Four
Professor Sharp was never late to class and he expected the same of his students. Henry respected Professor Sharp immensely and appreciated the man as a teacher of his craft, but the rule of being early/on-time to class was hard to uphold due to his… busy schedule, for lack of better words.
That was to say, Henry would have to lie out of a detention tonight when he woke up late. Not only had the poacher camp he stumbled across been larger than usual and in very dense woods, but Henry was in the process of hunting down a woman’s husband whom Harlow had kidnapped. That was not something he could put to the side for some ill-timed detention, consequences be damned. And with Sharp, there would certainly be consequences.
However, when he skidded around the corner to see students leaving the class in confusion, Henry’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. Am I too late? He was certain the class would’ve only started 10 minutes ago. Stopping Garreth at the door, Henry glanced back into the classroom, “What’s… going on?” Garreth winced.
“Professor Sharp isn’t having a great day. My aunt says that class has been dismissed and will start up again tomorrow. Which is a shame because I had a new idea- wait! Henry, you’re good at sneaking about, right?”
“No, Garreth,” Henry sternly told him.
“But you haven’t even heard what I was going to say!”
“I don’t need to because last time you had an idea, your cauldron blew up.”
“That was once!”
Henry raised his eyebrows, holding Garreth in place with a firm stare.
“Fine twice! Look, my man,” Henry winced as Garreth gripped his shoulder and led him away from the classroom. “I am certain this will work- now wait, hold on, let me finish,” Henry closed his mouth, “I am certain this will work. It’s a potion equivalent of petrificus totalus .”
“Who would willingly drink that?”
“You don’t drink it! You throw it at someone, and they’re frozen!”
“Why would anyone want to do that? Are you bored?”
“For a prank?” Henry huffed.
“No, Garreth, the answer is no. Come back when you have a productive idea, maybe.” As Garreth slumped off like a kicked puppy, Henry stood there in the hallway, feeling a little unsure of how to spend his sudden free class. He actually liked potions, and he finished the assignment Sharp had given him earlier in the week. Those Focus potions made his movements less stilted and smoother as if his magic was an extension of his fingers rather than his veins. Henry wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was rather excited to show Professor Sharp how quickly he’d taken to brewing the potion.
He let out a great big sigh and decided to get back to his investigation on the kidnapped husband.
That being said, however, Gareth’s first words rang back in his mind. A bad day? Something like a grumpy mood wasn’t enough to stop Professor Sharp from having class. Nothing short of the end of the world or injury-. Henry paused in his steps, glancing back to the classroom door. Maybe… his leg was acting up?
The classroom door opened and Henry turned to see a tight bun of red hair and hazel eyes looking towards him in surprise.
“Ah, Henry, was there something you needed?” Professor Weasley asked, shutting the door behind her. Henry pursed his lips, wondering how to pose his question so as to not sound like he was prying into business that wasn’t his own(despite doing so).
“I was wondering if Professor Sharp was alright?” Professor Weasley smiled softly at him, looking down at him under her glasses.
“Oh yes, he assures me he’ll be back to classes tomorrow. Don’t worry, dear.”
“Respectfully, Professor, that’s not what I asked,” Henry glanced to the door behind her. He was certain Professor Sharp would be back in class tomorrow, the main was stubborn and iron-willed. But that didn’t mean he was okay. Her smile softened when he looked back at her.
“Old injuries remind us that they are there at most inopportune times, Henry. He simply needs a day. Now, best to leave him alone, I suspect he’s secretly grateful to take a moment to grade papers and catch up.” Henry nodded and allowed her to lead him away from the door to the potions classroom, giving her a farewell as she parted from him in the central hall.
The familiar urge to help rose in his chest.
He remembered his father’s long days working twice over at the shops in town, coming home exhausted and beaten down. He recalled the way he would only eat if Henry had specifically set out a meal for him, despite his late returns. He revisited the way his father always found time to take his siblings to Mum’s grave to give flowers every Sunday.
But most of all, he imagined, fondly, the appreciative smiles father would send him when Henry pushed an apple in his hands before leaving for work or the sigh of relief when Henry had informed him that the kids had been put to bed easily. They’d supported one another when his father had lost Mum.
Henry wondered who supported Professor Sharp when he lost his partner in the field and had to resign himself to long sat days and rowdy children. Would he let himself be supported? Professor Sharp certainly didn’t seem the type.
Now, Henry was sure a skilled potions master like Professor Sharp had made every pain relief himself. But, Henry considered the way his father would aid in sore muscles after a long few days of work. A whispered spell under his breath and a chill over the aching limb. Worked like a charm, perhaps literally. Despite Professor Sharp’s injury being much past a sore limb, Henry quickly worked his way to the Room of Requirement.
He was sure some fabric from the loom would do for this particular idea.
❈✢❈
Supplies hurriedly tucked into his school bag, Henry took the stairs two at a time down to the potions classroom. His free hour was almost up and charms would be next shortly. Whirling around stairwells and dodging past students who complained, Henry ignored Cressida’s call of confusion from near the library and continued down, down, down, until there was a long, dark hall waiting for him. He let out a huff of relief. Almost there .
Really, being out of breath upon reaching the potion’s classroom door wasn’t his fault. The potions classroom was so far from the Room of Requirement, and while taking the stairwells down was less strenuous than the trip up had been, it was still exhausting. Henry took a few moments to gasp out some breaths of air, gripping the door handle with a grin. This would work, he was sure of it. While it wouldn’t be as effective as easy aching muscles, Henry hoped it would ease the strain some for the reclusive man.
Straightening himself and taking one more deep breath, Henry opened the door to the classroom. It was odd to see it so devoid of people, as there were typically students in here even in off-hours to ask for help. Potions wasn’t an easy course, but Henry found it easier than herbology, anyway so he wasn’t here out of class unless he was informing of completed extra assignments.
That being said, his eyes widened at Professor Sharp’s, well, sharp tone from his desk.
“ Matilda for all things magic, would you leave me to my pains? I hardly think Black will need his order when I’m currently inclined to give him a reason to need more.” His voice was ragged with strain and tire. Though, when he looked up, he paused to find Henry standing there, halfway in the door, gripping his bag strap. Henry just stood there for a moment, suddenly reconsidering his position as a student and his professor as, well, a professor. But that was cut into when Sharp sighed and leaned back in his chair, “Well? What are you doing here?”
I hadn’t thought this far ahead, Henry realized, belatedly as his mouth opened and closed for a moment.
“I heard you were having a rough day, professor, and I thought I could help.”
“That’s very generous of you, Henry, but I do not think you have found the cure for chronic ailments.” Henry winced at Sharp’s dry tone and found that he was being more of a hindrance at the moment so he stepped forward, shaking his head. His father wasn’t nearly as guarded about accepting aid, another thing Henry hadn’t accounted for when coming up with this plan.
“Yes sir, I know. This isn’t a cure-all, but it has helped my father and myself when working days added up and muscles weren’t being cooperative.” Sharp huffed from his desk and for Henry began to think he was annoying the man. Of course, his pains were nothing like Professor Sharp’s. He wasn’t in any right to compare, but he just thought he could help in some way-.
“I do certainly hope this isn’t some shoddy potion work such as Mr.Weasley's helping attempts.”
Henry winced at the idea of what Gareth’s potions may do to make a situation such as this worse. But he straightened out upon realizing Professor Sharp had allowed him room to propose his idea. So, striding towards the desk, Henry pulled out a thick bundle of clothing that he had turned into a small, weighted sleeve of sorts. He’d tried his best with the stitching, luckily Deek was more helpful in that regard as Henry was more used to stitching stuffed animals and torn clothing, not creating something from scratch.
The idea was to be slid onto an arm or leg like a shirt-sleeve or pant-leg, but it was thicker in padding and slightly heavier to hold onto the limb. When he offered the sleeve to Professor Sharp, he explained his idea and what his father used to do for aches and pains.
“You put it on whatever aching limb or muscle you have and use a small glacius and long arresto momentum to freeze the padding. The freeze and ice will remain in place and the cold, while sudden and uncomfortable, will relieve the limb of soreness as it cools the muscles.” When Henry finished explaining, he looked up and found Sharp watching him thoughtfully. “Sorry if I’ve overstepped, sir.”
“Oh, not at all. I do wonder how your father came up with such an idea.” Henry shrugged.
“I’m not quite sure, sir, I think he took the idea from someone of his earlier years.” Mum.
“Well, I’ll certainly try it, if just to get these papers grades. At least you haven’t offered me a potion of concerning color and texture.” Henry found himself letting out a chuckling exhale at the remark, placing the sleeve on the desk and pausing, unsure of what to do now. Well, actually, he should be making his way up to charms about now. So he nodded slightly to Professor Sharp, a little awkward, as he took a few steps away from his desk.
“I’ll uh- I’ll take my leave now. I have class. Hope you feel- uh, I hope it helps, professor.” Henry avoided the amused look Sharp watching him with and quickly fled the classroom, if not to get away from the appreciative gaze. Made him homesick and… something else that prickled uncomfortably in the back of Henry’s mind.
Shaking off the interaction, he hurried along to charms, perhaps if he finished quickly enough he’d be able to check up on Sharp before leaving to Hogsmeade, he was sure there would be answers there for the case of the missing husband.
Huh, Henry mused, that sounds like a nice read, maybe I’ll be a writer if I’m still around after preventing a war.
Keyword was ‘if’.