Harry's Cuddly Monsters

Chapter 3: Week in review, staff side.

Dumbledore smiled as the Professors filed into the meeting room for their annual post first month meeting, he was especially interested in one of the newest students.

"Now how are each of your houses, especially yours Poppy, a new house with so few people must be lonely for Draco and Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"More so for Draco than Talon. Talon appears to be mainly a loner, and an artist. My attempts to crack his shell have failed miserably. I can say that physically he appears to be the healthiest boy I have ever come across, he's in shape, and reasonable eater. Draco seems to be feeling the loneliness but has been putting feelers out in other houses with limited success," the medi-witch answered. "Why was I chosen to be their head of house? I have no experience teaching."

"Because, I feel that such a small house needs a more personal touch, and due to that, barring some sort of emergency, you are the most available member of the staff. Since you mentioned Harry, has he shown any developing friendships?" Dumbledore asked. He of course 'knew' that he had developed a close friendship with Ronald Weasley since the boy reported it to him.

"No, and so far he doesn't appear to be trying to. He also seems to HATE the Weasleys. From the youngest son, to the eldest," came the reply. "although the idea of having them scatter among the other houses, instead of making a new schedule to incorporate such a small number, for classes was brilliant, each year they'll be exposed to a different house as they join them for classes.

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed at the news, but before he could start contemplating anything Severus Snape spoke up, "I have discovered a problem with Talon, that I have already started corrective measures on," he started waving a hand that now had a tarnished silver ring on it. "Talon can not actually understand, read, or speak English And can't even fake writing it.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you say that Severus?"

"The boy has a ring on his finger that allows him to understand, and be understood with the spoken language, and read the written language, mostly."

"Mostly?" Flitwik asked curious about this new piece of data.

"Some words on both ends aren't translated. The ring translates word for word what a person says or what is written, if a word doesn't exist in one of the languages it doesn't get translated, which is why his grammar might be off from time to time. He cant write out language at all, since it is a muscle motion through a quill and isn't as easy as lacing the spoken words with a bit of magic. Currently he and one of his mothers are scheduled to be in detentions three times a week to teach him English. He gave me a spare translation ring until he finishes learning, that I promised wont leave my sight," Snape explained reasonably

"What exactly happened in your first class? You normally aren't this way towards non-Slytherins," Professor Sprout asked.

"Well..."

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(Flashback!)

There was much muttering as the first class of the year, potions started for the mixed Gryffindor, Slytherin , and Lilith class got settled. The two classic houses, were wondering how the professor was going to treat such a new house.

Just as the muttering was getting to the point it was irritating to those not talking, a greasy haired man swept in with billowing robes. "Quite," he said with a sneer. "Now Harry Potter, our new... Celebrity. What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Talon simply continued to look through his book with a scowl, as he trying to decode the gibberish inter-spaced with the translated words.

"Potter!"

Talon's scowl deepened as the yelling from the professor was interrupting his concentration.

Snape, remembering the sorting ground out, "Talon, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Talon looked up with a confused expression combining with his scowl. "What? I don't understand, powdered what, to what?"

"Asphodel to wormwood," the potions professor replied, his expression going from a sneer to a thoughtful scowl.

"I don't understand, its the same as with this damn book, so much is just gibberish!" Talon shouted in frustration as he slammed the book down hard.

"Talon tell me what words you understand. English, France, door, poppy seed, plant, chicken, dragon, or aconite," Snape ordered, a sneaking suspicion entering his mind. "and stop slamming your book."

Talon glared and replied, "Door, seed, plant, chicken, and dragon."

"As I thought, get a hold of one of your mothers, you have detention three times a week while I teach you our language. You are also excused from class until you can understand the written and spoken word adequately. Now, how are you understanding me right now?"

Talons glare turned into a thoughtful frown as he replied, "Can I tell you after class?"

Snape nodded as he waved Talon out of the door.

End Flashback! -_-

"and that's what happened. Talon has shown he isn't quite the dunderhead as the other first years are, he was well aware of the problem before he started," Snape said as he finished his tale. "He also said he approached his head of house about the problem but she dismissed him without listening.

Poppy Pomfrey withered under the stares she was getting from the other heads of house while mumbling that she was taking inventory of the most common potions she would need when she was approached.

Dumbledore shook his head in exasperation before replying, "So he will be unable to perform written reports until you finished his instruction, except to you, correct?"

"Yes, and since I gave my word, I wont be able to trade the ring off."

McGonagall shook her head as she replied, "That explains why I can't understand what Harry says at times, especially when he talks about me or Dumbledore. On the other hand he says less unintelligible and/or negative things about other staff members.

"I know why," the shortest man there replied. "It's how you speak about him, the two of you are the biggest source of everyone calling Talon Harry. The only name he accepts is Talon, and calling him cursed gem annoys him as well."

"What? Why?" The transfiguration professor asked.

Snape was the one that answered the question, "Because, to him 'Harry" doesn't exist, and his name was given to him by a... er... woman that took him as her own, fed him, watered him, clothed him, NAMED him, and everything else a mother does with the exception of physically giving birth to him. And for nearly 10 years, if the boy is really Harry Potter that was his life. His magic accepts that as his name, as is proven by the school lists. As to the cursed gem thing, that was a title he acquired shortly after he obtained that gem imbedded in his forehead, I looked up in the school lists his name, and it made me laugh, his name was listed as Talon O. T. Cursedgem,"

This comment caused Flitwik to fall off his chair laughing and Dumbledore to groan.

"Let me guess, when you had it display the full middle names, they were 'Of' and 'The' correct?" Dumbledore asked, while he was wishing for a headache potion.

"Yes, if any of you, except Dumbledore wish to get closer to Talon, that is a good step. The next step is to not treat him with favoritism, and earn his trust," Snape finished with his explanation.

"Why did you put me as an exception?" The headmaster asked.

Snape shook his head and commented, "We need more privacy for that discussion. Now lets finish the school work section, I have nothing more to say, except I wish I could ban certain students from attending my class."

"Ah yes, well in my class there is a great variation in abilities, Miss Granger is an exceptional student, very well read and gets the skills quickest. Neville on the other hand has been having trouble getting spells to work, Talon as well, although in a different way. Neville's spells simply fail, Talon's misfire horribly, the match exercise caused a small fire when the match exploded," the transfiguration professor commented.

Flitwik shook his head and replied, "Much of Talon's problem with your course may be that Transfiguration might not be a discipline practiced in his world. In my class, Longbottoms problem is similar to your classes, Talon's problem is he overpowers the spell greatly. We were going over the tickling charm, and I needed to dispel it after the spell lasted for over ten minutes. Granger is also doing well."

Binns spoke up which was unusual, "I normally don't speak at these meetings, but Professor Snape mentioning the language problem explains Talon's puzzled expression in my class, he eventually stopped even pretending to try."

"Same problem here," Professor Sinstra commented, "He has no interest in even pretending to try anymore."

The rest of the meeting passed with little of note being mentioned, as the 'most interesting' of the students were in first year, and they don't take any other courses.

XXX

An hour after the meeting, Dumbledore's office...

Snape turned to look at the old man with a very serious expression before talking, "To continue the discussion, the hole you have to dig yourself out of to reach him being neutral toward you, is very, very deep. You attacked his servant, kidnapped him, spread about that he was Harry Potter, and INTERFEARED WITH HIS WAND SELECTION. He asked me about wands, that the wand that 'accepted him' made him feel ill to hold. What where you thinking? You know that casting that spell during a wand selection except for your own, or in emergencies when you need to use a wand not your own for defense, is highly illegal."

"It was needed to help him fulfill his destiny, he needed that wand," Dumbledore said firmly in his defense.

The silence in the room was deafening, when it was broken by Snape asking a question with quite a lot of venom, "did you read the fine print on the spell? It makes the wand react positively to the wizard, but makes the wizard react badly to the wand. If you need to temporarily make a wand work for you that's fine, but to use it on another wizard/wand combination is asking for trouble."

Dumbledore groaned and answered, "Fine, I'm sorry. Severus, what would you recommend me to do to build trust with Harry."

Snape sighed as he replied, "First drop the Harry name, that is simply pissing the boy off. Next do not, under any circumstances, try and manipulate him. If he finds out, and more than likely he will, it will make it impossible for you to recover, if it is possible to do so. The time period you should be aiming for, is about five to six years."

Dumbledore shook his head and spoke with complete conviction, "Unacceptable, he needs to trust me soon."

The potions professor looked at Dumbledore with an odd expression on his face as understanding dawned on him. With a groan the greasy haired man put his face in his hands.

"Severus?" The old man asked.

"I know what the problem is."

Dumbledore shook his head and commented amused, "I do too, Harry won't listen to me."

"No Albus, the problem is you. Trust is like a currency, and in Talon's case, you are in debt. The problem is you have been so trusted for decades you have forgotten how to earn trust of someone whom doesn't have any, much less earn the trust of a person whom you have earned the active distrust of. My advice, and this is from a person that is not trusted by anybody and has to earn peoples trust one at a time, and will take time, most likely years if it is possible at all.

First, drop all plans and manipulations for Talon, if he finds out you can kiss the chances of him trusting you goodbye.

Second, apologize for everything you've done, the attack, kidnapping, wand, ect.

Third call him Talon.

Lastly, try and stay away from him as much as possible, this is to allow him to cool off, by crowding him you're simply aggravating the problem."

Dumbledore sighed. He needed control over the boy. He had a voice in his head stating that his potions professor might be right, but he ignored it. Perhaps Hagrid would be able to get through to the boy, and set him on the path to the third floor corridor. He also needed to talk to young Ronald, he had been told that the friendship was proceeding well.

Snape took a look at the mumbling and plotting old man, and shook his head, and left. He had a English lesson/detention to get to after all.

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AN: I had this mostly complete for over a year, and just polished it off. I was originally intending to do a Talon Side week in review as chapter 3, moving the then, almost completed chapter to 4, but decided to complete this and use it first.