second after he knocked at the door, it was opened.
"Come in and close the door." Severus muttered and sat down on a chair behind his desk. As Harry closed the door, he cast a couple of locking spells on it, to make sure no one would enter or listen to their conversation. "Sit down." He ordered. "Are you feeling better today?" Severus eyed Harry carefully from top to toe.
"Yeah, I guess. The bruises don't hurt as much as they did." Harry answered lightly.
"Good to hear. Mr Potter, I believe there are some things that still need to be cleared up, will you allow me to ask you a couple of questions?" Severus smirked.
"Yes, Sir." Harry mumbled knowing all too well that Severus wouldn't take a rejection.
"Very well then. Has this, let's say mistreatment, occurred every summer?"
"I don't…" Harry began but Severus' eyes told him that he had to tell. "Fine!" He muttered angrily. "Yes, it has, although it never used to be as this summer. Happy to hear that, aren't you?" He spat out.
"Don't be silly, Potter." Severus hissed at him. "I do not fancy any kind of sadism. Did the rest of your family participate in the abuse?" The teacher asked.
"No. Dudley might kick me once in a while but that's pretty much it." Harry muttered and looked at the, suddenly so interesting, floor.
Severus glanced at the boy expressionlessly. This wasn't progressing the way he wanted. He knew the boy would turn away from him soon if didn't do something.
"How many meals did you get each day?" His stern voice was replaced with a much softer.
"Mostly one. Sometimes two and sometimes none." Harry's voice was bitter.
Severus considered if he was going to ask the next question or not, but he decided he needed to know. "Were you a virgin when your uncle raped you?" He looked into the boys eyes and it seemed as though he lifted Harry's eyes from the floor.
"I…What I…I…yes." Harry admitted and blushed fiercely.
"Did the Dursleys ever tend to your wounds?" Severus couldn't help but smile inside when he saw the boy blush so cutely.
The answer was immediate. "No."
Severus knew the answers were honest, mostly because he knew the student was such a bad liar. He decided this would suffice as he noticed the boy was close to a breakdown. In fact, the boy's reactions affected him as well, more than he wanted to admit.
"Do you want me to apply the lotion on you?" The older man offered, trying to clean his conscience for putting the student in this situation.
"No." Harry cut him off. "Why did you ask all this? I wanted to put it behind me for Christ's sake! This is not something that I wish to discuss." He yelled. "You happy now? Enjoying the new information? Do you realise that I'm not the perfect boy-who-lived after all? That I'm not raised in luxury? For fuck's sake, I was mistreated ever since I was placed in their care. They hate me, even detest me. They never spent a single penny on me unless it was absolutely necessary. To them, I'm a freak." Harry's voice trembled and he looked away as he began sobbing. "Why do you give a damn about me? You hate me; you despise me like everyone else. And those who don't, they admire me or pity me. I don't want to be admired or pitied. I don't wanna be the bloody boy-who-lived! Why do you care if Uncle Vernon raped me or not? If I was a virgin before it h…" Tears were rolling along Harry's cheeks.
"For Merlin's sake. Stop it, Potter!" Severus bellowed. Merlin, he couldn't handle this kind of emotions. He made up his mind and walked over to the boy.
"Don't touch me!" Harry protested between the sobs.
Severus scooped up Harry in his arms and held him tightly. He was astonished of how little the boy weighed.
"Quiet…" The older man whispered and opened a door which led into the room where they had been the day before. He sat down in a couch and pulled the boy tight to himself, just like he had seen Molly Weasley do with her children when they were upset. God, this felt clumsy. He placed Harry next to him instead and caressed the boy's back. Slowly Harry started to go back to normal and he looked surprised at Severus.
"Do not push everyone away, silly boy." Severus muttered and smirked. "I have classes to teach now; I believe yours is one of them." He sighed and looked at the boy.
"Could you excuse me from today's classes please?" Somehow Harry felt that Severus wouldn't turn him down.
"Why do you want me to?" Severus gave Harry a stern look.
"I don't feel like I can handle it today. I'm not that good an actor." He blushed.
"You definitely are not." The professor said as a matter of fact. "What are you going to do then?" He grabbed a piece of parchment from his pocket and began to write.
Mr Potter is having a slight wave of nausea. I will therefore exclude him from today's classes. S.S.
Severus waved his wand and the parchment disappeared. "I sent a note to the Headmaster. You have to remain here or otherwise you'll have to pretend ill in front of Madam Pomfrey and that is not a wise idea, Mr Potter."
"Thank you." Harry said softly and looked into his teacher's eyes.
Severus nodded at him and made his way out of the room when a piece of parchment appeared in front of him.
Severus,
Thank you for informing me. Why don't you take the afternoon off as well? I am confident it will do you good; you have been working so hard all summer.
Albus
P.S. I took the liberty of informing your students that your classes are cancelled.
"Damn that man!" Severus hissed and turned to face Harry.
"What's up?" The boy asked curiously.
"None of your business, Potter." He snapped. "It seems as though I will spend my afternoon with you."
Harry sent his professor a small smile which was not returned.
"I hope you are aware that we will have to sue your uncle?" Severus said and gracefully walked towards Harry and sat down in the couch.
Harry's face turned white and he shivered. "N-no. You can't mean that, you just can't." His voice was trembling.
"Do you wish for anyone else to be treated the way you were?"
"Of course not!" Harry protested.
"Good. The only way to secure that is to put him in prison." Merlin, he wasn't supposed to feel bad about this conversation, but yet he was.
"Do I have to witness?" The boy whispered.
"I would think so." Severus replied expressionlessly.
"Have you told the Headmaster?"
"No, you did not give me permission to. What kind of man do you take me for?" He raised an eyebrow and looked amused at the boy.
"I'm sorry." Harry flushed.
"Allow me to apply the lotion on you." Severus pulled out a tiny jar from his cloak, mumbled something and the jar grew into normal size.
Harry began to strip and Severus waited patiently. Once again, he was surprised at Harry's body. Despite the rest of Harry's body, his legs looked perfectly normal.
Just as the day before, Harry tensed remarkably when Severus' hands touched him. Slowly Severus massaged the lotion into Harry's body. There was more affection into his movements than the day before.
Harry closed his eyes and enjoyed the new feeling of a gentle touch. He thought the treatment lasted way too short when Severus finished ten minutes later. Severus swung his wand and Harry was dressed again.
"Thanks…" Harry said quietly.
"Oh my, Harry Potter thanks his hated potions professor. The world has gone mad." Severus muttered sarcastically and ignored that Harry was looking honestly at him.
"You know I meant it…"
Severus just raised his eyebrows at the boy. "Well, no matter what Mr Albus 'smiling' Dumbledore says, I am not going to cancel my classes." The man muttered under his breath as he transfigured a small piece of parchment and a quill out of the air. Quite quickly, he wrote down a few sentences, and then mumbled a couple of words and the paper vanished.
"Let me guess… A note to your students, right?" Harry suggested.
"Although it is really none of your concern, Mr Potter, the answer is yes. I expect you will receive your note in a few minutes." He sank down on the couch.
"Oh, I was I wouldn't have to do it. As to my condition…" Harry mumbled but was interrupted by his teacher.
"Your state has got nothing to do with your studies, Mr Potter. How typical, Harry Potter expects to be treated like a royal. Harry Saint Potter." Severus spat sarcastically.
Despite Severus' face, Harry could have sworn that there was some affection in the last three words.
"Do you know of all the rumours that go around between the students?" Harry asked all of a sudden.
"Naturally I do. I find the ones regarding me most amusing as they are always so far from the truth. The one I like the most is the one about me being a vampire who is married to Sibyl Trelawney." He smirked.
"No one takes that one seriously. All the girls love your image, you know. I heard them say something like 'tall, dark and fit'." Harry smothered a laugh.
"So I have heard." Severus replied nonchalantly. "I am going to order some lunch, would you like some?"
"No, thank you." Harry avoided his teacher's eyes.
"That was not a question, Mr Potter."
"I know." Harry smiled weakly and earned a stern glance from the professor.