Whelp II The Wrath of Snape

trying to catch his breath, he didn't answer right away, she said, 'Harry?'

'Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, I'm sorry.'

'It's all right, dear.' She put a hand on his shoulder, and left it there, even when he flinched really bad. People weren't supposed to touch freaks like him. She squeezed his shoulder gently. 'Can you tell me what you ate for lunch?'

He thought a moment, though it was hard with her hand there, even if it did feel comforting. He wasn't supposed to be comforted. 'Um, some apple?'

'Is that all?'

'And milk,' he admitted, sure he'd done something wrong. Maybe he wasn't supposed to have eaten anything. But Father had said to, hadn't he? 'I'm sorry, ma'am.'

'There's nothing to be sorry about.' Her hand left his shoulder, and though he knew it was bad to want such things, he wished she would go back to touching him. But Tree was still there, and her purring felt like it went right through to his bones, working against the ache in his chest.

Besides, Madam Pomfrey's wand was moving again. Then the pain in his back faded all of a sudden, as if it had never been there, and the same with the cuts on his belly stopped stinging. He let out a relieved sigh, glad it no longer hurt to breathe. 'Why were you out on the rocks, Harry?'

As he remembered this morning, and Charlie, Harry's breath hitched again. Now he understood why Charlie hadn't wanted to talk to him, or go exploring, and why Payton had been mean and laughed at Treacle's name. Even they knew he was a freak. 'I was 'sploring, ma'am,' he said quietly. 'Not s'posed to be in the way.'

Her head cocked to the side a bit. 'Who told you that?'

'Uh-uncle Vernon, ma'am.' He bit his lip, then dutifully repeated, 'Good for nothing freaks must stay out of sight so normal people don't ever have to look at them.'

Madam Pomfrey was quiet for a moment, and Harry peeked up at her from beneath his fringe, to see her eyes wide and her mouth in the shape of an O. Then she started muttering again, but this time about his father, saying things like, 'How he could leave a child alone and in pain for hours without bringing him to me?' and, 'Doesn't he have any idea of how to treat a child in his care?' and so on.

Harry closed his eyes briefly, only to open them again when Madam Pomfrey said, 'Here, Harry dear, drink this for me. It will help heal your ankle, all right? And the bruising.' Though he was a bit scared, he had to be brave and do what he was told, so he drank the potion she held to his lips, expecting poison and burning pain and vomiting, any second. The taste was yucky, but nothing worse happened when he drank the medicine down, and he leaned back again. 'Good boy. Thank you, Harry,' she said, and he knew she was lying, because he wasn't good.

She was quiet then, for a while, and Harry didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up, opening his eyes slowly and rubbing the crust off his lids. His eyes ached, still, and he remembered again – he'd been crying.

He heard the sound of raised voices from the other room. Madam Pomfrey and . . . Father?

Almost desperately, he wanted to know what they were saying. Were they discussing how to best get rid of him? Was father telling her what a baby he was, what a freak? He would be prepared, if he got up to listen; he would know what was in store for him. But he was too tired to move, really, and his ankle still throbbed dully, reminding him that father had not wanted him to move about. He wouldn't disobey; he couldn't.

Instead, he closed his eyes again, one hand stroking idly through Treacle's fur, and wished he was normal. Just once. For Father.

---

At the end of his class, Severus flew – almost bat-like – to his quarters. He expected to find Harry still in distress, but hopefully with his ankle fixed by Madam Pomfrey. He did not expect to have the Medi-witch, almost frothing at the mouth, greet him at the door with, 'Severus Snape, there you are! It's about time. You should be ashamed of yourself! I have half a mind to call Child Wizarding Services and have them do an investigation!'