Harry's New Home
Story: Harry's New Home
Storylink: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4437151/1/
Category: Harry Potter
Genre: Harry P., Severus S.
Author: kbinnz
Authorlink: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1577900/
Last updated: 10/16/2009
Words: 318389
Rating: T
Status: Complete
Content: Chapter 1 to 64 of 64 chapters
Source: FanFiction.net
Summary: One lonely little boy. One snarky, grumpy git. When the safety of one was entrusted to the other, everyone knew this was not going to turn out well... Or was it? AU.
Harry's First Detention
Professor Snape looked with satisfaction on the small dark head bent industriously over the parchment, scribbling busily. There was always such pleasure in awarding the first Gryffindor detention of the school year, but this year, being able to award it to the Brat-Who-Lived was especially sweet. Knowing he was responsible for the little monster's very first punishment at Hogwarts would keep him happy for days.
McGonagall had, predictably, protested that awarding detention in the first class of the first year was harsh, especially when she had heard from the tattling little lions that Harry hadn't actually done anything, but Dumbledore, with an unreadable look at Severus, had gently said, "I'm sure Severus would never abuse the awarding of detentions." Minerva had shut up at that point, though Severus had correctly interpreted the vague words as the warning they had been.
It was typical of the old coot. Favoring the Potter brat. Taking his side over Severus'. It was going to be a long seven years with the Headmaster obviously out to favor the boy тАУ even when it meant blatantly taking the side of a student over a professor. Of course, Snape gritted his teeth, there was nothing new in Dumbledore's siding with a Potter over a Snape. Severus supposed he was lucky this Potter had yet to try to kill him. Well, maybe if he terrified the little brat right from the start, Potter would give him a wide berth from here on out. Just because Severus was sworn to protect the little creep didn't mean he had to be nice to him or тАУ perish the thought! тАУ like him.
Snape turned his attention to the pile of homework in front of him. Let's see how the boy did. With any luck he might have inherited his scholastic ability from his mother.
Harry shifted uncomfortably on the hard wooden chair and stifled a sigh. Could the professor have put a charm on these stools to make them particularly uncomfortable? No, to be fair, Harry had been unable to sit comfortably ever since Uncle Vernon's "going away" thrashing. Interwoven with plenty of threats about what happened to freaks who were ungrateful to their families, the whipping had left his backside raw, and this detention was taking place at the end of a long day, during most of which Harry had been forced to sit on his increasingly painful bum.
At least some of the classes тАУ like Potions тАУ had the students out of their seats for part of the time, as the teachers had them gather round to watch a demonstration or try some practical magic themselves. But for this detention, Professor Snape had simply pointed to a desk with waiting parchment and quill and coldly ordered him to start copying the lines on the blackboard. If Harry didn't get to 400 before the end of the detention, he would have another one, Snape threatened, so Harry had hastily seated himself тАУ ouch! тАУ and got started. Now, about two hours into the punishment, the pain in his bottom was getting hard to ignore. Harry shifted his weight from one cheek to the other and tried not to wince.
He still wasn't quite sure why Ron had been so incensed on his behalf. After all, Snape hadn't done anything that unusual. Harry was accustomed to being picked on in school тАУ after Aunt Petunia had her parent-teacher conference and informed the teachers about Harry's troublemaking tendencies, his slyness, and his deceit, the teachers were universally wary of him. Add in Dudley's delight in framing him for all manner of crimes, and by the second month of school, Harry was always the teacher's least favorite student, catching all manner of unfair criticism and undeserved punishments. By this time, he was quite used to it and barely noticed. He had actually been rather surprised that Snape was the only teacher тАУ so far тАУ who was acting normally.
Snape slammed down the homework with a silent curse. A house elf could have done a better job on the assignment than the Potter whelp had, and Weasley's deformed rat would have better handwriting. No one was this inept тАУ clearly the brat was deliberately handing in appalling work just to demonstrate his contempt for the classтАж and his teacher.
Snape forced himself to calm down. Just because the brat looked like James Potter and acted like James Potter didn't meanтАж oh, the hell with it. Of course it did. The boy was a clone of his father and would do everything in his power to torment Snape. The only difference was that Snape was now тАУ at last тАУ well able to protect himself. He was no longer a friendless loner who could be easily picked on and bullied. This generation of Potter would find out just how sweet vengeance could be for a patient Slytherin. There was a limit as to how much Dumbledore could protect the boy, especially if he wanted Snape to keep playing the spy. After all, he was supposed to loathe The Boy Who Lived, wasn't he? If Dumbledore protested, Snape could always plead that he was merely playing his role a little too well.
Snape glared at the boy and wondered what he was thinking. His father or godfather would have been plotting dark revenge by this point. As he watched, the boy fidgeted for the millionth time and his expression twisted slightly. Aha. Potter was obviously planning some mischief instead of being focused on the lines in front of him. Considering that he was being punished for talking during lecture and not paying attention тАУ he'd squirmed and fidgeted his way through class as well тАУ he was obviously a stubborn little monster who refused to learn from his mistakes.
Harry paused to count the lines he'd completed. Barely 150. It was the quill тАУ even with Ron's clumsy coaching, he couldn't figure out how to use it. If only he could have a pencil or a ballpoint, or even a fountain pen! But no, it was quills and parchment here, and Muggleborns (or Muggle-raiseds) just had to cope. Harry sighed again and tried to support himself on his outstretched forearms, lifting the weight off his backside. If he could just stand up тАУ maybe, if he asked, the professor would let him finish the work standing at the desk? But then he'd want to know why, and that was a question Harry wasn't about to answer. So he waited another moment, holding himself off the chair to give his welts a chance to stop stinging quite so badly.
"Why aren't you writing?" a furious voice snapped in his ear, and with a yelp of utter surprise, Harry flinched. His seat dropped back to the chair and he barely bit back another yelp, this one of pain.
Snape loomed over the boy, delighted at his success in sneaking up behind him. He had thought the boy was off in dreamland, but he'd never expected to be able to startle him so much. Huge green eyes stared fearfully into his own for a moment, then dropped.
Just as well. The last thing Snape wanted was a reminder that this boy was Lily's as well. Much better that he kept up his annoying, disrespectful habit of staring at the floor as if he had no interest in anyone else тАУ that way he looked almost exactly like James and was much easier to despise.