"Because you were betraying me, Granger. Don't bother trying to excuse it. I was the person who's gold you were taking. You admitted it when you came in here with these two demanding that I give you back your key."
"By going behind my back and leading me into dangerous situations you knew in advance would be dangerous situations wherein I could very easily have died or been permanently handicapped, making it highly unlikely I'd be able to lead the life I was born to lead or have the career I'd choose for myself after graduation, you made yourself a betrayer of the worst kind. As far as you knew, those situations you were leading me into would result in either my death or permanent disfigurement and a handicapped state. And since you admitted I didn't authorize you to receive so much as a single knut from my vault, that means you also didn't care if I was left without a way to pay my living expenses after your boss finished playing games with my life and health."
"You not only named yourself a thief, you labeled yourself as heartless. You even admitted as much when you said one of your responsibilities was 'to make sure I was where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there even when all I wanted to do was sit around and whine and complain.' So it'll do you no good to try and deny it now. I have all these lovely witnesses who heard you admit how you believe you earned access to my school vault." He waved a hands towards the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables where everyone was openly staring with very predatory smiles. Even the Ravens were grinning in a predatory manner. Every one of them happy to play their assigned role in this drama as none of them liked the uppity girl.
He narrowed his eyes. "Face it, Granger. You were trying to kill your benefactor and the person you owe your life twice over to. By wizarding law, as your freely admitted benefactor, I can, since all the events that matter took place here, do with you what I wish. And wizarding law is the only law that matters here. You're a witch and in this case, a member of this world whether you like it or not. If I wished to have you stripped naked, tied to a flagpole in the courtyard to be flogged with a cat-o-nine and washed with a bottle of vinegar every day at noon and again at midnight, by wizarding law, I could. Because I own you, you pathetically stupid little girl. I've even given you warnings to cease and desist with your immoral behavior towards me. You don't listen because you just can't believe I, or any mere boy, can know things you don't. Or things you've gone to great lengths to conceal."
She stood there whipping her head back and forth in wide-eyed, tearful denial while the other students all smirked. She now truly regretted coming to confront him when there were witnesses to tell the tale. And there was absolutely nothing she could see that she could do to turn things around for herself. She had admitted she was using him to her own advantage by being paid from his vault. Oh, how she wished she'd listened to Professor Dumbledore! It was going to take forever to recover from this fiasco.
....
Severus Snape had been in the stacks when the trio had burst into the Library to confront Potter. He was always in the stacks when his house had a library time scheduled and he made certain that schedule corresponded as much as he could with when Potter would be roaming the halls or sitting here as well. That was the trouble with being Potter's Guardian/Protector here in the school. It was his sworn duty to protect the brat and he couldn't do that if he had no idea what the brat was up to now. Sometimes he really wished he'd refused the Ministry when the issue had come up and the Minister had wanted to appoint someone to the role simply because the boy was a famous orphan under a great deal of personal threat. But he hadn't. Though he still didn't know why the Ministry had chosen him. Of all the teachers in the school, why him?
But it was also why, when the brat had been moved out of Gryffindor Tower back in his second year and given that private room, he was the main person the other Professors had expected to escort the boy to the places he needed to go. Like to take a daily shower. They said it was his duty. Not theirs. He'd hated it. The whole situation had annoyed him. Yes, the brat had hurt Draco by throwing the firework in Draco's cauldron. Yes, that could've really injured Draco had Draco been a step further in his work. But could haves weren't did. And what Potter had done was no worse than what so many other students had done over the years. Including Draco. Yet none of them had been put into isolation. None of them had been set up for the benefit of games being played behind their back or over their heads. And Potter had apologized to Draco. Twice. Immediately once he realized just how badly he could have hurt the boy. Sincere apologies both times. Draco had refused to accept them and no one said a word.
Nor did the punishment of Potter end as it should have once he'd realized what he'd done wrong. Punishment didn't work if it was carried on for too long a time. Or was administered too heavily for all manner of offenses. And no matter what Potter did or supposedly did, his punishment here was always the same. Isolation. And criminal treatment by the staff and his peers.
So he spent a lot of time shadowing Potter around the school between classes. Because, regardless of what the Headmaster claimed, the brat wasn't safe in the school. And he saw and heard a lot of things the rest of the school did not. It's why he'd schedule his fifth year Slytherins to be in the Library at the same time Potter would most likely be here as well. Because he was expecting the school darlings to try something on Potter. Because they always did at this time of the year. Because when there were games being played, those three were always involved. And if he was going to be able to save his charge this time, he had to know what the game was. And exactly what Potter's role in the yearly game was supposed to be.
.....
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