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Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 1036
Hogwarts Assignment 1: Thaumatology, Task 4: Write about someone receiving an injury.
Misplaced Revenge
The attack came from nowhere, and Harry was more interested in protecting his students than himself, so much so that he missed a particularly nasty curse heading his way until it made contact with his unprotected leg.
Harry fell to the floor as the Auror's arrived and detained the suspect, but Harry could hear him shouting, and his heart fell as he realised why he'd been attacked.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last time that someone who'd lost somebody in the war would blame Harry for 'taking too long' in dispatching the Dark Lord.
Just after the last battle at Hogwarts, Harry had taken the attacks to heart, but he knew now that it wasn't his fault. He couldn't control the actions of the Dark Lord, nor the Death Eaters, and the atrocities they'd committed weren't his fault.
But with no Dark Lord, and a vast majority of the Death Eaters behind bars, Harry became the only viable target for the rage that many had been left with.
"Professor Potter!" A brave Hufflepuff joined him on the ground, asking if he was okay in hushed, panicked tones.
"I'm okay," he promised, glancing over her shoulder to look at the others gathered. "Is anybody injured?"
They all shook their heads no, and Harry looked over them as best he could from the ground. None of them looked particularly pained, though he had a feeling Poppy would be needing the supply of Calming Potions that Severus had brewed just the other day.
He pulled his wand from his pocket and took a deep breath before he manifested his stag Patronus. He gave a message to send to whichever professor was nearest, and then watched as the stag raced off up towards the castle.
Turning his attention to his leg, Harry winced when a burn flared up his shin when he shifted slightly. That wasn't good. He thought it was most likely a bone burner, which was going to be awful to recover from, since it usually took a good week for the bone to stop hurting.
Aware that his healing skills weren't nearly good enough to heal himself, he cast a protective ward around his leg so that the curse couldn't move any higher, and then settled in to wait for whichever professor got his message.
To distract himself and the students, he turned it into a brief lesson, asking them questions about the defensive moves Harry had made to protect them, and pointed out the different shields he'd used.
It seemed to work well, until he heard the thunderous tones of his partner coming towards him.
Damn it.
…
Severus laid Harry out on the bed and stepped back so that Poppy could get a better look at his leg. He was seething, and Harry reached out to squeeze his hand.
"I'm okay, Severus."
"Uh huh. If this is your definition of okay, then perhaps your assailant will still be okay when I'm done with him," Severus snarled, though he squeezed Harry's hand in return.
"Listen to me," Harry murmured, tugging Severus closer. "The guy was trying to get revenge for his family, albeit misplaced. He was… mediocre at best with his attack, and on any other day, he wouldn't have gotten near me."
"And yet today—"
"I had to make sure the kids were okay, Sev. You know that. It was inevitable that one of them would get me, even if it was just a lucky shot."
"They shouldn't be attacking you at all!" Severus replied, still livid, though he seemed to be calming a little under Harry's touch.
"Just—" Harry cut himself off to accept the potion vial from Poppy, downing it in one with a grimace. "Just relax, okay? One of the Auror's will be by later on this evening to tell me what it was actually about."
Severus sneered mutinously, but he reached up to stroke the hair from Harry's face. "You did well today, Potter," he murmured, a touch of affection sinking into the praise. "Not a single one of the students was hurt."
Harry just nodded and leant into Severus' hand as Poppy painstakingly healed the curse on his leg. He was exhausted now, and he just wanted to sleep.
"I'll be right here," Severus murmured, as though knowing the thoughts in Harry's mind. "I'm not going anywhere."
…
"It's the same old story," Ron said, later that night. He was still dressed in his Auror robes, and he shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. "He attacked you for lack of a better target. The healers have him at the moment, there's been a question of spell damage on his mind causing him to break, which means he'll get the long stay ward rather than Azkaban."
"If that's what he needs, then that's what he should get," Harry said, leaning into Severus' side.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Ron asked. "That he might get away with no punishment?"
"If he wasn't in his right mind, then—"
"You're entirely too considerate for your own good," Severus interrupted with a sigh. "He still deserves punishment, even if his mental state—"
"Severus, it could have been an accident, or even the work of the Death Eaters," Harry pointed out. "It's worth letting the healers decide, surely?"
"And if it turns out he's really just a whackjob?" Ron asked.
Harry sighed and glanced at Severus before he nodded. "Then I'll press charges for assault."
Ron nodded. "Good enough, mate. I've gotta get back to the office and file the rest of the complaint, but I'll let you know as soon as we've got a report, alright?"
"Cheers Ron. I'll see you on Sunday at the Burrow if I don't see you before, yeah?"
Ron grinned and nodded, and then offered a more restrained farewell to Severus before he left their quarters.
Harry shifted on the sofa, wincing when his leg twinged, and laid himself down with his head in Severus' lap. "Thank you for looking after me," he murmured, turning his head to press a kiss to Severus' clothed hip.
"Haven't I always?" Severus asked, and Harry chuckled.
Because yes. He supposed he had.
Written for:
Film Festival: 18. (word) Revenge
Games Corner: Pink: Pall Mall: Mediocre
Showtime: 10. Considerate
Pucker Up: George Weasley: 1. Listen
Treat Yourself: Peace and Quiet: Inevitable
Puzzle Club: Puzzle 5: Professor
Chocolate Frogs: Willfred Elphick: Accident
NeonFae's Nibbles: Lemon Drizzle Cake: Praise (1) "Are you sure you're okay with this?" (2) Teacher/Teacher relationship (5)
365: 1. Livid
Musical Yearly: 55. Alternative: Pretender: Same old story
Insane Challenge: 364. Potion Vial
