An unpleasant truth

Severus had ordered the food and was now making his way to his student and his monster. When he arrived at his room, the man began to laugh quietly

There was a sign on the door that read: "No trespassing. Exception, Professor Snape."

The excursion had apparently affected the boy more than expected.

Severus knocked. All you could hear from inside was a growl.

"Potter, it's me."

With that, he opened the door and entered.

His student was lying on the bed, his face buried in the cushion. Blacky sat next to him. Hagrid's stupid book was also in the bed and seemed to be sucking on Potter's hair.

"Interesting message you've put on the door."

The boy turned to his teacher. He had said message in his hand.

"Why did you take it down?"

"Because otherwise we wouldn't have had any food. Come on, get up. It wasn't that bad after all."

"Oh no? Shall we swap?"

Snape smirked, but said nothing.

Harry climbed out of bed. Blacky followed suit. And the book? It whimpered.

"That's just silly now."

The boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"Have you put the stuff you bought away yet?"

"Yes, just like I said was."

"And where are your old clothes?"

"Well, in the closet. Where else would they be?"

"Maybe in the garbage can?"

"Why? They're still good. I might still need them."

"Potter, I'm not going to argue with you about those rags. Give them to the book and the mutt for all I care. Then they'll have something to destroy."

Harry looked at his teacher in surprise. But then he really got everything out. His underwear, especially the old boxers, made him turn bright red.

Snape almost choked.

"Please tell me these weren't already used as well."

"Okay, I won't tell," the boy mumbled.

Severus took the whole pile and threw it in front of the book.

"There, have fun. And don't you dare leave any of these things whole afterwards."

Neither the book nor the dog needed to be told twice. They pounced on the pile of rags like wolves.

Then the teacher's gaze fell onto the two bottles.

"Shampoo made from mare's milk?"

Harry accepted the distraction gratefully.

"Yes, Hermione gave it to me. It was her first Christmas present to me. She said it made my hair look less wild."

"They do anyway."

This time the boy actually laughed.

"Its not so bad anymore. Do you remember what I looked like at the beginning of first year?"

Severus thought for a moment.

"Like you'd been running from every comb your entire life."

The boy's laughter grew brighter and louder.

"Hermione also said it would probably help with your hair, by the way."

The boy's face changed color again and he looked to the side, embarrassed.

"You're talking about my hair?"

All right, Severus knew he had problems with his hair, but why were the students talking about it? And they had been doing so for ten years, he knew so.

The boy shrugged his shoulders again.

"We just always wondered why your hair was always greasy. Especially since you're very good at brewing potions."

"Potter, I'm not very good, I'm a master and just so you know. I have greasy hair. Even with my new shampoo, I can't get it under control."

"What's it called?"

Snape didn't know why he was telling the boy all this, but for some reason it bothered him that everyone always thought he didn't care about his hygiene.

"Smooth and silky."

Harry tried to hide his laughter, even turning in a different direction.

"Smooth and slimy would be a better name."

"POTTER!"

"Um, did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. But why don't you try this? If it gets my hair under control, then maybe yours will too."

Puzzled, the man took

the man took the bottle the boy had given him. Great, now he was taking tips from someone whose hair looked like something the cat had carried in.

A knock saved the man from having to say thank you.

The waitress brought the food and the Daily Prophet. She stared at the boy so hard that he took a step back. The woman sighed.

"Oh, Mr. Potter, it's so nice to have you here. Wouldn't you like to meet me in the taproom for a butterbeer this evening?"

Harry's eyes widened. Fortunately, Blacky let go of the rags and stood in front of the boy.

The potions master was seething.

"Ms. the boy is only 13 years old. Don't you think it's a bit indecent to approach a child?"

Outraged, the woman turned around. She knew exactly WHO was standing in front of her. Snape had been three years below her.

"Mr. Snape, this boy is the hero of the wizarding world, the conventional rules hardly apply to him. Besides, he'll be a man in four years. I'm certainly not going to let you ruin my chance of a date!"

Harry was green by now. And the first tears had also formed in the emeralds.

Severus was about to jump into the box's face. How dare she make one of his students cry? Only he was allowed to do that.

The dog was also on a 180 now, as was a certain owl and a book.

"Listen to me carefully MS. Firstly, it's Professor. Secondly, does the boy look like he's enjoying your deplorable company? And thirdly, I'm here to look after Mr. Potter and to do so from brazen people like you. Now get out of here. Don't you dare try to get close to the little one again!

Blacky, would you please show the lady where the door is."

Surprisingly, the dog listened to him. He bared his teeth and lurked towards the waitress. She had become paler and paler. And so she ran out of the room screaming.

Harry's nerves were shot. He didn't understand. What did that mean, the usual laws wouldn't apply to him? Would he always have to fear such attacks in the future?

He looked desperately at his teacher.

He spoke to him surprisingly calmly.

"I will complain to Tom about this person and I'll also make sure that you're not harassed like that again in future."

"Is this going to happen to me more often?"

Severus almost didn't understand the child, the question came so quietly.

"I hate to say it, but probably yes. For many, you are a miracle come true. Then you also have money and are modest. Every upstart will make a pass at you. Whether it's like that person, or just for social reasons."

Harry didn't say anything more. He simply sat down in his chair and buried his face in Blacky's fur.

Severus was no less agitated. Yes, the woman had really taken a lot out on him. But the man was not surprised. Quite the opposite of Potter's reaction. Had no one prepared the boy for how the wizarding world would react to him? Apparently not. Then it would probably be up to him.

Great, this was certainly not how he had imagined his vacations. He would have to have a serious word with Minerva. After all, she was the tutor of the Benge ... child.

After ten minutes, Harry had calmed down enough to realize how hungry he was. He greedily reached for his plate and began to eat. Severus followed suit, but after a short time he stopped again. He stared in disbelief at his student's eating behavior.

At some point, the man got fed up and reached for the boy's plate, However, he hadn't expected the reaction this caused.

Potter almost threw himself over the plate.

"No," he whimpered. His pupil looked at him, challenging but also afraid.

Severus was familiar with this behavior, which was why it took him a few attempts to speak again.

"Mr. Potter, I didn't mean to take your food away from you. But you mustn't gorge like that, it's unhealthy. If you carry on like that, you'll just throw up afterwards."

The teacher made sure to keep his voice calm and quiet.

Blacky had stood next to the boy again and was whimpering softly.

Harry watched his teacher suspiciously. He didn't want to take the food away from him? But then why had he reached for the plate?

He carefully pulled his hand back. Harry pulled the plate even closer to him and shielded it with one hand. Slowly, he began to eat again. But he didn't take his eyes off his teacher for a second.

He turned his attention back to his own plate. He pretended not to notice the child's gaze but out of the corner of his eye, he did observe the eating behavior.

After a while, the boy quickened his pace again.

"Mr. Potter, no one is taking your food. It's all yours, but please, not so fast. You can take your time."

Severus had to intervene a few more times to curb the boy's pace. But he did not reach for the plate again.

When the two of them had finished eating, they went with Blacky to the cauldron's lawn.

As announced, Severus had complained to Tom about his staff. The man had promised to take care of it so now only he or his wife would enter Harry's room.

When they were back upstairs, Severus sat on the chair just like before, again and Again with the same reaction from his student.

"Mr. Potter, what's wrong, why do you flinch every time I sit down?"

Harry kneaded his hands nervously, picking up the monster book to distract himself.

"It reminds me of my first potions lesson."

It took the teacher some time to recall that day.

"I didn't know it bothered you so much. After all, you talked back to me."

"I didn't. I just told you that I didn't know, unlike Hermione. Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

"If you were so uncomfortable, why didn't you prepare better for my lesson?"

"When could I? My relatives took my school things away when I arrived."

The dog growled and Hedwig fluffed her feathers.

Severus looked down at the embarrassed boy.

"Apparently Petunia hasn't changed a bit. I thought she'd grown up."

Harry looked at his teacher with wide eyes. Of course he realized that the man knew his parents. They were the same age. But his aunt. Surprisingly, the man answered his unspoken question.

"We were neighbors."

Harry's eyes lit up.

"You knew my mom before school?"

Severus heaved a sigh.

"Yes, we were even friends. But over the years, we grew apart. That happens sometimes when you grow up."

"Because you were in different houses?"

"Pft, no, certainly not. Not because I was interested in dark magic or any of that nonsense. I can't tell you why, but that's how it was. However, we got on until the end. Even if we did clash from time to time. Her mother could be quite quick-tempered. 'Red-haired box devil' was her nickname."

Harry was still looking at his professor. He stroked the dog's fur absently, who was also listening.

"Tell me about her?"

"Another time. For now, I want you to tell me something."

"What would you like me to tell you?"

"You flinch when people touch you, you're afraid of people and you eat like you're on the verge of starvation. You also blew up your uncle's sister. What happens to you while you're with your relatives?"

Harry stood up and went to Hedwig. He stroked her feathers gently. The owl leaned trustingly against his hand.

"Why do you want to know?"

"What's the point of asking? Isn't it quite clear?"

"No, no one has ever been interested until now. Not in elementary school nor in Hogwarts either."

"What about your tutor? Or the principal? Have you never spoken to either of them?"

"No, Professor McGonagall was so proud of me when I joined the house team. I worry her enough already as it is, I don't want to get on her nerves with my home life. And the principal doesn't care."

Severus had to take a deep breath. To distract himself, he stroked the dog, who also put up with it. Although the animal was also visibly upset by what had been said.

"Mr. Potter, you wouldn't have been a nuisance to Minerva. The woman is the daughter of a reverend. I'm sure you can imagine how he reacted when he found out she was a witch."

Severus had expected many things, but not that the boy would not react at all. However, he was told the reason straight away.

"I know she tells every first year. She wants to build trust and show us that we can always come to her. And a lot of students do come to her. Especially those from Muggle households. That's why I didn't want to come too. In the end, it might have just been me wanting attention again."

"Minerva would never have said that!"

Harry turned around, startled. He hadn't expected his teacher to get so upset.

"Not her, but a lot of students would."

That was all he wanted to say. Severus seemed to sense that too.

"What do you mean, the principal doesn't care?"

Harry buried his face in the feathers of his owl. Only after a while did he come out again.

"I told him about it. In the hospital wing after the thing with the stone. He said it wasn't important, that I had to stay with my relatives because Death Eaters might find me otherwise. Who came up with that stupid word by the way? Anyway, he said a few strokes would certainly be better than death."

Severus had jumped up, just like Blacky. Had he just heard correctly? Apparently, because the dog growled loudly and Hedwig hooted softly.

"A few strokes?"

Only now did the boy seem to realize what he had said. He turned pale and tried to talk his way out of it. The child became more and more panicked. Severus couldn't think of any other solution than the truth.

"Mr. Potter, look here."

Once he had the boy's attention, he took off his cloak. He rolled up the sleeve of his right hand, up to his elbow.

On the pale skin you could see clear scars from stubbed out cigarettes.

Harry approached slowly, looking at the scars. Carefully, he held out his hand. He flinched briefly, but his teacher did not pull his arm away. The boy touched the skin very gently. He carefully stroked the bumps. Then he looked up at the man.

"My father was a severe alcoholic, these are just some of the memories I have of him. That was also the reason why I was such good friends with your mother. I often spent days at your grandparents' house. Probably the reason why the friendship with Lily wasn't as strong as it used to be was because the man died in my fifth year at Hogwarts."

Harry was still looking at the scars. Blacky had come closer too. The dog saw the injuries and licked them carefully.

That made Severus smile.

After gently pushing the dog's snout away, he pulled his sleeve back down.

Harry looked at the man in front of him for a while. Then he sat down on the bed and stroked the monster book.

Quietly, he began his report.

"I was left on the doorstep of my relatives. Right after my parents died, I only found out about that from Professor Mcgonagall. She was very angry with the headmaster about it.

My aunt found me the next morning. Of course, I can't remember the first few years, I don't know what they were like.

My room was the cupboard under the stairs. I had to share the room with cleaning utensils and everything my relatives no longer needed. There was even a coat rack in there. My uncle had the nerve to tell me it was my Christmas present. I was five years old then.

I always had to help my aunt around the house. That wouldn't have been so bad, but Dudley never had to do anything. I even cleaned windows and cooked. The only thing I would have enjoyed was looking after the garden, but I wasn't allowed to do that. My aunt doesn't even let professional gardeners get to her plants. Maybe she should, the things look pathetic.

My cousin has two rooms, one just for his toys. He's allowed to do everything and if something breaks, it's my fault, even if I'm not even in the same room. If I didn't do something right, he would hit me.

I was never allowed to ask questions, especially not about my parents. But of course they told me the story, their story. According to them, my parents were alcoholics and my mother earned money on the street. That's why nobody knew who my father was.

Dudley and his friends always enjoyed beating me up. Once I ran away from them at school and they were suddenly on the roof. Guess who got in trouble for that.

Besides, my relatives always thought that the old things from Dudley were good enough for me. That also applied to food. I only got what he had left over. Fortunately, my aunt always fattened up her 'little bundle of joy' - at some point even he couldn't take any more.

When we went on trips or on vacation, I was always given to Mrs. Figg. An old neighbor. Which was really mean, not because of me. But I didn't think it was particularly nice to take advantage of the old lady's good nature. But at least I got enough to eat there.

When I got the letter from Hogwarts, I was allowed to move into another room. Because I now had Hedwig and aunt Petunia was afraid that I would tell someone something. Especially because my first letter was addressed to my old 'address' under the stairs. But I was never allowed to keep my things. I can only ever do my homework on the train."

Harry fell silent, he hadn't intended to speak for so long but once he had started, he couldn't stop. He was careful not to look at his teacher, though. He much preferred to look at Blacky. The poor animal looked at him sadly.

The boy padded the bed and the dog jumped up. He lay down around Harry. It looked as if the boy was sitting in a living nest.

Severus had listened to the whole story without interrupting the boy once. He didn't know what made him the angriest, the beatings, the neglect or what they had told the child about his parents. It really was like at his home.

But Severus had friends he could go to. There was Lily and Lucius. Well, the boy before him had friends too, but thanks to Dumbledore he wasn't allowed to go to them.

Who had actually given the old git guardianship?

What was the man doing torturing the boy like that? Apart from the fact that everyone was happy that the Dark Lord was gone well with a few exceptions, perhaps but they were in Azkaban.

Then there was the statement that a 'few' blows wouldn't do any harm.

Dumbledore also kept a lot from the boy. For one thing, the child did not know how to behave in the wizarding world or what rights he was entitled to.

The potions master decided to do something about it. The principal would live to regret the day he had assigned Severus Snape to Harry Potter's protection.

But first he was interested in something else.

"And that was that two days ago?"

Harry was startled out of his own musings.

"Vernon's sister was telling the old lies about Mum and Dad again and that's when it happened. I was so angry, but I also felt so helpless. I knew I wasn't allowed to do magic but then all of a sudden, the woman got rounder and rounder and eventually floated up to the ceiling."

Harry looked apologetically at the man in front of him but then he did something the boy would have never expected. He laughed.

"It's a pity the Ministry got the woman back. Maybe we should go back to your relatives and you can repeat the feat."

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Better not."

Severus calmed down again.

"You're right but both the Headmaster and the Minister are right about one thing. You must learn to control your wild magic and I will teach you that."

"That means you believe me?"

The surprised look on the boy's face gave Severus a twinge.

"I should have done that from the beginning. I'm sorry."

Harry blushed at the apology, he wasn't used to something like that, no one had ever said that to him before.

Severus smiled, but immediately became serious again.

"Show me your injuries, please."

The boy stared wide-eyed at his teacher. He even tried to make himself small and hide himself in a protective embrace.

Severus took a deep breath.

"Boy, I don't want to hurt you. But if you're hurt, I have to take care of it."

Hesitantly did the child unfold himself again. Reluctantly, he got himself out of his new shirt.

Severus had already wondered why the boy had opted for something long-sleeved in these temperatures. Now he knew. Bruises and welts everywhere.

"A leash and Dudley." His pupil explained.

"I'll get you some ointment."

Harry was sitting on his bed, bare-chested. Blacky inspected the wounds carefully. Again and again he gaped. At one point he even wanted to jump up.

"Stay, it's all right."

The animal looked at him in disbelief.

"I don't know why, but I think Professor Snape will help me."

"Yes, he certainly will. I certainly won't let you go to those unworthy creatures again."

Severus sat down in front of his student and began to heal him.

"I'll give you some more food potions as well. The way you look, it's a wonder you haven't collapsed already."

"But you can't put on weight with food potions."

"Oh, since when do you know about potions?"

"Ms. Pompfrey is always grumbling about my weight, too."

"That's understandable. It's true, it won't make you gain weight. But at least it provides you with all the vitamins you need. We can manage the rest."

Harry endured the treatment in silence.

He was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't actually expected the dark bat to help him but he was wrong.

On the other hand though he didn't like spending his vacation learning in the least.

That would be fun.