Chapter Seven: Actions and Consequences

The exhilaration vanished quickly after the lesson was finished and Harry remembered what was waiting for him once he returned to the castle. He stopped outside of the doors, his breathing getting shallow.

"Harry?" Ron asked. "Are you alright?" Harry startled and whipped his head around to look at Ron. He winced, giving him a weak smile.

"Let's eat outside today," Harry said. He looked around before gesturing towards the lake. "We can sit in our usual spot over there." Theodore and Blaise exchanged looks, Ron patted Harry's arm sympathetically, and Hermione looked at him pityingly. Harry rolled his shoulders, not quite enjoying their concern and sympathy. "Maybe we can grab some food and bring it outside."

"Ron and I will grab some," Theodore said, grabbing Ron's elbow and guiding him towards the castle. "We'll be back shortly." Harry only nodded and headed towards the lake, Blaise and Hermione following.

"Harry," Hermione said, breaking the silence once they arrived at their spot. "Are you alright?"

Harry only shrugged. "Sure."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Ron and Theodore, bundles of food in their arms.

"We stopped by the kitchens instead," Ron said, placing the food down. "They were all too happy to help us. Bilm made some desserts, Dandy made some sandwiches, and Ryo made tea!"

Theodore put the food down as well. "Yes, they were quite accommodating. No questions asked," He said. Hermione looked at the food quizzically.

"I haven't met or even seen any of the house elves," She said. Harry and the others had been able to meet the house elves and go to the kitchens when they made the food for Hermione's surprise party, but for obvious reasons, Hermione was not a part of that activity.

"They have their uses." Theodore bit into a croissant. "Many wizards have them."

"Their uses?" Hermione asked, incredulous. Theodore paused, sensing the venom in her tone, and he swallowed slowly. "What uses?"

"Uh, you know, work, chores. Whatever the wizards and witches need…" His voice trailed off at the end, as if he could smell the smoke and didn't want to risk a spark, and Harry glanced between his friends.

Hermione's expression darkened. "Do they get paid for it?" She crossed her arms, eyebrows narrowed, and Harry watched as Theodore floundered, his mouth opening and closing rapidly without any words coming out.

Blaise interrupted before it could turn into an argument. "Let's save the debate on elf rights for later. Right now, we have other things to worry about," He said, looking pointedly at Harry, who sighed, putting down his tea.

"There's nothing to talk about," He said, glaring warningly at the others. Blaise raised an eyebrow, an amused look on his face, and Hermione and Theodore both had the same obstinate look on their faces. Harry hunched forward, taking a stubborn bite out of a sandwich, and refused to answer.

"Harry, you can't just ignore it," Hermione admonished, and Harry sighed.

"What's the point in talking about it? It happened, and he's going to do what he's going to do."

"But it isn't just nothing, Harry," Blaise said quietly. "You lost control of your magic again. You used a Stinging Hex without using your wand, and without even learning about the spell."

Harry gritted his teeth, looking at his friends. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it! I-I didn't even know that I could do that, surely-surely he'll realize that, right?"

"I don't know, Harry, Professor Snape is pretty scary," Theodore said, and Blaise nodded.

"Didn't you see in class yesterday? He completely ignored Draco when he was being mean to Longbottom and Brown, even when Draco was saying borderline racist things, but then snapped at you when you yelled at Draco." Blaise shook his head. "He knows a lot about potions, but he's not fair, and he picks favourites."

"Yeah," Ron jumped in, agreeing. "He's unpredictable, especially with you, Harry, who knows what he'll do to you." Hermione made a noise of protest.

"He's a professor! Surely, he couldn't do anything too horrible," She said, and Ron scoffed.

"Yeah bloody right!" Ron argued. "Remember what he said to you just last week?" Hermione narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to argue, and the two of them started to bicker. This time, their argument even managed to draw Theodore and Blaise in, and their raised voices joined the cacophony. Harry gritted his teeth, covering his ears, the darkness stirring inside of him. Their voices were like needles jabbing into his brain, and his head started to pound, giving him a headache. On top of that, the sunlight was shining into his eyes even with them closed, and he started to regret suggesting eating outside today.

"Stop it, stop it," He whispered, but the others didn't listen. In fact, it was like they got even louder. They didn't even seem to be hearing each other anymore, more intent on having their voice be the loudest. Harry knew that they were just worried, and upset and angry on Harry's behalf, but Harry couldn't stop the irritation towards them from growing, and the darkness snarled angrily. "Be quiet!" Again, no response. "Stop it!"

His shout rang out over the group and the tree branch above them cracked through the middle with a loud bang before crashing into the water in front of them, narrowly missing Hermione and Blaise, who were closest to the water. His friends screamed, scrambling away from the edge of the lake, and Harry watched on with dawning horror. He had lost control again.

"Harry," Ron whispered, turning towards Harry with an outstretched hand. "Are-"

"I'm sorry," He interrupted, backing away from his friends, eyes wide and muscles quivering. The others could only stare at him, still too shocked to say anything. "I'm sorry."

"Harry," Hermione whispered, swallowing thickly. "Did you-did you mean to do that?"

Harry could hear her voice tremble and he winced, shaking his head quickly. "No! No, it was an accident!" He said, the urge to defend himself taking over again. "I swear, it was an accident! I didn't-I never wanted to risk hurting you guys. I just-I lost control, I'm sorry!"

Hermione was still looking at him with wide, horrified, eyes, and Harry felt his breath quicken with anxiety. "You have to be careful, Harry, no one can know about your magic! They'll find out if you keep losing control." She was panicking, and from the looks on the others' faces, they were equally as panicked and scared. The guilt was so strong that Harry could almost feel the unease and fear coming off his friends and he stumbled away from them, his own anxiety increasing. He never wanted to scare his friends, never wanted to drive them away, but here he was, doing it by accident.

"I-I'm sorry," He whispered before turning on his heels and running away, fleeing back towards the castle. He could feel the darkness roaring just beneath his skin, like pins and needles all over his body, and he pushed the castle doors open, hurrying inside. He turned, frantically trying to make it to the dungeons before being seen, but before he could even take a step, the very man he was trying to avoid intercepted him.

"Potter!" He roared and Harry instantly froze, eyes wide and heart pounding with fear. "What. Did. You. Do?" The man swooped down on him with an angry snarl and Harry turned to run, but a hand was clamping down onto his shoulder before he could even take a step, nails digging painfully into his shoulder.

The darkness, already a chaotic, churning storm inside of him, struck again, hissing angrily, and a similar burn to Draco's appeared on Professor Snape's hand. The man reared back with a hiss of pain and Harry froze, the fear taking over and rendering him useless under Professor Snape's furious glare. Harry waited for the blow, waited for the punishment, but Professor Snape didn't hit him, grabbing his wrist instead and practically dragging him to the dungeons. Thankfully, they made it to Professor Snape's office, and he dropped Harry's wrist before the darkness could break through his control and lash out again.

Harry instantly turned his focus to settling the darkness, reaching into his pocket and gripping his wand tightly. His other magic worked along with him and together they soothed the darkness, getting it back to manageable. It wasn't calm, but it was back to where Harry had it during flying lessons.

Then he turned his focus back on his Head of House. Luckily for him, Professor Snape still hadn't said anything, and Harry waited silently for the man to start his tirade. The man was standing in front of his desk, his back to Harry and leaning forward over his desk. Harry could see the tenseness of his muscles, and he knew the man was barely containing his anger.

"How dare you," Professor Snape said, his voice threateningly quiet. Harry didn't respond, staying as still as possible, his muscles tense and ready to flee in case this became physical. "You seem to be pretty blasé about the rules, Mr. Potter, but unlike other times in your life, you will not get away with breaking them just because of your status. Do you understand, boy?" His back was still facing Harry, and Harry hesitated, not wanting to say anything without being able to gage the man's feelings. "Mr. Potter."

"Yes sir," Harry murmured, his hands trembling with fear. He curled them into fists and gritted his teeth, forcing that feeling away and working hard to keep the darkness calm.

Professor Snape turned around; his arms crossed as he glared down at Harry. "What made you think that you could break rule 5? Attack a fellow Slytherin? Are you so arrogant that you think you could do whatever you want, decide what rules to follow?" Professor Snape sneered at him, looking at Harry contemptuously. Harry gritted his teeth, staring Professor Snape in the eye.

"No, I-" Harry swallowed thickly, a sliver of guilt making its way into his heart and squeezing painfully, making his pulse race. He rubbed his sweaty palms against his thighs and forced his heart rate to slow- "I didn't mean to hurt him. It was an accident." Harry gnawed on his lip anxiously, eyeing Professor Snape warily as the man stared down at him, his expression blank but eyes storming. "And I'm sorry for losing control and hurting you, sir."

Professor Snape shifted and Harry instantly stiffened, flinching away from him. But the man didn't strike him, and Harry forced his heart to calm down. Professor Snape didn't respond for a few seconds, and they stared at each other in silence, Harry making sure to watch the man's every move. Professor Snape leaned back on his desk, arms still crossed but taking on a more relaxed position, and Harry relaxed slightly in turn.

"You shouldn't be doing accidental magic anymore, Mr. Potter, you should have control now." Harry shifted nervously, looking away. "Maybe you're just not working hard enough to control your magic," Professor Snape said snidely, and Harry looked over at the man, narrowing his eyes angrily.

"I do work hard," He snapped. Professor Snape's mouth turned down into a scowl and Harry winced. "Sir. It was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt Draco or you."

Professor Snape studied him carefully, and Harry felt the familiar itch behind his eyes. Harry scowled and averted his gaze. "Why did you lose control?"

"Draco said awful things. About me, and my-my mother. He stole Neville's Remembrall and was being a bully," Harry said firmly, his hands curling into fists as he turned to stare up at the man. The hat asked him if he would be willing to defend his friends and he had said yes. He told Hermione that he would stand up for her, for Ron. For Neville. He wasn't going to apologize for that.

Professor Snape was silent, and Harry waited on bated breath for his reaction. But no reaction came for a couple minutes, and Professor Snape just watched him critically, the itch still there behind Harry's eyes.

"Why did you lose control with me?" Professor Snape finally asked, breaking the silence, and Harry stiffened at the man's question, looking away as he hunched forward. The darkness hissed inside of him.

"I don't like being touched," Harry said guardedly, his tone brooking no more questions.

Of course, Professor Snape didn't care about Harry's preferences. "Elaborate." Harry didn't answer, careful not to move or even look at the man, but he could feel Professor Snape's glare and he gritted his teeth. His Head of House sighed. "Fine, Potter. Detention every night, starting tonight for two weeks." Harry nodded, not surprised. Professor Snape sighed again. "You're dismissed."

Harry left immediately, not even sparing Professor Snape a glance, and he rushed over to the Owlery, running up the stairs and over to his owl.

"Hey, Hedwig," He whispered, petting her feathers gently. The snowy owl cooed, running her beak through his hair. He smiled, closing his eyes as he nuzzled her feathers. "I just need a second with you. Just so the darkness relaxes." Hedwig trilled in agreement, and he smiled, pulling away from her. She was watching him with sad eyes, more understanding in them than one would expect in an owl. That was what made her so special, and Harry blinked away a couple of tears, hugging Hedwig gently. "Thank you." Hedwig cooed again and Harry closed his eyes, focusing on the darkness, smothering it in the feelings of calm and stillness that he got when he was with his owl. The darkness responded rather quickly and settled down into his bones, almost disappearing. Of course, it wasn't gone, he could feel it still, like a deep ache, a weight in his body, but he could ignore it.

He smiled and said goodbye to Hedwig before heading back towards the castle. Before he could head in, however, he spotted his friends, huddled in the courtyard and whispering to each other. They noticed him too and rushed over to him.

"You're hanging out together without me?" He asked, smiling. Theodore raised an eyebrow and Blaise smirked.

"Surprising, right?" Blaise said. "Who would've thought that Slytherins would stoop so low." He turned to smirk at Ron and Hermione, a teasing glint in his eyes despite the harshness of his words. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ron grinned.

"Hey, we're the ones doing you a favour," Ron piped up, pushing Blaise playfully. Blaise grinned and Theodore laughed, turning to Harry.

"We were worried about you, Harry," He said. "All of us." Harry blushed, looking down at his shoes. He felt Hermione take his hand, and he glanced over at her, frowning worriedly.

She gave him a soft smile. "It's okay, Harry," She said quietly. "We're worried about you, and what happened at the lake, but we're not afraid of you."

"Really?" He blurted out, shifting around anxiously as he looked at all of them. "You don't-you don't think I'm a-a freak or something?"

Ron frowned, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "No, mate, of course not," He murmured. "Why-why would you even ask that?" Harry shuffled, flustered, and he looked away, shrugging.

"It's not true, Harry," Blaise said quietly. "You're not a freak." Blaise didn't need Harry to tell him why he asked, why he instantly thought that that was how they were going to see him. The other boy realized quickly that Harry didn't think that out of nowhere, it came from somewhere.

"Sure," Harry said quietly, looking down at his shoes. Hermione, who had not let go of his hand yet, squeezed it gently.

"We're not scared, Harry, and we don't think you're a freak," She said firmly. "And we won't tell." The others nodded, agreeing, and Harry smiled softly at them. "I just want to know what happened." Harry took his hand out of hers and stepped away, shaking his head. "Harry, it's important that you figure out how it happened. That way you can control it." Harry only shook his head again, the words caught in his throat as he felt his heart pound in fear.

"Harry, Hermione's right," Theodore whispered. "Please, you can trust us. We can help you too." Harry gave no indication that he heard, staring away from them, his jaw set stubbornly. There was silence for a few seconds until Theodore sighed. "Alright. You don't have to tell us right now. Did Professor Snape do anything?"

Harry nodded, willing to answer that. "Yeah. He gave me detention for two weeks."

"Huh," Blaise said before shrugging. "Could've been worse." Theodore nodded and Ron laughed.

"Yeah," He said. "He could've thrown you into the lake with the giant squid."

Harry smiled. "The squid is nice. He wouldn't hurt me," Harry protested and Ron grinned.

"Leave it to you to make friends with the giant squid," Ron teased, and Harry laughed, shrugging.

Hermione smirked, crossing her arms imperiously. "See? I was right," She declared, and they all laughed, Ron rolling his eyes as he patted her on the back.

"And we won't bet against you again, 'Mione," He promised. Hermione grinned.

They continued to chatter and laugh about easy, lighthearted topics, and Harry felt himself relax. In the courtyard, where they were alone, Harry could pretend it was just him and his friends together against the world, that everything that had happened today was just a nightmare. But the second they stepped into the Great Hall, that illusion went up in flames, and reality hit with a jarring thud.

His friends did well with ignoring it, but Harry went silent, hunching forward underneath the glares from Slytherin, and the stares from the other Houses as they all whispered about him. Hermione and Ron broke off to join their table and Harry was barely even able to give them a wave, too overwhelmed by his own fear and anxiety, and the glares from the other students. Theodore took his hand silently, giving him a soft smile of support, and Harry smiled weakly back at him as they went to sit down at their tables.

"Just ignore them, Harry," Theodore whispered, letting go of his hand to sit strategically between him and the nearest Slytherin. It was an older student, his face twisted into a cruel sneer.

"You think you're pretty great, huh, Potter?" The boy hissed and leaned towards Harry, his hands on the table curled into fists. Harry ignored him the best he could, but it wasn't that easy with the way that the boy was glaring at him, as if wishing he could beat him to a pulp.

"Shove off, Bole," Theodore snapped, turning his back on the boy. Harry focused hard on his plate, grabbing some food and eating slowly. He could hear Theodore and Blaise whispering to each other, but Harry didn't join the conversation, too anxious to force any words out.

Harry was almost grateful when dinner was done, and he could go to detention. At least Professor Snape couldn't hurt him, even when it was just Harry and him alone. Unlike with Professor Snape, in the common room alone with his fellow Slytherins, Harry couldn't be sure that they wouldn't hurt him, not when they were back behind closed doors without the other Houses there to judge them. Harry waved goodbye to Theodore and Blaise and hurried to the dungeons, knocking on Professor Snape's door.

"Come in," Harry heard Professor Snape's voice inside the room, and he opened the door slowly. The man was watching him critically and Harry looked down at his feet once he arrived at the man's desk. "You will be cleaning the entire classroom, Mr. Potter. I want you to sweep the floors then mop them. Once you're done with that, you will dust the shelves, wipe down the desks, and clean the cauldrons." Professor Snape gestured towards the half a dozen or so cauldrons stacked beside the sink. "Cleaning supplies are in the closet." The man turned back to the papers he was grading. "Get to it, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded, even though the man wasn't looking at him anymore and wouldn't see the gesture, but Harry didn't bother verbally acknowledging the man, getting to work instead.

He completed his work slowly, the memory of last time still in his mind. He didn't want to risk getting yelled at for not cleaning properly and he figured, after everything that had happened today, Professor Snape was less inclined to be forgiving. But the man wasn't even paying Harry any attention and the room was silent. The only thing that could be heard was Professor Snape's quill scratching on his parchment, and Harry let himself relax slightly. However, he couldn't stop the inkling of suspicion creeping up, and he kept an eye on the man, worried that he was just waiting for the right moment to question Harry like he had so many times before.

But, to Harry's surprise, he was finished cleaning and out of detention with no more acknowledgement from Professor Snape than necessary in record time. He hurried back to the dormitory and settled into a chair, thoughts swirling in his head. Theodore noticed his frown.

"Hey, how was detention?" He asked quietly, pausing his and Blaise's game. Harry shrugged non-committedly. He noticed the two of them exchange looks but he didn't say anything, his eyes focused ahead of him.

"Was it bad?" Blaise asked and Harry shook his head. "Oh, that's good..." Blaise trailed off, still not getting any acknowledgement from Harry, and the two returned to their game. Harry was okay with that, not needing to interact with others right then, happy with just sitting off to the side and observing.

"Oh, great," Theodore groaned when the doors to the dormitory opened, and Draco and his goons walked in. Blaise made a sound of agreement, and Harry looked up, watching Draco. The boy was glaring at the three of them and he took a seat with Gregory and Vincent on the opposite side of the room. Harry stood up, eyes still trained on Draco, and tried to push down the nerves.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Blaise asked hesitantly but Harry only shook his head, walking over to the blonde-haired boy.

"Potter," Draco hissed, and Vincent and Gregory advanced towards Harry, their hands clenched into fists. Harry eyed them cautiously but didn't back away. He did stop, though, and didn't get any closer to Draco.

"I just wanted to apologize again," Harry said quietly. He fought the urge to duck his head, Draco's gaze intense. "I-I know you're upset, and I'm sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean to." Draco stared at him for a few more seconds before pointedly turning away from him. Harry nodded sharply. "Right. I'll leave you then." Harry went to turn around but paused halfway. "I'm sorry." He didn't look back at the boy, heading over to Blaise and Theodore instead.

"You apologized again?" Theodore asked incredulously. Harry only nodded. The other boy pursed his lips, looking like he didn't agree, but Theodore didn't say anything. "How'd it go?"

Harry sighed. "Not great." Theodore only nodded.

"Do you want to play with us?" He asked, gesturing towards Blaise, and Harry shook his head.

"No I'm alright. I'll watch," Harry said quietly, and his two friends watched him closely, as if looking for something. Harry tried not to fidget under their gaze.

"If you're sure," Blaise said before starting their game again. Harry paid attention to them for a few seconds before he let his thoughts drift again, and he found himself looking over at Draco. The other boy was sitting too stiffly to be ignoring Harry as much as he wanted Harry to think he was, and Harry sighed. He had missed being civil with the other boy. From today, it was clear that they were going to fall right back into old patterns.

He tried to ignore the disappointment that brought into him, and he pushed it away as they went up to their beds. By the time he was settling under his covers, any thoughts of Draco Malfoy were thankfully gone from his mind.


Harry was up just as the sun was starting to rise, and he got to his feet, putting on his clothes quietly before making his way to the Great Hall.

Hardly anyone was awake, though he wasn't alone. There were some professors, but he was the first student, and he kept his head down as he made his way to the Slytherin table, ignoring the looks he was getting from the adults. Once seated, he finally chanced a glance over at the High Table and relaxed when he saw that Professor Snape was not there. Satisfied, he returned his attention to Matilda in his hands, and he let himself sink into the book, ignoring everything else around him.

He wasn't too sure how long he was reading for, but he hurriedly put the book away once he heard the chatter of the other students entering the Great Hall, making sure to hide the book from his fellow Slytherins, unsure of how they'd react to a muggle book.

His stomach dropped and his heart started pounding when he realized what they were whispering, and he felt his face heat up. He ducked his head, wishing that he could just disappear, and almost got up to bolt out of there when Theodore and Blaise sat down on either side of him.

"Hey, Harry," Theodore said quietly, watching him carefully. Harry didn't say anything, staring at the table. "We thought you were going to wait for us before heading to breakfast." Harry only shrugged. He could feel the other Slytherins staring at him and could hear their whispers. "Harry-"

"I'm fine," Harry said quietly, looking up. Theodore was watching him pityingly and he flinched, looking away. His eyes landed on Draco, and the group of students surrounding him. They were blatantly staring at Harry, not even bothering to hide their sneers and whispers.

Blaise saw where he was looking. "Ignore them, Harry," He pleaded, but Harry shook his head.

"What're they saying about me?" He asked instead, looking between Blaise and Theodore. The two exchanged worried looks. "Please, just tell me."

"They say-" Theodore swallowed thickly- "Draco is telling everyone about what happened the other day." Harry only nodded, not surprised. "And-" But Theodore didn't continue, cutting off as he looked away from Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow, but Theodore didn't elaborate, so he turned to Blaise. "What?"

Blaise sighed, watching Harry carefully. "He's telling everyone that you're-that you're unstable, and mad," Blaise said hesitantly, and Harry immediately stiffened, his heart pounding quickly.

"What?" He whispered, eyes darting around warily as he looked at the students around him. "They-they think I'm a freak?" Blaise opened his mouth to say something, but Harry couldn't hear him, too lost in his memories of the Dursleys, of the lies they spread, and of the rumours whispered between the neighbours, students and even teachers that believed his aunt and uncle.

It was almost too much to bear, and he hunched forward, covering his ears with his hands. He could see Theodore reach out towards him and he flinched back, leaping to his feet and hurrying out of the Great Hall.

He hurried down the stairs and sat down against the wall of the potions classroom, his hands still over his ears. Eventually, he managed to push away the emotions and memories and he felt himself – and the darkness – relax. Harry wanted and tried his damn hardest to get rid of the familiar hurt that was slowly crawling its way back into his heart, and bringing with it, the desperate and childish ache for someone to see him, the real him. On Privet Drive, there was no one that did. No one reached through the darkness and hate surrounding him and guided him out. No one even bothered to try.

Harry curled his hands into fists, trying to force those memories away, the fear and the pain that haunted them. He tried to force himself to believe that Hogwarts would not be the same as Privet Drive, that even though there were cruel and hateful people here, they were not – and never would be – nearly as awful as his family. That unlike Privet Drive, there wasn't no one.

"Mr. Potter," A familiar, scathing voice interrupted his peace, and Harry looked up. "Why are you here?" Harry shrugged, his eyes darting to his feet. Professor Snape was obviously not impressed, scoffing incredulously. "It is not time for class yet, you are to be back in the Great Hall with everyone else." Harry only shook his head. "Mr. Potter."

"Please don't make me go back," Harry whispered. Professor Snape glared down at him; his arms crossed. Harry tried not to cower under the man.

"It is important that you eat, Potter. I'm not going to coddle you again with another nutrition potion if you don't get enough when there's plenty of food available that you could have eaten," Professor Snape snarled. Harry stared hard at his hands, not wanting to meet the man's eyes.

"I'm not hungry," He said quietly. Harry didn't even have to look up to know that the man was glaring even harder at him now.

"You will go to the Great Hall right now, Mr. Potter, or you will get a detention," Professor Snape hissed, and Harry cowered but didn't cave.

"I can't," He whispered, and was shocked when his voice managed to stay steady. With the amount of fear and anxiety coursing through him, Harry was sure his voice was going to be weak and pathetic.

"Why not?" Harry didn't answer, and the silence sat heavy between them for a few seconds. "Mr. Potter. You will answer or you will get another detention for your defiance." Harry caved, not wanting to add on to his already two-week long detention schedule.

"Malfoy is telling everyone about yesterday. Telling them that I'm crazy, and unstable," Harry whispered, blinking quickly. He wasn't going to cry in front of this man if it was the last thing he did.

Professor Snape was silent for a few minutes, staring at Harry, and Harry fidgeted nervously. "Well, Potter, you should have thought of that before you attacked Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape glared down at him, not an ounce of pity or empathy on his face, and Harry felt the resentment bubble up, replacing the hopelessness.

"It was an accident," He hissed, curling his hands into fists. "I didn't-I didn't do it on purpose."

Professor Snape scoffed. "Yes, Potter, that is the definition of an accident." The man grew serious, crossing his arms. "Regardless of intent, you hurt Mr. Malfoy, and now you must suffer the consequences."

Harry stuck his chin up defiantly. "I am."

Professor Snape regarded him silently for a few seconds before settling on a sneer. Harry waited for the man to spit out another acerbic remark, but the man simply walked into the classroom.


Harry sat quietly, content with the silence as he and Neville worked on their potion. Surprisingly, they were not the only ones who were silent, Professor Snape had not uttered a single insult towards them since class started. Harry, although reticent to trust that it would last, allowed himself to relax this time, and he let his thoughts drift.

"I wanted to say thank you," Neville whispered, and Harry looked over at the boy. The Gryffindor flushed, looking down at the ginger root he was slicing. "My Remembrall. Thank you for getting it for me." Harry shrugged.

"Sure," He said. Neville watched him carefully, but Harry made sure not to emote too much.

"I wanted to apologize too, for getting you in trouble."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? It's not your fault." Neville didn't look convinced, eyeing Harry nervously. "My actions are my own responsibility. No one else is guilty."

Neville ran a hand through his hair, flustered. "Yeah, I know, it's just-" He shrugged, his face going red- "everyone's talking about you now, and-and they wouldn't have, if…" Neville trailed off, shifting uncomfortably and Harry jerked his head down, staring hard at the potion, trying to keep his hands steady as he stirred.

"Not your fault," Harry muttered, still not looking over at the boy. "They were always going to end up hating me once they realized I'm a freak. Just ended up being now." The flurry of emotions that Harry had managed to ignore while they made the potion resurfaced. He turned to look at Neville, not managing to control the emotions enough to keep it off his face, and he ended up glaring at the other boy. Neville stared back at him, pale and wide-eyed. Harry winced, the guilt washing over him. "Sorry."

Neville didn't speak right away, still staring at him. "No, Harry, don't apologize," Neville hurried to protest. Harry only shrugged. "Harry-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry interrupted. Neville nodded quickly. "Let's just-let's just finish the potion." Harry gestured weakly towards the cauldron and Neville nodded.

"Sure, Harry."


Theodore and Hermione decided for all five of them that they were going to avoid the whole madness of the Great Hall and eat outside for lunch today before anyone else could have any input. Once they were outside and away from the whispering and watching students, Harry realized they were right. He didn't know if he would have been able to handle lunch otherwise.

They sat by the greenhouses, which was decided on by Theodore and Hermione before the rest of the group could protest, and even when Ron did (Why would we want to eat near the greenhouses, Hermione? It stinks!), Hermione was quick to shut it down (We can't exactly go back to the lake with the tree fit to fall over at any time now, Ronald!). Harry didn't know whether he was happy or not that the two of them were so quick to make decisions for all of them now.

"So, what'd you bring?" Ron asked and Hermione pulled out a picnic basket.

Theodore removed the sandwiches, meat pies and vegetables. Harry was impressed, it was quite the spread. They enjoyed the food and the beautiful day, and Harry was thankful that none of his friends asked him questions about everything that was going on, content with letting it rest so he could enjoy a moment of peace.

They were beside the greenhouse closest to the forest and furthest from the school, so they were blocked from view and unbothered by anyone leaving the castle. Luckily, even if any students stumbled across them, one glance at Harry and they were off, whispering and muttering, keen on avoiding the mad boy. His friends, whether it was subconscious or not, always managed to move just enough to hide him from view when that happened.

Harry finished first, of course, he was still not quite able to handle all the rich food, and he laid back on the blanket, staring up at the sky.

"Harry," Hermione, now finished with her lunch, interrupted his thoughts. He sat up, wincing under the concerned gazes of all his friends. "Are you doing alright?" Harry hunched forward, shrugging.

"How can he be alright? Everyone's being complete arseholes," Ron said, and Harry shrugged again.

"Harry, what they're doing, it's not okay. Seriously, how are you doing?" Blaise asked quietly, reaching out to tap Harry gently on the hand. Harry let him for a few seconds before moving his hand into his lap.

Harry sighed. "I'm fine. I'm used to it," He muttered bitterly, and Theodore whipped his head around to look at him.

"'Used to it'? What does that mean?" He asked, alarmed, and Harry gritted his teeth, regretting his slip up. "Harry?" But Harry didn't respond, lying back down and closing his eyes.

He listened to his friends chatter around him, drifting off, and at some point, he must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, Hermione was shaking him awake.

"C'mon, Harry, we need to be on our way," She said. Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Remember? We told Hagrid we'd visit with him." Harry nodded, pulling himself to his feet.

"What are you going to do?" He asked Hermione, and her expression turned determined.

"I'll ask him straight. He's more likely to react if he's surprised, and that will tell us more," Hermione said. Blaise grinned.

"Devious. Almost as good as a Slytherin," He teased, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She picked up the picnic basket. "Are you two coming?" Hermione asked, nodding towards Theodore and Blaise, who exchanged looks.

"No. Hagrid may be more likely to give you information on Flamel if it's just you three," Theodore said. He continued when he saw the expression on Hermione's face. "We know, we know, Hagrid's not like that, he's friendly to every House, but he'll probably let his guard down more if there aren't a bunch of Slytherins there."

Hermione didn't look convinced but conceded. "Alright. Harry will update you later," She said before turning to Harry and Ron. "Let's go." They followed after her dutifully, waving goodbye to Theodore and Blaise.

The walk down to Hagrid's hut was easy and quiet. The sun had disappeared behind some grey clouds, but thankfully, the rain had not yet arrived, and Harry let himself enjoy the walk. They arrived at Hagrid's door in only a couple of minutes, and Hermione reached out, knocking twice.

The door swung open, the half-giant giving all of them a wide grin. "Hello, you three, come on in!" He greeted, ushering them inside. "I've got a pot of tea on and some rock cakes here fer yeh."

Hermione hefted the picnic basket up. "That's alright, Hagrid, we already had lunch," She said, to the relief of Ron, who was eyeing the rock cakes dubiously. He still hadn't quite gotten over the first time he had bitten and almost lost a tooth on one of those rock cakes.

"But we'd love some tea!" Ron rushed to continue at the disheartened look on Hagrid's face.

"O' course, I'll get you lot some!" Hagrid gestured towards the table and the three of them sat down as Hagrid poured them their tea. "How're classes going for yeh?"

Harry saw Hermione and Ron share a meaningful look, but Harry ignored them, shrugging instead. "Alright," He said. "Potions is getting better."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, I don't think Snape called you an idiot once today." Harry sighed.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to trust it." Harry shook his head. "Professor Snape and I don't really get along. He has it out for me, I swear." Hermione pursed her lips, clearly disagreeing, but Harry only gave her a look. She took the bait, huffing incredulously.

"Harry, I highly doubt he has it out for you! He's your Head of House and an adult! He's not that immature," She argued, and Harry frowned grimly.

"Being an adult doesn't mean anything," Harry said firmly. Hermione's eyes widened and Harry shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze. Ron spoke before she could say anything.

"Yeah! There're loads of adults who're arseholes," Ron pointed out. Hagrid shook his head.

"Professor Snape is a good man. Professor Dumbledore trusts him," Hagrid said, and Hermione gave them a pointed look, nodding. Harry didn't bother to point out how little that meant in terms of Professor Snape's character, taking a sip of his tea instead. "What else are yeh studyin'?"

Hermione's expression turned determined, and Harry and Ron exchanged looks, preparing. "We've been doing an independent study, actually," She commented lightly. Hagrid nodded along.

"Oh? What on?"

Hermione looked up then, watching the half-giant carefully. "Nicolas Flamel and how he relates to what could be hidden here."

Hagrid's face drained of colour, and he almost dropped his cup. Luckily, he caught it before it could shatter into a thousand pieces. "Nicolas Flamel? Why're you studying him?"

Hermione ignored his uneasiness, jutting her chin out resolutely. "Because he had something in that vault, didn't he? The one that was robbed?"

Hagrid, for the first time since meeting him, gave them a stern look, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Don't go askin' questions you've no business askin'," Hagrid snapped, and Hermione leaned back, eyes widening as she lost her nerve. Harry, who was not so easily cowed, took over the questioning.

"Why wouldn't it be our business? We study in the castle, we live there. If there's a risk, we ought to know," Harry said calmly. Hagrid watched them carefully before sighing.

"Don't go digging into stuff yeh don' know," He warned them.

Harry shrugged. "We can't stop now, Hagrid. Something is going on, and no one else is doing anything about it."

Hermione nodded, and although Ron looked nervous, he looked between the two of them and nodded as well. Hagrid sighed again, shaking his head.

"Well, I jus' hope yer prepared for whatever's goin' to happen."

"We are," Ron spoke up, his voice firm, unwavering. Hagrid didn't seem convinced.

"Yer sure abou' that? Because this isn't easy stuff," He said firmly. Harry exchanged looks with Hermione, and she nodded, turning back to Hagrid.

"Yes," She agreed. "There're five of us. We've got each other's backs." Hagrid watched them silently for a few seconds before frowning, his eyes getting teary. Harry, unsure of how to react, looked over at his friends, who were also looking a little alarmed.

"That's not always enough," Hagrid said quietly. The three of them didn't say anything, unsure of what they should say. But they remained unwavering, and, after seeing their expressions, Hagrid sighed. "I can't be there all the time ta stop yeh, so I know yer goin' ta dig no matter what. I jus' hope yeh thought this through."

Harry met his gaze steadfastly. "Like we said, we have," He said.

Hagrid raised an eyebrow. "You thought of everythin'? Because lots of people went into the war thinkin' they had it all figured out. But not everyone made it through." Ron and Hermione both winced, looking at each other, and Harry looked over at them, seeing the hesitance on their faces.

Harry, who knew what it was like to lose from a war, looked at Hagrid unshakably. "This isn't a war."

Hagrid, looking close to tears again, stared Harry in the eyes. Harry met the man's eyes and didn't falter and Hagrid looked away. "Maybe not," He said quietly. "But it's dangerous and it's secret for a reason."

Hermione and Ron exchanged looks again. "Dangerous enough that you could…you know…" Ron asked, trailing off at the end. Hagrid nodded.

"Yes," He said firmly. "Have yeh thought this through?"

Ron looked at Harry, as if wanting an answer from the Slytherin boy, but Harry didn't know what to say so he remained silent. Ron looked at Hermione, but even she looked uncertain, chewing on her lip nervously.

Ron hesitated, before turning to Hagrid again. "We have. We thought this through," He said, but his voice cracked slightly, and even though Hermione had nodded in agreement, her eyebrows were still furrowed anxiously. Harry watched his friends, his heart clenching tightly.

Hagrid saw all of it and he frowned. "Yeh don't sound sure abou' that."

Ron and Hermione were having another silent conversation and did not look like they were going to answer, so Harry turned to Hagrid, giving him a strained smile.

"Thanks, Hagrid," He said quietly. The man only nodded. Harry stood up. "We best be off. But thanks for the tea." Hagrid nodded again, and the three left after some subdued and slightly awkward goodbyes.

The three of them walked silently back to the castle, the only sound being the crackle of dead leaves under their feet and the singing of far-off birds.

"Do you reckon he'll tell the professors what we asked today?" Ron asked quietly. Hermione, looking worried again, shook her head after a few hesitant seconds.

"I don't think so. We haven't really done anything against the rules yet," She said, looking at the two of them for reassurance. Ron also looked concerned, so Harry nodded his head, patting her on the shoulder.

"He won't tell," He reassured her. "We only asked questions."

Hermione nodded, looking away. "Sure." The tense silence sat between them for a few more seconds.

"C'mon, let's hurry," Harry said, tapping Ron's hand. "I'm starving."

Ron, relaxing now that the conversation had moved onto safer topics, grinned. "Me too," Ron said. Hermione, also content with moving past the unease, nodded.

"Dinner it is then." Harry grinned before racing on ahead. "C'mon!" His friends, shouting their protests, conceded and ran behind him.

Harry let any remaining worries fall away from him in the wind as he ran.


Harry arrived at the potions classroom for his detention two minutes early. Professor Snape, who was grading papers, only pointed towards a desk filled with potions ingredients, a knife lying beside a cutting board.

"I want you to prep those ingredients. Cut them into 3x3 cubes," Professor Snape said, and Harry nodded, moving over to the desk. He took out the first ingredients and got to work.

Thankfully, Professor Snape was busy grading and didn't ask Harry any personal questions, so Harry let his mind wander, trying to ignore the feel of squid tentacles on his fingertips as he cubed them.

It was such easy work that Harry didn't even notice when he was finished, and he looked down at the desk, surprised. He put the ingredients away and brought the knife and cutting board to the sink, washing them quickly. After only a few hesitant seconds, he walked up to the man's desk.

"Um, Professor?" He called out. "I've finished." Professor Snape didn't look up at him, nodding instead. Harry waited, unsure whether he could leave before the man verbally dismissed him.

"We didn't get to have our tutoring session yesterday," The man finally said after a couple minutes of silence. Harry, after recovering from his unease, looked at the man in surprise.

"Sir?"

Professor Snape looked up then, a scowl on his face. "Are you that thick, Mr. Potter?" He snapped. Harry didn't say anything, staring at the man patiently. The man sighed. "We didn't get our tutoring session, so we will be having it tonight."

Harry felt his heart quicken. "Are you sure, sir? It's Friday, I'm sure you're busy-"

"Do not make assumptions about me, Potter," Professor Snape interrupted, glaring at Harry. He nodded, ducking his head. "I've offered you my time, the polite thing to do is accept it without whinging." Harry wasn't whinging, but he didn't say anything, nodding instead. "What do you currently need help with?"

"Um, we're learning about the transfiguration alphabet," Harry mumbled. "I don't really understand what it's for."

Professor Snape nodded. "It is the theory behind the transfiguration spells. It is an alphabet that represents different facets and aspects of magic that is necessary to create spells. The different runes in the transfiguration alphabet match letters in our alphabet, which is how we can take the theory and apply it practically." Harry nodded, though he was still confused. Professor Snape clearly saw his confusion, but surprisingly to Harry, the man did not insult or degrade his intelligence, continuing with his explanation instead. "When you create spells, you need to make sure that the magic makes sense. The transfiguration alphabet helps to categorize the different features of magic so that spells can be created. Once that is in order, you can translate it into our alphabet and when you say the words, the magic will respond." Harry nodded. The man brought out a book. "Read this and write in point form a summary of chapter one and two."

Harry nodded, taking the book. "Thanks, Professor," He said. Professor Snape only nodded, turning back to his marking, so Harry turned his focus on the book.

Although it was slow going, Harry started to understand it by the time he was done the first chapter, and he smiled, even more determined to dig deeper. By the time he was finished the second chapter, Professor Snape was done his marking.

"Are you all finished?" He asked Harry, and Harry nodded. Professor Snape took his page and read it over, only taking a minute or two before he was finished. He handed the paper back to Harry. "Looks adequate."

Harry smiled. "Thank you." Again, Professor Snape didn't reply, watching Harry carefully instead. Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Can I go now?" Professor Snape sneered.

"Oh, I'm sure you're itching to get out of here," He disparaged. Harry didn't respond. "I have a few questions for you first, Mr. Potter." Harry only nodded, resigned to the questioning. "Why did you not come to lunch today?" Harry shrugged. "A real answer, Potter."

"Didn't want to be there," Harry muttered. "Everyone's spreading rumours about me."

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "And why does that bother you so much?"

"It doesn't," Harry said resolutely. And it truly didn't bother him, not really. Sure, it hurt at first, but Harry had accepted it. It was bound to happen anyways. "I just don't want to lose control again." Professor Snape didn't comment on that, watching Harry closely. Harry didn't waver, staring back at the man, ignoring the familiar itch behind his eyes. After a few seconds, the man sighed tiredly.

"Fine, Mr. Potter. You're free to go," The man said, and Harry nodded, immediately standing up.

"Thank you, Professor," He said hurriedly and dashed to the door.

He hurried to the dormitory, not keen on being alone in the hallways. He made it back without incident and, after declining an invitation to play a game with Theodore and Blaise, headed up to bed.

He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.