Many thanks to all who reviewed! I really appreciate it, and I'll try to
answer them as soon as I can.
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After that first Potions class, Harry spent much of the following days trying to figure out why Snape had been studying him so closely. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he analyzed Snape's actions in class, he couldn't come up with any reason for his strange behavior. No one else, apart from Hermione, had seen this exchange of looks, so no questions were asked. Classes were so demanding that they hardly had room to think, let alone bother Harry. Which was just how he liked it.
He used his demanding classes as an excuse to stay away from everyone, and rarely spoke to Ron and Hermione. He did try to spend some time with them f he could, to avoid uncomfortable questions. He knew Hermione was starting to get suspicious, though, and he dreaded the moment when she would ask him about it.
When the sixth years finally got a moment to relax, it was halfway through October. The leaves on the trees were turning all sorts of magnificent colors, but you wouldn't care unless Neville was driving you to drink.
"....And the pigments in the cells of the leaves are what actually creates the color that we see—"
"Neville!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed together. "Enough already!"
"He's right though," Ron said in Neville's defense, as his face began to fall.
"Oh, Neville," Harry said. "We all know how much you love Herbology, but even though leaf pigments are interesting, could you explain them to the many fortunate children who have not had to suffer through biology?"
Neville started to grin. "Thanks, Harry. I guess I was going a little overboard."
"Ease up next time, okay?"
"No problem." Neville walked away from them. Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked a little ways before Hermione turned to Harry.
"So, Harry," Hermione began slowly.
"Yes, Hermione?" He had a bad feeling about what she was going to say, and he wasn't sure he was ready to answer her...yet.
"Why have you been so reclusive lately?" She faced him, as though forcing him to tell her. They stopped walking.
"Reclusive?" He laughed. "I haven't done any such thing, you must be—"
"Harry," she said warningly. "Tell me the truth."
Ron looked confused. "Is there something that I'm missing here?"
"Of course, Ron," Hermione said. "Haven't you noticed that Harry's not around as much as usual? And since when did you get so interested in your schoolwork?"
He looked at her.
"Look, if there was anything, truth or no truth, I would tell you. I think you of all people should know that about me by now. And I happen to like schoolwork." And with that, he walked away from his friends, who stared after him in confusion. Little did he know that a certain professor was watching his every movement.
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Severus was standing off to one side in the courtyard, watching the scene carefully. He could tell that Neville was driving the Harry and his friends up the wall. Something about the colors of tree leaves. 'If only that kid would use that brain of his in Potions,' Severus thought to himself.
For a while, it looked as though Harry had returned to normal, but when Neville left and Hermione began questioning Harry, he could see the obvious tension increase in Harry's behavior, as though he was guarding himself. Although he brushed her questions aside with considerable ease, he seemed to not want to stay around, which was strange. He never saw Harry not want to be around his friends. And the swiftness of his pace as he walked off toward the lake clearly showed that he didn't want to be bothered. Something had happened, something significant, and it wasn't good, whatever it was. Severus thought about telling the Headmaster, but he wasn't sure he should. Finally, he decided to, and he walked back into the castle and proceeded to Dumbledore's office.
"Come in, Severus,"
Severus sat in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"Lemon drop? Tea?"
"No thanks." Severus waved his hand.
"How can I help you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, making his own cup of tea.
"It's about Potter, Albus." Dumbledore turned and looked at his former student in shock.
"What about Mr. Potter?" He asked as he sat down.
"I'm starting to get worried about him." Severus said, and watched as the look on Albus' face increased its level of shock. "Yes, I know it seems strange that I would worry about him, but he's been acting sort of.....strange."
"What do you mean by 'strange'?"
Severus thought over his words carefully before replying. "I feel like I know what's going on, what the problem is, but I'm not sure. He won't talk to anyone, and when he does, his voice is like that of one who has no soul. He avoids everyone, won't go near anyone, and he won't eat."
Dumbledore took a sip of tea, clearly in thought.
"I had noticed a change in him, since he didn't sit with his friends on the first evening," he began slowly, "but I thought nothing of it. You are right though, Severus. It does seem familiar, but I don't know how. Or why."
Severus stood up to leave. "I wanted you to know, before anyone else. I have to go so I can get some work done." Dumbledore nodded as he swept out of the office.
Severus began to keep a closer eye on Harry as the days went on. After a week and a half, he noticed how oddly familiar Harry's behavior was, but he couldn't place a reason for the familiarity. Not until the Halloween Feast.
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It was loud as usual, with a little more chaos than there had been in previous years. Harry was sitting at his place away from the rest of the students at their House table. He didn't really seem to be eating much; he was more or less playing with his food during the entire meal.
When everyone had finished eating, some of the younger students began fooling around. A group of third years were very much into their playing, so much so that none of them seemed to realize how dangerously close they were to hitting someone. Like Harry.
They got so careless that one of them was shoved into Harry from behind. The sudden physical contact made him freeze and tense up, waiting for the expected blow. When it didn't come, he stood up so quickly that his chair fell over. The sound reverberated throughout the Hall, and everyone stopped and watched as Harry fled from the room.
Up at the staff table, Severus and Albus exchanged a look before they too, stood up.
"Remain inside," Albus commanded, and then he and Severus ran outside after Harry.
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Harry ran with every last ounce of energy he had until he reached an old fallen tree trunk near the forest. He collapsed onto it, trying to regain his breath. He became so lost in his own fear to notice anyone coming after him until they were standing right in front of him.
Looking up in surprise, he saw it was just the Headmaster and Snape. He got up to go, but the Headmaster's hand grasped his shoulder. This made Harry's panic more than double in intensity.
"No, don't!" he moaned, pushing the hand away from him.
Hearing the absolute fear in Harry's voice, the Headmaster recoiled as if he were burned. He looked at Severus, who was staring at Harry as though reliving a horrible memory.
"Harry," he began gently, but Harry shook his head and cut him off.
"No. Please, just go away and leave me alone."
The Headmaster was silent for a moment, as he and Severus glanced at each other for a moment.
"Alright, Harry. But please, let me know if you need anything." He headed back towards the castle.
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The Headmaster walked away, leaving Severus standing there, feeling slightly disturbed. He'd watched Harry the entire time, saw how Harry kept his eyes to the ground and tried to become smaller than he was. Severus thought he knew the cause for the odd behavior, but he wanted to make sure before he did anything about it. Before he could find a way to ask, his thoughts were broken by a small voice.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Potter?"
"Why are you still here?" Good question, Potter. Five points to Gryffindor for making your teacher think. What was he still standing there for?
"I don't know Potter," he said sarcastically. "Why don't you tell me?" At this, he received a rather nasty look. 'At least he actually made eye contact. It's a start.' He sighed.
"To answer your question, Potter, I was going to ask if you wanted me to help you."
The look he got was not unexpected.
"You? Help me?" Harry laughed. "Yeah, right. That's really funny."
"I wasn't joking, I'm serious."
Harry looked at him seriously.
"I don't think so." With that, he turned and began walking back to the school.
Severus began walking as well, without his usual quick stride. He was thinking about everything that was said. He understood completely why his offer had been rejected, but for some reason, it still hurt. He knew firsthand how it felt to be worthless. Knowing that nothing and no one can help or end the suffering.
Somehow, he had to find out exactly what the kid had gone through to cause such a drastic change.
He wondered when he had become so worried about the boy. For some reason, everything he did greatly affected the professor. It was a strange feeling, but he always pushed it aside to be dealt with later on. Like after he finished grading, and if he was lucky, a decent night's sleep.
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Another chapter done, and my brain is fried. Reviews are welcome!
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After that first Potions class, Harry spent much of the following days trying to figure out why Snape had been studying him so closely. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he analyzed Snape's actions in class, he couldn't come up with any reason for his strange behavior. No one else, apart from Hermione, had seen this exchange of looks, so no questions were asked. Classes were so demanding that they hardly had room to think, let alone bother Harry. Which was just how he liked it.
He used his demanding classes as an excuse to stay away from everyone, and rarely spoke to Ron and Hermione. He did try to spend some time with them f he could, to avoid uncomfortable questions. He knew Hermione was starting to get suspicious, though, and he dreaded the moment when she would ask him about it.
When the sixth years finally got a moment to relax, it was halfway through October. The leaves on the trees were turning all sorts of magnificent colors, but you wouldn't care unless Neville was driving you to drink.
"....And the pigments in the cells of the leaves are what actually creates the color that we see—"
"Neville!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed together. "Enough already!"
"He's right though," Ron said in Neville's defense, as his face began to fall.
"Oh, Neville," Harry said. "We all know how much you love Herbology, but even though leaf pigments are interesting, could you explain them to the many fortunate children who have not had to suffer through biology?"
Neville started to grin. "Thanks, Harry. I guess I was going a little overboard."
"Ease up next time, okay?"
"No problem." Neville walked away from them. Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked a little ways before Hermione turned to Harry.
"So, Harry," Hermione began slowly.
"Yes, Hermione?" He had a bad feeling about what she was going to say, and he wasn't sure he was ready to answer her...yet.
"Why have you been so reclusive lately?" She faced him, as though forcing him to tell her. They stopped walking.
"Reclusive?" He laughed. "I haven't done any such thing, you must be—"
"Harry," she said warningly. "Tell me the truth."
Ron looked confused. "Is there something that I'm missing here?"
"Of course, Ron," Hermione said. "Haven't you noticed that Harry's not around as much as usual? And since when did you get so interested in your schoolwork?"
He looked at her.
"Look, if there was anything, truth or no truth, I would tell you. I think you of all people should know that about me by now. And I happen to like schoolwork." And with that, he walked away from his friends, who stared after him in confusion. Little did he know that a certain professor was watching his every movement.
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Severus was standing off to one side in the courtyard, watching the scene carefully. He could tell that Neville was driving the Harry and his friends up the wall. Something about the colors of tree leaves. 'If only that kid would use that brain of his in Potions,' Severus thought to himself.
For a while, it looked as though Harry had returned to normal, but when Neville left and Hermione began questioning Harry, he could see the obvious tension increase in Harry's behavior, as though he was guarding himself. Although he brushed her questions aside with considerable ease, he seemed to not want to stay around, which was strange. He never saw Harry not want to be around his friends. And the swiftness of his pace as he walked off toward the lake clearly showed that he didn't want to be bothered. Something had happened, something significant, and it wasn't good, whatever it was. Severus thought about telling the Headmaster, but he wasn't sure he should. Finally, he decided to, and he walked back into the castle and proceeded to Dumbledore's office.
"Come in, Severus,"
Severus sat in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"Lemon drop? Tea?"
"No thanks." Severus waved his hand.
"How can I help you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, making his own cup of tea.
"It's about Potter, Albus." Dumbledore turned and looked at his former student in shock.
"What about Mr. Potter?" He asked as he sat down.
"I'm starting to get worried about him." Severus said, and watched as the look on Albus' face increased its level of shock. "Yes, I know it seems strange that I would worry about him, but he's been acting sort of.....strange."
"What do you mean by 'strange'?"
Severus thought over his words carefully before replying. "I feel like I know what's going on, what the problem is, but I'm not sure. He won't talk to anyone, and when he does, his voice is like that of one who has no soul. He avoids everyone, won't go near anyone, and he won't eat."
Dumbledore took a sip of tea, clearly in thought.
"I had noticed a change in him, since he didn't sit with his friends on the first evening," he began slowly, "but I thought nothing of it. You are right though, Severus. It does seem familiar, but I don't know how. Or why."
Severus stood up to leave. "I wanted you to know, before anyone else. I have to go so I can get some work done." Dumbledore nodded as he swept out of the office.
Severus began to keep a closer eye on Harry as the days went on. After a week and a half, he noticed how oddly familiar Harry's behavior was, but he couldn't place a reason for the familiarity. Not until the Halloween Feast.
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It was loud as usual, with a little more chaos than there had been in previous years. Harry was sitting at his place away from the rest of the students at their House table. He didn't really seem to be eating much; he was more or less playing with his food during the entire meal.
When everyone had finished eating, some of the younger students began fooling around. A group of third years were very much into their playing, so much so that none of them seemed to realize how dangerously close they were to hitting someone. Like Harry.
They got so careless that one of them was shoved into Harry from behind. The sudden physical contact made him freeze and tense up, waiting for the expected blow. When it didn't come, he stood up so quickly that his chair fell over. The sound reverberated throughout the Hall, and everyone stopped and watched as Harry fled from the room.
Up at the staff table, Severus and Albus exchanged a look before they too, stood up.
"Remain inside," Albus commanded, and then he and Severus ran outside after Harry.
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Harry ran with every last ounce of energy he had until he reached an old fallen tree trunk near the forest. He collapsed onto it, trying to regain his breath. He became so lost in his own fear to notice anyone coming after him until they were standing right in front of him.
Looking up in surprise, he saw it was just the Headmaster and Snape. He got up to go, but the Headmaster's hand grasped his shoulder. This made Harry's panic more than double in intensity.
"No, don't!" he moaned, pushing the hand away from him.
Hearing the absolute fear in Harry's voice, the Headmaster recoiled as if he were burned. He looked at Severus, who was staring at Harry as though reliving a horrible memory.
"Harry," he began gently, but Harry shook his head and cut him off.
"No. Please, just go away and leave me alone."
The Headmaster was silent for a moment, as he and Severus glanced at each other for a moment.
"Alright, Harry. But please, let me know if you need anything." He headed back towards the castle.
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The Headmaster walked away, leaving Severus standing there, feeling slightly disturbed. He'd watched Harry the entire time, saw how Harry kept his eyes to the ground and tried to become smaller than he was. Severus thought he knew the cause for the odd behavior, but he wanted to make sure before he did anything about it. Before he could find a way to ask, his thoughts were broken by a small voice.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Potter?"
"Why are you still here?" Good question, Potter. Five points to Gryffindor for making your teacher think. What was he still standing there for?
"I don't know Potter," he said sarcastically. "Why don't you tell me?" At this, he received a rather nasty look. 'At least he actually made eye contact. It's a start.' He sighed.
"To answer your question, Potter, I was going to ask if you wanted me to help you."
The look he got was not unexpected.
"You? Help me?" Harry laughed. "Yeah, right. That's really funny."
"I wasn't joking, I'm serious."
Harry looked at him seriously.
"I don't think so." With that, he turned and began walking back to the school.
Severus began walking as well, without his usual quick stride. He was thinking about everything that was said. He understood completely why his offer had been rejected, but for some reason, it still hurt. He knew firsthand how it felt to be worthless. Knowing that nothing and no one can help or end the suffering.
Somehow, he had to find out exactly what the kid had gone through to cause such a drastic change.
He wondered when he had become so worried about the boy. For some reason, everything he did greatly affected the professor. It was a strange feeling, but he always pushed it aside to be dealt with later on. Like after he finished grading, and if he was lucky, a decent night's sleep.
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Another chapter done, and my brain is fried. Reviews are welcome!