As Potter is to Snape

Chapter 4

Out of the corner of his eye, Snape noticed that while he was eyeing his food hungrily as if it were a decadent sweet instead of a chicken sandwich, Harry wasn't eating. Remembering what Minerva had said about the canned soup that had been sitting on his floor at his relatives, Snape wondered if the boy was afraid of not being allowed to eat much here.

"Don't just stare at your food, Potter." He said, feeling the direct approach would be best. "Jenka did not go through the trouble of making it just so that you can let it go to waste." And with that, Snape picked up his own fork and began to eat.

Slowly, as if cautiously, Harry picked up his sandwich and took a bite. After a few tense moments of silence, Snape took a drink of his tea and looked over to Harry.

"When I asked you to change clothes, I simply meant to change into something neater, that wasn't covered in soot or ripped. Preferably in your actual size. I didn't mean your school uniform." He stated in what he was sure wasn't a gentle tone, though he did hope that he didn't come off as harsh or cross. The last thing he needed was for Potter to be even more afraid of him than he had been the last two years. That would do nothing to help the situation.

Harry didn't even look up though. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on his already half-eaten sandwich, the carrots had been completely ignored, as he said, "All my clothes are the same. These are my nice ones."

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "All of them? There's nothing without holes or that fits you?" He could see the color rising in Harry's face even as he kept his head down.

"Yeah, well, they have to buy Dudley new clothes and there's no point buying me any when I can just wear his old ones, is there?"

Snape glowered, though Harry didn't see it. "The point would be that you both have adequate, well-fitted clothing."

Harry just shrugged and replied, "It's not a big deal." Then he picked up his sandwich and took another tentative bite, before deciding to change the subject away from himself. "Who's Jenka?"

"She is a house-elf," Snape said stiffly before taking another bite of his own food. "Eat the carrots as well."

"Like Dobby? Does she belong to you?" Harry looked up in interest, pointedly still ignoring the carrots on his plate as if they had personally done something to affront him.

"Dobby? The elf that belonged to the Malfoy's?"

Harry nodded. "I met him last summer. He used a hover charm on my aunt's pudding while they were having dinner with Uncle Vernon's boss."

There it was. The boy had brought up his relatives on his own. This was the opportunity that Snape needed. He chewed a bite of his shepherd's pie thoughtfully, then asked, "How did your relatives feel about that? Dobby and the pudding, I mean."

Harry's green eyes flashed up to his own for a brief second before dropping back to his plate. "It was fine." He muttered as he rubbed his hand over the right side of his jaw before he half-heartedly picked up a carrot and took a tiny bite.

"Really?" Snape asked. "I would have thought they would be really upset that a house-elf had ruined their dinner. I would have been." Snape wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he was hoping that it might at least get the child talking. The Ministry had all the proof that they needed, but it certainly wouldn't hurt if Harry opened up a bit about the abuse, if only so that he could begin to heal himself. "Of course, maybe they didn't see Dobby at all." Harry made a face at his plate and Snape knew he was on the right track. "Did they think you did the hover charm, Potter? Did you get into trouble for it?"

Harry scowled up at him suddenly. This whole conversation was unnerving Harry and he didn't like it. Just who did Snape think he was, sitting here eating together and talking to him as if the past two years had never happened?! As if he hadn't, just this past year, tried to get him and Ron expelled for showing up at school in the flying car. Like he hadn't insulted him every chance he got!