Playing Dress-up ~Tomarry~

Chapter 5 ✅

(This chapter goes back to the morning before Snape gives Harry the dreamless sleep potions)

Third person PoV:

Severus Snape watched as the boy walked into the great hall for breakfast that morning. It had been 3 days since the incident. Every student in the room just stopped and stared, some were whispering. He himself would never admit it but he felt a pang of pity for the boy. It was obvious that he didn't like the attention that he was being given. That in itself is unusual for a lion as they always love to bask in the spotlight. Potter was going to be stared at all his life since he defeated the dark lord. However, this would follow him throughout life so he better get used to it.

This time the whispers were about the chamber of secrets. According to the headmaster the boy had battled a basilisk and won! Now that in itself was unbelievable and quite frankly impossible. But then again he did survive the killing curse...

Snape watched as the boy traveled behind a fame absorbing, red-headed Weasley. The one that was his 'best friend' as Potter refers to him as. Any person who had been a Slytherin or an outcast in their house could see what was really happening. But the Potter heir seemed to have a closed mindset.

Potter looked horrible. That was the only way Snape could put it. He had noticed in his class the boy had deep black circles under his emerald eyes and was barely able to stay awake. Snape observed for a while, each time he seen him, it looked worse. But none of these insolent fools had noticed. He was exhausted and jumpy. Anytime anyone approached or mentioned his name he flinched slightly. It wasn't the easiest thing to see but it was there.

Snape inhaled a long breath and exhaled one just as long. He pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a headache creeping in the darkness of his mind. What would he do with the boy. Snape was sitting in his potions classroom with Potters class in front of him. The class were taking down the notes on the board that would be needed for their summer homework. He opened one of the desks drawers and downed a headache relief potion. Severus then went back to marking the potions papers for the end of the year. This was his final class, a group of 4th years from his Slytherin-Hufflepuff potions class. Unlike most classes this was one of the better ones. They were not as big a bunch of incompetent dunderheads and actually get decent marks. Well... most of them. A couple moments later he dismissed them and continued marking work.

Snape's last class of the day came in and it happened to be a Slytherin-Gryffindor class. 'Oh the joys' the class got to work doing their last practical of the year, a fire protection potion.

Snape looked up around his class as soon as he heard a bang from one of the cauldrons. It was Lavender Brown's. He watched as she started to clean up and get out her spare cauldron.

Most of the class were still cutting up ingredients while others were stirring their potion to finish off. Something dragged my eyes over in Potters' direction, the boy was sitting there looking into the space. He really didn't look too good... "Stay behind after class, Mr Potter." At the mention of his name the boy came out of his trance. His face seemed... blank. He nodded and slipped back into his own world until Snape dismissed the class. It was evident that Potter was not in the right state of mind. It is coherent if what he said was true about the basilisk. Which was improbable.

Severus Snape's PoV:

Potter packed up his stuff with the rest of the class. After everyone left he walked up to my desk, "Is there something you needed, Sir?" I handed over 2 vials of dreamless sleep. He looked at me quizzically "What's in the vials, Professor?" He looked at the vials in his hand analytical. "A dreamless sleep potion. It will help you get some sleep, take one vial every night and come back to me once these are finished; and I will give you more. I will expect to see you in two days time." I paused for a second to make sure the boy was keeping up with this information. "I will supply to you until the summer." After I finished talking to Potter I watched him space out a bit. I wanted to see what was bothering the boy so much. I allowed myself to breach his surface thoughts, only to hear a phrase, 'The Dursley's.' I could feel some emotion in those two words, spite and... a tinge of dread? I quickly pulled out before the boy felt my presence. "Thank you, Professor." Ha..Potter looked a good deal happier than before. As I watched the boy walk out of the room I felt my gaze softened and twitched into a small smile before going I schooled it back to its normal vacant expression.

However, a part of my mind was focused on, what my legitimacy had caused me to hear and... feel. I brushed it off quickly as I recognised the family name. Petunia Dursley nèe Evans. The woman that had tormented sweet Lily Potter nèe Evans. The woman surely wouldn't torture Lily's child like that?!... Could she?

3rd person PoV:

Professor Snape watched as Potter walked into the great hall the next morning for breakfast. He watched the boy's actions and reactions; he was a lot more in tune than yesterday and the days before. The bags under his eyes looked a great deal better than it had the day before in Potions. Inwardly he smiled to himself knowing that he had helped the boy he had sworn to protect all these years ago. That promise still lingered in his consciousness, forever there and hidden behind a series of occlumency shields, ones the dark lord would not be able to break down.

Snape continued to give the boy his dreamless sleep potions every couple of days. Anyone who knew Severus Snape well enough knew he was one of the most observant Slytherins that you would ever come across. He watched as the boy put a bit more food on his plate than normal. He attentively watched the boy in question as he ate, Potter was struggling to finish his food but he forced it down his throat anyways. Curiosity spurred in his mind once again. This was unlike the Potter boy, he barely every ate more than a piece of buttered toast. Unusual indeed...

~1132