Dunderhead - A Harry Potter story: Snape becomes Harry's mentor

Chapter 4

Harry jerked his head away when he saw a large hand reaching for him. He could not believe that Snape had hit him, actually hit him, and so viciously. Not even Uncle Vernon had hurt him so badly before. The rough handling and slaps around the head from his uncle were frequent but at least Harry knew how they felt. The shock of being... well, assaulted was different. A shock that was magnified when Harry felt something warm trickling down the side of his head. 

Harry knew that Snape was angry, and he should have expected the man to snap like this. Harry had pushed him to the limit, and what had he been thinking? Yelling at him like that, and calling him that horrid name? Harry felt sick with himself: had he not always tried to convince Snape that he wasn't like his father? But now Harry had just proved himself wrong. Snape would be more convinced than ever that Harry was an exact replica of James Potter, the egotistic, bigoted bully who took pleasure in hurting people. Harry felt miserable inside at the thought as he shifted on his bottom, trying to work up the courage and strength to work out how to flee from Snape's office without a repeat performance. The anger and resentment that Harry had felt moments before were replaced with guilt, regret and a touch of mounting fear. He's going to kill me, Harry thought. I'll be in detention forever, if I'm lucky enough not to be expelled. And so when the Potions professor reached again for his face, Harry pulled away almost instinctively.

"Stop. Don't move. Let me see." Snape murmured.

Harry didn't like it but he let the man turn his head towards the dull swinging light in the room. Snape pushed Harry's messy hair out of the way and examined the wound. It was bleeding, but not badly. Harry grimaced, sure that Snape's ministrations could only make things worse. But the rough, sandpaper hands that had struck him so savagely before were surprisingly gentle. The Potions Master pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in barely concealed relief as he sat back from Harry and stood up.

"It's fine," he said. "It's just a cut, not too deep."

Harry felt his bruised cheek tentatively. He was aware of his head aching dully.
Snape helped the boy to his feet and sat him down in the chair again.

"Wait here, Potter."

With that instruction, Snape turned out of the room towards his potion stores. But Harry did not wait. He wanted to get out of there before Snape had a chance to tear him apart. Snape was mad if he though that Harry was going to sit here on the floor and wait patiently for the man to come back and give him another whallop.