But the one thing no one knew he was researching was Professor Snapes' Dark Mark and how to remove it without setting off the inherent magic within it that would alert either of his masters to the tampering. Harry felt it was something his parents would've wanted him to do if he could simply because he could. So long as Professor Snape wanted him to anyway.
Harry was determined to repay the man for the many times he had saved his life even in the face of his worst fear. And he could think of nothing more fitting than removing that controlling mark to give him back his freedom. Because without that mark on his arm he'd be free of both his Masters and their petty attempts to force their will upon him.
In his eyes, Severus Snape had more than repaid his debt for what was clearly an error in judgement brought on by a totally rotten childhood full of pain and misery. And loneliness. Even if the only bad in his childhood was here at Hogwarts where the man was picked on and tormented by bullies, that still meant he'd had a rotten childhood in Harry's eyes. because Hogwarts students spent the better part of seven years walking these halls and sleeping in a nest of vipers every night. But somehow Harry had a feeling the man's home life growing up hadn't been any better than his own with the Dursleys. So yeah, he'd made a bad choice. But you shouldn't have to spend the rest of your life paying for one single airheaded moment when you made the wrong choice.
All things Harry could understand all too easily. Because Harry himself had suffered a completely miserable childhood. And he was lonely. Very lonely. And if he was honest with himself, he always had been. Even when he had thought those two in Gryffindor Tower had been his friends, he'd been lonely. Their out of class time had always seemed to be spent doing something one of the two of them enjoyed doing. Neither one had ever asked Harry what he liked to do. Not that Harry actually knew what he liked to do other than fly his broom. He'd never really had time to find out. Nor would either of them let him join other games being played in the common room to find something he liked doing. It was either do homework with Hermione or play chess with Ron. Nothing else.
But now he didn't have to deal with them any more. The other students, Professor Snape and the elves were keeping them away from him. Even in his classes the students and teachers went out of their way to help Harry stay away from the two Gryffindors. Hell, he'd even sat by Draco one day in Potions because the only other option was sitting by Granger. Professor Snape had been pissed that day when he saw Harry's customary desk was occupied by Granger. He'd moved quickly to keep Malfoy, Granger or Weasely from setting up a loud protest over Harry's seating choice since it had been clear they'd been trying to force him to sit next to her. Not that Malfoy was gearing up to complain. He wasn't. He'd already discovered from Professor Snape that Harry was quite able to brew potions on the appropriate level.
Professor Snape had moved Lavender Brown to sit next to Granger while Millicent Bulstrode sat next to Parvati Patil And Pansy had partnered Crabbe, who usually paired up with Malfoy, that day. Luckily all five students had blamed Granger and Weasely because they'd been the ones to try and trap Harry into sitting next to her when everyone knew he wanted nothing to do with either of them any more. The other teachers were just as accommodating and Harry found himself sitting with Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws just as often as he did with Slytherins. Until eventually the Unholy Duo would get the message.
The only classroom he still had his desk at the back of the class was Transfigurations but even there, the rest of the students in the class kept the Unholy duo away from him. Oh, the desk was still there in his other classes but he was no longer being left alone at it. Always one of them would try to sit next to him only to be cut off at the pass by the other students. One of whom would generally take the free seat beside him. His desk in Transfiguration was different in that it would only seat one. So there was no possibility of sharing space with him there.
But still, he was lonely. Not that Granger ever tried to sit next to him in Transfigurations. His desk was too far away from the teacher's desk and unlike Severus, Professor McGonagal rarely left her desk at the front of the room. So how could Granger show off if she was positioned too far from the teacher's eye for her to notice? Therefore, she always sat at the front of the room at the desk directly in front of the teacher's desk.
The only place Harry knew he could go other than his rooms and to class was the library. He didn't play quiditch any more and had no interest in visiting the pitch where once he had fooled himself into thinking he was just like any other boy his age. Nor did he want to just take his broom and go flying. Ok, that was a lie. He did want to fly. He missed flying. Missed it a lot. But it just wasn't worth the risk. Worth the trouble he'd be in if the wrong person saw him. Worth dealing with his old quiditch team who wanted him to fly with them again now that his name had once again been cleared. Worth McGonagal's snide comments and hissing. Worth Dumbledore's so called gentle admonishments.
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