*comes in after dinner, Snape hands her her coffee mug and sits elegantly in the other armchair* He still hasn't told me what he puts in this dream coffee of his. *le glare*
Thank you all for your wonderful reviewing. It really does help me and I anticipate it every time I update (which is obvious by now, I should think). As always, I answer to reviews at the end.
Ooookay. Chapter 9. *hits play*
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"Goodmorning Harry. You look rather flushed." Madam Pomfrey greeted the boy that silently entered the infirmary as the orientation spell guided his wand hand like a seeing-eye dog would a muggle. Harry was indeed sweating, some of his unruly black hair damp against his forehead, and he had a quickly fading scowl.
"I am only just finished with Professor Snape's idea of gymnastics," he said almost flippantly, but lately there was a steely edge beneath the amicability in his voice. Madam Pomfrey huffed, never having really approved the way the Potions Master handled the Boy-Who-Lived, and approached.
"Well if you ever feel even the tiniest discomfort, come tell me and I will see to it that he checks his speed." she said like a worried mother. Harry grinned only because of the endearing affectionate, mothering hue the nurse's voice had.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will." he said, chuckling to himself at the image of both the potions master and the matron livid and snapping insults back and forth over his training.
Poppy waited as Harry pocketed his wand and extended his bandaged arm. She gently started unwrapping the bandages, a procedure that up to then always took place in complete silence and a bit of shaky breathing. Today was the added element of conptemplation. She glimpsed Harry's frown as he felt her ministrations, saw how his skin prikled, sensitive and alert to any kind of touch. She bit her lip as she always did when the last layer of bandages was removed.
Harry's hand and forearm were terribly scarred with what seemed to be wavey lines erratically marring the boy's skin. They were still reddish and angry, but healing fast under the charms she put on them. She only wished she could eliminate the scarring. Not that it could not be concealed with glamourie, but it felt different when scars were really gone.
"Can I touch?"
Harry's low voice startled her. He had never before used such a deep, low voice around her. It was the voice of a different Harry-- more hurt, less frivolous, stronger, more mature...-- or perhaps she was just jumpy.
"Eh, what was that, dear?"
"My arm. Can I feel the scarring?" Harry repeated, his voice never going higher than the octave that made Poppy shiver without knowing why.
"Yes, of course." she said and she withdrew her hands as Harry's fingers lightly, gently tapped and touched around at the area. She watched his expression closely. His eyes were staring off in middle distance, unmoving, but they were the deepest sea of turbulent emotions she had seen in such a young face. It was as if scenes were playing in Harry's mind...
... "What is all this smoke!? You waste of space, what did you ruin now?" ...
... "You like burning stuff eh? I'll show you burning!" -- "Uncle No!"
... "You DARE to raise your hands to thwart me..!?" ...
.... "DON'T YOU DARE GLARE AT ME!" --
Harry snapped out of it with a small gasp, and blinked many times to ease the prickling feeling in his eyes. As for the storm around his heart, he'd see how he could deal with that later.
"Harry, dear?" Poppy's concerned voice made Harry take one deep breath and wash away whatever expression he had been wearing while he exhaled. He withdrew his hand from his forearm, and smiled weakly. Or at least he thought he smiled.
"I'm done, Madam Pomfrey. Will you wrap it up again?"
"Just for this week, until there is no danger of infection, Harry." she said gently and started to wrap the cool ribbon of cloth around his hand and moving upwards.
Harry stayed silent for some of the process, but then he felt his heart would burst if he did not ask what had been plaguing him since he had started to think of something else besides the fact that he was doomed because he was now blind.
"Who brought me back to Hogwarts?"
Poppy barely looked up from her work.
"Why, Professor Snape did. And quite livid he was about it."
If Harry was surprised, he did not initially show it.
"About having to fetch me?"
"Oh no. About having to leave those muggles alive, I think were his words." Poppy said and charmed the bandage to stay fresh and in place until next day.
***
Snape paced around his quarters in the dungeons, immersed in thoughts. Mostly about Harry Potter. He was racking his brains to find out a way for the boy to be able to cope in Potions. Charms could help him in reading and writing, but vision was important for Potions: colour, hue, bubbling surface, all these could be only assessed with sight.
Snape eyed the armchair opposite him, then took up a piece of cloth and tied his eyes, standing there for a while, savouring a mild approximation of what Harry was going through.
He found he hated it. He managed to stump a toe and hit a knee before reaching the armchair and sitting in it. Leaning his head back, still wearing the blindfold, he couldn't help recalling that day, that he had only sketchily described to Dumbledore...
... "You shall have what is yours, -muggle-. Dolero Projectum!" he growled and instantly Vernon started screaming as all the pain that he had inflicted on his young charge that day suddenly crashed onto him. Snape's voice hissed across like the blade an an axe falling. Curses were flung to the skinny wife and monstrous son, and the door shut behind them with a bang, enclosing them in. He put the son on bodybind -- a painful one. He hung the woman suspended upside down from the ceiling.
For Vernon, he had other plans...
He waved his wand around lazily as Vernon's body followed the tip's route regardless the occasional obstacle, be it wall, window, door or furniture. The man went bloody in no time. He shrieked and begged for mercy, and Snape relished in his whines, almost forgetting that he was holding an unconscious, seriously injured boy in one arm. He remembered it only when Harry tried to cough and instead oozed some more blood on the potion master's sleeve. Snape let the Vernon crash in front of his feet and scowled at him. He crucioed him for a little, and when the screams died down after he let up the curse, he spoke.
"I do not have the time to finish giving to you what is your own, Dursley-- but I will return. See to it that I forget to." he said silkily to the trembling lump of lard in front of him and left, leaving all the charms and curses he casted in full effect....
Snape removed the blindfold with a terrible scowl. He should have done more. Of all the atrocities Severus Snape had seen, he still seethed at the barest notion of child abuse. He stormed out of the dungeons and towards Hogsmeade. Although he had not thought about his problems, he had found a solution to them.
***
It was Harry's birthday.
Ron stepped into Hogwarts grounds rather stiffly. He had had about 4 whole days to stomach Harry's letter and he still could not live with it. Hermione had arranged to meet him so they would meet Harry together at the same time. Ron fidgeted around, feeling like he had no stomach. He had left his mother still weeping, Ginny still not coming out of the room and Fred and George being unusually quiet in their room. His father had clenched his teeth and had read and re-read Harry's letter as if it would yield more information.
Ron didn't need more information. Only two sources of trouble could have inflicted this much damage to Harry: Voldemort and those muggles he had to live with. Either case was terrible.
"Hey, Ron." Hermione ran up to him. He saw her eyes were tired and her face blotchy, as if she had been crying and tried to mask the effects. Looking at each other for a long moment, they hugged each other.
"Have you seen him yet?" she asked timidly. Ron shook his head.
"No. We'd agreed that we would go meet him together."
"How do you suppose he'll be?"
"I dunno. Probably mental if Snape is plaguing him on top of everything else. Why did Dumbledore let the git near him?"
"Now, Ron. I am sure that the Headmaster knows what he's doing. And watch your tongue, because you should not tell Harry anything stupid." she started by admonishing and ended up by snapping at her red-haired companion. They started towards the entrance of the castle as Ron nodded thoughtfully.
Harry was sitting in the main hall, and was feeling decidedly queazy. There had been no reply from either Ron or Hermione, so he had no way of knowing if they would come to his birthday party or not. He hoped and in the same time dreaded that they would. Remus smiled as he sat down next to him in the couch.
"No worries, Harry. Everything will go smoothly. You'll see."
"I don't know. I am.. hell. I would prefer to go try and dodge four balls and Snape himself than have this blow up in my face..." Harry muttered, wringing his now-agile fingers together.
Remus chuckled.
"Careful, Harry, or dear Severus will take you up on that."
Harry was about to reply when he heard the door open, and the shuffling feet of newcomers. He stiffened and swallowed. They would enter the hall any minute now... any minute now...
"Harry!" Hermione's voice rang out, and quick steps implied she trotted to meet him as he got up. He spread his hands, and Hermione walked into his hug and held him there. Harry shut his eyes and smiled.
"Hey, 'Mione. Missed you so much. I thought I heard Ron enter with you?"
"I'm here, Harry. What do you mean you heard me?" Ron's voice was a bit numb, but it did not tick off alarms in Harry. He smiled instead, amused.
"I mean I heard you enter. And you were muttering."
Hermione was all bossy immediately.
"You have been learning how to be alert to your environment, eh Harry? Well I read some things too, and I have also checked up on some information about how muggles cope with-- with what you cope, and there is also Braille that you can learn-- if you ever want to that is--"
"'Mione.." Harry said with a smile that was both sad and happy. She paused. "You're babbling." Harry smirked, and Ron chortled beside himself. He turned to Harry.
"Let us all sit down again, then, and we have to have some music, too." Remus said, and Hermione and Ron beamed to see the most popular DADA professor ever be there. They had been so pre-occupied with Harry, they had not noticed anyone else. Remus grinned and after the usual greetings and Harry's attestation to him being infinitely supportive to him, he waved his wand and bouncy, cheerful music was heard throughout the hall. He then surrepticiously left to leave the trio alone.
It was almost time for presents and sweets when Ron burst.
"Harry are you really blind or are you putting us on?"
Harry blinked.
"Uh, Ron, are you okay or have you drank something you shouldn't?"
"You act too confident. You are not clumsy and you seem to have no trouble moving around. Ouch!" he yelped as Hermione kicked him under the table. Remus smiled proudly, Harry didn't know whether to laugh or be irritated. Hermione tried to patch things up.
"Forgive him Harry, really he--"
"No, it's alright Hermione. He's right. But I have had a lot of time to practice, Ron. Basically my work with Snape."
Ron breathed his pumpkin juice from the surprise.
"You mean to tell me Snape helped you not be an invalid?"
"RON!"
Harry knew he should have been angry. He should have felt insulted. But instead he felt like grabbing Ron from the temples and kissing him on either cheek for what he had so un-politically correct stated. So he threw his head back and laughed.
"Yes Ron, Snape helped me not be an invalid. I am not learning how to cope in classes, and tomorrow I start duelling, because Snape is jittery..." Harry paused, tilting his head to the side and then smirked, "and I believe he's coming along with two more teachers, if I am not mistaken."
"Man, you are spooky." Ron muttered as he saw at the other end of the main hall Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin and Snape approach. Dumbledore was wearing a little conical paper hat, and when they reached where the three students were sitting, he said cheerfully:
"It is time for presents, I believe. I couldn't miss this. I have brought the proper accessories for party-times, I believe." he said as he handed a little paper hat to each of the professors, then Ron and Hermione, and lastly he placed one on Harry's birdnest hair. He chuckled and fastened it under his chin. Remus had already done so, whereas McGonagall and Snape had a little trouble reconciling with the idea and only did so after Dumbledore looked at them meaningfully. Still, Snape's managed to look miserable to be perched on the potions master's head. Ron severely wished he had a camera, and Hermione was slack-jawed.
"Close your mouth, Miss Granger, you are not a codfish." Snape snapped at her, and she closed her mouth so fast her teeth clacked.
Dumbledore made himself comfortable and said:
"Let's have the presents appear, then! It is no small matter turning 15.", and he clapped his hands.
Harry heard the rustling and the small pops and he knew that he must be facing a number of boxes in front of him. Dumbledore's voice chirped at his ears as a box was pressed into his hands.
"This is from me!" he beamed, overly proud of himself. Harry smiled warmly. It was the first time that he was sitting at a table having presents presented to him like Dudley-- no, he did not want to remember Dudley now. He unwrapped the paper, hearing it rip and opened the box, his fingers tracing the cotton inside until he found a round glass sphere, or so it seemed. He arched an eyebrow, unsure of what he had just received from the headmaster of the school.
"It is a notiem sphere-- when you feel overwhelmed with emotions, you hold it in your hands, and it will help." Dumbledore said softly, and Harry's heart skipped beats, instantly the ball of crystal becoming precious to him. He carefully set it aside as Remus tossed lazily his box towards Harry-- and Harry caught it almost in reflex. Snape's shoulders seemed to relax, and Ron gaped.
"Man you're eerie."
"RON!"
Harry chuckled and unwrapped the next one. Fingers tracing again, he found a dictaquill set and ink. He smiled thinly.
"Is it like Rita Skeeter's?" he asked and everyone chuckled.
McGonagall's gift was a Read-Me feather. It would read to its owner out of any book it was placed in. Next came Ron's box, rather large, with a lot of sweets and other homely delights from Mrs. Weasley and a talking quidditch book from Ron, who had found it after 3 days of searching with his father. Harry was touched. He had no expected this much acceptance. Hermione's gift was a fold-in cane, charmed to be heard only to Harry.
"I wanted to give you something as useful as possible-- for when magic is not handy," she said and Harry smirked.
"Thanks, 'Mione. I am glad to have it. I have been... shown the need of independence from magic quite a bit."
Snape snorted and stepped forward.
"Right, let's get this over with, Potter. Here is my gift-- make sure you use it well." he said quickly and then left before Harry opened the box, which he was feeling had little holes in it.
"Harry, make sure you are careful opening this." Ron couldn't help saying and dodged one of the by now predictable kicks coming from Hermione. Harry smirked again.
"Ron, I am sure we are all quite safe with Professor Dumbledore and Lupin and McGonagall here." Harry laughed, and so did Dumbledore who cherished the sound of Harry's laughter-- he had not been heard until that day.
"Well then, Harry, let's see what he got you." Remus said and Minerva tilted forward, curious herself.
Harry indeed opened the box (it had no wrapping), and allowed his fingers to edge inside. At first he felt nothing existing in the box except sand, but then a cool, thin band of something slithered up his fingers and around his wrist. There were sudden intakes of breaths all around him, and Harry asked quietly:
"What kind of snake?"
"It's a coral snake, Harry," Hermione said, somewhat exitedly, somewhat scared.
"What do you know, it's red, black, white and yellow. It's a Gryffindor snake," Remus' voice was bouncy with laughter.
"It can be your familiar, Harry." Dumbledore said, "a most useful one indeed."
"Are you masssster Harry?" the snake hissed at Harry.
"Yes, as a matter of fact." he replied in Parseltongue.
"You do not see." the snake said. Harry sighed.
"No, I don't."
"No matter. I am Sasssha. I shhhall help you when you need." the snake slithered fondly twice around his wrist and allowed the tip of its forked tongue to caress Harry's skin. Harry smiled.
"Her name is Sasha, and she likes me." he announced to his incredulous friends and grinning professors.
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and that's that. Upcoming: Voldemort, Wormtail, Malfoys galore. hehe.
As for the lovely reviewers:
momma-dar: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
kitty: all shall be answered in good time. Heh heh. As for Sirius, I have never seen him take anything calmly.
Lei Dumbledore: Let's then pretend it was a lock-legs charm or something. Or not a full body bind.
Kiri: Yes, but then Snape would crucio me to within an inch of his life. hehe.
NightSpear: I am glad you like my Snape. I believe that people never change overnight. And never without good cause.
white owl: you bet he will. *nod nod*
Angel Baby: Weasley twins... hm. *L* yes, I suppose, eventually. They are rather challenging to write without making them complete prats or idiots. But shall try. You guessed my sevvie gift! aww. But it was not anonymous. Anyhow it would have been obvious, it being a snake. heh.
Jordan: Charms, mostly.
Jess the Great: eh... I don't think so. At least, not for a long time. It wouldn't be permanent otherwise.
Lee Lee Potter: he just might! *chuckles*
shitsumon: what are they up to? eh... if I were them, I wouldn't be up to anything. *L* Not anymore.
ratgirl: we get to know his initial reactions once he is in Hogwarts-- as this is mainly through Snape's or Harry's POVs.
Kaat Shadow Lover: the wand leads him to places-- he still has to have awareness. But it DOES make his life tons easier. I hope you liked my Ron and Hermione-- I admit they are not my strongest. As for Diagon alley, sure. heh. It's coming up. But one step at a time, don't overwhelm the author. heh. And Harry can't get over something like that so easily-- if ever.
zeynel: he can be an animagus. But I doubt it's high in his priority list now. I hope this chapter has started to answer your questions.
Zardiphillian Beryllix: Heh heh. Well I think there had to be one point where James wasn't entirely quick on the uptake. Like Harry and the accio charm. I'[ll try to use mum instead of mom but it is kinda hard at times. But I'll try. How do you like Ron in this chapter?
Melissa Lupin: *chuckles* I am not going on the OOC trail.
enlil: uh... sorry bout not answering to your review-- it probably had no questions, or the bot ate it and I did not see it. About this one: Of course you find out what happened-- I'd said so. *laughs* As for Rita, you will have to wait for a chapter or two yet. I'll try about Full Circle-- I have other stuff to write too you know, not just fanfiction.