A Change In Perspective

Awkward Transition

Snape went very, very still; gazing at Harry impassively before dropping his eyes to his tea cup. Harry watched him nervously; wondering precisely what hehad done to put that look on his teacher's face. Snape seemed reluctant to answer him. Almost afraid that whatever he said would upset Harry in some way...and that he was reluctant to do so. "Sir?" he asked tentatively."What is the last memory you have, Harry, before waking up at the Malfoy's?"Harry blinked. He'd been at Malfoy Manor? Well, that certainly explained why Draco had been there then. Harry frowned. Draco? Since when did he startthinking about the blond as Draco? He shook his head; maybe Snape knew what Voldemort had cursed him with to make him suddenly feel socompassionate towards someone who had deliberately set out to make his life miserable. Speaking of... he'd been lost in thought for awhile now. Why wasn'tSnape yelling at him? Or berating his intelligence? And... Harry blinked again. "You called me Harry?"A slight nod in agreement. "Answer the question.""Oh...err...right. Umm. Yesterday. I remember yesterday, when I had to go to the hearing at the ministry." Snape stiffened, causing Harry to finish hisexplanation slightly defensively. "I wasn't expelled." Snape nodded absently, reaching up to stroke his chin, looking lost in thought. Harry shifted,uncomfortable with the silence, and looked around the quiet room. "So, umm, where is Sirius?"Snape's eyes narrowed. "At the ministry," he said smoothly.Alarm slammed into Harry, causing his chest to tighten with fear. "Did they catch him? Can Dumbledore help him? Why did he leave the house?"Black eyes watched Harry closely as Snape remained silent until Harry's rapid questioning ceased. "I can assure you, Mr. Potter, that no Auror or ministryofficial will attempt to go where Black is." Harry waited; knowing there had to be more to it than that. "Black left the security of these premises to assist you.Dumbledore is aware of Black's location, as are you in a sense.""Can I go see him?""No."A frustrated hiss. "Why not?" His professor's eyes narrowed at the tone of voice. "Sir," Harry hastily amended.Snape looked at Harry again, continuing to absently stroke his chin. Harry waited, trying his best not to scowl or fidget. "You had a bit of an accident, Harry.""An accident?" He nodded to himself, expression turning grim as his worst fears were realized. "So it's true then? Voldemort caught me and cursed me? Isthat why I was at Malfoy Manor? Is that why Sirius left the house?"Harry knew instinctively that something was wrong by the way Snape hesitated before answering. He wanted to jump up and throttle the man, but somethingwhispered to him in the back of his mind; telling him not to crumble under pressure; to either fake his way through it or demand assistance. Harry looked atSnape contemplatively. He really didn't think anyone had ever demanded Snape assist them and lived to tell the tale. So he waited, staring into coal coloredeyes anxiously but resolutely. It seemed to work as Snape sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and straightened his already straight shoulders. "Harry,your accident did not involve Black. Nor did it, at the time, involve the Dark Lord." Harry felt his stomach clench, but remained silent and attentive. Snapegave him an approving look before continuing. "There was a mishap in Potions. You were turned into a child. For the last three weeks I have been assistingwith your care. You were at Malfoy Manor because I do not feel Hogwarts is safest for your rather unique needs. I demand you trust my decision.""You demand..." Harry paused, mind whirling as he tried to process what he had been told. He had been turned into a child? "But school's over," he mutteredout loud. "There was the Tri-Wizard Tournament, then Cedric... well, Moony brought me here. If Voldemort didn't poison me in the graveyard, then how didthis happen? And why are you the one taking care of me? Why not Sirius? Or was I poisoned and you're the only one who can save me? I get Hogwarts notbeing safe for me, since Voldemort probably really wants me dead and had me attacked by Dementors and all, but why Padfoot can't..." Absently he reachedup and rubbed his temple. "I'm a little confused.""I imagine you're also sore." Snape ignored all of Harry's questions, gesturing instead to the two vials sitting beside the boy. "Those will help you feel better.Drink them down, finish your tea, and then I will enlighten you as best I can before we return to Malfoy Manor."Harry, who had responded instinctively to Snape's commanding tone of voice, blanched and froze with his hand clenched around one of the bottles. "Return toMalfoy Manor? Why the fuck would I do that? I want to stay here!""You may not stay here, Harry. No one is staying here at present, and I do not feel that remaining alone in a home filled with dark relics is the wisest choicefor you.""But why can't I go back to Hogwarts? Dumbledore..." Harry trailed off, remembering the way his headmaster had not so much as looked at him throughoutthe summer or during his trial.Snape smirked slightly. "Exactly. Dumbledore." He paused slightly. "Harry, if you do not trust me as an individual, do you at least trust me, on some level, as aPotions Master?"Browse Just In Community Forum Betas Story SearchBooks  Harry Potter+ -    "I, I don't," Harry rubbed his scar. "Yes?" he answered hesitantly. "Yes," he repeated with more conviction. "You've never deliberately tried to kill me withpotions.""What a glowing endorsement," he replied dryly. "Harry, I believe you're susceptible to something called Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance. When you hadyour... accident, you were reverted to such a young age because your system simply could not process the strain on your system. At every age you havebeen, I have collected blood samples and tested them. I am close to discovering precisely which chemicals remain in your system, but will need to examineyour blood at your present age in order to follow my vein of research.""You," Harry blinked. "Oh." His brow furrowed as he thought about all that. "Wait. You said at my present age? What do you mean by that?"Snape sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose again. "A lingering effect of your accident. Judging by your present memories, you have yet to return to yourcorrect age of sixteen.""Sixteen?" Harry gaped at his professor. "I'm not sixteen.""I assure you that you are. You are presently enrolled in your sixth year of schooling. Now drink your potions and we will return to Malfoy Manor to completeyour testing."Harry drank the potions automatically; his mind whirling. "Wait." Snape inclined an eyebrow questioningly. "Wait. If I should be at school, then why was Dr –Malfoy at the house with me?""Young Mr. Malfoy elected to remain at home to reassure you and make sure you were adequately taken care of." Snape hesitated. "He has been one of yourprimary caregivers.""Malfoy was?" Harry asked in shock. "Why not Ron and Hermione? Where are they?""It's four thirty in the morning, Harry. I presume they are at Hogwarts. I refuse to answer any more questions until we are in a safer location."Harry nodded dazedly, automatically standing up and following Snape as he grabbed his empty tea cup, muttered "Portus," and prepared to depart.Shortly before he reached for the cup, however, Harry paused and looked at his teacher uncertainly. "Sir? If I had an accident, and school is in session, thenwhy are you the one coming to collect me?"Black eyes lit up with wicked humor. "Why, Harry; because you made me your family, of course." Taking Harry's hand in his, he stated, "Philotes," and theyvanished from Grimmauld Place.HDHDHDThe manor was ablaze with light when they arrived in the library. Harry looked around the room, instinctively grateful that Draco was nowhere in sight, beforehe noticed Narcissa and Lucius standing nearby. He took a half step closer to Snape before he realized what he was doing."Welcome back, Mr. Potter," Narcissa greeted politely; as though entertaining guests in her robe at four thirty in the morning was a standard affair. "I presumeyou are quite tired by this point. If you would be so good as to follow me," she gestured towards the doors leading out into the hall; "I will lead you to yourroom."Harry looked at Snape uncertainly, feeling exhausted, confused, and completely overwhelmed. His only choices were between his dreaded Potions Masterand the family of a man that had actively tried to kill him. Great. "It's all right, Harry." Snape placed a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder. "Go with Narcissa.There are a few things I need to discuss with Lucius. I will find you in time for breakfast."Reluctantly, he moved away from the security of his teacher and towards the Malfoy's. Lucius smirked at him before he left the library with Narcissa. "Pleasantdreams."The silence between the two was awkward at best. Harry felt as though he should say something, but what was one realistically supposed to say to the wife ofa Death Eater? He winced slightly. Especially after hexing her son and fleeing from their... hospitality. "Erm. Thank you for letting me stay, I guess. I'm sorry Ihexed Mal – Draco.""Quite all right." Narcissa smoothed the front of her robe as she glided down the hall. "No one blames you for your reaction upon waking. It has already beenexplained that your memory will be slightly shoddy after your transition." Harry nodded, relaxing slightly as he followed her. A slight noise up ahead had himlooking up; watching a blond head disappear through a door before it clicked softly into place. Narcissa smiled softly. "We are all trying to make this as easyas possible for you.""Is he very mad at me?" He couldn't fathom precisely why it was important that Draco not hate him, only that it was."Your journal is on the nightstand;" Narcissa answered instead."My journal? I don't keep a journal.""Perhaps not usually," she agreed smoothly, "but your friends decided it would be best for you to remember this experience once it became clear that youwere struggling. Therefore, a journal was started for you." Narcissa smiled in amusement. "As a ten year old, you were quite adamant that the book must bewritten in daily, lest your beloved Mione grow concerned."Harry blushed, reaching up to absently rub at his scar. "Yes, well." He cleared his throat. "She's my best friend, and all.""Indeed. I was merely suggesting you might find the contents illuminating." They continued their walk through the hall in silence. Narcissa stopped in front ofa solid cherry wood door and gestured. "Your room, Harry Potter."He inclined his head slightly; uncertain if he could ask her to leave him alone in her own house. The house in which he was, apparently, a guest for the timebeing. Before he could quite formulate a sentence, however, Narcissa gracefully leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Sleep well." She smiled softly. "I'm sopleased you elected to remain with us."Confused green eyes watched the lady of the manor walk down the hallway. "Good night," he belatedly called; smiling bemusedly.Harry opened his door, saw Nagini curled up on the bed, and screamed.HDHDHDUnable to sleep in such an unfamiliar environment, Harry gave up tossing and turning and elected, instead, to scan the journal on the bedside table. Thecontents were definitely illuminating, to say the least, and he was having a hard time comparing the Slytherins he thought he knew to the Slytherins on displayin the book before him. Hours later, Nagini slithered out to find a snack and a tentative knock alerted him to the presence of another. Harry lifted his head fromhis book and groaned silently. Draco. Malfoy. Standing uncertainly in the doorway to his room. "Tea?"It took him a moment to process the question. "Oh, err," he blushed, closing his journal and shifting over slightly on the bed. "Sure. Thank you."Draco entered Harry's room cautiously. "It's chamomile, with Hibiscus and Rose Hips." He handed Harry the cup and clenched and unclenched his hands. "Itwill help you relax and stay healthy."Harry took a cautious sip. "It's good," he said, surprised. "Thank you." Draco nodded, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed. A heavy silence fell between thetwo of them. "So," Harry cleared his throat and tried again. "So about this morning..."It's ok," Draco interrupted. "I understand better than you'd think I would." He smiled tentatively. "I imagine you were a bit perturbed to wake up on thebathroom floor next to me." Draco frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry I fell asleep. I could have helped answer your questions, or told you what wasgoing on, or," he smirked, "defended myself from your heinous attack."Harry blinked. "It was a simple spell any first year could have done.""I prefer my version.""You would," Harry snorted. It was weird, he reflected, sitting here with Draco Malfoy. Talking. Joking. Acting like... friends, almost. He ran his fingers over thesmooth cover of the journal. Karma really was a bitch sometimes. "Que Sera Sera," he spoke aloud, smiling ruefully.Draco's eyebrows rose incredulously. "Pardon?""What will be will be." Harry smiled fully. "It's a song made popular by a woman named Doris Day." He shrugged, feeling suddenly embarrassed for knowingthis. "My aunt liked her," he mumbled to the carpet."Oh." Draco looked unsure how to proceed with this information. "A popular Muggle," he mused. "She must have been attractive and wealthy.""That's not it. I mean, I'm sure she was rich and stuff, but she was a good person with a lot of talent." He looked up from the carpet, smiling weakly. "Least Ididn't sing 'Don't Eat The Daisies,' or anything.""Why wouldn't you want to eat daisies?" Draco looked confused. "They're cousins to chamomile. The leaves and flowers are edible, and several potions andtonics and teas are made from them to relax the bronchials, ease pain from ulcers, and act as an antispasmodic for colic and general digestive upset.""That's not what I... never mind." They lapsed into awkward silence again. Harry smiled crookedly. "We don't really know what to say to each other whenwe're not fighting, do we?"Draco brightened. "Actually, we have gotten along quite well for the last month now.""Yeah, but I was a kid." Harry reached out and picked up his journal again. "Us getting along constituted me writing numbers and letters and getting slobberedover by many different people." He flipped through his book, glancing at a sentence here and there, smiling as he noticed Hermione's neat handwritingintermixed with sloppy scrawls, childish printing, and the odd inappropriate drawing or two. Harry laughed out loud as a particular annotation caught hisattention. "You played Football?""A highly uncivilized sport, I assure you.""You played Football!" Harry repeated; laughing at the mental picture."Well what do you expect? Your friends are uncultured and simple. They found the sport to be vastly entertaining.""Wait." Harry stood up, tapping his journal against his palm as he walked back and forth. "You played Football?"Draco sighed. "Must you continuously repeat that one phrase? I would actually like to talk to you. I became accustomed to talking with you on a daily basisand find myself missing your company.""But why?" Harry paced, frustrated. He had woken up this morning on a bathroom floor with Draco Malfoy propped up nearby. Then... he shook his head,pressing his palm against his scar in a lame attempt to force an understanding of his conversation with Snape. Family? And now... now he finds out that notonly did Draco take care of him and protect him as a child, he had done so willingly. And missed talking to him. And wasn't mad over the fact that Harry'sinstinctive reaction upon waking as a teenager was to hex the blond senseless. No, Harry thought, turning to face the nervous boy with narrowed eyes. No...he wasn't mad. He was... sad? Disappointed?Genuinely puzzled, Harry asked aqain; softer than he had before. "Why Mal – Draco? Why would you take care of me? Why would you risk your life to helpme?""I," Draco faltered, biting his lip. "You were just a child, Harry. Just a child. I couldn't hate a baby." Draco blushed, smiling sheepishly. "You were all big greeneyes and messy hair; just a little boy afraid of being hurt who wanted to have friends and not be treated like an unwanted accessory. And you liked me. Andsnakes. It was easy to like you back."Harry frowned, watching Draco closely. "No," he said decisively. "No, if that were it, you would have left me with Pomphrey or Ron and Hermione. Why didyou stay?" Draco blanched. Harry looked at his journal, then back at the blond. "Why did you buy me a present and comfort me when I was scared? Why didyou let me sleep in your bed and give me a pet? Why Draco?""I," Draco looked decidedly uncomfortable. "We didn't want to be Death Eaters. We thought that by showing you we could be friendly too, that you wouldprotect us during the war."Harry nodded. Then shook his head. "No, no I don't buy that. I would have helped you even if I didn't trust you because I didn't want to kill any more studentsthan I absolutely had to during the war. Why did you stay?""I," Draco shifted uncomfortably."Will you stop saying that and answer the bloody question!"Gray eyes flared angrily. Harry smirked, pleased by this sign of Draco's former attitude. He didn't quite know what to do with a clearly uncomfortable Dracowho tugged on his heart strings. "Fine," Draco snapped. He marched up to Harry, poking the Gryffindor in the chest angrily. "You want to know why I stayedclose to you? Why I kept helping you?" Harry nodded warily. Draco was yelling now; his pale face flushed with emotion. "Because I love you! I think! I think Ilove you!" And then Draco did something Harry never imagined he would do.He leaned forward and kissed him. Harry froze; his hands instinctively flying up to Draco's shoulders to push him slightly away. Shocked gray eyes metbewildered green before Draco took a cautious half step away. "I didn't mean to do that," Draco whispered.Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, waiting for cohesive speech to come back to him. He had wanted to get the blond to admit that he wanted tobe Harry's friend. He wanted Draco to acknowledge that on some level he cared about what happened to him. He hadn't expected a declaration of love. Harrywas shocked. His mind was whirling, his breathing was erratic, and still... still he couldn't stop looking at Draco. So, in his defense, he did the only thing hecould think to do.He fainted.Draco stared down at the boy lying prone on the carpet. What on earth had possessed him to do that! Especially when he wasn't at all certain Harry feltanything for him. For all he knew, Harry wouldn't even remember this conversation once he returned to age sixteen. This suddenly seemed like a horrificlikelihood. "Great," he sighed. Irritably. So, in his defense, he did the only thing he could think to do.He fled. And went to write a desperate letter to Pansy.HDHDHDFor all the Ravenclaws: What is Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance?And for all the closet Hufflepuffs hiding in the bushes: Who is Philotes?