Jigsaw

CHAPTER 17

“No.”

“But…”

“I said no Potter!”

“McGonagall said…”

“I don’t care the answer is still no.”

“But…”

“My final word Potter, you are not pilfering from the school supplies, I strictly forbid it. The students here at Hogwart’s have a hard enough time passing potions without having a light fingered thief stealing from their supplies. NO!” Harry groaned and flopped down defeated in the cream armchair beside the fire.

“All of them are probably passing now anyway without you as professor.” Harry muttered childishly under his breath, somewhat surprised when Snape slapped him hard across the cheek. Stunned Harry clutched his stinging cheek and watched as Snape casually turned and wandered confidently into his lab, where sixty odd potion jars were drying on especially charmed racks. Harry hastily followed the professor into lab.

“Then where do you think we’re going to get the supplies then Snape?” Harry spat, his temper fraying. Bringing Snape back to Hogwarts was proving to be an extremely bad mistake, as the wizard instantly fell back into his normal nasty, sarcastic, biting self that Harry had loathed so much as a child. Sure they’d fought side by side against Voldemort and each had a new respect for one another, but that didn’t mean Harry liked the man. Well, Harry had begun to like the man outside school but now….and after scrubbing sixty stinking, putrid jars of fetid goo Harry was in no mood to put up with Snape’s nastiness.

“There are other alternatives to pilfering from school supplies Potter, which might leave a student without equipment to fully complete their schooling.” Snape snapped irritably as he began lowering the charmed racks of dry jars. Harry could hardly believe what getting Snape a wand back had meant for the man. Harry was sure if he didn’t know the wizard was blind he’d have sworn Snape was quite unaffected by his loss of sight all of a sudden.

“Like you ever cared about students completing their schooling, in fact I recall you telling me on several occasions I was wasting my time even bothering to show up to any of my classes.” Harry perched himself on the edge of the stool and watched as Snape easily began ordering the empty glasses back on the now cleaned shelves.

“Contrary to your belief Potter, everything I did during your school career was done in the hopes of you benefiting from it. While I may have loathed your presence I was still a professor and as such it was my professional duty to see you complete your education to the best of your ability.” Harry looked doubtfully over his shoulder at Snape who luckily couldn’t see the boy’s disdainful expression.

“You could have fooled me. I must have been the only student in Hogwart’s history to have spent more time in detention than I actually did in class besides I thought you hated teaching.” Harry muttered as he pushed a stray quill back and forth across the central bench he currently sat at. There was silence for a long moment and Harry thought perhaps he’d won the argument but when he glanced over his shoulder he could see anger written clearly across Snape’s expression.

“I may not have had the luxury of choosing my career in life Potter but do not doubt that I got satisfaction from my job, even if at first I could not see it. What I did detest however was that my years of specialist expertise was lost on a bunch of children who would rather by snogging in darkened hallways or out playing Quidditch rather than listen to me try and teach them something useful.” Harry was stunned at hearing such conviction from Snape about his job, having always just assumed Snape hated teaching. Stunned silent Harry lowered his head guiltily against his chest as Snape replaced all the empty jars perfectly back on the shelves.

“Sorry.” Harry whispered watching as Snape moved out of the lab and back into the living room, where the fire was warming the chill air of the dungeon.

“Accepted.” Harry was stunned that Snape had replied, the man’s voice returning to its normal, calm, deep tone he favoured. “Now I suggest we set up a parcel run. I believe the house elves get deliveries of food each week, if Headmistress McGonagall allows it we can get our supplies in that way undetected.”

“Didn’t think of that.” Harry whispered as he sat down opposite Snape in the cream armchair and tucked his feet up under himself. Harry still felt awkward sitting Snape’s personal quarters; it was if he wasn’t welcome or prying where he shouldn’t be.

“No, which proves to me the phenomenal amount of criminal thoughts running through your mind Potter.” Snape muttered darkly as a clock above the mantel chimed, and the hands moved to read ‘Time for Slumber’. Harry smiled at the clock as he watched Snape yawn and stretch before slowly standing from his cream chair. “It will be good to start afresh in the morning Potter. I assume you can managed to conjure yourself suitable bedding requirements? The bathroom is the door on the left.” With that Snape disappeared into his bedroom and the door slammed closed behind him. Harry sighed heavily and stared at the closed mahogany door of Snape’s bedroom. It had been a brief entertaining thought earlier for Harry, that Snape might offer to share his enormous bed with him. Admittedly it was ludicrous for Harry to even think it but the thought had occurred none the less. As it stood however, with him now staring at the closed bedroom door that Snape had no intention of sharing anything, not even his bedroom. With a yawn Harry flicked his wand at the coffee table and transfigured it into a low cot right beside the fireplace. Summoning the blankets he knew were in his trunk along with the pillow he carried everywhere, Harry got undressed down to his boxer shorts and crawled into the comfortable cot. With a flick of his wand Harry dimmed the candles and no sooner had his head hit the pillow than he fell deep into sleep.

************************************

Harry awoke the next morning to the smell of freshly scrambled eggs and bacon, accompanied by what sounded like someone trying to swat a fly with a large rolled up newspaper. Yawning Harry grabbed for his glasses that he’d left on the fire surround the night before. Pulling them onto his nose Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked a couple of times to bring everything into focus before he glanced around. Frowning Harry watched as a flurry of black robes swept past the open archway into the potions lab several times, as if Snape was doing laps. From what Harry could see he was waving something that looked like a newspaper too, but at what Harry couldn’t tell. Getting to his feet Harry wandered cautiously over to the archway and was stunned as he watched Snape attempt to swat the very familiar house elf which promptly appeared and then disappeared and then appeared again at different points around the room in the hopes of avoiding Snape’s rolled paper.

“What the hell’s going on Dobby?” The house elf who was now standing in the middle of the bench froze as his bulging eyes fell on Harry.

“Mister Potter, Dobby is so pleased to see you is alright sir….” Dobby was abruptly cut off as Snape’s rolled up newspaper hit it’s mark, smacking Dobby hard between the ears and sending the house elf sprawling out cold on his back.

“Hurray!” Snape explained triumphantly as he turned to where he could hear Harry’s voice. “The little sod’s been hovering around, manically talking about trivial drivel all morning, finally I shut it up!” Harry glared at Snape and moved quickly around to where Dobby was just getting to his feet again, and was attempting to shake off his dizzy spell. Luckily Snape moved back into the lounge leaving Harry to talk to the house elf.

“Dobby! I didn’t think you’d be still here.” Harry hugged his little friend who promptly sat himself down on the edge of the bench and clicked his fingers, instantly a large plate with a full cooked breakfast appeared in front of Harry. Harry’s stomach groaned and the boy hastily sat himself down and began to eat, dobby watching him the entire time.

“I is always at Hogwarts Mister Potter, it is Dobby’s home now. I is very lonely when you went away sir, and worried too that the snake would get you but I see you is fine and you is returned sir.” Harry smiled at the house elf whose ears flapped bashfully as Harry leaned across and pressed a thankful kiss to the elf’s baldhead. “Although why you is choosing to stay with miserable blind bat is beyond Dobby to understand sir. He is saying Dobby is to keep out, is telling me I am not to be coming here, but I is figuring you need to be eating, and perhaps anything else Mister Potter is needing.” Harry finished his piece of bacon as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Actually Dobby I’m going to be needing quite a few things from now on, but you’re not to tell anyone about Snape or I being here understood?” Dobby nodded enthusiastically his ears flopping about his face like palm fronds in the wind. The house elf was obviously eager to be helping and Harry knew an opportunity when he saw one.

“I is understanding sir, Dobby’s lips is sealed shut tight they are.” Dobby clamped his hand over his mouth meaningfully and Harry smiled brightly as he finished his eggs and pushed the now empty plate away from him, feeling truly full after the hearty breakfast.

”Good, now I’ll leave you a list of things I need each week on a Friday morning here on this table, so you won’t have to disturb Snape for it.” Dobby nodded enthusiastically. “Okay you better scamper before Snape comes back in here and finds you up and walking about again.” With a sharp smile and a click of his fingers the elf was gone leaving Harry to wander back into the lounge where Snape had his head buried in a cupboard beneath the wall of bookshelves to the left of the fireplace.

“Has that infernal house elf gone!” Snape muttered as he coughed in the dust. Harry sat himself down on the edge of the armchair, noting quickly that Snape had reformed his bed into the coffee table and that his bedding was neatly folded in a pile on the milking stool beside the fireplace. Harry had always known Snape was a bit anal about neat and tidiness he just didn’t imagine it was to this extent. Harry was kind of glad Snape couldn’t see him at present, lounging casually in the chair, in just his boxer shorts and socks.

“Yes, but you should get used to him, he’s going to be our courier to the outside world.” Harry stated proudly as Snape glanced over his shoulder towards where he knew Harry was sitting in the chair behind him.

“Well at least he’ll be of some use, unlike yourself. Get dressed and then come down here and help me find this book.” Harry was shocked as he glanced down at his exposed chest. How had Snape known Harry was half naked. Flushing in embarrassment Harry stuttered.

“I’m not…..how did you….”

“I may be blind Potter but I don’t mistake the brush of unclothed skin against my own, now I suggest you get dressed before you chill.” Harry was in between having a heart attack and dying of embarrassment at what Snape had just said. Had the wizard purposely brushed against him or had he actually touched him and Harry hadn’t realised. “Youth these days wearing less and less every week.” Harry heard Snape mutter as he went back to his cupboard, leaving Harry to walk in daze into the bathroom to get washed and dressed. Snape it seemed was full of surprises…some more unexpected than others, as he would soon learn.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>