He had indeed. Never had he seen a body so completely covered in cuts, bumps and bruises. 'You didn't ask him about his Aunt and Uncle.'
Taking several potions out of her cabinet, Poppy paused and gave him a long look. 'You saw how afraid he was. Do you really think he would have told us the truth? Did you, the first time we talked?'
Well, she had him there. 'I have not yet heard back from them, about an appointment.'
'Ah yes, your first year home visits. Well, from what I heard, Harry had a great deal of difficulty getting his owl informing him about school. Despite hundreds of owls sent, Hagrid finally had to give him his letter on the 31st, searching him out in some cabin on a rock in the middle of the ocean.'
Severus stared. He hadn't heard that story. No surprise, as he'd not wanted to hear
'I wouldn't expect them to return promptly,' she said quietly, and he knew what she really meant. He should expect them to return at all.
The curtain was pulled aside, and the boy came out, still a little wild-eyed, but holding himself still and trying for composure. Good.
'Can I go now?' The boy looked at Severus. 'Sir?'
Severus looked him up and down, then canceled the privacy spell with a wave of his wand. 'In a moment. Come here, please.'
The boy dragged his feet, obviously reluctant and expecting the worst, but Severus merely shoved a potion at him. 'Drink that.' Potter sniffed it and wrinkled his nose at it. 'Drink it, Potter,' Severus warned him. 'It's a nutritional supplement. You'll take another dose in the morning, and every day thereafter at breakfast.'
When Potter had choked that one down, Severus handed him a Skele-Gro for his ribs, and Poppy gave him two more potions and set an appointment with him for Friday.
The tightness was gone from around the boy's eyes as he was finally excused; obviously he'd been in pain for some time, and the potions had eased it for him. Watching him race from the room, Severus put a hand up to cover his eyes. He was tired all of a sudden, so tired he could barely think.
'When you do visit them,' Poppy said, 'make sure not to mention anything Harry's told us today.'
'I know,' he said, remembering Potter's rant when they'd first arrived. It made much more sense now, why he hadn't wanted to come to the infirmary. Trust was a fragile thing, especially for someone like him, and all it would take is telling his story once and having it be ignored or mocked, to shatter that trust completely.
And yet, the boy had told, despite his protestations. There was still hope for him, hidden under that aggravatingly blustery attitude.
Still, if the boy needed to be returned to his home, for whatever reason -- Severus had heard of the blood wards, of course -- then it would not go well for him if his relatives were under the impression that he'd spilled their 'secrets' at first opportunity. No, Severus would need to be circumspect, at least until he was sure of what kinds of strictures he could enforce for their continued care of the boy.
It would be best, of course, if he could keep the child from being sent back there at all.
'What are you going to tell the Headmaster?' Poppy asked.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. 'The truth, of course.' In all its brutal glory. He would let the man writhe, then, when he heard about how his Golden Boy had been treated. Although, how Dumbledore could not have known already was beyond him, and if he had . . . so help him, Severus didn't know what he would do.
'Of course,' Poppy murmured.
He gave her a sharp look, which she returned with a bland smile. He shook his head, not willing to play whatever games she wanted today. 'Let me know if he doesn't return for his appointment.'
'Of course,' she said again, and he swept from her presence.
Later that evening, unable to concentrate on his grading, Severus made a surprise visit to the Slytherin common room, ostensibly to make sure no 'funny business' was going on, but if he'd been dosed with Veratiserum, he would have admitted it was to check on Potter and see how he was faring after his trip to the infirmary. He recalled his own first visit with Pomfrey, and how he'd hidden out in his dorms for two days afterwards, not wanting anyone to see his shame.
But Potter was bent over his books, at a table with the Malfoy whelp, as well as the blood purist Zabini and one of the more dull witted of the new Firsties, at least according to her other professors, Millicent Bullstrode. Study group then. Good. Potter still looked a bit hot around the collar, but Severus did not watch him too closely, not with all the other eyes warily on him as he toured the room.
Instead, he checked in with his new Prefects, as well as the ones from sixth and seventh years. Slowly, inexorably, he made his way around to Potter's end of the room, still not looking at the boy, though he could feel Potter's gaze on him from time to time. It was unlikely he would be able to fool the Brat as to why he was there at all, but it was for others he had to do this, for the Malfoys and Notts and Averys.
Zabini was muttering something now, and Severus listened with half an ear to their conversation, and half an ear to Flint's whinging about Slytherin's chances this year for the Quidditch Cup without a decent Seeker.
'It's a
'Well not everybody's got a Mummy who'll buy them a brand new wand, Zabini,' the large girl spat. 'This old one's a piece of crap.'
'Then it should feel right at home in your hand,' Zabini told her with a sneer.
'Hey,' Potter interjected. 'You don't gotta be rude about it. It's not her fault she's got hand me downs.'
'Shut it, you half-blood freak.' Zabini pointed his quill at Harry's forehead. 'Besides, what the hell do you know about hand me downs? Your parents were loaded when they bit it.'
'Yeah, well, you'd be surprised what I know,' Potter said, and Severus saw a twitch along the boy's jaw. He'd
