Whelp II The Wrath of Snape

All he could glean of her speech was that something else had happened to Harry. 'How is he? Is he all right?'

'He will be. No thanks to you! How on earth could you have become a Potions Master without learning a thing about first aid, I will never—'

'What? What are you talking about?'

'His ankle, Severus! You wrapped it tight and it swelled again, cutting off the circulation to the whole foot. If I hadn't gotten here when I did, he could have lost it. Permanently. Do you understand me?'

'I . . .' Feeling the blood drain from his face, Severus stepped back from her ire. He had bound the foot, meaning to take Harry to the Infirmary. He hadn't check it again. 'I understand,' he whispered.

'Good. Because I believe your priorities need some adjusting.'

'My priorities?' he echoed.

'Yes. That boy,' she gestured to the bedroom down the hall, 'is obviously in need of far more supervision than he is currently experiencing. Whose care are you leaving him in while you are playing about with potions?'

'The House-elves,' he said, unable to keep a note of defensiveness from creeping into his voice. Playing about indeed! He had a job to do! 'Albus assigned them himself!'

She glared at him hard enough to almost make him shuffle his feet like a chastised child. 'I imagine they might be adequate to the task of looking over an eleven-year-old or older, though perhaps not even them. But for someone Harry's age? He's barely seven, and he should not be made to rely on himself so much. They aren't keeping him safe on the grounds, nor making sure he's eating properly. Barely a few bites of apple, and a sip of milk for lunch. He's malnourished as it is, and you know it!'

'I told the House-elves to make sure he was eating enough.'

'Well, apparently they are ignoring your orders!'

'Impossible . . .' Though, now that he thought about it, they did seem to disregard his directives on a fairly regular basis, allowing Harry too much control over his diet, his whereabouts, and even what pets he picked up. Perhaps the elves weren't clear on who was in charge? Or maybe they were too used to catering to the whims of students?

'All that aside, Harry is in much greater need of your company. He feels like he's underfoot and in the way.'

Severus shook his head. 'He isn't.'

'I didn't say he was. I said he feels that way. Do you know what he told me an hour ago?' Her voice was rushed, yet rough with some unnamed emotion as she went on without waiting for him to answer, not that he would have anyway; he did not play guessing games. 'He said that good for nothing freaks were to stay out of sight so normal people didn't have to look at them. Does that sound like he thinks he's wanted?'

Severus squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. His words from just before lunch came back to ring in his ears. And his attitude . . . with all that Harry had been through, was it any wonder he had reverted to thinking himself a freak, or worse, when his own father had seemingly rejected him?

'I suggest,' Poppy said, more calmly than Severus felt, 'that you go in there and make it up to him. And I suggest that you find someone competent to look after him whilst you're teaching. Or else, find yourself a job where you can be with him more yourself.' She paused, and he opened his eyes, to see her regarding him with a mix of righteous anger and concern. 'He needs you desperately, Severus. Do not fail him again.'

She was right. He had been such a fool. How could he turn a boy like Harry, who had so much trouble with trust and lacked almost any instinct toward self-preservation, over to mere House-elves? How could they have any understanding of his issues, of his psyche? Of the particular needs an abused, malnourished, and essentially lonely boy would have in a huge castle like this one, dominated by older, busier people who all had their own duties, as well. He was pretty sure that each of the House-elves ad other jobs besides watching Harry, too, so he was not even their first priority.

If Severus wasn't going to be able to watch Harry all the time on his own, he was going to need to hire someone who could and would.