Detention
It felt like an eternity, but Defense Against the Dark Arts finally ended. Harry was irritable the rest of the day. He almost snapped at McGonagall during Transfiguration before biting his tongue and counting to ten. In Potions, he hastily scribbled a note on his test that he’d been given detention that evening and may be late to their meeting. Unfortunately, the rest of the day flew by and it was soon time to go to Lockhart’s office for detention.
Lockhart was waiting for him in the second-floor corridor. He ushered Harry inside and closed the door behind him. There was a large pile of signed headshots on the desk beside empty envelopes and parchment.
“You’ll be helping me to answer my fan mail.” Lockhart said. “You can begin by addressing and sealing the envelopes.” He conjured a chair beside him and motioned for Harry to sit.
The minutes ticked by slowly. Harry tuned out Lockhart’s inane babbling about fans and fame and focused on sealing and addressing the envelopes in lilac ink. Harry prayed for death as he waited for his detention to end. Had it felt this tortuously long the first time around? He realized that Lockhart had stopped talking. Harry turned to him in surprise, to find the man looking directly at him.
“I think that’ll about do it.” He said. Harry couldn’t believe his luck. The detention was wrapping up early? Lockhart reached across Harry, opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a large stack of sealed envelopes. He took the most recent envelope Harry had addressed and placed it on top of the pile. “That should cover the next few hours of work, don’t you think?” He asked with a wink.
Harry’s brow furrowed in confusion. The next few hours of work…? What did that mean?
He jerked violently when he felt a warm hand on his thigh. His stomach roiled in disgust. He tried to stand, but found he was unable to get up from the chair. He looked at Lockhart in horror. The man’s hand was still on his thigh, massaging it gently. It made his skin crawl.
Harry grabbed Lockhart’s arm and tried to peel his hand off him. But it was no use. The man was stronger than he was.
“Stop fighting me, Harry.” Lockhart ordered, grabbing hold of Harry’s wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. He winced at the sharp pain it caused. “Just relax and be still.”
Lockhart’s hand returned to its place on his thigh, but didn’t remain there long. Lockhart slowly moved his hand up higher, and unbuttoned Harry’s trousers. Harry screamed as Lockhart lowered the zipper, but the man only smiled at him, exposing all of his unnaturally white teeth. “I warded the door. No one is coming to help you, Harry.”
Harry struggled in earnest and Lockhart sighed as if he were disappointed in him. As if Harry had made a mistake in class. He released Harry’s wrist and grasped both of his shoulders to hold him still against the back of the chair. “I said to stop fighting.” He yelled. “It’s not like you’re going to remember this anyway.”
Before he could process that, Harry wasn’t stuck to the chair any longer. Lockhart lifted him upright, bent him over his desk, and pinned him with a hand on his upper back. He pled with Lockhart to stop, sobbing when he heard the man lowering his own zipper behind him. He screamed again, hoping against hope that Lockhart’s wards weren’t strong enough to last. That someone would hear and come to help him.
The door to the office exploded and Severus rushed in with his wand drawn. He blasted Lockhart away from Harry and into the stone wall behind him. His head struck the wall with a sickening crack, and he slumped to the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
Harry struggled to his feet, breathing heavily. He barely heard Severus ask him if he was alright. It felt as though he were underwater. He turned away from the man’s Patronus – much too bright for his eyes – and stared, unseeing at the heap that had been his would-be rapist. He felt Severus’ arms tentatively encase him and he finally allowed the tears and sobs to escape. Severus held him tighter as the sobs wracked his body, and whispered something into his hair.
Harry startled at the sound of footsteps approaching the Defense classroom. Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore stood in the doorway. Professor McGonagall clutched at her chest and withdrew her wand. The twinkle in Professor Dumbledore’s eyes gave way to a spark of rage. Harry relaxed back into Severus. They would not harm him.
“Albus, he tried to force himself on Harry.” Severus said, the vibrations of his deep voice soothing Harry despite the content. “You need to call the Aurors.”
Perhaps they had changed too much to be able to predict the future any longer. After all, this had certainly not happened in the first timeline. He clutched at Severus’ robes tightly and whimpered involuntarily.
Professor Dumbledore returned with three Aurors in tow. Harry hadn’t noticed him leave. There was a whirring in his ears as the newcomers spoke with the professors. Either a second or a few hours later, Harry felt a gentle pressure on his shoulders and looked to see what was causing it. It was Severus.
“Harry, you’ll need to speak with the Aurors about what’s happened.” He said calmly.
One Auror, a tall, blond man with rippling muscles that Harry did not recognize, approached while his companions – a short, wiry man that Harry recognized as Dawlish and a petite young woman who was hidden completely behind the former – remained in the back of the room conversing with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry flinched as the blond man got closer and loomed over him menacingly.
“Mister Potter, tell me what happened this evening.” He demanded.
It was difficult to breathe. Harry felt as though there was no air left in the room. The man continued to stare at him waiting for an answer to a question Harry didn’t remember him asking. Suddenly, Severus stepped between him and the Auror, shielding him from the man’s presence and allowing Harry to gasp for air.
“You are terrifying him.” Severus growled. “Perhaps someone who does not bear any resemblance to his attacker would be better suited to take his statement.”
“Dawlish is taking Professor Dumbledore’s statement at the moment.” The Auror argued.
“How lucky you brought along a third person.” he drawled.
The Auror shook his head, dismissing the idea. “She’s in training. Her mentor sent her along as a shadow, Professor.”
“What better way to learn than real world experience.” Severus raised an eyebrow in challenge.
The man sighed heavily and called her over.
“Wotcher, Professor.” She said.
Severus stepped aside and put his arm around Harry, grounding him as he looked into her eyes.
“Harry, this is Miss Tonks. She graduated last year and is training to become an Auror.” Severus said gently. “Miss Tonks, this is Harry Potter.”
Harry fought back tears as he looked at her. He had thought she was young when they’d first met, but now she was his age – his real age. She scrunched up her face and squinted her eyes, and suddenly her hair changed from her favored pink to an electric blue.
“How did you do that?” He forced himself to ask.
“I’m a Metamorphmagus.” Taking his silence for confusion, she explained, “It means I can change my appearance at will. I thought you might be more willing to tell me about yourself if I told you something about myself.”
Harry inhaled shakily and nodded. “I can do that.”
She pulled out an orb from the pocket of her robes and tapped it twice with her wand. “Alright, Harry. Please tell me what happened tonight.”
“I had a detention with P-professor Lockh-hart.” he stuttered. “I was addressing envelopes. He pulled out a stack of completed envelopes and placed them on the pile under one of mine. He said that was probably enough for tonight’s detention and then…” Harry trailed off, steeling himself before continuing, “and then he put his hand on my thigh. I couldn’t get up. He told me to stop fighting him, that I wouldn’t remember it anyway.”
And then, Lockhart’s words before they’d entered the Chamber of Secrets echoed in his head. “If there’s one thing, I pride myself on, it’s my memory charms.”
“Memory Charms.” Harry muttered softly. He heard Severus inhale sharply beside him. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Wordlessly, Severus summoned a bucket just in time for Harry to empty the contents of his stomach within. A hand carded gently through his hair.
“Harry, you’ve had a long night, but it’s almost over. Do you think you can tell me what happened next?” Tonks prompted, once Harry had finished vomiting and downed the anti-nausea potion Severus handed to him.
“Um… yeah. He, uh, pushed me down over the desk, and held me there.” he said in a small voice. “And then Professor Snape broke down the door.”
“Thank you, Harry.” Tonks said as she tapped her wand on the orb. “I know that wasn’t easy to share. You did well. I just need to speak to Professor Snape for a bit now. Will you be okay if we step away for a mo?”
Severus squeezed his shoulder. “I will be right back.”
He followed Tonks to the corner of the office. Harry didn’t even have to try to listen to their conversation. Their words carried easily in the eerie silence of the room.
“Professor, how did you come to be at the Defense Office this evening?” Tonks prompted.
“I was in my office grading papers, when I heard Harry screaming,” he began.
Tonks interrupted. “But your office is in the dungeons. How could you have possibly heard him?”
“Some sort of accidental magic, perhaps? I heard him screaming, so I left my office and followed the sound to the classroom. I used an explosion charm on the door and when I saw him looming over the boy, I blasted him into the wall. I called for Albus and Minerva immediately.” He summarized.
“You can get back to Harry now, Professor. That’s all we need.”
They shook hands, and Severus returned to Harry’s side. Lockhart – still unconscious with blood trickling down his face and staining his golden hair – was bound and removed from the room by Tonks and the blond Auror. As they left, another woman entered. Her face was stern, yet kind and she had dark grey hair that settled in wisps about her face.
“Honestly, Dawlish.” She chided. “We should have been called as soon as you knew the case involved a minor.
Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall,” she greeted, “I recommend that Mister Potter return to his relatives at once. He has suffered a great ordeal tonight and should be comforted by his family.”
Harry choked on a sob at the pronouncement.
“Madam Wilkins, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Severus interjected. “I’m Severus Snape.”
She nodded warily. “I know who you are.”
“The last thing Harry needs is to return to his relatives tonight.” He remarked, and paused to take a deep breath. “Madam, I have submitted a petition to your office for custody of the boy.”
Harry heard McGonagall gasp at this declaration.
He continued, “Under the circumstances I’d like to request immediate emergency guardianship.”
Harry held his breath while Madam Wilkins considered Severus’ proposal. Severus avoided looking at anyone else in the room. After an eternity, she nodded curtly. “I will need to follow you to perform an inspection, but on behalf of the Department of Family Welfare, I will grant you emergency custody of Mister Potter.”
“Severus, you have classes to teach. You have responsibilities to the school and to Slytherin house.” Dumbledore protested stiffly, the spark in his eyes darkening.
“Rolanda can take over as interim Head of House. I’m taking a sabbatical!” Severus snapped. “My lesson plans for the year are in my office.”
Without further discussion, Harry, Severus, and Madam Wilkins walked to the Floo. Severus stepped in beside Harry, wrapped his arm around him, and stated, “Spinner’s End.” Green flames whirled around them and the three of them left Hogwarts behind.