Cupboard Space

CHAPTER 6

Harry sat in the infirmary nursing a cut to the hand and bloodied knees. He’d been in Care of Magical creatures out by the lake with Hagrid and Ron. They were studying Merpeople this semester, and he’d been drawing them as Hagrid had waded out into the shallows to feed them. Draco had been making sideways comments all day, just as he been doing for the past week. Harry had tried to ignore them, purposefully block out the sniggers, and glances that his peers kept giving him. Today though Draco had pushed it too far, and had proceeded to pretend to be fucking Goyle with one of the floppy fish sticks Hagrid had been feeding to the Merpeople. Harry had got up to thump the blonde but he’d slipped on the rocks at the edge of the lake and toppled down the incline, scraping both knees and slicing his hand open on the sharp rocks. Ron had escorted him to the infirmary, leaving Hagrid to reprimand Draco for something the half giant hadn’t actually witnessed. Draco knew all the tricks for avoiding being caught, and his cruelest pranks were always done when no one of authority was looking. Ron had left him an hour ago, and Harry was still sitting on the edge of the infirmary bed a tea towel wrapped around his bleeding hand and his knees stinging as he waited for treatment.

It was dinnertime before Harry left the hospital wing, his hand bandaged and his knees sore but healing nicely. By now the entire school would know what happened to Harry during class and there was no way he was going to face them at dinner, having lost his appetite sometime ago. Harry paused for a long time trying to decide what to do, in the end he chose to make his way down the dungeons. His detention with Snape didn’t start until six, but spending time in the quiet of Snape’s store cupboard was far better than having to face the humiliation of the school at dinner.

With most students at the great hall ready for dinner Harry made his way down to the dungeons unhindered. Harry knocked on Snape’s classroom door in politeness, even though he knew Snape would have already been at dinner. The classroom was empty when Harry finally got up enough guts to open the door, and glance inside. Closing the door behind him, Harry silently made his way over to the store cupboard and having lit the torch at the doorway disappeared inside once again. It was utterly amazing what was actually in the store, some things Harry didn’t even recognized let alone would use. Re-arranging the bottles felt almost therapeutic in a way, giving Harry something to take his mind off the other things occupying his life outside the cupboard.

Harry was humming to himself as he checked Snape’s master list once again before moving some more bottles. He had no idea that Snape was now stood in the entrance way watching him work, a curious frown etched in his brow.

”Don’t think because you’ve started early Potter, that I will let you go sooner.” Harry squeaked in what Snape could only define as terror, much like a house elf would at the sound of Snape’s voice. The boy was in the process of shifting a large jar of crushed scorpion spines and unlike before this time didn’t manage to catch the jar as it fell from his grip and smashed on the floor. A large cloud of crushed spines rose up from the floor and Harry began coughing deeply as he inhaled the potent ingredient. Snape was quick, grabbing the boy’s arm and yanking him out of the enclosed space of the cupboard out into the classroom. Harry’s eyes watered and his nose ran as he coughed and spluttered against the stinging of the powder. Still with his hand latched around Harry’s arm, Snape dragged the boy over to the sink and with a flick of his wand had the boy’s head dunked in the water to try and wash away the powder. With his hand on the back of the boy’s head, Snape dunked Harry into the icy cold, clean water almost ten times before finally relenting to the boy’s spluttering protests and let go. Harry’s eyes were blood shot and swollen, orange tears were still dripping down the boy’s face and the snot on his nose was still a tangerine colour. Snape sighed as he handed the boy a dry cotton cloth to blow his nose and wipe his face. Harry propped himself up on the bench as he tried to wipe his glasses and see through his blurry vision. Snape was leant on the bench opposite him, arms folded into the billowing sleeves of his black robe and his face schooled in a typically irritated glare.

“What are you doing here Potter?” Snape inquired coolly as Harry finally replaced his glasses, the tears from his sore eyes once again a normal clear colour.

“Detention sir.” Harry coughed as he gently washed his bandaged hand beneath the running tap in order to clean it of the scorpion powder. Snape didn’t believe it. Harry Potter, the boy who detested his potion’s professor as much if not more than Tom Riddle, didn’t come to detentions early. There was silence for a long moment before Snape pushed away from the bench and moved over to the potion’s store again, its entire contents covered in a fine layer of orange powder.

“You can’t hide from it Potter. The more you do the more enjoyment they get out of it.” After a quick cleaning charm on himself, Harry moved over to join Snape staring in at the mess of the potion’s store again.

“I’m not hiding.” Harry muttered as he moved past Snape and began flicking his wand deliberately about the room in an attempt at cleaning the powder up.

“Don’t deny the obvious Potter, it gives other people a bad impression if you lie to yourself.” Snape followed Harry into the room, and began helping the boy clean up the mess of the powder. They worked side-by-side in the cramped little store cupboard for a good hour. Not a single word passing between the two of them until the last of the orange powder had been cleaned up and the jar replaced in the space Harry had been trying to move it to in the first place. With the cupboard clean Harry went about beginning his task again, and Snape stepped back to the safety of the entranceway, to give Harry room to move. Harry could feel Snape staring at him, the elder wizards gaze not unwelcome but certainly a little off-putting.

“I can manage this on my own,” Harry glanced back over his shoulder at Snape, who was leant against the doorframe, his arms folded in his robes. “you needn’t watch over me I won’t break anything else.” Harry continued carefully gauging Snape’s reaction. Harry watched as Snape nodded and with a stern glare disappeared from view back into the classroom, leaving Harry to work alone and in silence.

TBC>>>>>