Food
Harry and Draco left Draco room, Draco going to the kitchen table and Harry going to sit on the couch.
"Not joining us Harry?" Snape asked. His tone still was more gentle than his teaching voice.
"Not that hungry." Harry smiled gently. Not eating much over the summer caused him to not be able to eat much. Something Snape was going to have to speak to Harry about.
"Hm. Okay. I'll speak with you after breakfast. Draco, why don't you go to the herbology teacher and collect some materials for our potions lesson later?" This time unlike all of the others when Snape wanted something it was a question. Harry was scared on the other hand. What did Snape need to talk to him about?
"Of course." Draco started to dig into the waffles Snape had made.
The meal was mostly silent, fear coursing through Harry's body. When the meal was finished, Snape used Magic to discard the plates and clean the mess in the kitchen. Draco stood silently and left, leaving Harry and Snape to their much needed conversation.
"Harry? I want to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?" Snape spoke much gentler, as gentle as the cold hearted man could. Snape sat a reasonable distance from Harry.
"Yeah I guess." Harry's voice was shaking and he didn't look his Professor in the eyes.
"Did the Dursley's give you proper food amounts through the day?"
Harry wanted to tell Snape that they did, he wanted to lie, but Snape had seen in Harry's mind. He couldn't lie and Snape already knew. Harry just shook his head.
Snape had an angered look. He was going to have to get this boy as far away as he could from his monstrous family. He would have to talk to the ministry about adopting the boy. "How often did they give you food?"
Harry sat quietly for a few seconds. "If I was bad it was a meal every five days, but they normally gave me one at least once a day if Dudley didn't eat all of his food." Meaning Harry often only had food every five days. Dudley always ate all of his food and left nothing for Harry. Vernon would pity him and throw together a small plate for Harry.
Snape looked even more upset. "Is that why yesterday you didn't eat?"
"Kind of. I was also upset. You yelled at me before lunch and that normally meant I wouldn't get to eat lunch. Then for dinner it didn't feel right to eat." Harry still didn't look at his teacher. It was hard to explain his habits, but once you get into a habit it is hard to break.
"I understand Harry. We do however have to break that habit." Snape spoke a bit slower, making sure Harry caught onto every word. "We can make a schedule and find out how to slowly get you back to five meals a day. We don't want to stress your body too much. Do you think you'll be able to do that?"
Harry did not know what to say. Should he instantly say yes that he would accept help or would he not accept help and continue to suffer perpetually. "I can try." Harry mumbled.
"Thank you Harry." Harry didn't feel like he should be thanked for doing absolutely nothing. "I'll start on that schedule, but for now I would like for you to complete your homework." Snape dismissed Harry, Snape had a gentle look on his face. It was just as rare as a smile from Snape.
Harry stood and left for his room. Grabbing his trunk and searching around for the several over summer assignments he had done in the dark. His handwriting was horrid to say the least. Harry sat on the bed and started to work on his potions work, what most of his homework was from. It was simple questions for the past year and a few new things he didn't know. There was an assigned reading, but Harry didn't have the book. He would ask Draco if he had it.
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Snape sat in his study. With Harry's godfather on the lose and Harry away from his muggle family he didn't know what to do. If he sent a letter to the ministry about taking Harry in as his own, they would probably respond about how Harry is in the care of his family and they don't want to get mixed up with muggle affairs. Rubbing his brow Snape started on a letter to the head of the ministry. It mentioned the abuse Harry went through and how Harry would be safer here than anywhere else. Snape felt bad for sending Harry's personal life to the Head of the Ministry, but it had to be done. If Snape wanted Harry safe then he would do whatever he needed.
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Draco sat out with the Herbology teacher, collecting the herbs Snape requested. Mandrake root was the hardest to get. It was long before Draco headed back up to Snape's private quarters.
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Snape walked to Harry's room. A calendar for a little while longer than a year. "Here. It is color coded based off of how many meals you will eat those days." The was a light red for one meals, a yellow for two and a green for three. The calendar was spilt into 2 week portions. The first two weeks there would be a five day gap between meals, next four days, then three, then two, and then one. That was the reds, the yellow and green follows a similar pattern.
"I'll have to do the same during school and the following summer? But I'll be with the Dursley's and they would never agree to this." Harry was confused. Harry looked at Snape for answer.
"You will most likely be in the care of a Hogwarts official and yes you will be doing this schedule for the next sixty weeks."
"Why would I be here? My lock down ends as soon as school starts." Harry was getting more and more confused the more Snape answered.
"The Ministry found gaps between your family members stories and your Uncle admitted to harming you." Snape lied, but it was hard to tell that he was. It surely fooled Harry.
"Oh." Harry looked down at the schedule. Now other people knew.
"You'll be okay Harry." Snape placed a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. "They find somewhere safe for you." Snape hoped Harry would feel safe enough here and chose to stay here with Draco and Harry. This would be Harry's new home hopefully.
"Okay. Can you tell me who they pick for me to stay with?" Harry looked up at Snape, hoping Snape would tell him.
"I'll tell you as soon as I know." Snape took his hand off of Harry's shoulder. Looking down at Harry's awful penmanship from when he did his homework in the dark. "Your work looks like it had been done in the dark."
"It was."