Yuletide Blessing in Disguise

Harry's Torment

The small measure of satisfaction which had come from wiping the smug look from Draco's face at breakfast faded away during History of Magic when Harry remembered that his next class was Double Potions. His stomach knotting with anxiety, he found it nearly impossible to concentrate—which was admittedly not unusual for him during Professor Binns' lectures. But unlike Ron, Seamus, and Neville—who were all snoring—Harry was wide awake.

Nonetheless, he was so lost in his own little world that he didn't notice the nudges until he felt a sharp poke in his ribs. He turned to look at Hermione who was frowning at him.

"Harry," she hissed under her breath, "are you sure you're up to this? Maybe you should take a few days off like Dumbledore suggested."

"I'll be fine," he said curtly before catching himself. "Sorry—it's just..."

"...Snape! I know—and Potions is next. That's what I meant."

"Oh!"

For a moment, Harry seriously considered taking Hermione's and Dumbledore's advice. Then he shook his head.

"I'm going to have to see him sooner or later. I might as well just get it over with."

Hermione lifted her eyebrows at him. Harry sighed at her dubious expression.

"I'll be fine," he said again, "I swear! I can handle Snape."

Hermione still looked skeptical, but she seemed to know it was no use pressing him further because she returned to taking notes without another word. Harry started to feel guilty when he saw a tear trickling down her cheek, but he was determined not to let Snape and his questionable allegiance get to him.

He started to have second thoughts again on the way to the dungeons after History of Magic was over. Groggy though he still was, Ron seemed to notice something was wrong.

"You okay, Harry?" Ron asked quietly. "Maybe you should skive off Potions—"

"I'm fine," said Harry through gritted teeth, trying his hardest not to let his irritation show when he spotted Lavender and Parvati looking at him worriedly too; and he was more determined than ever not to let anyone see how feeble and pathetic he felt, "Really! I'm all right."

"If you say so," said Ron, sharing a skeptical look with Neville.

There was silence the rest of the way as Harry and his friends trailed behind the other Gryffindors who had no idea that anything was amiss. He ignored Draco's dirty looks when they finally arrived and took their seats. The Potions classroom seemed somehow darker and more ominous than usual when Snape scowled at Harry and sat behind his desk.

~o0o~

It took every effort for Snape to restrain himself from provoking Potter and Granger into giving him a particularly good reason to dock a whole load of points from Gryffindor and give them detention. He had—as had the other Heads of Houses—been informed that Granger would be sharing Potter's quarters indefinitely for the foreseeable future. Snape had complained vociferously to Dumbledore, but his objections had fallen on deaf ears.

Dumbledore's decision was absurd and unfathomable. All he had said was that it was for Granger's safety. Snape snorted bitterly at the headmaster's transparent ploy to indulge Potter's every whim. From Potter's very first year Dumbledore had pampered him, turning a blind eye to his rule-breaking, rewarding Potter with points at every turn instead of giving him the punishments he so richly deserved.

Clearly Dumbledore had allowed his sentimentality to get the better of him, as if dead parents and being hunted by the Dark Lord were worthy reasons for coddling Potter. Utter nonsense! Potter should have been expelled many times over, not exalted for his misbehaviour.