It was another week before Harry could convince Madam Pomfrey to release him. She had not been taken in by his "miraculous" recovery and Harry did not have the luxury of discharging himself. So once he was out he set out to make Snape grovel and apologise, or he would pay for the last five years of bullying. Umbridge was just an annoying Ministry toady, Snape was a bastard.
Harry made sure to antagonise Snape as much as possible in hopes of being held back after class. Along with a detention, he managed it.
"The Headmaster has demanded that our Remedial Potions lessons continue Potter. Given your past efforts at that subject, I do not wish to spend any more of my valuable time on you. Especially not now that I need to find a way to counter this damn bracelet."
"I entirely agree sir. I do not think our lessons were worthwhile. But what bracelet?"
"This," Snape hissed. "Whatever stunt you pulled with those potion bottles has put me on even more intimate monitoring. She can do anything with it."
"But you haven't been called for at least a week. I would know. If you just told her then such measures would not be called for."
"If I told her, Potter," Snape spat. "I would be locked up so tightly in the Hospital Wing I would never see the dark of these dungeons again."
Harry grinned at the scowling man.
"See you at seven!" he said cheerily as he walked away.
Later that night, the man practically dragged Harry into his office before he'd even finished knocking on the door.
"You know something. Explain." Snape demanded.
"How did you find me in the Room of Requirement?" Harry asked in response, straightening his clothing.
Snape stared at Harry. Harry stared back.
"If you must know, I told your elf you were missing and he took me to you."
"Ahhh. Of course. Well Riddle is no more if that's what you wanted to know. And now what can you do to stop me from telling all I know?"
"Excuse me?" Snape asked slowly. "Did you just say the Dark Lord was dead?"
"Yup" replied Harry happily. "His head exploded. Literally. What shall I do for detention sir?"
"Clear your mind. Legilimens!"
It was a full blown attack, but it just bounced right off Harry's shields and flung the man on his backside.
"Oh deary me, someone's in trouble now, your ankle is flashing red," Harry mocked.
Two seconds later Madame Pomfrey was standing in front of them.
"Well Severus?" she demanded.
"Your damned bracelet reacted badly to my teaching of Potter. This is on the Headmaster's orders."
"Report to me as soon as your lesson is over Severus."
Snape glared at the mediwitch until she left.
"What is the meaning of this Potter?" Snape growled.
"If you can apologise for being such a git and a bully for the last five years, I won't make it any easier for Madame Pomfrey to find out the truth."
"Are you blackmailing me, Potter?"
"Why yes. Well done, Snape."
"I am a teacher and you will address me with respect!"
"If you actually taught anything, I might consider it. 'The recipe is on the blackboard, five points from Gryffindor for not having memorised it already Potter' is not teaching. Even my muggle teachers treated me better than you do and they thought I was the neighbourhood hooligan."
Snape's face turned red, quite a feat considering his usual deathly white complexion.
"Why you little-"
"Careful... you wouldn't want Madame Pomfrey back in here so soon would you?"
Snape growled something unintelligible and raised his wand. Suddenly Dobby popped in with a loud crack in between the pair.
"You will not harm Harry Potter!" he shrieked.
Snape was thrown back in much the same manner of Lucius Malfoy three years earlier. However Lucius Malfoy had not been wearing a monitoring anklet at the time, which was now emitting a piercing wail.
"Severus really! Twice in one evening!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "I will be having words with Albus. Are you alright Harry?"
"Yeah. I'm fine Madam Pomfrey thanks" Harry replied with a smile.
"Your lesson is over for tonight, Professor Snape is in no state to do anything more right now."
"Yes ma'am."
As Harry left, he heard the mediwitch continue.
"You are coming with me Severus Snape."
Harry chuckled as he headed upstairs. Snape was so good at making his own noose.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Snape glared at Harry all through breakfast the next day. He'd had a very hard time wriggling out of Poppy's grasp. He'd had to endure an overnight stay and her telling the entire staff that he had high blood pressure and what to do in an emergency. Plus he now had to go for weekly check-ups and she still hadn't removed the bloody bracelet. It was all Potter's fault.
"I hope you're not trying to blame Mr Potter for your high blood pressure Severus. It was only to be expected with what you do" Minerva remarked.
"It's all his fault" Snape hissed.
"There's no point fretting about it and making it any higher Severus. You should have taken the treatment Poppy offered."
"I can make my own decisions, thankyou."
Snape pushed his chair back and stormed from the hall.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was the following evening when Harry put the next part of his Snape revenge campaign into action. He wrapped his dressing gown tightly around him and pushed open the Fat Lady's portrait. A little way down the corridor he knocked on a particular door. He'd known what was behind this door since his first week in Hogwarts, but he had never actually done it before. That might actually be a bonus for him, he didn't think McGonagall would appreciate being disturbed in her quarters, especially after midnight.
"Yes Potter?" she asked sternly.
"Vision. Professor Snape. Traitor" he stuttered. He was white faced and trembling.
Minerva gasped. Severus had been found out?
"Get inside Potter. Sit by the fire. I will contact the people that need to know."
Harry allowed himself a slight grin. Dobby had been a wonderful help for this one.
Throughout the next few hours, Harry sat by his Head of House's fire, nursing a scalding cup of hot chocolate. Apparently nobody could get hold of Snape and even his anklet wasn't giving his location, which supposedly meant that he must be behind some impressive wards. Nobody of course told Harry any of this, but Dumbledore and the other heads of houses weren't silencing their conversations and they were definitely not occluding their thoughts. At one point Harry thought that it would honestly be harder to not pick up their emotions, they were projecting them so loudly.
Eventually, there came the news that Snape had just entered the grounds. McGonagall, Pomfrey and Dumbledore hurried off to find him, leaving Harry alone with Professor Flitwick.
"He'll be okay Harry," the half goblin said.
"Thanks sir," Harry replied, staring into the fire.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Snape was freezing, soaked to the skin, shivering and trembling with rage. He had been enjoying his evening when all of a sudden he was picked up and dumped in another room. It had been a very comfortable room, Snape had to admit; containing squishy chairs, a bookcase full of interesting reads and even a kitchenette full of his favourite foods. He had hunted for a door or a way out, but there was nothing.
He had no idea of how much time he'd spent in the room but then just as suddenly as he'd been taken there he was moved again. This time he recognised the place - it was the edge of the Hogwarts grounds - but he had barely even turned towards the castle when he felt a bucket of icy cold water thrown over him. It was a cold night, nearly freezing, and the driving wind and rain made it feel even colder. It was not a night he wanted to be out in.
Snape started heading towards the castle again, seeing as his captor had vanished, but he had gone no more than a hundred yards when he saw the light of three wands coming towards him. It didn't take a genius to work out who they would be, or how they would read the situation.
"Severus!" Minerva called. "Are you ok?"
"Cold and wet, but otherwise yes."
"Harry said you'd been found out. Did they hurt you?"
"Let's get him inside Minerva. We can question him more when we're all warm and dry."
Ah, the Headmaster. Ever the voice of reason.
Unfortunately that also meant a forceful escort to the Hospital Wing, and to be told to get into dry pyjamas and then into bed, or else.
"Harry said that he'd had a vision where you were found as a traitor Severus, what do you have to say?" Albus asked sternly. There was no twinkle in his eye tonight.
Snape said nothing. Anything he said would get him into more trouble. He shivered again and shifted in the bed.
"Very well. Poppy?"
Poppy waved her wand over him and read the parchment produced thoroughly.
"He has no life-threatening injuries Albus."
"You could have just asked me that you know, rather than going straight to a scan," Snape bit out sharply.
"And let you lie your way out again? I think not my boy. Look after him well Poppy, I'll be back to speak with him in a few hours."
"Understood Headmaster."
"Well Severus you know the rules. Stay in bed or be stuck to it."
"Yes Poppy" he replied, rolling his eyes.
Snape dozed on and off until a loud crack awoke him sharply. Dobby the elf was there, holding a potion phial that looked remarkably similar to an anti-Cruciatus potion. He barely had time to wonder what the elf was doing there when Poppy also came barging in.
"What is that Severus?" she questioned sharply.
"I don't know" he replied.
"If you please Mistress, Dobby was told to bring this to Master Professor Snape" the little elf piped up.
"I see. Give it here please Dobby."
Dobby offered the mediwitch the phial apologetically. "Dobby is sorry if Dobby dids something wrong Mistress. Should Dobby punish himself?"
One glance at the label told Poppy all she needed to know.
"You've done very well tonight Dobby. You will not punish yourself for anything."
"Mistress is kind! Does Mistress need anything else or can Dobby go?"
"You can go Dobby."
Dobby left with another loud crack just as Poppy turned to Snape with fire in her eyes.
"So Severus?"
"You will not believe me if I say anything anyway and you have no right to force me to talk."
"I'm sure your normal tactic would be to down this in one and ignore the consequences, but I do not agree. You may have a teaspoonful a day until your shakes stop. Come on, open up."
Snape knew the potion would not do him any harm, since it was basically just a nerve and muscle relaxant, but that did not mean he was happy about taking it. Even with that low dose he would be weak for several days and his only shivers were from that cold water shower he was given! But what could he do? She wouldn't believe him if he told her. He had to give credit to Potter for this one, he was stuck.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Even if Merlin himself were to vouch for you, I still would not be letting you go!" Poppy asserted loudly the following morning.
Harry smirked at the man in the bed from his position by the door. Snape must have been trying to leave ever since dawn to have elicited that reaction. He made his presence known with a pleasant and concerned expression.
"Madam Pomfrey? How's Professor Snape doing?"
"Oh good morning Mr Potter. Professor Snape will be fine if he does what he's told. You can speak with him for a few moments if you like?"
Harry smiled at her and made his way over to Snape's bed. He leaned in close so that no-one would overhear them.
"Isn't Dobby a genius? All that work, just because he wanted to."
"Potter, if you don't fix this right now-" Snape pushed himself up onto his elbows, which made his arms shake violently.
"Looks like those shakes aren't gone yet are they?"
"You know damn well that they're not from a bloody Cruciatus but from that stuff you've made them give me."
"Careful. Your blood pressure's rising."
"Why you little-"
Snape never finished his tirade because Poppy came rushing out of her office and bid Harry leave quickly. Harry did so with a cheery wave.
Harry made his way down to breakfast, letting everyone that he saw know that Snape would not be around that day. It certainly made for a happier atmosphere when no Snape appeared at the Head table. When, by lunchtime, it got around that Dumbledore was taking all Potions lessons the mood was positively jubilant.
It went on in this way for two weeks. Two blissful Snape-free weeks.
Then it all crashed with a bang. Snape was in an even worse mood than he ever had been before. The non-Slytherin houses lost points by the hundreds. Which, considering they had OWLs coming up in a very short space of time, Harry found highly distracting.
"You know sir, you're really not doing this blackmail thing well" Harry mentioned in one of his many detentions. "You're meant to do as I ask, so that I don't carry out the threat. Your problems are entirely of your own making."
"If you and that bloody elf didn't-"
"So you're telling me you weren't still suffering from that last Death Eater meeting a week after it? That that potion didn't actually help?"
"Of course it did idiot boy, but one dose would have been sufficient for the latent effects. Not two weeks on bed rest."
"Oh and that didn't help your leg either."
"Potterrrrr..." Snape growled.
"That was tame Snape, I'm setting up for the big one. So big you'll be in the Hospital Wing for months. You might even have to go to St Mungos. If you think I can't why don't you call me on it and we'll see who's laughing at the end. All I asked for was one tiny apology for how you've treated me and for you to actually start teaching the subject you claim to love."
The inkpot that came flying at his head gave Harry his cue to leave.