A/N: I'm going to be honest- I am not a big proof-reader, so I apologize for any mistakes. Feel free to point them out to me and I may or may not fix them depending on the severity and my own potential laziness. I do this for my amusement and hopefully the amusement of others, so please do not try to kill my joy. Long time FF reader, first time FF writer. And if you don't like it, don't read it! It really is that simple friends.

And a quick fair warning for this fic- if you are not a fan of a very healthy dose of hurt!Harry, then maybe just skip this one... Not a slash fic

Rated T for swearing, violence, blood, and injury/illness, but hopefully nothing too too crazy.

Chapter 1 - Detention, Potter!

It was completely unfair. Had he even really done anything wrong? Technically, yes, he was late. And out of uniform. BUT it was not like Snape had even feigned to care about any circumstances which might have led to Harry's tardy, informal, and not to mention bloody state. As if Malfoy would have been punished for attacking him (not that Harry would have ever admitted to the ferret catching him in such a humiliating position). Never. Snape- the git- saw fit to not only take 70 points! from Gryffindor for Harry's "late arrival" and "unsuitable attire" but also to give him detention before he had even set foot in the castle. And grudgingly Harry had to admit, it probably was a new school record.

To say Harry was in a foul mood as he slunk into the Great Hall would be a grievous understatement. He ignored the sudden quiet created by his entrance and the subsequent tidal waves of whispers that seemed to crash around him as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table. It was a small mercy that Hermione and Ron were seated towards the end of the table so he was able to take his spot next to Ron as quickly as possible.

Turning to face Harry as he sat down Ron began "Where have you-?" but cut himself off when he properly caught sight of him. "Blimey! What have you done to your face!" gasped Ron.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" asked Harry, panicking a little.

"You are covered in blood," said Hermione. Seeing Harry relax slightly at her statement did not exactly soothe her nerves. Sighing, she said "Come here," and raised her wand muttering "Turgeo."

"Thanks," Harry smiled at her, teeth still stained slightly red from the blood that had dripped into his mouth. "How's my nose look?" he asked thinking that maybe he should have stood his ground a bit more with Tonks and insisted on waiting for Madam Pomfrey to fix his nose.

"Normal," Hermione replied hesitantly. "Why shouldn't it Harry? What happened? We've been terrified." She leaned in as she spoke softly.

"I'll tell you later," Harry brushed off her concern.

"But-" she began to insist.

"Not now Hermione," his harshened tone leaving little room for argument.

Hermione perched back on her seat giving him a sharp look that promised his "later" would be coming very soon.

Harry hung back as the crowd of students began shuffling out of the Great Hall. Noticing his hesitancy, Hermione threw him a quick glance before snagging one of the new 5th year prefects, Matilda Bettleson, and having a quick conversation with her under her breath. With a nod Matilda began gathering up the 1st years and shepherding them out of the Hall.

Harry flashed her a small but grateful smile as she and Ron lingered around their house table waiting for everyone else to amble past. He was lucky to have such good friends. The only problem was that he seemed to have somehow forgotten just how smart one of them was.

After finally deeming the halls empty enough for safe passage, the trio made their way out of the Great Hall. On their way back to Gryffindor tower however, Hermione unexpectedly dragged Harry and Ron into an empty classroom and demanded to know what had happened. She knew Harry well enough at this point to be wary of his impressive ability to dodge conversations that he did not want to have. With the common room full of rowdy students getting reacquainted after the summer holidays, she could already hear in her head Harry's hiss of "Not here," as he would attempt to slip away up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. She admitted to herself that her mental Harry did have a valid point about possibly being overheard in the common room. So she decided to head that off which is what led to her current plan and Harry filling them in on the circumstances of his bloody, late arrival.

"Just what I needed- for everyone to have a reason to hate me before the term has even started! With Gryffindor this far in the red I'll be lucky if Seamus lets me sleep in the dorm this week." Harry bemoaned, exasperated. "And to top it all off I have detention with Snape. Snape!"

"Well, mate, if there is any upside to the Greasy Bat finally killing off enough Defense professors to be the only one left for the job, at least he lost the excuse to torture us with caldron scrubbing or dealing with all of those gross ingredients for detention. What's the worst he can make you do now?" asked Ron, trying, with limited success, to sound upbeat.

Harry shivered, "I don't even want to think about Snape's 'worst'."

"It will be OK, Harry," Hermione tried to reassure. "It's just one detention," she placated as Harry slumped out of the room and back to Gryffindor tower.

Of course Hermione had to tempt Fate. Heck- when it came to Harry's life she didn't even need tempting. Fate seemed quite comfortable trampling all over him. Thanks to Hermione's (and admittedly his own) big mouth by the end of his treacherous first day it was now not one, but two detentions with professor Snape. It was with a sneer that Snape had called out at the end of their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, "Potter! Seven o'colock tonight, my office to serve the first of your detentions." Then he added, a little quieter but with no less venom, "Only you could be racking them up so fast it is physically impossible to keep up without a time turner."