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

Chapter 35: BULLYING POTTER

Potter had managed to do exactly as he had been told - and Severus was suitably annoyed about it. Malfoy and Potter were ageing surprisingly quickly though and it was this thought alone, as well as the idea that he might be rid of the two of them in the next few days, that prevented Severus from about grumbling it. 

Potter had been nearly silent in his task as he picked through the books, ordering them neatly and methodically, and Severus wondered where on earth a four year old had learnt to arrange books in alphabetical order. It showed a good level of intelligence, admittedly. More so than Draco had exhibited too, Severus was loathed to admit. So, if Potter had hidden depths, why wasn't he in Ravenclaw? Severus could easily recall how slow the boy was in potions, not to mention how dim witted the boy had been in Occlumency lessons. No, Severus thought, evidently Potter's early intelligence had petered out at some stage. The thought comforted him and once Potter had finished arranging the lowest shelf of his books, and Draco had arrived to sit at Severus' feet in a clingy manner, the potions master decided that it was time to find something new to amuse the brats. He considered ordering Potter to polish his wooden flooring but dismissed the idea quickly at the thought of the smell of the varnish: he did not want the little brat to be stinking of polish. It was probably bordering on cruelty anyway, and Severus would not instigate the headmaster's wrath just to have the satisfying memory of Potter working away like a house elf. Having made up his mind to provide some menial entertainment for Malfoy and Potter, Severus stood up abruptly, knocking Draco carelessly aside as he did so. Severus paused to look down at the boy, expecting him to cry or at least give a hurt sniff, but Draco had already walked away to examine some cardboard boxes that were stacked in a corner of Severus' chamber. In no time at all, Draco's body was half in and half out of a brown box.

Well, if that was entertainment so be it, Severus thought as muffled laugh echoed from the corner of his chamber. The box wobbled precariously as Draco wriggled out of it, and Severus peered over at the other boy in his rooms. He motioned to the pile of boxes in a corner of the room. "Go on then", Severus said pointedly to Harry..

The boy looked doubtfully at Draco sitting in the box and Severus wondered if Potter had remembered who the Slytherin boy was for such a look of unease to appear on his face. At the sound of Severus clearing his throat though, Harry reluctantly walked over and silence reigned again in Severus' dungeons. Severus let out a breath as he began to mark his way through some student's essays. He couldn't help a grimace when he got to the fifth years' work, however, and saw Potter's name sitting on the top of the pile. It made him feel slightly sick to see the teenager's handwriting only to look up and be reminded that Potter was now a small child wandering around his rooms. The anger that Severus had felt about being handed the responsibility of Potter rose in him again and, ready with the scarlet ink in hand, Severus got to work marking Potter's assignment.

***

It had been silent for too long and Severus emerged from his marking like a diver emerges from a long swim in deep waters. The silence had become unnerving. A quiet child must surely be a naughty child. Severus, to his displeasure, was proved right when he looked up. But it was not the scene that he had imagined.

Severus' scrutiny met the unexpected scene of his godson sitting on the Saviour of the Wizarding World's back, pinning the boy to the floor with his bodyweight. Severus stood up immediately.

He paused. What was he supposed to do? Did all children fight like this, like animals testing out their pack hierarchies? And why wasn't Potter struggling, or at the very least crying? Severus waited some more, hoping that the boys might order themselves. But he snapped out of his inactive response when he saw Malfoy yank especially hard on a lock of black hair. "Draco!" Severus shouted, and the boy just about leapt into the air with fright at the deep voice. He stood up quickly, falling off Harry in his haste to appear innocent. He stood to look up at Severus, his hands in front of him as though to say, 'What?'

Severus waited until Potter had also got to his feet. He was somewhat appeased to see that Potter seemed unharmed, though the boy did not look up. However, it was as Potter's head shifted slightly that a low torch bracket on the dungeon wall threw the boy's face into light and Severus saw that Potter's cheeks were streaked with tears. It was quite evident that the boy had been crying for a few minutes. Feeling surprisingly uncomfortable, Severus found himself walking over to the boy. He picked him up - hesitantly - and deposited him on the largest single armchair before bearing down on Draco with a fierce glare.

"Mr Malfoy, you will behave yourself and leave Mr Potter alone." He said to the boy in a firm voice, still uncomfortable with what he had witnessed. Draco nodded and Severus hoped that this would be the first and last time that he would have to discipline his godson for his behaviour.

Looking at Potter sitting on the armchair, still with his face pale and cheeks pink from crying, Severus questioned his ability to deal with the situation for the thousandth time. What was he supposed to do? Offer comfort to Potter? Severus shuddered at the thought. He tried to glare at the boy; the son of the man who had made his time at school a misery. But the look got stuck on the way to his face. Severus' lips merely thinned and he breathed heavily through his nose. With his hands shaking with an emotion that Severus could not quite place, he strode over to Potter and, as gently as he was able, turned Potter's face up with one hand in order to study the boy. Potter was silent and Severus questioned how a child could cry without noise, without making a single sound! The boy even sniffed quietly. It was quite annoying really. "It's alright, he won't do it again." Severus heard himself say. It came out sounding slightly more harsh than he had meant it to but then, in Severus' defence, he was not at all acquainted with children. His voice was used to keeping dim-witted teenagers in line in a classroom full of toxic substances and hazardous reactants like Neville Longbottom, not former students who were barely past the age of a toddler. Severus considered Harry for a moment more before reaching out a hand to pat the boy on the back. However, he could not contain his surprise when the boy flinched away from his contact. "I won't harm you either." Severus said awkwardly, retreating back a few steps as though to communicate this to the odd little boy. With some mild panic, Severus wondered if Potter remembered being struck by Severus during last Monday's disaster of an Occlumency lesson. Feeling yet more uncomfortable than he had so far, Severus did not try to reach for the boy again but moved away to place Draco in his bedroom. 

He gave the young Malfoy a stern talk, having decided unconsciously that this was quite a necessary action to take, despite his dismissal of the idea of disciplining Draco before.