A/N: Do not own. The first day of camp does not start off as expected and Harry starts to become more defiant and withdrawn, ending with a swift punishment. And perhaps you will see many sides of the Headmistress... Not much Severus in this one, nor w as he in the last very much. But Remus is here and Severus will show up more prominently soon. It might seem like it ends weirdly, but trust me. It all makes sense in the end. Enjoy. And use your words!

~Cas

-x-

The first day of camp was hectic so far. Organized chaos. And Tim wondered why she was not sleeping lately. The day had started out as calmly as any day with so many children could. The craft project the younger group had started when well, although she might have to have a word to Charity about giving pre-teens paint and spoons...The older group, as they had decided to break the children into two groups, in the hopes of being able to keep their interest and giving them challenging enough activities, had started with sports. Which should have been fine. Nothing should have gone wrong in a scrimmage football game. The muggleborns had asked for it and taught the ones who did not know how to play over the weekend. A simple football game should not have ended with one student in the infirmary and another sent to her. The angry boy sitting in her office, Elijah, had not started a fight or accidentally injured his fellow camper. No, the fifteen year old had, seemingly at random, attacked another boy. Alexis sighed, surveying the boy for a moment before glancing down at his file. She knew what it said of course, and she knew which group he was a part of. He was in her office because he refused to cooperate with Jake and Henry. Nor had he spoken a word in the last ten minutes. "Will you tell me what happened Mr. Lecore?" She asked finally, gray eyes meeting defiant, angry green.

Elijah looked down, glaring at his shoes. He didn't have to talk to her. To anyone. He was alone and he knew it. No one gave a damn, so he didn't either.

"I cannot help if I do not know what is wrong, Elijah." Alexis remarked dryly, eyes on the teenager. This age was always one of the difficult ones, when they felt like the world was against them already, without the addition of abuse. Unbrushed brown hair; rumpled torn clothes; the anger he wore like a cloak...it was not just a defiant teenager, but a hurting one.

"Nothing is wrong." Elijah shrugged, arms crossed, feet tapping.

"You hit Mr. Green, Elijah. If I am not mistaken, you hit him several times before Jake managed to pull you off of him. That does not say that nothing is wrong to me. Something is clearly wrong." Alexis drawled, raising an eyebrow at the boy. He flushed briefly before the mask came back up.

"So expel me already." Elijah shrugged again, indifferent. He didn't really care. He had no where to go, it was true, but at least then no one would be pretending to care about him.

"Do you want to be expelled, Elijah?" She hadn't mentioned expulsion at all, nor was it an option. The child was staying at Hogwarts were he would be taken care of and loved. She knew he did not want to go back to his family and even if he did, legally he was a ward of Hogwarts now. They had easily given up custody of him.

"It doesn't matter. No one cares, either way." Elijah snapped, glaring out the window.

"That is where you are wrong. I care, Elijah." Alexis replied quietly. That was the crux of the matter then, an issue she knew she would have to address a dozen more times. Some of the children, no matter how heavily abused, would feel abandoned. Because their parents had given them up, even if those parents had nearly killed them. It was the unknown now, not knowing what would happen to them and believing that no one should care about them, if their own families did not.

Elijah snorted, turning his gaze back to the young Headmistress. It was all a lie, he knew. She couldn't care about him, there were too many other students that needed her attention. He was alone and he knew it. "You don't." He hissed finally, meeting her eyes. But her eyes were not pitying or impatient. But rather..concerned. Damn woman.

"Oh? If that was true, would I take the time to talk with you? If I did not care, why then would I not just hand down punishment and sent you on your way? I care, Elijah. I care not only because you are one of my students, nor merely because you are one of my wards. I care about you, Elijah. I care if you pass Herbology or eat your vegetables, if you are happy or angry. I care if you are upset or lonely, sick or hurting. There are forty-nine children at Hogwarts so far this summer. Nineteen, so far, are direct wards of the school, of Hogwarts' Headmistress. Including you, Elijah. Perhaps you do not believe that someone can care for nineteen children as individuals, but I must disagree with you. Hogwarts is a family and as a family cares about and loves each child here. As the head of this family, I do care about you, whether or not you choose to believe that. You are not alone, Elijah. I am here for you. But you have to talk to me. I cannot help if you do not." She stated quietly, sharp eyes watching the young man in front of her. He was shaking slightly, legs jiggling.

Elijah forced his body to still, or tried to anyway. It was a nervous habit, stupid and childish. Perhaps she might actually care. But no one could love a freak like him. Hadn't his father made that clear to him, time and again? But she would not hurt him, he did not know how he knew, he just did. Her eyes were kind and concerned, so different from the eyes of most adults. His bunk counselors, and even his teachers, not included. They also held concern in their eyes, although sometimes he saw pity. He so hated pity. He didn't need their pity. Not at all. But her care...perhaps he did need that. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, of course. He was a man after all, and men did not admit such foolishness aloud. "I was...angry. Not at Phil, he was just there, in the way." He offered finally, meeting her eyes for a brief moment longer before looking down at his lap. He was no better than his father, to attack a bystander out of rage.

"Why were you angry?" She questioned softly.

"Mum sent an owl. Said they signed me over and didn't want me anymore. Didn't need me anymore." He muttered, biting the inside of his cheek. He wasn't going to cry. It shouldn't bother him, he knew that they had hated him. But it did hurt, to be so unwanted.

Ah. That made sense then. Her student was hurting and she understood why. Completely. She moved slowly, making sure to make a bit of noise, so that he would not be startled, standing and walking around her desk. She crouched down near his chair, so that they were on eye level, slowly reaching out and resting a gentle, firm hand on his shoulder. "Look at me, Elijah." She ordered softly. Green eyes bright with unshed tears met hers. "You are not alone. You hear me? You have a family here, at Hogwarts, if you will let us become your family. You are not unwanted or unloved. I care, Elijah. I care."

Words should not make him fall apart. He was suppose to be emotionless, empty. But he was not. At her last words, tears started to run down his cheeks. Perhaps she was right. It hurt so much, to be abandoned by his family. So much. But her care...it helped. And so he cried.

Alexis opened her arms wordlessly, catching an armful of gangly teenager as he fell into the hug he desperately needed, comfort that he was foreign to. "You are safe. You are loved. You are cared about." She whispered softly, the mantra she herself had used in the past. She kept whispering comforting nonsense until he slowly calmed down, before he finally pulled back. She kept an hand on his shoulder, conjuring a wet flannel and gently wiping his face. Elijah flinched but relaxed quickly. This hurting young man trusted her, and that, more than anything, told her that she was getting through to him.

-x-

"I like this, Harry. It is a beautiful piece." Remus remarked, studying the canvas thoughtfully. He had seen several of the other children's pieces drying in the Great Hall and it was all quite unique. The mixture of colours that Harry had used were not as bright as some of the other paintings and there was no pink anywhere. It had dark colours and tones, splattered seemingly at random. But there was a pattern there that he could detect. The idea of throwing spoonfuls of paint at canvas was different, to say the least. And therapeutic as well. Art was therapeutic, after all, and the act of throwing away anger or hurt with paint was perhaps refreshing for some of these children. It was lunch time and although he was a bit surprised that Harry had sought him out, he was also pleased.

Harry frowned down at the canvas, covered in dark blues, purples, and greys. It was not bright and pretty, nor did he think of it as beautiful. It was more of a dark work, something that wasn't necessarily happy. His was less dark than Teddy's though. Teddy's painting had been black and red, apparently concerning to Charlie. His friend wasn't at lunch, so he figured he'd see Remus. He didn't want to admit it, not aloud anyway, but he liked being around his guardians. They were...nice and caring. They also made him feel safe.

"Can you tell me about your painting, Harry?" Remus asked quietly, turning warm brown eyes back on the silent child. He caught sight of one of Harry's counselors, looking searchingly around the Great Hall and bit back a sigh. Harry had this habit of just disappearing, the child was not used to people wanting to know where he was. He caught the younger man's eyes and gave a slight inclination of his head. He had Harry, all was well. He knew Paul, for he believed the blue haired young man was Paul, would understand that silent message. He turned his eyes back to focus completely on Harry.

"It's just paint, Remus." Harry shrugged, green eyes still focused on the canvas. If he didn't look up, Remus wouldn't be able to see the lie.

"Really? It seems like a lot more than just paint to me, Harry." Remus raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly. He was quite aware that there was emotion behind the piece but he also knew that Harry might not be ready yet, to talk to him about it. He just didn't like to see his child so...hurting and withdrawn.

Harry grimaced, shrugging again. "No. It's just a stupid painting." He scowled, glaring up at Remus finally, before dropping the painting, turning and taking off, or trying to anyway. He scowled up at the older boy who he had run into, mumbling a brief apology and trying to push past.

"Whoa there, little man. What's the big rush?" The tall seventeen year old red head asked, frowning slightly as he crouched to be on eye level with the younger boy.

"Don't wanna talk." Harry mumbled, shooting a glance back at Remus, who had slowly started weaving his way toward them but had stopped to speak briefly with Paul.

"Ah. I get that. You can't just take off though. It worries them, ya know?" The teenager, Bain, raised an eyebrow as the younger boy merely shrugged. He quickly matched the child with a name in his head. This was Harry, then. Not many of the kids had hair so naturally unruly. Part of the younger boy's cabin but part of the E group, as Charlie and Jake called them. Also, a runner. And good at losing those who were trying to keep an eye on him.

"So?" Harry glared. They probably weren't really worried. His relatives never were, so why should they be? Besides, it wasn't like he would leave the grounds.

"So? Man, they care about you. It worries them, all the adults, even me, when you disappear like that. Taking off doesn't make it better, kid. If you don't want to talk, tell them. But don't run away. Running from your problems makes them worse." Bain sighed, glancing at the nearing Remus. "Just try, Harry. Alright? Don't run." He added quietly, straightening slowly so not to startle the younger, much smaller boy. These children did not look nine or ten, let alone nearly teenagers.

"Harry?" Remus questioned quietly, coming up to the two boys. "Hello again, Bain." He nodded to the older boy with a slight smile, before turning his eyes back to the young boy with arms folded across his little chest and green eyes glaring at the floor. The young face was a mask.

"Remus. Be good, Harry." Bain smiled at the older man, ruffling the boy's hair to indignant gasps as he walked past and into the Great Hall. At least the child was no longer scowling.

"Come, Harry." Remus beckoned, stepping past the child, out into the entrance way.

Harry grumbled softly but followed the older man slowly, recognizing the path to the dungeons quickly. "Am I in trouble?"

"No."

"Where's Prof- Severus?"

"He should be finishing up a potion right about now. We will lunch with him in our quarters." Remus replied, glancing back at the dawdling child.

"Why?"

"Because Severus will appreciate the company." Remus bit back a sigh. Perhaps it was a sign that the child was becoming more comfortable with them that he was asking questions at all. But he doubted that. Harry was stalling, trailing behind him. The preteen was quite...defiant and bitter today. Angry, even. Today was the first day of camp and he knew all the children would start testing limits. But he hadn't expected Harry to try so soon. Of course, a refusal to talk was not unusual from this child, or many of them, actually. At least the boy was not lashing out in anger, as one of the older teens had. He opened the door to their quarters, gesturing for the boy to go first. He did not believe that Harry would take off again, but it was better to be safe than to have to hunt the child down. He knew that Alexis was debating seriously placing a tracking charm on the boy, although he was not the worst runner. The worst, a twelve year old girl who had been raped repeatedly, already had a tracking charm on her, as well as an older girl nearby to keep an eye on her nearly all the time.. But the little girl did not disappear in the middle of the night as Harry did. Nor did she frequent places that were out of bounds.

-x-

Severus glanced up from the paper he was pouring over, frowning slightly as a unhappy child stalked into their living quarters. He raised an eyebrow at Remus but remained silent, setting the papers aside as a elf popped into the kitchen with several dishes of sandwiches, vegetables and fruit. He had just finished making another three large cauldrons full of nutrient draft, which he had bottled, with his new apprentice's help, and sent to the kitchen. The elves were now spiking the drinks of the entire student population with the potion, it was easier that way. The elves were quite good at making sure each child got the correct amount and that the spiked juice was finished.

Harry stalked into the kitchen, dropping into his usual chair. Lunch had barely started in the Great Hall and he hadn't eaten yet. But he had wanted to wait for Teddy. Stupid guardians.

"Problems?" Severus asked quietly, stretching with a small groan.

"Nothing new." Remus replied, equally quiet, eyes going to the child. "Come Sev, lunch."

-x-

"You get in trouble, Teddy?" Harry asked curiously, kicking his feet against the wall of the ledge they were sitting on.

"No, not really. Charlie was 'concerned'." Teddy shrugged, laying on his back, his head propped up on his hands. They were on one of the tower walls. Harry had said that he knew a place where they could talk. Besides that, he was tired of the concerned looks he kept giving. Just because his painting was of blood splatters, they get all upset. Perhaps he shouldn't have said that. But it had just come out. And after spending time with both Charlie and Tim, refusing to talk to either of them, he needed a break. Time away from the camp. Away from concerned adult eyes. So they were skipping swimming in the lake. Harry because he could not swim and himself because he was afraid of water. It happened when someone tried to drown you. Twice.

"Sometimes I get tired of the concern. It's...confusing." Harry admitted quietly, staring out across the grounds.

"I know, right? No ones ever really cared before. And now people care all the time. It wears you down and makes you want to fight with them, just so they'd stop pretending to care." Teddy sighed, watching the clouds slowly form above. They would be in trouble when they were caught, because they would be found. Eventually. But he really didn't care. He wanted to push them. After all, what was the worst they could do? There was no where else for him to go and he knew the Headmistress would not sent him home. She had promised that to him, which shouldn't count as much but for some reason it did to him. Some reason, her promises mattered.

"I don't think their all pretending." Harry shrugged. They couldn't all be pretending. Severus and Remus were too concerned to be pretending, too interested in him and what he was up to for it all to be pretend. They had asked if he would rather not attend the camp, if he rather just spend the days with them. But he had asked to stay with the camp, with the agreement that he could sleep in his room and be in their quarters whenever he felt the need, as long as he told someone where he was going first. Apparently that was a big deal, this not telling people where he was going to be stuff. It was so stupid though. They didn't need to know, he was quite capable of taking care of himself. Stupid adults. He grimaced and slammed his hand into his head twice. He wasn't suppose to think like that, to think bad of adults. Uncle had said so.

"Harry?" Teddy asked quietly, sharp eyes focusing on his friend.

"I'm okay. Just..."

"Bad thoughts?"

"Yeah." Harry shrugged, turning green eyes to meet light brown.

"Just be careful, okay? Falling off the wall would be bad. Real bad." Teddy replied slowly, keeping his eyes on Harry even as the slightly younger boy turned back to the view of the grounds. It was unnerving, to see someone else harm themselves. He would never harm himself in front of Harry, but their methods of harm were different, so perhaps that was why it was so ingrained into Harry to do it instantly, instead of finding a private place. Perhaps his relatives had not cared or even encourage it, where as his father had seen it as weak, as another reason he was so useless. Damn it. He couldn't think like that, not right now.

Harry shuddered, making sure not to look down. Falling would be bad, although he could feel the wards up here, keeping them on the wall. It still would be terrifying. "Definitely."

-x-

Alexis paused at the top of the stairs, listening to the sounds of children's voices. She could not quite make out what they were saying, but she was positive that she knew who the children were, up here out of bounds. She had, purely by accident, ran into a frantic counselor in the hallway, who had seemingly misplaced two preteens. Two preteens that she wasn't sure their names, because they were not of her cabin and she had merely been with the younger group at the lakeside while two of the cabin counselors had a brief free period. All the young woman had known was that she did a head count and she was missing two. And so in a panic she left the other children to Hagrid's supervision and went looking for the missing children. Amazingly thoughtless. After scolding the young woman and sending her back to the lake, she had searched along the wards to find two children who were not where they were suppose to be. And she found them. She stepped into the doorway, surveying the two backs of the children and casting a sticking spell to each. She had warned Harry about this, that child was destined to give her a heart attack before he graduated, she was sure. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Nott. Exactly, what are you doing?" She drawled, stepping out into the open. Both boys startled but the sticking spell kept them in place. Neither boy would be happy when she was done with them.

"Professor! We were just...talking." Harry grimaced, staring down at his lap.

Steel eyes looked between the two boys, a brow arched. "Mr. Potter, I have warned you about being up here and on the walls, have I not?" She asked quietly, her tone stern. Teddy was silent, but she expected that. The child rarely spoke unless spoken to, a habit they hoped to break and soon.

"Yes Professor, but-"

"Was that order unclear, Harry?" She asked quietly, cutting the boy off. She knew it hadn't been, but she wanted to see what he said.

"No, professor."

"Alright then. There are sticking spells on both of you. Teddy, may I lift you off the wall?" Alexis requested, take a few slow steps toward them. The brown haired child hesitated for several long moments before finally nodding. She canceled the spell on him, lifting him up and setting him down. Really, the wall reached almost over both of the boy's heads. She wasn't quite sure how they managed to clamber up or their plans for getting down. "Harry?"

Harry scowled, glaring at the ground. He could get down on his own. He didn't need help. "I can do it." He snapped.

"That's not what I asked, Harry."

He growled under his breath, crossing his arms.

"Mr. Potter, I am not removing the sticking spell until you allow me to lift you down. I am willing to wait as long as it takes, but that is the only way you are coming off that wall." Alexis stated sternly.

Harry grumbled for a moment longer before finally nodding. "Fine." But that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

Alexis removed the sticking spell and picked the child up. But instead of instantly setting him down, she smacked his bottom twice. The child yelped but she was aware that although it hurt, it was more of a surprised yelp. She set his feet on the ground and stepped back, crouching so that she was on eye level with both of the boys. "I warned you, Mr. Potter. Putting yourself purposefully in danger is not acceptable here any longer. The next time I find you on any tower wall, you will not get off so lightly." She explained quietly, biting back a sigh at the bit of fear that crept into his eyes. "And no, Harry. I will never beat you, either of you. But I will turn you over my knee if you keep putting yourself in danger so recklessly. Do you understand?" When the child finally nodded, she turned her eyes toward Teddy. "As for you, Mr. Nott, I don't want to catch you on any walls again, or you will face the same consequences as Harry." She wasn't even so upset that they were on the tower in the first place. But to be climbing on the walls like they didn't have a care in the world, it was unacceptable. Especially from these two boys.

Teddy nodded solemnly, glancing at his friend. Harry seemed more embarrassed than hurt, but he bet his friend wouldn't do it again. After all, beatings might leave damage, but a spanking would still hurt. And they were almost thirteen!

"Good. Now, I want an essay from both of you, due in two days times. Teddy, you may write yours on why this was dangerous. And Harry, you will write yours on why you disobeyed me. Two feet each, please. You will both also apologize to Calli for disappearing like that. Understand?" The punishments were fair and perhaps even lenient, but she had a feeling that Harry, at least, would be hard put to write two feet on why he did as he did.

"Yes professor." They chorused.

"Good boys. Now, let us return to the camp." Alexis waved her hand toward the stairwell and both boys scampered down. She followed at a slower pace. She was the one, after all, who would have to tell Severus that she had swatted his child, even as well earned as it was. Although, she doubted Severus or Remus would disagree with the punishment. If the summer kept on as it was going, it was going to be long and tiring.

-x-

A/n: For those curious, no this will not become a discipline fic. Although, Harry might possibly earn himself a smacking in a latter chapter. Because we all know how prone Harry is to recklessly putting himself in danger.