Chapter 15

The next morning Severus' gaze followed Potter as he crossed the Great Hall with a sidekick on either side of him. The trio sat down in their usual places at the Gryffidor Table and began helping themselves to breakfast. Well, the other two did. Potter merely observed until Granger said something to him, then watched him until he put a helping of porridge onto his plate. Why was Potter not eating properly?

"Harry has been progressing at combat?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"We have only had two lessons, Headmaster."

"And?"

"I have taught him only basic positions so far," Snape replied.

Dumbledore did not seem the least bit phased by his short answers. Severus had had to go to a Death Eater meeting the night before and was, as a result, not in the best of moods. Not that that was unusual.

"Madame Pomfrey wishes to see you."

"You mean you wish her to see me," Severus replied irritably.

"Indeed," he said, almost cheerfully.

"I am quite capable of looking after myself. I do not need her to fuss over me and give me my own potions," Snape snapped.

"Come now Severus-"

"I will not!"

"Do calm down, Severus." He could see Dumbledore's eyes twinkling. "It will put my mind to rest as well."

He gave up. He knew he would end up doing what the codger wanted in the end, regardless of what argument he made.

Disgruntled, he finished his breakfast and swept out of the Hall to prepare for his first, most unfortunate class.

/\/\/\/\/\

The hairs on Harry's neck prickled. He turned from the plant he was supposed to be re-potting. His eyes landed on Malfoy who had a malicious smirk on his face and was whispering with the other Slytherins.

"You know, Malfoy's been staring at me a lot this past week."

"Just ignore him, Harry," came Hermione's distracted voice. She was trying to wrestle her young Terecula seedling into a pot. Its roots clung to the sides of the pot as it squeaked its indignation.

"He has been acting kinda weird lately," Ron said as he shoved his own seedling into a pot. "Maybe he's up to something."

"But what?"

"Dunno."

"He can hardly try anything more than jinx you, Harry," Hermione huffed. She finally managed to get the seedling in and covered it quickly with soil, muffling its squeals.

"I don't know…"

"Time's up! Pack away your equipment, put re-potted plants on the side!" Professor Sprout shouted as the bell rang.

They packed up and hurried back to the castle, the cold blustery wind whipping up their cloaks around them. Nobody wanted to be late for Potions, not with Professor Snape stalking about as he was, in an even worse mood than normal.

"Do you think there was a meeting last night?" Hermione whispered to Harry as they hurried down the dungeon steps with the rest of their class.

"I think so."

"You had a vision?"

Harry shook his head. Not that it meant that he had slept any better.

Soon after they arrived Snape swept into the room, robes billowing ominously. The usual absolute silence fell over the class.

"Today's brew will be Pepper Up potion. Madame Pomfrey wishes to restock the infirmary before the first snows. This is an extremely easy potion to brew. I would expect fourth years to be able to manage it effortlessly. I expect a full, useable batch from everybody. Each of you will drink a small sample before you leave the classroom, to prove that the batch is useable, so I suggest you brew it correctly. Begin." Snape barked and went to his desk.

The Gryffindors in the room exchanged anxious looks. Even the Slytherin students seemed a little nervous. The Potions Master was not in a good temper.

As they set out their ingredients Harry whispered a "Please just watch him." to which Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry was still worried that Snape might try to give him a month's worth detention by messing up his potion. The students carefully cut their willow bark into fine slivers, then stirred and poured ingredients into their cauldrons. Harry actually thought his was going rather well. Easy potion though it might have been to brew, his had exactly the same shade and consistency as Hermione's, which was always a good sign.

Snape watched intently as he always did when they brewed. Before the lesson ended he called for everyone to bottle and label their concoctions and put them on his desk as well as to put a small sample in a vial.

"Before you may leave, I will come around all the desks. You must show me your potion, and then you will drink it. If you feel unwell, say so immediately. I will not tolerate people poisoning themselves with a botched potion simply because they will not admit to it." There were some rather alarmed looks around the class. It was one thing to brew something, quite another to have to drink. Especially with such high stakes.

"We will start at the front and work back."

/\/\/\/\/\

"Why are your ears smoking?" Ron asked around a mouthful of food.

"We had to test our samples of Pepper Up Potion," Hermione answered as she helped herself to some vegetables.

"He made you test them?" Ginny stared in disbelief. "Why?"

"To check if they were safe for use in the infirmary." she answered. Harry nodded agreement. He personally had been very worried the potion was going to make him feel even worse with all the other concoctions Snape was making him take. He had been absolutely right. He felt even more awful than usual.

"Did anybody mess up?" Ginny asked, still looking a little shocked.

"No. Everybody was scared Snape wouldn't give them an antidote if they did." Harry answered.

"Why aren't you eating Harry?" Hermione asked sharply. She had been watching him closely lately.

"I really don't feel that well."

"Your potion?" she asked immediately. Ginny eyes widened even further.

"I don't think so… Snape didn't even comment on it. He only doesn't say stuff when nothing is wrong with something…"

"Good point."

"I'm going to the bathroom." Harry stood up to leave.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Hermione asked, sounding concerned. "You look pale."

Ron muttered agreement around his mouthful of food.

"Ya, I'm fine," Harry lied. "I just want to splash water on my face." He walked quickly away. He was going to be sick.

As soon as he was out the Hall, he sprinted for the bathroom. At the first one he saw, he ducked in, rushed to the toilet and promptly started throwing up. Once there was nothing left in his stomach to bring up, he sagged against the wall of the cubicle. He felt like he had been hit by the Knight Bus. His head throbbed and his stomach still twisted queasily. All he wanted to do was stay here a while and enjoy the little solitude it provided, away from prying questions and worried looks.

But then Harry should have known that things never worked out were he was concerned.

"I thought, Potter," a cold voice said behind him, "I instructed you to tell me if you felt ill."

/\/\/\/\/\

Severus had just been coming up the stairs from the dungeon to get some dinner when he saw a boy with an unruly mob of black hair race away as soon as he was out of the Great Hall. Curious, of course, as to where Potter was going at such speed, he followed the boy.

He slipped quietly into the bathroom Potter dived into, only to find the boy retching into the toilet. Potter slid miserably down the wall when he was done. Of course, it would be Potter who did not follow the rules.

"I thought, Potter, I instructed you to tell me if you felt ill," Snape said coldly, containing his anger and urge to start yelling.

The boy jerked his head up. He blanched when he saw who it was and scrambled to his feet.

"Well?" Severus snapped.

"I-I don't think there was a-anything wrong with my potion, s-sir." Potter stuttered.

Severus arched his eyebrow sceptically. "Then why, pray tell, are you vomiting?"

Potter pressed back against the wall, eyes wide. The boy was obviously terrified.

"I th-think it's those potions y-you g-g-gave me, sir."

"What?" His potions? It couldn't be… He mentally started listing ingredients. "Since when?"

"Every time I take them," Potter said wretchedly.

Every time he took them? The boy had been taking them for more than a week.

"Why did you not say anything?" he demanded angrily. How could the boy be so stupid?

/\/\/\/\/

Harry flinched at Snape's tone. He stared at his hands, wishing he could be anywhere else other than cornered in a bathroom stall by a tall, angry man. He tried to calm his racing heart.

"I didn't k-know how they were supposed to work and I-I didn't want to bother you…" That was an understatement. He felt that questioning a Potion Master as volatile as Snape on his own potions was, perhaps, not the wisest or safest idea.

"Potter, I am trying to help you!" The man said irritably. "I cannot do so when you will not tell me what is going on."

"I told you I don't want your help," Harry said before he realised what he was saying. Suddenly the stall seemed very small. He started shaking.

"And I told you, Potter, what the consequences of not accepting my help will be," Snape said almost calmly. "What potions have you been taking?"

"Just the ones y-you gave me. And my p-pain potion."

The man looked at him sharply. "Your pain potion?"

"Y-yes."

"Why are you still taking that?" Snape asked in a quiet voice. Why was he looking at him like that?

"I've only taken it two or t-three times." It had been more out of habit than necessity, but somehow Harry didn't think telling him that was a good idea either.

"I see."

/\/\/\/\/\

Well that would explain the nausea. Severus had expected the boy would stop taking the pain potion as soon as his wounds healed. Apparently that was not the case. But then, healing potions of that strength always contained dangerously addictive ingredients.

"Listen to me carefully, Potter." The boy looked at him anxiously. "You have to stop taking that potion immediately. Do not take any other potions either, until our lesson tomorrow evening. I will give you a potion to clear your system then."

"Why?" The boy looked a bit puzzled.

"Because, evidently, Potter they do not mix well." he snapped before he could catch himself. The boy flinched again. Severus took a deep breath before continuing, "Brenson's Brew is extremely addictive. If you cannot stop taking it there are going to problems."

"P-problems?"

"Yes, Potter. Problems. I cannot deal with an addiction."

"You'll tell?" The boy was beginning to look panicky.

"I won't have to."

"What do you m-mean?"

"The answer is, once again, obvious." The boy looked at him, apparently confused. Severus was about to make a derogatory comment when he realised the boy had not been brought up in the magical world and he probably genuinely did not know. "Magical addictions are different to those that Muggles experience, Potter. A wizard's magic is as much affected as his body. When addiction occurs, their magic becomes unreliable. It can lash out or fade, depending on the circumstances. Their magic becomes dangerously unpredictable. Someone is bound to notice."

Severus could see the boy becoming more distressed and uncomfortable. He did not want the boy to panic and run. He sighed. "Just go to bed, Potter. Don't eat anything or take any potions. Our lesson will be at 7 o'clock tomorrow evening."

He stepped back, and Potter made his escape, not running but not really walking either. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. How had he landed himself in this mess?

/\/\/\/\

Harry forced himself to slow down and walked the rest of the way to the Gryffindor tower. He had thought that Snape meant to tell… He could think of nothing worse. His hand went to his pocket where he kept all his vials. He would put the blue potion into his trunk and leave it there. No matter how much of a life line it had provided, he could not afford to become addicted. Not if it meant they would find out.

Still it was with a despairing heart that Harry closed the vial in a trunk compartment. His potion had helped him get by so far that year. He could almost pretend that when he drank it, the potion took away not only the physical pain but the emotional as well, as if the blue liquid were numbing his heart.

Sighing, and trying not to think about the vials, now locked away, Harry pulled out his bag and started his Transfiguration homework.