Part 3

Snape was slightly surprised when he stumbled upon Percy Weasley instead of Potter and the younger Weasley. But it wasn't hard to put two and two together and realize that the eldest of the red-haired family was most likely involved in the Golden Trio's plans.

As the Potions Master dragged Percy back to the castle, the boy tried to come up with an excuse for his unauthorized stroll in the forest. Though it was unlikely to work on the terror of the dungeons. Before he knew it, he found himself in the Potions Master's office.

— Mr. Weasley, explain what you were doing in the forest at night? — Percy was completely at a loss. If it had been another teacher, he wouldn't have been caught, and even if he had, he could have lied, found a way out, used his status as a diligent student and prefect. In the worst case, he could have told the truth. But none of those options worked on Snape. Besides, he didn't trust the man. He had heard various unpleasant things about the Potions Master, including the fact that he was a former Death Eater. So telling the truth wasn't an option.

***

While Percy was trying to come up with something to get out of trouble, the Golden Trio was growing restless.

— Where the bloody hell is he? He should've been back ages ago, — Ron muttered under his breath, pacing nervously across the stone floor. He always did that when he was anxious.

— Maybe something happened to him? — Hermione suggested. The girl was sitting on the windowsill, resting her chin on her knees.

— No, I doubt it. I know him well, and the only reason he could be late is if he got caught, — the red-haired boy reasoned out loud.

— Do you think he'll rat us out?

— I don't know, it depends on the circumstances. But we should get back to the tower as soon as possible, — Ron suggested.

— Let's wait a little longer. I trust your brother, Ron, — Harry said, leaning against the window frame. The old room, which no one used, was in poor condition, and the fresh autumn wind seeped through the gaps. It reminded Potter of the upcoming flying lesson and Quidditch practice.

— Alright, but if he doesn't show up soon, we're leaving, — Ron agreed with a heavy sigh.

***

— I'm waiting, Mr. Weasley, — after several long minutes of silence, Percy finally decided to tell the truth—but not the one Snape expected to hear.

— If I tell you, sir, I'll lose the trust of the people closest to me, — the boy stated, looking straight into the man's eyes, which puzzled him greatly. He truly didn't want to talk about what had happened, especially not to Snape. His relationship with his brothers was already strained, especially with Ron. Percy understood perfectly well that if he told the Potions Master anything now, he would lose the last shred of trust and respect Ron still had for him—possibly forever. Though he doubted that would matter to Snape, knowing how heartless he was.

— Merlin, give me strength, — the Potions Master muttered under his breath. — I know why you went into the forest, — the man pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to Percy, who caught it deftly.

— But... I... You can't... — completely shocked, the older Weasley struggled to form a coherent sentence.

— I saw them yesterday and I saw what you're trying so hard to hide, — Snape explained to the still bewildered boy. — The pouch contains the herbs you need. Go where you were going, tell no one about this, and once you're done, go straight to bed, — the Potions Master warned him sternly and shoved him out the door.

— Thank you, sir, — Percy muttered before rushing towards the girls' bathroom. That night, his opinion of Snape changed drastically. Though he still didn't understand the man's motives, he hoped they had nothing to do with the one who must not be named.

***

— Finally! What took you so long? — Ron sighed in relief and rushed to his brother.

— I ran into Snape. I was lucky he didn't see me, — everyone gasped when the older boy uttered those terrifying words but quickly calmed down. Percy then handed over the pouch of herbs Snape had given him. — Everything you need is in here.

— I wonder what Snape was doing in the forest at night? — as always, Hermione was overthinking and asking too many questions.

— Probably gathering ingredients for his potions, — Ron guessed as he started preparing the herbs.

— Does it even matter? The important thing is he didn't catch Percy, — Hermione, surprisingly, accepted that answer and joined in with the rest of the preparations.

***

The next day went well. Before classes, Ron and Hermione helped Harry with his bandages. His wrist was healing, and the wounds on his back barely bothered him anymore. It seemed like things in Harry's life were finally getting better, but that was short-lived.

— Stay behind, please, Mr. Potter, — those words sent a shiver down the boy's spine. It happened after Potions class. Harry had lost count of how many times he had cursed Snape in such a short time. Sure, his potion wasn't perfect, but it definitely wasn't the worst. And all he wanted was to get to the Quidditch pitch as soon as possible to practice a new trick.

— Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger as well, — at those words, the trio tensed up. They didn't know what was going on, but they knew it couldn't be anything good.