Forced Independence
A/N-Thanks for the reviews! Please keep the reviews coming!
Harry woke up the next morning in his familiar bed in the bright hospital wing and rolled over. He sat up and looked down at his leg. He didn't feel any pain, and that realization made everything seem more real. He knew now that he wasn't getting his leg back.
Of course he knew that his leg was gone before, but now for some reason, he believed it. But Harry didn't know how he was going to do anything on his own anymore, and one of the things that he hated more than anything was relying on other people to help him. Of course he would probably get some kind of prosthetic leg, but he was quite unsure about that or how much independence a fake leg would really give him.
That limb was never coming back.
"Ah, I'm glad to see that you're awake, Harry," Harry heard Professor Dumbledore say. He turned his head towards the voice, but made no reply. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to stay here," the headmaster continued. "It's not safe, but I have secured a safe house for you and your things will be sent there shortly. All you need to do is take a hold of this portkey and you'll be there before you know it."
"Why is Hogwarts not safe?" Harry asked. He was so sick of Dumbledore just making decisions for him and not even telling him why. "Where am I going?"
"Those are questions that I can not answer right now, but you must know that the place I am sending you is the safest place that I know," Dumbledore replied.
"But I thought Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world," Harry protested.
"You'll not be going somewhere in the wizarding world," Dumbledore said pressing a smooth stone into Harry's hand.
"What are you doing?" Harry protested, angry at being forced somewhere, but he soon felt the tug on his navel and felt the room swirling around him. He landed on something soft, and he opened his eyes. He looked around. He was lying on a maroon, suede couch sitting in front of a blazing fire with bookshelves all around.
"Potter. I should have known."
Harry whipped up his head to see Snape in the large wooden doorway. "What are you doing here? Where am I?" Harry asked feeling a lump rise in his throat.
"I am here because the headmaster seemed to think that Hogwarts isn't safe enough for the two of us. Hummph. Go look outside if you want to know where you are," Snape responded.
Harry looked around the room and saw a window at the back. It was big and had no curtains. Outside he saw lots of yellow flowers all over the green grass. There were trees in the background a dirt path led into the forest. "I still don't know where I am."
"Good. That is how it is supposed to be. Now stop whining. We can not leave here until Dumbledore decides it's safe. I'm going to the study to get something done. If you want something to eat, call for the house elf. Your room is down the hall first door. Mine is the third door; STAY OUT of my room."
"Wait! How the hell do I get to my room? I can't exactly walk," Harry said angrily. "What am I supposed to do for who knows how long? I am to stay with YOU for HOW LONG?" Harry yelled.
"Stop yelling and feeling sorry for yourself because it's not going to do you any good here. You'll stay here and I'll stay here until the headmaster decides it's safe for us to come back to Hogwarts. I have confidence that you'll figure out a way to get to your room, and if you can't then you can just stay right there."
"I have to pee dammit! And I am not feeling sorry for myself! I am stating the obvious you stupid git."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Snape said and he left the room without looking back.
"What do you mean? GET BACK HERE!" Harry punched the cushion in frustration after realizing Snape wasn't coming back. His bladder was about to explode. He looked at the floor. There was no carpet, just hardwood. He took a breath and heaved himself of the floor putting one leg up. He tried to balance on once leg but immediately fell over. He needed to get to the bathroom quick. He didn't even know where it was. He looked around and grabbed the arm to the chair and pulled himself up. He then started hopping around, hugging the wall for balance. His leg hurt. He seemed to walk around for 10 minutes before managing to get to a bathroom far away from where he was at first. He sighed. Now how was he going to manage using it exactly...
Snape went to his study, but he didn't really have anything to do. He'd been sent to this unplotable house with just the clothes on his back. He hadn't really had any choice and he knew that the headmaster had some crazy idea that he would be able to help Potter. No matter what he himself had been though, he was sure that Potter wouldn't want to listen to him. But at least he wasn't going to give the boy any pity or let him pity himself. He would have to learn to be self-sufficient if he wanted to avoid falling into depression. Snape left the door to his study open and waited for the first sounds that Harry had begun to try and get to the bathroom on his own. Several minutes later, Snape hear the toilet flush and heard Potter leaving the bathroom. Well, it was a start. At least the boy hadn't soiled himself on the sofa.
Harry remembered where Snape said his room was and did his best to hop with his remaining leg to his destination. It took 15 minutes to get to his room, but he had found it at last. All he wanted to do was lock the door and never come out. He didn't want to talk to Snape or Dumbledore or any house elf. He didn't want to do homework or read or write letters not that he had any of those things to do anyway. Harry looked up at the ceiling with his head on the pillow and didn't move. He hoped he would fall asleep and somehow wake up with his leg intact though he knew by now that that wasn't going to happen.
Snape heard Potter slowly make his way to his room, and he made no move to help him. Once the boy realized that he could still do almost everything that he could before, perhaps he would stop being so angry. Nothing would bring his leg back not even anger.
Later that night when Potter still had not come out for dinner or called the house elf for anything to eat, Snape ventured down towards his room. He knocked softly on the door, but proceeded to enter anyway when he didn't get any response.
At hearing the knocks on the door Harry rolled over. He had sat in his bed all day pondering...everything. "Go away," he yelled and shifted so he was face down on the pillow.
"You still need to eat, even if you are sulking," Snape said.
"I am not hungry. The house elf brought me food," he lied just to get Snape to leave.
"You are still a terrible liar, Potter. And I will happily leave you alone for the night after you eat something," Snape replied.
"Why the hell do you care? I am not hungry. Get out."
"I know that you haven't had anything to eat all day. Eppie will bring you whatever you ask for you don't even have to go to the kitchen seeing as you're so lazy that you haven't left your bed all day."
"What I don't understand is why your still here and why you even give a rat's ass. Why are you acting slightly civil?"
"Would you prefer that I were as much of an ass as you are?"
"I don't care what you do; I was just wondering why the sudden change?" Harry snarled.
"There is no sudden change in my attitude, Potter. You just seem to be hearing for the first time, and you are not listening. You will eat something – now."
"Hearing for the first time?" Harry almost screamed no totally sitting up. "You have been a git to me my entire life. You have RECENTLY started being somewhat civil. I AM LISTENING!"
"Then why aren't you ordering something for dinner? And don't tell me you're not hungry."
"I'M NOT HUNGRY!" Harry yelled throwing a pillow from his bed straight at Snape.
Snape, who was more than fed up with Harry's attitude at the moment, easily ducked out of the way from the flying pillow and pointed his wand at the boy immobilizing him and then pulled a nutrient potion from his pocket. He'd hoped that he wouldn't have to use it, but he was tired of listening to Potter's whining about nothing. He walked up to the boy and poured the potion down his throat and waited for him to swallow it. Then, he turned and left the room.
Harry was more than a little angry. He couldn't move. "SNAPE! SNAPE! LET ME GO! What the bloody hell is your problem?" Harry yelled. "I didn't ask to be stuck here with you Snape," he said as loudly as he could and continued. "I CAN'T MOVE YOU ASSHOLE!"
Snape didn't respond. He hadn't asked to be stuck with Potter either. But he did have the upper hand, and he did think that it would do Potter some good to realize what abilities he still had. Snape continued on to his room ignoring the cursing teen in the room behind him.
Harry continued on his rant trying to get Snape to come back down but after an hour his voice was raw and he gave up. He was comfortable enough so he decided he would just go to sleep. It was getting late anyway. Within a few seconds of trying he was asleep.
Snape was somewhat grateful when Potter's voice finally quieted, but he was also somewhat disappointed that he hadn't figured out how to break the spell. He probably hadn't even tried. But at least he was quite. Maybe need for the bathroom would encourage him to try again in the morning.
Harry opened his eyes with the sun shining in his face from the large window. He realized where he was...and he couldn't move. "SNAPE! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!" Harry yelled as loud as he could.
Snape, who was reading a text that Dumbledore had finally sent along with Potter's things, realized immediately that Potter was awake and that he still hadn't tried to break through the simple spell. Maybe he just didn't need to be free from the spell yet. Perhaps he was just looking for an excuse to complain. Snape was not going to cater to the boy. If Potter had any hopes of fighting Voldemort, a simple immobilization spell should be easy for him to break through.
Harry wiggled and squirmed but didn't know how the hell he was going to get out of here. "YOU ARE A COWARD SNIVELLES! YOU ARE A COWARD FOR JUST LEAVING ME HEAR AND NOT TALKING TO ME! LET ME GO YOU GIT!"
Snape sighed. It didn't sound like Potter was going to figure it out and he was getting tired of the yelling, so he went to the boy's room and waved his wand to release the spell. "It should have been simple for you to remove that spell. You are not using your abilities," Snape said. "Perhaps next time I'll give you a silencing spell as well."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked sitting up and hopping off the bed and moving to the window sill. "I have no wand!"
"You didn't seem to need a wand to release the wards, and there are types of magic that do not require wands. Surely even you know that," Snape said. "But I don't care. If you eat your meals, you will not need to learn how to break that spell."
"I was about to say I would eat before you shoved whatever you did it down my throat!"
"You had ample time to request something to eat. You have another opportunity right now."
"What if I told you I wasn't hungry?"
"Then you are lying," Snape replied.
"How do you know?" Harry demanded.
"The potion I gave you last night will do nothing for your hunger."
"That doesn't mean I'm hungry," Harry said.
"No, but it means that you should be hungry, and you should be prepared to eat something even if you are not. There is no need for you to continually make these simple things difficult."
"You don't know anything Snape," Harry said standing up on one leg and leaping to his bed. "But I'll eat."
"Good. I expect to see you in the dining hall within the hour," Snape said and he turned and went back to his room to shower and prepare for the day.
Harry didn't know how he was going to get to the dining hall. He didn't even know where it was. After waiting 15 minutes he propped himself up and hopped to the door. He felt stupid hopping everywhere. He was starting to feel hungry but he looked at his legless thigh and got a sudden loss of appetite. He tried finding his way around but really was lost within 20 minutes of wandering around. He collapsed on the floor next to a big sliver statue. He leaned against it and closed his eyes.
The hour came and went as Snape waiting in the dining room for Potter to show up. Thirty minutes later, Snape realized that he wasn't coming. That had been enough time for Potter to crawl to the dining room. He threw down his book and went off to find the boy.
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