A/N: Hi everyone! I must say I'm so relieved to see so many of you return to this fic even though I've been out of it for far too long. And this despite the email issues! Thank you all so much and a big thanks to my beta Pagemaster4TW. Love you!
And now the chapter you've all been waiting for.

Then, coming out, behold a space

Chapter 11

It had been a while since Harry had flown at all. He wasn't playing quidditch with the tower burning down, after all. That's why he had sort of forgotten that he lost his broom in said fire. He wasn't about to ask any of the Slytherins to borrow their Nimbus 2001 so he was stuck flying a school broom. Unfortunate but it should be enough to help out Daphne with her flying.

So Saturday afternoon - still brimming with confidence over the patronus he managed to cast – Harry took Daphne to the broomshed to pick out a set they could use for what Harry hoped would be a couple of hours.

"This one is a good one for you," Harry said as he handed Daphne a cleansweep. While not as fast as a nimbus in any way, this particular broom was one of the more reliable ones of the bunch. Harry knew that it wouldn't act up unless you tried to dive too steeply with it. It also didn't veer to the right like some of the shooting stars did. For lack of a better option, Harry took one of those. While annoying, he was proficient enough at flying to know how to handle a bucking broom.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked.

Daphne looked over her shoulder at the clock tower before turning back to Harry with a wonderful smile on her face that made him feel all sorts of ways. "Ready when you are," she said. "Just be ready to catch me if I fall."

"Don't worry," Harry said, trying to be smooth. "I will." He could just about kick himself. Why couldn't he think of something cool and smart to say? But Daphne took it in stride, flicked her blond hair over her shoulder, gripped her broom and walked out onto the field. Harry followed closely behind her.

Luckily, there were no teams practicing today. And while there were students about, none of them were using the quidditch pitch. Whenever the sun wasn't blocked by the clouds, its rays shone in Daphne's hair, making her look almost angelic.

"They all scheme,"sounded Ron's voice in Harry's head. But he quickly blocked that thought. What nonsense. Yes, there were some horrible people in Slytherin but they were not all bad. Daphne had been nice to him from the start.

Harry watched as she mounted her broom without issue. Then she pushed off and hovered a couple of feet above the ground. "Great," he said. "You're a natural."

"I flew around on toy brooms when I was a kid," Daphne told him. "Any child from a respectable wizarding family would be able to do this much. It's pretty much everything else that's giving me trouble."

Harry mounted his own broom and quickly pushed off to float next to her. "You basically have to use the gravitational centre of your body," he said. "In essence, you need to lean into whichever direction you want to go. The more you lean forward, the faster you go and the more you lean to the side, the tighter you'll turn."

"Will you fly with me as I try?" Daphne asked.

"That's what I'm here for," Harry said with a kind smile. "Go on. All these brooms have cushioning charms on them anyway. Even if you fall, you won't get hurt."

"Ha," Daphne replied sarcastically. "If those cushioning charms are as reliable as the brooms themselves, I'm not fond of my chances."

Harry remembered how Neville broke his wrist in first year and decided that Daphne was right.

"I'm sorry you lost your broom in the fire, by the way," Daphne said as she carefully veered her broom left and right at a snail's pace.

"It can't be helped," Harry said. "Rather my broom than someone's life."

"How Gryffindor of you," Daphne said but her smile implied no ill meaning. "Why didn't the school replace your broom yet?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I didn't ask. I kind of think that they won't since the school paid for my first one to begin with. And they likely already spent too much paying for all of the Gryffindor's stuff." He lazily flew from left to right underneath Daphne's broom as she tried to follow his lead.

"Paying to rebuild the tower won't be cheap either," Daphne said. She tried to follow Harry's lead. "Er… this broom won't go down."

"Just aim the handle down" Harry said. "But careful that you don't go too steeply or –"

Daphne pushed the handle a tad too far and the broom did not like her for that. Instead of going back down, it rolled over once. It wasn't too harshly but Daphne – who didn't seem to have too much experience – didn't manage to hold on and slid off. Luckily, she was still only a couple of feet in the air before it happened but she still grabbed her ankle in pain right after she fell.

"Ow, oh bugger," she swore which seemed a bit out of character for her but she was in pain. Slightly panicked, Harry jumped off his broom before he had even landed and kneeled next to Daphne.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"You didn't catch me," Daphne reprimanded him with a pained smile. Harry knew that she was joking but still felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't think the broom was going to act up that quickly. I should have warned you."

"You can make it up to me by taking me to the hospital wing," Daphne said. "I don't think I'll manage to hobble over there by myself."

Harry looked around. He wouldn't mind taking Daphne by himself of course but he'd rather find a professor to help him with a hover charm or something. He didn't want to hurt Daphne more than she already was.

As if she read his mind, Daphne put Harry at ease. "Don't worry," she said. "As long as I can lean on you, I'll be fine. It's not that far." And when Harry still hesitated she smiled at him so kindly that it made his heart flutter. "It's alright. I promise," she said.

Taking Daphne's word for it, Harry nodded and let her lean on him as she semi-walked. He wished he had the upper body strength to just pick her up bridal style and carry her all the way to the hospital wing in his arms but he definitely did not have the strength to do that. For now, he just put his arm around her waist to offer extra support as she leaned on his shoulder. Her close proximity would have been nice if Harry wasn't beating himself up over what just happened.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I can't believe I let you get injured like that."

"I'm sure it's nothing too serious," Daphne said. "It's probably just a sprain. At least, I don't think it's broken. Whatever the case, I'm sure that it's nothing Madame Pomfrey can't fix."

That much was true. The medi witch was a true miracle. Even taking into account the fact that she had magic and potions at her disposal, it was a marvel to see the kind of injuries she could heal in no time flat.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Daphne said. "I'll let you know this evening, alright?"

Harry frowned. "Okay," he said. "You could tell me now, you know. I'd do just about anything."

"But you can't just yet," Daphne replied. "Please just wait until after supper. We're almost there, anyway."

Harry sighed. "Whatever you say," he said. He pushed open the doors to the hospital wing to find Snape discussing something with madame Pomfrey. Good. At least he didn't have to make a separate trip to explain to the dungeon bat what happened.

But the fact that his eyes showed no surprise whatsoever when Daphne and Harry entered the room was very disconcerting. When Daphne suddenly put weight on her injured foot it became even more so.

"There you are, Mr Potter," Snape drawled, and Harry felt his blood run cold. "We've been expecting you."

"What's going on?" Harry asked, trying his best not to panic.

"You may leave the room now, Ms Greengrass," Snape said, and Daphne nodded. Harry looked at her in disbelief as he tried to swallow the betrayal he felt.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said. "I'll explain when I see you tonight, okay?"

She moved to kiss him on the cheek, but Harry stepped back. She didn't let it get to her and left as instructed.

"I'll be leaving too," Harry tried. "Since Daphne isn't injured, I'll just leave you to your business." But before Harry could push open the door, Snape flicked his wand and locked it magically.

"Our business is with you, Mr Potter," Snape said, and Pomfrey nodded next to him. "You've evaded this check-up for long enough."

"What are you talking about?" Harry said, though his voice became small. "I had that stupid check-up when I got here."

"Don't lie to me, Mr Potter," Snape growled. "I despise liars."

"But- "

"I certainly didn't think you thought me foolish enough to believe that examination to be real," Snape continued. He stepped a bit closer, and Harry instinctively took a step back, putting his back right against the door. "Did you not think that the absence of a basilisk bite would alarm me?"

"I don't –" Harry stammered. "Oh."

"Oh, indeed," said Snape. "Now, let's get this over with."

"No," Harry said, standing up straight and trying his best to exude confidence.

Pomfrey – who had been quiet until now – put her hand on Snape's lower arm and smiled at Harry. "It's alright," she said. "I promise you that whatever Professor Snape and I discover, it won't be shared with anyone outside of this room."

"Yes," Snape drawled. "It's unfortunate that I can't spend my evenings telling tales of Harry Potter's more embarrassing tumbles but I'm certain I'll manage to overcome such missed opportunities."

His sarcasm did nothing to ease Harry's worries. They didn't understand. Of course they didn't. And they wouldn't understand. Not even if they found out about… that! All they would see was that a wizard was unable to protect himself against some muggles. And maybe that's something that could've been understood for pre-Hogwarts Harry but not for this Harry. Not the Harry that fought off Voldemort and a basilisk. Not the Harry that was able to draw the sword of Gryffindor, a symbol of bravery and courage. Not the Harry that should know how to bloody defend himself!

Harry clenched his fists. He felt his nails dig into his skin as anger overtook him. Anger because of Daphne's betrayal. Anger because of Snape's hardheaded insistence and anger because of his own helplessness.

"It will be alright, Harry," Pomfrey said, and Harry noticed that she sounded like someone approaching a wounded animal. He must've already been giving too much away. He glanced at Snape and noticed that the man was stoic as ever.

"I don't consent to this," Harry said, trying to keep his voice strong. "I don't care if you'll have me scrubbing cauldrons for the rest of the year, I won't do it. I'm not one of your obedient Slytherins and I don't plan on following your stupid rules. I've had enough! You can't just stick your nose in my personal business like that. I won't have it!"

"You have no choice in the matter," Snape said. It was infuriating how calm his voice was. He didn't take Harry's bait. Instead, he just listened to him with ridiculous patience. That alone was enough to tell Harry that Snape now at least suspected that something was wrong. The ones who suspected something always changed. At least for a moment. Until his aunt and uncle told them what a horrible child he was. That he terrorised his nephew and the neighbourhood kids. That he likely had trauma because of what happened to his parents but that he refused to go to a therapist for help. That they tried their very best to give Harry a loving home, but that Harry refused all the love and kindness they tried to give him.

They were wonderful actors, the Dursleys. People always believed them. And then they always became angry at Harry for telling lies and trying to have his relatives falsely accused.

"Sit down."

Snape's voice pulled Harry out of his reveries. He tried pulling the handle of the door one last time before realising that escape was indeed futile.

"I don't want you here," Harry growled. "Bugger off."

"I understand," Snape said. "But I won't.This time I will oversee that you follow the rules. And believe me that you indeed must do as I say. While away from home, your head of house is your custodian. So, as your acting head of house, it is my prerogative to give permission for this check-up. You – as a minor – cannot refuse."

Harry knew a lost battle when he was in one. He couldn't get out of there. And even if he drew his wand, Snape was obviously prepared for that. He hadn't put his wand back yet, after all. Also, Snape seemed to be telling the truth about that custodian thing. And even after Harry's outburst, he was calm and collected. Pomfrey just let him take the lead for the largest part and Harry realised that Snape must have done this hundreds if not thousands of times. He knew what he was doing, and Harry was not going to get away. The best thing he could do now was try and depict himself as a klutz or delinquent.

"Fine," Harry said, and he finally sat down on the bed the two adults had been standing by for the last ten minutes. "But you said you wouldn't tell anyone, remember?"

"I'll amend that statement slightly before we begin, Mr Potter," Snape said. "I won't tell anyone who has no business knowing of the results. And if – indeed – the results are benign and not in any way threatening to your life or development, it is nobody's business. Not even the headmasters'."

And that would have calmed Harry down if he knew the results were going to be 'benign'. But they wouldn't be.

"Go on then," he grumbled. He folded his hands in his lap and stared at his feet as he swayed them back and forth slightly, the bed too high up for them to touch the ground.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pomfrey wave her wand, the movement large and slow. It was as if she was one of those girls who danced with ribbons, but she was only holding the stick. Two things happened. A scroll appeared in front of Pomfrey, a quill included and at the same time, Harry's body seemed to light up.

Harry looked up in surprise to find Snape staring at him, his expression still neutral while Pomfrey was frowning in concern. When Harry looked closer at his arm, he noticed the spot where the basilisk had bitten him was lit up brightly and then it dawned on him that it was not his body exuding light, but the injuries he had once sustained. It was merely the vast amount of injuries that made it look as if the entirety of Harry was illuminated.

A small light on Harry's wrist turned blue and the quill started to write. That was the wrist Harry broke when he tried to catch himself from falling down the stairs. He was five. Harry wondered how much detail this spell was going to reveal. If all it said was 'broken wrist', Harry could surely spin the tale a bit.

One by one the injuries' lights changed colour from small and insignificant to some rather large ones that Harry would have preferred to forget about altogether. Like the time Vernon had slammed his head against the toilet bowl, probably cracking more than just the porcelain. It had been during the summer holidays, so Harry hadn't had to see a soul for a long while. Now that he thought about it, it was probably lucky – for both him and Vernon - that he had his magic throughout all this because some of these injuries really should have warranted a hospital visit. On the other hand, if Harry hadn't been magical, none of this would have happened in the first place.

It was about fifteen minutes later that Snape silently conjured a chair for Pomfrey who accepted the quiet offer and sat down. Snape stood behind her and read the parchment as it wrote. It made Harry sick to his stomach that this man was learning all about Harry's past in some shape or form. And the worst thing was that Harry didn't even know the extent.

"How-" he coughed to clear his throat. "How detailed is that report?" Harry asked.

Snape glanced at him, and Harry just knew from the speck of sadness in those dark eyes that it was too much. Still, the man took the parchment for a moment – the quill writing as it was being moved – and showed it to Harry. It was already far lengthier than any essay he had ever had to write.

He read the last entry the quill had completed.

"Age 9 years and 3 months old. Severe burns on the entire left foot stopping right above the ankle. The cause was forced submersion in scalding hot water for ten seconds."

"Oh," Harry said. There was no way he was going to be able to talk his way out of this. His secret was out.

Wordlessly, Snape took the parchment back over to Pomfrey and it hovered back where it was first created.

"Well, this is mighty awkward," Harry joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"I know," Snape said, his voice flat. "It will be over soon."

"Will it?" Harry asked, understanding what the man meant but knowing that he was fundamentally wrong. "What happens after today, then?"

Snape sighed and ran a hand through his greasy hair. Pomfrey bit her lip.

"I must admit, I never expected – well – this," Snape said. "I… apologize for this oversight. You're correct that a great deal more will need to be discussed when this is over but for now those are concerns of mine. Not yours."

"Still awkward," Harry mumbled. "I bet you wish you hadn't pushed the issue, huh?"

Snape's eyes met Harry's. They looked angry. "Absolutely not," he said sternly. "This is precisely why I insist on these check-ups in the first place. Why else did you think I do these? To secretly mock my students in my office?"

"Well, I kind of did," Harry admitted.

"No," Snape said. "It's because these sorts of things go undetected far too often. I have begged the headmaster to make these check-ups mandatory for the other houses but –"

"Severus," Madame Pomfrey said sharply. "You forget yourself." She inclined her head towards Harry.

Snape sighed. "Just for this instance," he said. "May I count on your discretion as you count on mine?"

"Er… yeah," Harry stammered. A wisp of hope formed in his chest. "Does that mean you won't tell anyone?"

Snape shook his head and Harry's hope vanished. "I can't keep this a secret," he said. "You know I can't. You're clearly not safe at home."

"It's not that bad," Harry said when an angry expletive left Pomfrey's mouth as the quill kept writing. Snape glanced at the parchment and his mouth became a strained, thin line.

"I beg to differ," he said, his voice now not really managing to conceal his anger anymore. "I imagined the basilisk bite to be your worst injury but – by Merlin – it was not the first time you almost died; it seems."

"You're exaggerating," Harry said feebly.

"He most certainly is not!" Pomfrey told him sternly. "Mr Potter, we need you to see the seriousness of your situation. The quill isn't even done writing yet!"

They had been going on for about twenty-five minutes now. "Well, how long does it usually take?"

"A couple of minutes," Snape said. "At least, for children that don't come from abusive households."

Harry frowned. "Please don't say that."

"Why not?" Snape asked, his voice matter of fact though his body language showed clear discomfort. "It's true, you know."

"I know," Harry said. "But it makes me look like a nutcase. And can that quill just go ahead and stop now? I think we all get the message, already!"

"We need to know all of it, Harry," Pomfrey said kindly. The sudden use of his given name irked him. He wasn't a frightened rabbit they needed to be gentle with. "You need to understand that if there's any lasting injuries or other deficiencies, I need to know about them before I can go ahead and take care of them."

"My magic healed all of it," Harry dismissed her. From his peripheral vision, he saw that blue light was now coming from his back and he certainly knew what the quill was describing now. Rotten thing. Oh, how he hoped Dumbledore was not secretly a fly Animagus.

"Superficially, yes," Pomfrey told him kindly. "But not entirely. Haven't you noticed lingering pains of sorts?"

Harry had, but he kind of assumed everyone had that. He certainly heard adults grumbling about aching joints and back pains often enough.

It was as if Snape had read his mind. "No, that's not normal," he said. "Not for children."

"Oh," Harry said, not knowing what else to reply.

"I must say that after your initial protest, you have been quite mature about this," Snape said. Harry didn't like the surprise in his voice.

"Well," he said. "I know the drill by now."

"The drill?" Snape repeated.

"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "Get noticed; get examined; someone talks to my relatives; They tell you how horrible I am; you – especially you, Snape – believe them because they are such good people to take in their orphaned nephew; I get sent right back and the whole thing starts all over again but as an extra bonus I'll get locked in the cupboard for a couple of days because I wasn't careful enough!"

By the end of that sentence, Harry was yelling. Maybe he wasn't handling this as maturely as Snape had said. Well, woops.

"Sometimes, I just can't believe muggles," Pomfrey grumbled. "What were they thinking, ignoring a child in distress?"

"Blind fools, the lot of them," Snape agreed. "They see what they want to see, even with the evidence right in front of them."

"But this – "

The quill finally stopped writing and disappeared into thin air. Harry felt sort of relieved at that. Snape picked up the parchment and scanned it over before anger painted his face once more.

"Mr Potter," he said dangerously. "Would you care to explain to me why you didn't tell me you were injured a couple of days ago due to getting assaulted?

Harry almost laughed, it was so ridiculous. Here Snape had a thorough and complete list of every injury Harry had ever sustained but he was upset about a couple of bruises? Remembering the reason of his concealment removed the mirth from the situation though. He frowned at Snape then. "Why would I?" he asked. "It's not like I'm a real Slytherin. Would you have believed me if I mentioned anything? Would you seriously not have thought that I'm the one who instigated it? Honestly, what would telling you have even accomplished?"

"Severus," Pomfrey said. "Calm down. I think Harry needs to stay here for today so don't go stomping off to the dungeons with him.

"You're right, of course, Poppy," Snape said wearily. Harry didn't think he'd ever seen Snape look so vulnerable. "Give him some nutrient potions. It's clear the boy needs them. I'll make you a fresh batch soon."

With a flick of his wand, he opened the door again. "I'll be back soon, after I sort out some… things."

He was just about to leave the room when he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Harry. "I hear you managed to summon a patronus today," he said. "Given... this new information regarding your personal circumstances, that makes it all the more impressive. It was very well done of you. Ten points to Slytherin."

With that, he turned on his heel and left. His quick and large footfalls resounded for a few seconds more before disappearing into silence, leaving Harry to process all the things that happened since half an hour ago and turned his life upside town.

A/N: And so the wheels keep turning. Things will get a lot more interesting from here on out. Please review!

Last revised on 03/12/2024.