Brian was scared – more frightened than he had ever been in his life, and not precisely by his older brother. Regarding Harry, he didn't feel the slightest regret; from his point of view, Harry had deserved it. No, the reason he was so scared was Snape: he was absolutely furious. It wasn't very difficult to know that Snape hated Brian, something his father and Uncle Padfoot had previously warned him about, suggesting Snape would detest him because of the envy he'd always had of them. Incomprehensibly, though, Snape seemed to like Harry.
At that moment, Snape was taking Brian to the Hospital Wing whilst also directing Harry there for medical treatment. Afterwards, he would surely call Professor McGonagall to discuss Brian's punishment, though Brian wasn't scared by that. He knew he would emerge relatively unscathed from the infraction, as during the two and a half weeks he'd been at school, he still hadn't received a single punishment from any teacher who wasn't Snape. Brian was convinced that it was Albus Dumbledore himself who interceded for him, thus showing which of the two Potter brothers was more worthwhile. Snape, however, was another matter; he would ensure Brian was punished, and if they didn't, he would.
By the time they reached the Hospital Wing, the younger of the two Potter brothers was a nervous wreck, wondering what would happen next. Additionally, in case he forgot how angry the Professor was, the violent shove Snape gave him to get inside reminded him convincingly. After a look that clearly meant, "Stay here if you don't want to get into more trouble," Snape walked away to find Madam Pomfrey.
"Poppy! Come out!" the Potions Master shouted as soon as he placed Harry on one of the beds.
"What's the point of these cries?" the Matron asked, emerging from her office. "This is a Hospital Wing, and you have to be a little considerate of the… Oh, Merlin! What happened?"
The nurse looked at the injured student in horror before running to his side to do her job, giving the Head of Slytherin House a push in the process. Wand in hand, the woman began to perform spell after spell to heal him. From the beginning, she cast a couple of spells to clean all the dirt and blood he had, then another to find out what was wrong with him. The moment she read the results, she gasped and shot a fierce look at the Potions Master.
"May I know what, in the name of all hell, has happened to this boy? It's like someone beat him up!"
"That's exactly what happened, Poppy," the Potions Master said furiously. "His own brother attacked him and beat him up."
At this, the woman turned around and stared at the youngest of the Potter brothers, a mixture of disbelief and anger. Then, ignoring those present, she began to carry out her work, healing Harry's various wounds and fractures. Meanwhile, Snape went to the fireplace and called both Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall, ending with the Headmaster, though he called the latter rather reluctantly.
"Severus… What can I do for you?" Professor Sprout asked, as she was caught taking care of one of her plants.
"I need you to come to the Hospital Wing, Pomona… It has to do with one of your students."
"I'll be right there!"
"One down, two to go," Snape murmured before pouring Floo powder back into the fireplace. "Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration office!"
"Severus… Is something wrong?"
"I need you to come to the Hospital Wing immediately."
"For what reason?"
"One of your Gryffindors has gotten into a big mess."
"I'll be right there," the woman said before ending the call.
"One more to go. Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster's office!"
"Ahhh… Severus, my boy… What can I do for you?"
"You are needed in the Hospital Wing, Albus… I caught a student beating another senseless."
"I'll be there in a moment."
She had not long since risen from in front of the fireplace when Professor Sprout appeared at the door, quite out of breath. If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed she had run from her office to the Hospital Wing. It was always the same with her; it was enough for someone to tell her that something had happened to one of her Hufflepuffs for her to forget all her sweet and maternal attitude and transform into a dangerous, enraged badger.
"What happened, Severus? Which of my Hufflepuffs was it? Speak! Speak!"
That was one of the factors that scared him most about the Head of Hufflepuff House: her forgetting all her naïveté to become an aggressive woman, ready to defend one of her students. Considering he might be the one harmed if he spoke, he only pointed to where Madam Pomfrey was tending to Harry, so they could understand each other.
Just as Professor Sprout ran to check on her student, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore entered. They must have met on the way and continued together. Both had their most serious expressions and looked around the Hospital Wing to see what had happened. Snape did not stop watching how the old man's eyes lit up again when he saw Brian Potter; for him, there was no other student. Professor McGonagall, for her part, gave Brian a hard look before seeing Harry and adopting a horrified expression.
"Who? Who did this to my student?" Professor Sprout asked furiously, and when she saw Brian, she gave him such a look that he even recoiled.
"Now, now, Pomona… You don't know how true it was… You must not forget that he is his brother and never…"
"Albus, don't try to excuse him," Snape cut in. "You know as well as the others that it was him. It was something that was coming, and we all know it."
"Severus, I don't think you understand, but it's impossible that young Brian could…"
"Are you implying that I am lying, Albus?"
"No, of course not, only that you have misunderstood, my boy."
While this discussion was taking place, Brian not only regained his composure but also his arrogance. He had taught his brother's scum a lesson it needed, and he was going to get away with it.
"Don't talk nonsense, Albus! Do you forget that I was the one who found him? This brat was punching and kicking his brother while he was unconscious, and do you know what I found out when I stopped him? That he had previously petrified him so that he could not defend himself! Don't even think of saying that I didn't understand what I saw."
Throughout the entire conversation, Professor Sprout had not once taken her eyes off the youngest of the Potter brothers, and it was a look full of genuine loathing. The Headmaster could say whatever he wanted, but she knew Severus was right; everyone had seen how Brian Potter hated his older brother, insulting and degrading him whenever he had the chance, and what he had done, she was not going to let him get away with it.
The possible retort the Headmaster was going to make was cut off by the school nurse, who approached them while giving Brian a stern look, reminding them that Poppy Pomfrey had also been a Hufflepuff in her day.
"This boy must be punished harshly, Albus… After what he has done, it's what he deserves."
"How's the boy, Poppy?" Minerva asked.
"As expected after the beating he's given him: three broken ribs, five cracked, his left arm broken, as well as his left leg. Wounds and bruises all over his body and a severe concussion from several blows to his head… honestly, it's incredible that he didn't kill him," the woman said without taking a murderous look at the Gryffindor.
"Are you sure, Poppy?" the Headmaster asked without giving it much importance.
"Do you question my work?"
"No, of course not…"
"Good then… I think you will listen to me if I ask for an exemplary punishment for the boy," Snape said, looking coldly at Brian. "Considering how terrible the action is, as well as its different consequences, I say that he should be expelled immediately."
"Severus!" Dumbledore exclaimed furiously.
"I agree," Professor Sprout affirmed.
"Pomona!"
"No, Albus! He almost killed him!" the Herbology teacher exclaimed furiously. "If it hadn't been for Severus, he would have killed him!"
"But Pomona… I'm sure it wasn't young Brian's intention; most likely, both argued and fought… a punishment will be enough… maybe two or three detentions…"
"No, Albus…"
This time it had been Professor McGonagall, the boy's own Head of House, who had cut off the Headmaster, while everyone looked at the old man with complete disbelief at such an ostentatious display of favouritism towards a student. Snape, however, was not surprised; after all, when he was a student, Dumbledore did the same with Black when he tried to kill him by sending him after a dangerous werewolf.
"Never in my life have I been so disappointed in one of my Gryffindors," the incredibly serious woman said. "I never thought that any of them could stoop so low to do what they have done, Mr. Potter, especially considering it was his own brother and without any provocation…" She paused. "The corresponding punishment is up to me, but since the Headmaster refuses to expel him – to which I would also agree – it will be a matter of detentions from tomorrow until the end of term in June with the different teachers. Pomona, Severus, do you agree?"
"I think it's fair… as long as he's punished…" Professor Sprout muttered.
"Yes, I am too," Snape said.
"Very well, it is decided. Your parents will be informed of what happened, Mr. Potter. Now follow me; I'll accompany you to your common room."
---
Word of what had happened spread quickly throughout the school, and by dinnertime, everyone knew. They were furious with Brian; there was no one in the entire student body who didn't feel like doing a lot of harm to the young Gryffindor. After all, Harry was well-known and appreciated. Harry's Hufflepuffs and friends demanded revenge and didn't understand why Brian hadn't been expelled after being caught committing such an act, but they suspected it was because of the favouritism the Headmaster had shown on many occasions so far this year.
Perhaps what Brian noticed most was the absolute ostracism his housemates subjected him to. No one spoke to him, the older students didn't even bother to defend him from the older Slytherin students, and his own classmates were making his life impossible. Such treatment was normally due to a great loss of points by one person, but on this occasion, that hadn't been the case; the decision had been to punish the offender rather than the whole house.
Adding to the height of the misfortunes he had brought upon himself, the Weasley twins decided to help make his life even more unbearable. It had only been a few years, but the two had earned a good reputation as the best pranksters who had passed through the school for many years, and both had put their genius into doing only one thing: making Brian Potter's life utterly miserable.
So, by the end of the day after the incident, Brian was already regretting a lot having approached his brother, especially since Harry seemed to have friends everywhere, and having two expert pranksters within his closest circle was what made it riskier. Brian didn't even want to know what else they had prepared for him, only that it would be over now.
Professor McGonagall, for her part, had also made good on her threat and had not taken ten minutes to write a letter to the boys' parents, informing them of what had happened and inviting them to come to the school to talk to them, as well as to see Harry. About an hour later, James and Lily Potter were sitting in the office of their son's Assistant Headmistress and Head of House, anxious to know what had really happened.
"Thank you very much for coming so quickly," Professor McGonagall said as she offered them some tea and pastries.
"Your letter said it was urgent," Lily replied as she accepted the cup of tea.
"That's right…"
"What happened, Minerva?" James asked very seriously.
"Honestly… I don't really know how to explain this to you," the Transfiguration teacher said insecurely. "I had never found myself in such a situation…"
"Minerva, you're scaring us," Lily murmured.
"Very well… I don't know how to soften it, so I'll tell you directly. A little over an hour ago, Severus found that Harry was being brutally assaulted by Brian. As you will understand, an action of this type is punished with the immediate expulsion of the aggressor student, but since Albus has interceded on his behalf, he has only been punished with detentions until the end of the term…"
"Oh, Minerva… You didn't need to punish Brian… this kind of thing happens between siblings," Lily said, calmer now that she knew Brian was fine.
"It's just a dispute between them, a misunderstanding they had to resolve."
The teacher looked at them incredulously as she internalised what they had just said… a misunderstanding? Hadn't they been listening to her while she was talking to them? At that moment, she felt a deep anger begin to fill her, since it wasn't very difficult to guess what the couple's behaviour had been towards their eldest son.
"Haven't you been listening to what I have just explained to you?"
"Of course, Minerva."
"And I don't think so… Severus caught Brian beating Harry senseless. If that wasn't serious enough, Harry was both unconscious and previously petrified, suggesting that he didn't even have a chance to defend himself against the attack…"
"I'm convinced that Snape lied to get Brian kicked out."
"Poppy confirmed Severus's words and added that Brian could have killed Harry and that he surely would have done it if Severus had not stopped him when he did," Professor McGonagall said very coldly. "What I believe is that all your life you have favoured your youngest son over the older one, and you have taught him that this was the right situation, making him believe that mistreating and insulting Harry was the most normal thing in the world… You don't know how disappointed I am in the two of you; I can't believe you were two of my best Gryffindors."
The next day, Professor McGonagall wrote to Remus, having heard that he and Harry had maintained a good relationship. She didn't quite know what to expect, but when he arrived, she was relieved to see that the werewolf seemed to have great affection for the eldest of the Potter brothers. In fact, he was furious that the situation had degenerated into that. As the Assistant Headmistress escorted him to the Hospital Wing so he could be with Harry, she thought it was fortunate that Harry at least had a father figure in the man who accompanied her.