The Potter Brat

Chapter 4

After their first meeting Harry and Snape didn't have another. He treated harry the same as he did with all his students and Harry returned the favour. Snape assumed that since harry got what he wanted, the boy wouldn't want anything more to do with him anymore. He was proved wrong the next Wednesday when he heard a light knock on his classroom door after dinner.

He was surprised when a young Potter heir walked an stood before his desk holding a parchment with his head down. "Can i help you Mr. Potter?" Harry looked up and Snape was faced with red eyes, puffy cheeks and pouty wet lips. Internally he was trying to find the James in the boy, but that look was not even Lily. It was full of Harry, and Harry was sad.  "Why are you crying?" asked Snape a little harsher than intended. harry flinched and looked down "We got our charms essays back a-and i failed. Weasley saw and started making fun of me." Snape resisted a sigh. Children tended to wear their hearts on their sleeves. "And you felt hurt by what Mr. Weasley said?" surprisingly Harry shook his head "No sir. I don't care." "Then why are you crying?" his curiosity leaking a bit into his words.  When harry looked back into the mans eyes Snape saw the total heartbreak in his eyes "Y-you said that my m-mum was good in charms." "And you think she would be disappointed if you weren't?" asked the dark man with sudden understanding. Harry merely nodded in shame.

"Mr. Potter...may i see your essay?" he asked softer this time. Hesitantly the pre-teen handed over his assignment to the Professor. He shifted on his feet nervously, head still down, as the older man scanned the work. He didn't look up in fear of disgust or anger. "Mr. Potter" called Snape in his usual drawl. Even then Harry looked up slowly scared to face the man. He relaxed slightly when he found none of the above in the Professors eyes. What he did find made him curious. Snape was looking at the boy in confusion. "Yes sir?"

"Mr. Potter this essay." Harry flinched "Is it that bad?" "No. Not really. I'm just confused. Your essay consists of everything BUT what the question asks. That means you know your work. If you do then why didn't you answer the question? You would have gotten a good mark if you did." realization hit Harry and he stiffened, which didn't go unnoticed by the older wizard. "Did you purposefully not answer the question Mr. Potter?" asked Snape calmly. Harrys eyes widened at how fast the man caught on 'I shouldn't have come here' he thought and made a way to escape but Snape's voice stopped him. "Why would you do that? Why would you hide your intelligence?" "I-I..Y-you see...I-I...I'm sorry sir." he stutters meekly. The Potions master sighs softly and gets up walking and kneeling before the almost distressed Potter heir.

"Mr. Potter tell me why you did this." he said lifting the boys head to face him. Harry sniffed, his eyes brimming with tears. "I-I wasn't a-allowed to do b-better th-than Dudley." "Dudley? Who's that?" "C-Cousin." now Snape was mildly worried. 'The child wasn't allowed to do better than his cousin? Cousin?' he thought until a thought struck him "Mr. Potter who do you stay with?" "Aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon and my cousin Dudley sir." he saw his Professor freeze and almost flinched at the pure rage in the older wizards eyes. Seeing the reaction from his student Snape got control of his emotions before speaking "Mr-Harry, do your relatives ever treat you...differently?" when all he got was a confused head tilt he elaborated "DO they ever shout at you, treat you bad, hurt you?" he received his answer when he saw panic flicker in the boys eyes.

Snape put an almost comforting hand on Harrys shoulder and squeezed slightly "It's ok. I want to help. I might need to know more in the future but i wont ask until you're comfortable." he felt the boy relax slightly "For now I want to know that whatever they told you is a lie. You are appreciated and loved for who you are. Am I clear?" he got a hesitant nod as an answer "I need verbal confirmation Harry." "W-we're clear sir." "Good. Now i want you to know that no one will punish you for being smart. In fact i promise that if you present me with an A for your next Charms assignment i will award you for it." Harry gasped and eyes lit up "Really sir?" "I promise Harry." the boy grinned and ran out after promising to study.

"Albus Percival Brian Wolfric Dumbledore!" "What did you do now?" asked McGonagall as Snape stormed into the Headmasters office in rage. "Severus my friend, what can i do for you?" Snape glared his famous death glare and banged his fists on the desk "You old fool! How dare you?!" "I'm not sure what you're speaking of my boy." "I am speaking about the Potter boy!" Dumbledore frowned slightly while McGonagall looked concerned "What's wrong with Harry?" asked Dumbledore sounding concerned. "You left him with Petunia and you ask me what's wrong with him?" the Headmaster got a dark look "What have they done?" "I'm not entirely sure. All i know is they hurt him, obviously abuse. The boy failed his Charms assignment because he wasn't allowed to do better than his cousin in school."

McGonagall gasped "That's barbaric. How dare they! Albus fix this!" Dumbledore nodded seriously "I will Minerva. I apologize Severus. I will make arrangements for the boy to stay somewhere else for summer and his relatives will be punished. I warned Petunia about her jealousy getting the better of her." Snape sighed "Thank you Albus." "No need to thank me my boy. I find little Harry to be a great child." "I will help and make sure that Harry gets placed somewhere we know he is safe and happy." said McGonagall.