-120 - The Punishment
OVER 100 reviews!!!! Whoo Hoo!!! Okay, so as soon as the reviews hit 100 I dropped everything and sat down to write this super long 15 page chapter just for you!!! I listened to what you wanted to read and hope you like it!
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Severus sat behind the desk in his bedroom with his door open, just waiting for Harry's next bout of queasiness to take place. Already the teen had been awoken four times to vomit up the fire whiskey that filled his body. Idiot boy would learn the hard way.
Severus unlocked his desk drawer and pulled forth the pensieve he kept his most painful memories in. The pensieve was filled with all the horrible things he had been required to do when he was a death eater, as well as other memories that distressed him to think about. He stirred the contents until he spied the memory he had been looking for.
A mist arose from the ancient bowl as it formed into the shape of his son. Another shape appeared of himself. He watched as the scene played out before him. The memory began of the evening he had discovered that Harry had been taking the pain potions
His son begged him not to send him away. He could feel his own emotions take hold of him as he saw the boy's look of betrayal. The scene finally stopped when Severus had called Moody to come to take Harry away to training camp.
The mist cleared away before Severus cast a sealing charm on the bowl so no one else could see those painful memories. He was angry at Harry for drinking this evening at the ball but he was most angry at himself for trusting the boy wouldn't get himself into trouble.
He had watched when the teen had slipped away from the ballroom earlier that evening at Malfoy Manor. He had actually seen Harry sneak away from the bodyguards line of sight. There were so many wards and safety measures that had been taken to guard the boy that he hadn't thought Harry could get into any trouble. The only thing he hadn't counted on was that Harry would actually harm himself. He never thought the teen would take a harmful substance after the horrible experiences the boy had already been through due to the pain potions. It was obvious Harry had been drinking without attention to the damage it would cause.
He let out a great sigh of frustration. At times such as these he felt completely inept at parenting. He knew Harry deserved to be punished but he also knew how much the boy had suffered at such a young age. The young man had been through more horrors than most grown men, including himself. One night of drinking couldn't be considered an addiction, like the pain potion had been. But, on the other hand, he couldn't be lenient with the teen either. Leniency led to waywardness. He could not and would not let the boy feel as if this was not a major concern.
He carefully placed the pensieve back in his drawer before double locking it. He could hear Harry stirring again and moaning in discomfort as the fire whiskey fought to be expelled. With another sigh of frustration he heaved himself out of his chair. He went into his own bathroom and grabbed a clean wash cloth. He looked at the clock on the wall before running the wash cloth under the water then wringing it out. Two o'clock in the morning had no meaning to him since he hadn't slept all night long.
He picked up his pace when he heard Harry stumble and fall in the bathroom. When he got there the boy had already crawled to the toilet to expel the substance from his body. Harry's body shook with tremors as he choked out the foul liquid.
Severus knelt by his side, contemplating his decision not to give the boy a potion to remedy the pain he was going through. Once Harry stopped vomiting he handed the boy the clean wash cloth.
"Better?" Severus asked as he took in the pasty coloring of his son.
"No," Harry croaked out, his throat on fire after so much vomiting. "Make it stop, you know you can." his accusing voice rose in pitch.
"Have you learned from the consequences of your actions?" Severus asked.
"Yes yes," Harry said as he slumped against his father's side. "Please, just make it stop. I swear I'll never touch the stuff ever again" Harry shivered through his sweat soaked pajamas. His back felt as if it was on fire. Stupid Charlet and that damn curse she had thrown at Ginny! He felt another surge of bile rising up in his throat causing him to fling himself at the toilet once more. He bumped his head on the rim of the toilet with a loud thwack.
That was the final straw that broke Severus' resolve. The Potion Master pulled forth a small vial filled with a pain potion that would remedy the boy's ailments. "Come here, Harry." He gently guided Harry away from the toilet before uncorking the vial.
Harry drank the vial in one go. He leaned against his dad, letting the potion do its work. Within seconds his stomach felt loads better but his head still pounded painfully. "Thanks, erm do you think I could have something for my head too?"
Severus frowned, that potion was supposed to alleviate the headache as well as the stomach pains. Perhaps in his frustration he had brewed the potion incorrectly? Or possibly it would just take a bit longer to work, due to the high amount of alcohol the foolish boy had drank. He handed Harry a cup of water before helping him back to bed.
"Your head should feel better soon. Why don't you get some rest," Severus pulled the blankets up to Harry's chin. He left his hand on his son's shoulder for a moment until the teen closed his eyes.
"G'night dad. Thanks."
Severus watched his son sleep for a short while before heading back to his own room. He was glad he had given Harry the potion but vowed to be extra hard on the boy come morning. Yes, he would be sure his son realized the danger he had put himself into by drinking so much alcohol.
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Harry felt Hedwig jump on his back for the fifth time that morning. He tried to shoo her off his burning back but she kept coming back. He knew he couldn't ignore her pleas to be let outside anymore when she pecked the back of his head mercilessly. He rolled out of bed squinting into the bright sunlight that poured through his bedroom window. Merlin it was bright out today! He unlocked the window then turned to look at Hedwig.
"So, are you just going to sit there or what?"
The bird pecked him again on her way out the window. Harry could see the freshly fallen snow covering the entire backyard. He hadn't even been aware that it had snowed last night.
His memory of last night came back like a slow horrible nightmare. What the bloody hell had been wrong with him last night? Ginny had found him in a closet with Charlet! He must have been really drunk to have gone anywhere with that wretched witch! Oh Merlin, his dad was going to be livid. What time was it anyway?
As soon as he realized it was ten o'clock he picked up his pace and got ready in a rush. His head still throbbed with every move but at least his stomach was no longer protesting. His burning back was giving him the most pain at the moment. Before buttoning his shirt he walked over to the floor length mirror to see what damage had been done. He had a large round burn on his back just below his rib cage. It was swollen and red and went from red around the edges to almost black in the center where the spell had struck. Damn, no wonder he was in so much pain. He wanted to ask his dad for some burn cream but he didn't want Severus to find out about the all the other stuff, especially the part where he had used magic when he was drunk!
Once he got downstairs he looked around for his dad. He wanted to get his punishment over with instead of thinking about it all day long. He finally found his father in the study sitting behind his desk immersed in a pile of parchment. He stood at the door, waiting to be invited in.
Severus finally looked up from his papers and signaled him to a chair without saying anything.
Harry dragged his feet as he walked into the room. He sat in a chair across from his father and nervously awaited his sentence. The professor ignored him and continued dealing with whatever he was writing. Harry could see the well of red ink Severus was using and figured the man was getting some of his anger out by correcting potion papers with a vengeance. He hoped it wasn't his paper.
After what seemed like an eternity his father finally sealed the last parchment and stacked it with the rest. Harry hadn't felt this nervous since his time spent with the Voldemort! Merlin, he knew he was in trouble when his father narrowed his eyes at him in that Snape like way.
Severus looked at his son for a long time before finally speaking. He hoped his dark tone conveyed the seriousness that lie behind his words, "I am disappointed in you." He could see Harry deflate right before his eyes. The teen looked down at his hands in shame. "Look at me," Severus demanded without leniency.
Harry's eyes darted up to meet his father's. "I'm sorry Dad. I don't know why I drank."
"I gather you drank to have fun," the last word was clearly said with scorn.
Harry shook his head, "But I'm not sure how it got so out of control. I wasn't even going to drink at all."
"Your actions do not convey that statement," Severus hated hearing excuses, most of all from Harry. The young man should take responsibility for his actions.
"But, I felt so weird, like I couldn't say no when Charlet told me to drink," Harry tried to explain.
Severus stood up abruptly, causing Harry to jerk back in his chair. His father looked angrier than he had ever seen him look before.
If there was one thing Severus hated more than anything it was when a person tried to get out of trouble by putting the blame on someone else. James Potter and Sirius Black had been famous for doing just that! He refused to let Harry follow in his father's footsteps when it came to taking responsibility for his own actions.
"Since when do you obey anything that girl tells you to do!?! You are letting your hormones rule your judgment! Or is it just your hero status getting to your head?" Severus roared in frustration.
"No! It's not like that," Harry tried to explain. "I don't even like her! And you know how much I hate being called a hero!"
Severus sat back down but leaned his arms on the desk, "It was your own lack of intelligence that put you in this situation! Don't you dare blame anyone else!" He stood up once more, frowning. "I find it hard to trust your judgment any longer."
Harry took in a deep breath as his throat tightened up.
"I thought you respected me as a father. I thought we had developed a strong bond," Severus said as he walked around the desk and stood in front of Harry's chair. The teen had his head down in shame. Severus roughly took hold of Harry's chin and pulled his face up, "I said look at me when I am speaking."
Harry swallowed hard, the lump in his throat making it difficult to talk.
"Do you realize that you can actually die from drinking too much alcohol? Fire whiskey has an even higher percentage of alcohol in it than Muggle alcohol does. You put yourself in danger last night."
"Dad, something wasn't right. I tried to stop …" Harry was cut off from saying more when his father gripped his chin so hard it caused him to grab hold of Severus' wrist, "Let go!"
Severus found it hard to keep his anger in check. He couldn't believe the audacity the teen had to come up with more excuses. He would have never expected that coming from the boy. He had always respected Harry's honesty before now. He abruptly let go of his son's chin and immediately regretted the deep red mark he had left behind.
Harry instantly stood up, not wanting to stick around any longer.
"Sit. We are not finished," Severus hissed out in a clipped tone.
Harry sat down. His face unreadable.
Severus forced himself to calm down. He leaned back on his desk with both hands down by his sides. He vowed not to touch the teen while he was this angry. After a few calming breaths he finally spoke once more but in a much more controlled voice. "Your punishment is simple; you are to remain at Snape Manor for the duration of the holiday. No friends over, no going out. I have come up with a list of chores you are to complete on a daily basis until we return to school."
Severus turned around and grabbed the list off his desk. He stood up before exhaling noisily, "I can only hope you will learn from your behavior. I find it quite deplorable that you have yet to take responsibility for your own actions. Perhaps after a day spent at chores you will come to me with true regret."
Harry sat in the chair feeling as if he were made of lead. He hadn't been making excuses, he was just trying to explain how he had felt. It hurt him deeply to be failing his father's expectations of him. Severus dropped the list in his lap. He picked up the list and looked at it with alarm. It reminded him so much of the lists Uncle Vernon used to write out for him on a daily basis. It even had the words: Harry's Chores, written on the top!
He swallowed the lump in his throat before standing once more, "May I be excused now, sir?"
Severus waved him off, clearly disappointed Harry had yet to take accountability.
Harry couldn't get away from there fast enough. He ran up the stairs to his bedroom, slamming the door when he got there. He paced in his room for awhile trying to forget the look of disappointment Severus had worn.
His hand shook when he looked down at the dreaded list. Had Severus known the list was exactly the same as Uncle Vernon used to give him? Severus must have remembered some of his memories from legilimency training to come up with a punishment that would hurt so much.
He wished he hadn't tried to explain that weird lack of control. He should have just said he was sorry and taken his punishment in stride. But no, he had felt it necessary to try to explain how he had been feeling so out of control, what an idiot! His dad had probably heard every excuse in the book from all those sneaky Slytherins.
His chin throbbed and his back burned as if it was on fire. He wished he could get some burn salve but he knew Severus would find out and ask him about the entire incident. Merlin knew what penalty Severus would dole out for using magic while he was drunk! If today's punishment were any indication he wouldn't put it past the man to lock him in a cupboard!
After brooding for another ten minutes he decided to get to work. He looked down once more at the list and decided to tackle the first job: shovel the front walk way.
He grabbed his cloak and gloves before heading back down the stairs, ignoring the pain coming from his back.
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It had been close to an hour and Severus had only read one chapter so far in the potions book. He realized he couldn't even remember what that chapter had said. He closed the book, deciding to give in to his uneasiness and go check up on Harry instead. He couldn't deny the feeling that he had been too harsh with the teen.
After searching in all the likely areas he finally found the boy hard at work in the front yard. The boy had shoveled a large portion of the walkway and looked as if he were bent on finishing the job.
"Well done."
Harry stopped shoveling, turning to look at his father. He didn't say anything back. His hands and face were numb but he was sweating profusely from all the exertion it took to shovel the snow.
Severus couldn't tell if the teen was mad at him or ashamed over being in this predicament to begin with. "Have you eaten today?"
"No sir, but I'm not hungry," after a moments pause Harry turned back around and continued the taxing job.
Severus didn't like the tension between them nor did he appreciate the sullen attitude the boy had adopted. "Come in for lunch in ten minutes."
"Not hungry," Harry said over his shoulder, a bit more rudely than he had intended. It was the truth, his stomach didn't hurt any longer but it was also not ready for food either.
"Fine, but I expect you for supper, " As an after thought he added, "and loose that dour attitude, if you know what is good for you."
"Yes sir," Harry said morosely as he continued shoveling with aggression. He heard the front door close with a loud bang. Blasted man was so frustrating! He flung himself into the snow bank onto his back, getting relief from the icy snow on his burned back.
It aggravated him the way he got into so much trouble for acting like every other teenager he knew. Why did Severus have to be so strict? The man had hit an all time low when he had used Uncle Vernon's method of punishment. He didn't mind having to do the chores but the way Severus had presented them in that list had really hurt him. It was like his father was trying to send a message to him; now I see why your uncle treated you that way.
He pushed himself up off the snow bank, immediately feeling his back burn once again. Maybe he could sneak down into the lab and brew up his own batch of burn salve? Merlin knew he was proficient at it after his time spent in training camp.
Three hours later he was still working his way down the dreaded list of chores. The last chore was one he had always despised most when he had seen it on Uncle Vernon's lists. He hated scrubbing the floors. He could never do a good enough job for his Aunt. The ridicule was always forth coming after he completed that particular chore. He knew Severus wouldn't do that but he didn't want to give the professor any more reasons to be angry with him.
He dragged the bucket of water to the hallway by the staircase and knelt down with a scrub brush in hand. The house elves kept popping in to watch with their ears pressed flat against their heads and their hands balled up into fists, as if they were offended that they might be replaced.
Harry ignored them for the most part and concentrated on doing the job right. He chuckled when he thought what the wizarding world would think if they knew he was being treated like a house elf.
He was so concentrated on what he was doing that he didn't even hear someone coming down the stairs until he saw two sparkling blue boots standing on the spot he had just scrubbed clean. He looked up with a frown at the haughty witch before him. She was smiling in an malicious way. Harry sat back on his feet and quickly looked away. For some reason he felt a pull towards her that he didn't understand. He fought against it knowing that it was wrong. But she looked so pretty in her light blue robes with her raven black hair pulled up. He shook his head and turned his eyes back down to the floor.
"Do you mind?" he managed to say in a cutting tone. She hadn't moved from the spot in front of him, leaving a trail of footprints behind her on the wet floor.
"I don't believe this," Charlet spat out, "Aren't you supposed to be this big hero and all that? What the bloody hell are you doing on your hands and knees acting like a bloody house elf again?"
"Shut up Charlet, I wouldn't be in this predicament if it wasn't for you."
"Shut up you filthy beggar! You could have just said no when I told you to drink, it's not like I was using the Imperius curse on you," Charlet said in her all too common snide tone.
Harry dunked the scrub brush into the dirty pail of water and began to scrub right over Charlet's sparkling boots.
She screeched out in horror before pulling her foot back and kicking Harry right on the mouth with the tip of her pointy boot. His head snapped back as blood poured out of his cut lip.
"What the bloody hell do you think your doing! Damn it Charlet!" Harry grabbed a dirty wet towel off the ground and pushed it against his lip to staunch the flow of blood.
"Don't you dare get angry at me Potter! You're the one who started it," Charlet screamed as she stomped her feet in the freshly scrubbed area, smearing spots of Harry's blood in her wake.
Harry couldn't take her rubbish any longer. He picked up the bucket filled with dirty water and flung it at the ghastly witch. She screamed out in shock before pulling her wand out.
"That's it Potter," Charlet yelled, her wand pointing towards Harry.
"Yes, that is it! " Severus roared from the hallway. He strode into the room with robes billowing. "I've had it with the two of you! This is my home and I will not put up with this bickering another minute." His menacing glare settled on Harry's bleeding lip. "What happened?"
He tried to take hold of Harry's face but the boy stepped back before replying, "Nothing. I'm fine."
Severus furrowed his brow as his sharp gaze landed on Charlet standing in wet robes, clutching her wand in her hand. "Put that away before I use it on you," his tone was sinister, "I thought I made myself perfectly clear; you are never to harm my son."
Charlet opened her eyes wide, "But look what he did to me!"
Severus looked back at Harry, "Did you do that?"
"Yes sir and I'd do it again."
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt that familiar headache beginning behind his eyes. How in the world had he ended up being care taker to two teenagers! He turned on his heel and strode back to his study. They could work this out for themselves!
As soon as she heard the study door close, Charlet ran up the stairs to her room. She couldn't wait to get out of this house and get back to her dear auntie. She had been searching all day long for the item Vespa sent her to get. She was beginning to think Vespa was wrong and the item didn't even exist. If that was the case then she had just wasted a perfectly good vacation!
Harry dropped down to his knees once more and began to clean up the mess his blood had made. His lip had stopped bleeding enough to not drip down his chin. Bloody hell, couldn't he ever catch a break! He scrubbed viciously at the stone floor.
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Severus paced in front of the fire, thoroughly disgusted with the way this day had turned out. The floo lit up for the tenth time that day as someone from the Weasley house was trying to contact them … yet again. Couldn't they take a hint that their message was not wanted! Blasted Weasley's! He had locked the floo earlier that day to keep Harry's friends from contacting the boy.
A half hour later a deranged little owl banged against his study window. He opened the window and pulled the message off the owl without letting it in, slamming the window shut. He wasn't surprised to see it was from the Weasley's but he was surprised that the letter was addressed to him. He tore open the seal and scanned down to the bottom. It was from Ginevra Weasley. He sat down in the nearest chair to read what she had to say.
Dear Professor Snape,
I've been trying to fire call you all day long but I can't get through. I need to tell you something very important. Please let me through, I know Harry must be grounded from seeing me so I promise not to try and see him. It is really important!!!!
Ginevra Weasley
Severus couldn't envision needing to hear anything she had to say. But, on the off chance that it was something dire he begrudgingly unlocked the floo. He stood back when Ginevra came through a moment later.
"Professor, I'm sorry to insist on coming over but I think you'll want to see this," Ginny pulled the shrunken glass out of her pocket and placed it on the desk. She pulled her wand out and spelled the glass to it's proper size before removing the lid.
Severus eyed the glass circumspectly, "Fire whiskey?"
"This was the glass Charlet was trying to get Harry to finish last night. I'm almost sure she put something in it."
"Why do you think she drugged him … is it simply because he finds her appealing?" Severus asked callously. He knew his anger was coming from the fact that the Weasley girl had somehow been involved in last nights debacle.
Ginny kept her face from showing the offense that statement had caused her. "No sir, it's not that at all. It's just that … well, Harry never acts like that. It's hard to explain but he just doesn't act that way. I'm almost certain Charlet drugged him with a love potion."
Severus picked up the glass and took a sniff. He immediately distinguished the smell of a love potion in the drink. He narrowed his eyes at the girl before him. He found it hard to overcome his distrust of students when it came to alcohol. "If this is indeed the truth then you shouldn't mind if I look into your memories of last night?" Perhaps the girl had added something to the drink to get her boyfriend out of trouble and place the blame on Charlet?
Ginny stepped back in alarm. She didn't want Professor Snape rummaging through her memories! But then again, she did owe it to Harry for the truth to come out. "I'm sorry you don't believe me, Professor. I give you permission to see for yourself." She braced herself against the chair behind her, not knowing how it would feel to have Legilimency used on her.
Severus pointed his wand at the girl, "Legilimens."
It only took a moment to find the memory he was looking for:
Ginevra stood in shocked silence as she saw the closet door fly open and Harry tumble to the ground with Charlet on top of him. Harry looked too inebriated to stand but managed to get to his feet unsteadily. He saw his son beg for forgiveness from the Weasley girl before Charlet tried to thrust the drink in question at him. He hadn't expected Ginevra's wisdom in taking the glass. It bothered him that Draco had just stood by watching the scene unfold. The Slytherin boy should have helped Harry out of this quandary.
He had to hold his anger in check when he saw Charlet throw a hex at Ginevra and his son take the hit on his back. He watched as Harry threw a binding spell back at Charlet that missed the mark completely, blowing a hole the back of Draco's closet instead. No wonder the boy hadn't wanted to tell him about the blast he had taken to his back.
He pulled himself out of the memory. Ginevra was slumped in the chair with her hands covering her face. He berated himself for not believing in Harry this morning. The boy had tried to explain his lack of control but he had not been willing to listened.
He spelled forth a cup of tea then added a calming draught before handing it to the girl. "Legilimency can be quite emotional. Thank you for letting me see for myself the events of last evening."
Ginny was shocked beyond belief that the Professor had actually thanked her but even more shocked that he sounded downright penitent!
"What will you do?" Ginny asked as her hands shook around the cup of tea. She felt a whole new appreciation for Harry's strength knowing that he had to go through legilimency on a daily basis last year.
Severus wasn't in the habit of answering to students but he felt repentant enough to say, "I will deal with Charlet. You may leave once you finish your tea."
"Do you think I can see Harry first?" Ginny asked, her voice sounding small even to her own ears.
"I would appreciate a few moments alone with my son, Ms. Weasley," after a moment he added, "I have unjustly accused him and must request his forgiveness."
Ginny was so stunned by those words that she searched the professor's face for his sincerity. This was not the same man she and her brother's had learned to despise. She nodded her approval before placing the half empty cup on the desk and standing up.
"He'll forgive you," Ginny offered seeing the look of torment the professor wore.
Severus's eyes flew up to look into Ginevra's, "How can you be so certain?"
Ginny walked to the fireplace and took down the canister of floo powder, "Because you're his father. Maybe not by blood but definitely by actions. You must know how much he loves you?"
Severus felt his heart constrict. Yes, he did know how much Harry loved him but he was unaware that the boy was so public about it. He felt a swell of pride that fought against his guilt. "Thank you, Ms. Weasley."
"You can call me Ginny," she saw the Professor frown and added, "maybe just when we're not at school. All the kid's parents call their friends by their first names."
"You may visit Harry tomorrow … Ginny."
Ginny had to stop herself from giggling, hearing the professor use her nickname. It just sounded funny coming out of the austere professor's mouth.
The moment Ginevra left the study Severus picked the fire whiskey up once more. He tasted a small amount and immediately knew it was one of Vespa's concoctions. In a flash he was heading out the door. Charlet would pay dearly for the torment she had caused this family!
He came to an abrupt stop when he spotted Harry on his hands and knees scrubbing at a spot on the floor. All thoughts of Charlet were gone as he felt the heavy burden of guilt overtake him.
As he walked closer he saw Harry sit back on his feet and rub at a spot on his back. He instantly knew the boy had been hurt last night.
As soon as Harry saw his father walk into the room he hastily grabbed the scrub brush once more and continued his chore.
Severus felt regret over causing the teen to debase himself in that manner. A proper wizard would never do such menial labor. What kind of a wretched father was he to assign such a demeaning task for the boy? A long forgotten memory of his mother came to mind. His tyrannical father standing over her with a malicious grin. His throat constricted with a grief he had not experienced in a long time.
He had fought so hard to not become anything like his own father and yet here he was, assigning the same punishment. The teen looked to be trying his very best to do a proper job. He knew it would take a long time to forget this image.
He stopped a few feet away, "Harry, you may stop now."
"I'm not finished yet," Harry said with a hint of irritation.
"You are finished," Severus stated, just wanting the scene of his son scrubbing the floor to come to an end. The teen took up a rag and wiped up the excess water. Severus bent down and gently rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Enough, Harry."
Harry looked up at him in confusion before putting the scrub brush in the bucket along with the dirty rags. "Alright but don't get on my case if it doesn't pass your inspection."
"You've done a fine job," Severus said to appease the boy's worry. He thought it odd when the teen looked pleased by that remark, so he added, "The floor has never looked so … clean."
Harry smiled to himself before pulling his wand out to spell the bucket away.
"I would like to speak with you. Come into your bedroom," Severus said, watching Harry rub on that spot on his back once more. He pushed that memory of his mother to back of his mind.
As soon as they reached the room Severus put a strong silencing spell on the door to keep Charlet from overhearing. He paced in front of the fireplace trying to gather his thoughts.
Harry stood by the bed trying to figure out what else he had done wrong that would require a serious talk like this. He pulled the list out of his pocket, scanning it to see if he had missed something.
"I did everything it says to do," he said angrily, holding the list out to his father.
"You mean you completed the entire list already?" Severus asked incredulously.
Harry nodded sharply, frowning.
"That list was meant to last all week," Severus said, regretful for not explaining.
"Oh," Harry shrugged, "Uncle Vernon always expected it to be finished that day or no food."
"Vernon Dursley?" What did that man have to do with anything, Severus wondered.
Harry held the list up, "You know, Vernon's list. That's what you were copying, right? To punish me extra good."
"I would never copy anything Vernon Dursley did. Is that what you thought I was doing?"
Harry turned his back as his face reddened with embarrassment.
He felt a hand on his shoulder before his dad said, "Why would you think I was using Vernon's method of punishment, Harry?"
"The list looks just like the ones Vernon used to give me … even the way he wrote my name out on the top," Harry crumpled up the paper and threw it in the fire, feeling slightly better that he had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Severus was mortified, perhaps he had gleaned that punishment from one of Harry's memories during Legilimens? He added that sin against the boy to the long list he had already accumulated today.
"I hadn't meant to do anything of the sort. I'm sorry you thought that," Severus stated.
He wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and guided the boy to the sofa. "I must ask you to forgive me for that, along with something else, Harry. It seems you were given a love potion last night by our house guest. I never would have known anything about it, save for the intelligence of Ginevra Weasley."
"Love potion?! Bloody hell, that explains a lot!"
"Yes, I thought you might find that information enlightening."
"Yeah, I thought I was losing my mind. I couldn't understand why I was finding Charlet attractive! Shit, that little bitch," Harry said without thinking. He realized what he had just said and cautiously eyed his father.
"Don't worry, in this instance I will not disagree with that last statement," Severus responded dryly. "The love potion was rather strong which would account for your lack of control. It would be near impossible to refuse the girl anything."
"When is it supposed to wear off all the way? I still felt something today," His face reddened once again, "I was thinking how pretty she looked."
"I fear she used one of Vespa's potions. It could take a day or two to run its course. In the mean time, try and stay away from Charlet and under no circumstances are you to be alone with the girl."
"Yeah right, like I'd want to be anywhere she is! I swear Dad, I didn't want all those drinks. I was trying to fight those weird feelings I had for her. She must have kept adding more love potion to all those drinks she insisted I finish. Bloody hell! What did Ginny say? Oh Merlin, I bet she hates me!"
"Calm down, Harry. Ginevra seems to understand the effect the potion had on you. I have given her permission to come see you tomorrow. I only wish I had trusted in you as much as she did. I will not make that mistake again. " Severus placed a hand on Harry's arm. "I am sorry, son."
Harry could see the professor's look of distress. All those feelings of anger quickly vanished. He looked down at the hand clutching his arm and placed his own hand on top, giving it a slight squeeze. "It's okay Dad."
"You forgive too easily," Severus couldn't forget that image of Harry scrubbing the floors.
Harry shrugged, "Uncle Vernon's lists were longer."
Severus gave him a sharp look, "I don't ever want to see you scrubbing the floor again …ever!" The grave warning took Harry by surprise.
"Well it's not a particular hobby of mine," Harry joked to lighten the dire mood. "what's the big deal anyway? You seem more upset about it than me and I'm the one who had to do it!"
Severus shook his head, keeping his eyes on their hands, "I had forgotten until today … my father used to enjoy humiliating my mother in front of others. That punishment was one of his favorites."
"Oh," Harry couldn't imagine what kind of bastard the man must have been.
"Harry, I must ask you another question."
Harry looked up at the professor's face..
"Were you hurt last night?"
Harry's hand instinctively went to his back, "How'd you know? Oh yeah, you used Legilimens on Ginny. What else did you see while you were in there?"
"I didn't look for anything other than the memory of the party," Severus signaled for Harry to turn around. He waited until the boy's back was facing him before pulling the teen's shirt up to see what damage had been caused. He took in a sharp breath when he saw the severe burn. "Oh Harry," he found it hard to say anything further. The burn was quite severe. It was hard to fathom the boy suffering through chores with a burn so serious.
"Is it that bad?" Harry asked.
Severus cleared his throat and took a deep breath before answering, "I will do what I can but it may require a visit to see Madame Pomfrey."
Harry groaned before pulling his shirt down and turning around. "You can fix it," he stated emphatically.
"Perhaps," Severus stood up, "remove your shirt and lie down on your bed. I will be back in a moment with a burn salve." He held his emotions in tightly for fear of losing control. He had to use wise judgment when it came to dealing with this situation and most especially dealing with Charlet.
Harry unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off before flopping down on his bed. He pulled his glasses off and threw them on the nightstand. It felt good to lie down after all that hard work and no sleep last night.
When Severus entered the room he could see that Harry had fallen asleep. It gave him a better opportunity to inspect the burn. He sat down on the bed before inspecting the burn mark that went from the teen's rib cage past his waist. It was swollen red on the outside edges and turned to black in the center. He could tell it went deep. His hands shook as he unscrewed the jar of salve. His anger over letting this happen was consuming him.
Before applying the salve he put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Harry, are you asleep?"
"Not anymore," came the sleepy voice.
"I'm going to apply the salve now. It may sting," the potion master warned.
The moment the salve touched the burn mark the boy's whole body flinched. "Ouch! Bloody hell that burns!" He stuck his face in the pillow as he felt the salve being spread, trying hard not to show how much it hurt.
Severus worked as fast as he could, aware of the boy's pain. When he finished he gently applied a cold compress to the burn. Harry's body visibly relaxed and he let out a sigh.
"Finished," Severus announced.
"Will I still need to see Poppy?"
"I will know by this evening if the salve has worked. Does it hurt?"
"Not too much anymore. I'm going back to sleep then, if that's okay? Unless you want me to go down to the dungeons and scrub your floors for you?" He laughed into his pillow when he saw the look of outrage on his dad's face.
"Not amusing," Severus stated as he swatted Harry on the back of the head.
"Just kidding. Jeez, can't you take a joke?"
"No." Severus stood up, taking hold of the quilt at the foot of the bed and covered Harry with it. "Take a nap, I will wake you when it is time for supper."
Severus stayed for a few more minutes, until Harry's breathing settled into the rhythm of sleep.
He went back into his own room to think about a proper punishment for Charlet. The only reason he was allowing the girl to stay under his roof was for the sole purpose of trapping Vespa, should she ever come looking for Charlet. Unbeknownst to the girl, all floo calls and owls were being watched closely. So far Vespa had not made a move to contact the witch but Severus knew that was just a matter of time.
His anger ran hot just thinking of the girl and her antics. She had not only given Harry a love potion and made him drink a dangerous amount of alcohol but she had also hexed a giant burn mark onto his back, not to mention the bloody lip from earlier today. Severus sat down at his desk and pulled out a vial of calming draught. He knew he had to maintain control when dealing with her.
The calming draught helped him to put the situation in perspective; Charlet was not the first girl to try and give his son a love potion. There would more than likely be many more girls in Harry's future that would try and do the same. Teenage hormones were never predictable. He would have to teach Harry how to decipher when a drink had love potion in it.
Up until now, Charlet had been relatively uncomplicated to look after. He could deal with the occasional temper tantrum the teen seemed to be fond of giving but he had zero tolerance for anyone harming his son. For that alone he thought she deserved a night at an orphanage to set her straight. At least he would threaten her with it if she should ever raise a wand towards his son again. Perhaps he could even arrange a field trip to visit the orphanage, just to put a scare into the girl.
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Charlet had called into the mirror for the third time, still not getting any response from her aunt. She stomped her foot in frustration, feeling the strong desire to complain to someone. She had been waiting in her room all day long for Severus to come yell at her about the love potion. That stupid Weasley bitch would ruin everything for her! Maybe she was worrying for nothing? Maybe the hex had hit it's mark after all and shattered that glass of fire whiskey! That must be the case or else she would have heard from Severus by now.
She rifled through her wardrobe once more trying to decide what outfit she would wear to supper this evening. It was so much fun to see Potter struggle to deny her beauty. She could tell he was still feeling the effects of the love potion by the way he refused to look at her today. She thought she would have a little fun with him tonight, maybe if he behaved himself she would even do more than kiss him. Just the thought of her friend's jealous faces put a smile on her face.
She was smiling and humming a tune when she heard a sharp knock on the door. A moment later Severus stepped into the room with a dark scowl on his face.
"Where did you get that love potion?" Severus barked out.
Charlet dropped the pair of shoes she was holding in fright. She turned to face Severus with adopting a glare of her own. "I don't know what your talking about?"
"Don't you dare lie to me. I know that potion came from Vespa!"
"You can't prove anything Severus! Get out of my room," Charlet turned her back to hide her shaking hands as she twisted the portkey ring she always wore now. Vespa had given it to her to use the moment she found what she had been sent to find. She pretended to take an interest in her clothes once more, hoping the man would just leave.
Severus held his anger in check but his voice was laden with scorn, "Fine, if you will not admit your transgression than you are no longer welcome to stay at this house. Pack your trunks, I am taking you to an orphanage."
Charlet turned back around, "You can't do that! What would the wizarding world think of you?"
"Do you really think I care what anyone thinks of me? I made in exceedingly clear to you that I would not tolerate any harm coming to my son. You have not only poisoned him but hexed a burn mark the size of a quaffle into his back! Not mention the bloody lip you bestowed upon him today. Now you pack your bags or I will take you without your possessions."
"I HATE YOU! You get the bloody hell away from me or-or …" Charlet twisted the portkey ring once more, contemplating the situation.
"Or what? Or you might call Vespa to come save you?" heavy sarcasm was apparent. He wanted to push the girl more, see if she really did have a way to contact Vespa. "Vespa doesn't care about you, she left you to fend for yourself."
"Shut up, you don't know anything! Vespa would never leave me," Charlet realized the enormity of her words. She saw the glare Severus wore and knew she had no choice but to activate the emergency portkey ring. She pulled her wand out.
Severus pulled his own wand out as he lunged for the girl. He saw the ring the girl was wearing begin to glow and knew instantly that Charlet coming to stay with him had been a set up from the start..
Charlet pointed her wand at Severus before screaming, "Expelliarmus!"
Severus' wand went flying across the room just as he grabbed hold of the girl. The next instant he felt the tug behind his navel as the portkey went off. His grip tightened as they both broke the barrier wards on his house and were portkeyed away from Snape Manor.
Severus lost his balance when they landed and fell to his knees. When he looked up it was into the eyes of the woman he hated more than any other being in this world.
"Hello Severus. How good of you to drop by," Vespa crooned, tea cup in hand.
Severus jumped to his feet, searching his robe for his wand before remembering that it had flown across the room back at Snape Manor. He looked around the opulent mansion they had landed in. His stomach dropped when he realized they were standing in Vespa's summer cottage!
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Hi Everyone,
I hope you liked this chapter. So many people wrote that they wanted to see more Harry/Snape moments so I spent the weekend writing this for you. Please keep the muse going by reviewing and I will continue with weekly updates. I love you all and love to hear what you think. My favorite part with this chapter was when Harry joked about scrubbing the floors in the dungeon. What was your favorite part?