It was another morning at the school of Hogwarts; everyone was doing what they normally did to start the day. So as you would guess, footsteps could be heard walking back and forth through those halls, the chatter of the students as they spoke to their friends. It was starting to be a great day for them but not everyone. Sitting in the dining hall sat Neville, the poor 17 year old was a nervous wreck. He ran his hands through hair, his leg bobbing underneath the table.
"Will you please stop fidgeting?" Ron asks, sitting next to him. Neville looks towards his friend and shook his head.
"No, I don't think I can." He spoke; glancing back down to his untouched meal. They had a huge test today, and of course, since he fell asleep early last night, he didn't study much kat all. He glances at the study sheet next to his plate, it wouldn't matter anyway. It didn't matter how much he studies it, nothing was sticking.
"Potions study sheet?" Hermione asks from her seat across from him.
"Yea, I didn't have any time late night to look over it, and it's today." He groans, "I'm screwed."
"Dude, You're beyond screwed." Harry adds, "You're the only other kid in the class besides me that Snape hates." The words sunk in his stomach like a rock. He huffs and smacks his forehead. He knew he was in trouble; none of them had to say it.
"Maybe I can help?" He looks up at Hermione; she smiles at him as sweetly as she could.
"How? Potions is my worst subject."
"Just come to me to the library after breakfast. There's no first periods today for teachers to grade papers." Neville didn't know that, he was too busy freaking out this morning. "Just come study with me."
"Thank you Hermione, that'll take some of the pressure off." He peeks a look up towards the teacher's table to see the dark teacher himself, eating nothing but drinking a bit of whatever. Snape didn't notice the boy staring at him so he just kept doing so. He was so terrified of him; he didn't what to think what would happen if he failed this test. He knew for a fact that the Slytherins would make fun of him but what scared him the most is what would Snape do? He knew he wouldn't just fail him and move on. Oh no, Snape would enjoy making him suffer in his failure. Neville forces himself to look away back down to his plate. His hands were slightly trembling.
"Don't work yourself up over it, you'll do fine." Ron pats him on the back as he said so.
"I hope so, what about you?" Ron shook his shoulders.
"I'm probably going to fail; it's not that big of a surprise." He laughs, "But I could care less."
"See here, you put these two ingredients together and then you add the dragon root." Hermione explains, pointing out the things on the paper. Neville shakes his head and rereads what they went over.
"So you put these two together?"
"No! You'll blow away half the class!" He jerks back at the sudden change of volume and bites his lip. Hermione lets out a frustrating sigh and flops down in her chair, shaking her head. This boy is a loss cause, her mind spoke. She looks back at him and sees the disappointment on his face. "Come on, you can do it." She tries, leaning up and patting his head. "Let's try again."
From across the room, there was a pair of eyes watching the two. He said nothing, just watch as they spoke back and forth.
"I'm not getting this," He heard Neville say.
"You can consider getting tutoring."
"Hermione, Snape hates me. Why would he help?" He replies to her bluntly, this caused him to raise an eyebrow. Neville gave out a defeated sigh and thuds his head on the table.
"Come on, so what if he's hard on you? It'll help your grades in his class." The lingering eyes look back at his book, no longer interested in them.
Neville shakes his head, letting his arms fall loosely at his sides. He had no idea what he was going to do, he knew the best choice would to get tutoring but he treated bad enough during class by the mean teacher, what would happen if he got a tutoring session alone with him? Neville shivers at the thought and looks back to Hermione.
"I completely have no idea what to do." She only huffs and looks away, then gasps and ducks her head.
"What's wrong?" He follows her gaze and his heart almost leapt in his throat. In the corner a few tables away was the teacher causing all his misery, in hearing distance. He looks back to Hermione.
"What if he heard all that?!" He whispers.
"I don't know, maybe he didn't?" She spoke lowly, "He's not over here, yelling." Neville gives her a pleading look then he looks back towards Snape, he was busy reading. Maybe he didn't hear them? He felt his heart begin to slow down, relief rolled over him. The boy was so nervous this morning! "Come on, let's get back to studying."
"Yeah, that's right."
Neville stares down at the test and the potion pot in front of him, they had to create each potion on the test then present it to Snape himself. It's not as if the potion itself was hard enough but the slightest mistake? He took a deep breath and turns his gaze up to the teacher like the rest of the class. Snape was giving directions like he always did before a test. He turns to the board to show them how much time they had.
"Begin," Snape says and the class got to it. Neville's shaky hands fumbles over the items in front of him, gathering the items he needs and places them in a pile to his side separated from the others.
Add Ember wood and Sea wig. Neville thought, but what was that other one Hermione told him to add and the other not? He couldn't remember! Neville scans over the ingredients, which one was it? Panic begun to fill his lungs and he tumbles through them. Which one was the one Hermione told him not to put in? Root or Stem? Damn it! His eyes wonders towards the students around him, they were already working on theirs.
"Eyes on your own pot, Mr. Longbottom." He hears Snape demand from his desk. Neville turns back to his own. Remember Longbottom, which was it!? His shaky hand picks up the two and stares at them. "Mr. Longbottom, don't you think you should get started?" Muscles tense and he looks up at the teacher, "Or are you doing to sit there and stare at the ingredients?"
"I'm…sorry sir, I'm just thinking." Neville answers, looking back to the items in his hands.
"I didn't think you were capable of such things." By now everyone in the room had stop what they were doing to watch. Neville sunk in his seat, cheeks slightly red from embarrassment. Snape crosses his arms from where he stood at his desk. "Well?" Neville bit his lip and looks at Hermione who seem to be trying to whisper him the ingredient. "No giving him help, Miss Granger." Snape snaps at her. "I'm waiting." Not knowing what else to do, Neville guess and plop a random item into the pot in hopes it would make the situation better. He couldn't be more wrong.
Everything went far too fast for the boy to follow what was happening, all he saw was the potion the teacher was pulling him away from, a body between him and the pot then…pain and stinging. The next thing Neville could recall was that he was laying on the floor of the classroom, his head…oh, it hurts so much. He rolls his head to look around him. Papers scattering everywhere, parts of the desk he was sitting at broken off, bits on the floor in splinters around him. Neville closes his eyes; the ringing in his ears wouldn't leave.
He could hear Harry and some others calling his name but their voices seem so distant. A groan caught his attention; the boy turns his head to see Snape laying a few feet from him. His head was busted open and blood caked the side of his face.
Snape open his eyes, everything was blurred and all he could hear was a high pitch ring. He could feel that some of his ribs were broken, with trembling arm. He lifts himself up, trying to ignore the pain.
"Professor," The said man hears, turning his head to where the voice came from. "I'm so…sorry!" It was Neville; Severus blinks his eyes until his version became clear. The boy wasn't in better shape than him. Neville was lying on his back, blood covering his chest and face, tears in the corners of his eyes. Severus got himself to his feet and leans against a desk. Other students who hadn't ran out of the room, stood at the door.
"Somebody go get Poppy Pomfrey, don't just stand there!" Snape snaps at them, couple of the students jumps and scurry off to go get help. Ignoring them, Snape turns back to the injured boy to lector him on his foolishness but found the boy had grown unconscious. Not having the strength to stand any longer, Snape sits down besides the broken desk. His side was throbbing and more than likely the explosion had caused him internal damage, his head hung limp. It wasn't long before he passes out alongside Neville.
Neville awoke a few hours later, shifting in the white blankets that covered him. He figures he was in the hospital wing; he blinks up at the ceiling. What happened? Everything was a complete blur, Neville turns to see Professor Snape lying in the bed next to his, and it clicks. Oh no…he blew up the potions class room!
"Mr. Longbottom, I'm glad to see that you're awake." Poppy smiles. She could see the stress on his face. "Just relax; you've been hurt pretty bad. You'll be all good as new in the morning."
"What about Professor Snape?" Neville asks, his worried eyes shifted back to the teacher.
"Severus took a lot more damage, three of his ribs were broken which cause internal injury." Poppy walks over to the foot of his bed, "He also has a concussion." Neville lowers his head, it was entirely his fault. Neville letting his face fall into his hands. "Mr. Longbottom?"
"I'm so stupid, I shouldn't have…It's my fault!" The boy began to sob; he should have just let the older man yell at him. None of this would have happened.
"It's all alright, it was an accident."
"I threw the wrong ingredient into the pot, it wasn't an accident." Neville blurts out, "Now the class room in destroyed and I almost killed the professor." He bites his lip at the words, Poppy Pomfrey just lets out a breath and looks at Snape. "He probably hates me more than he did before."
He should have just stayed in bed today; he would be in trouble, yes but not this bad.
"I wouldn't worry about it, son. Just focus on getting better." Poppy tells him, patting his leg. "If you feel as bad as you say, feel free to stay until Severus wakes up and tell him." Neville nods his shaky head and turns his attention over to the sleeping figure. "Here" He looks back to her handing him a cup. "It should help calm your nerves."
Neville agrees and drinks it, it was a calming potion.
"So am I in trouble?"
"That's for Dumbledore to decide."
"That's right," The boy jumps and looks towards the door, there stood the headmaster. McGonagall standing by his side.
"Professor, I…"
"You're not being blamed for what has happened." Dumbledore speaks, holding his hand up to stop the boy. "You were under pressure and did what was necessary."
"How do you…"
"I had a chat with some of the students in the class; Mr. Potter explained what had happen."
"But I should have known better," Neville tries to explains, "I should have study harder."
"Mr. Longbottom, you're not the first to cause an explosion in Hogwarts. If a student had gotten in trouble every time something like that happened. My office would be packed and Seamus would never be allowed to leave."
Neville smiles a bit at the joke but then it fades.
"I still feel at fault for hurting Professor Snape."
"Severus will be fine," Dumbledore tells him, "Now for your classes, Miss Hermione will be bringing all your books and notes."
"What?" Neville turns back at Poppy Pomfrey, "But I thought I would be fine by tomorrow."
"Yes, your injuries would be healed but your body would still be sore, you should rest." She tells him, "And hopefully Professor Snape will be awake by then and you can talk to him." Poppy Pomfrey made him lay back down, "Get some rest, I'll wake you when it's dinner time."
"Thank you,"
The next time Neville wakes up he could hear the voice of the potion master; he was talking to Poppy Pomfrey. He didn't dare open his eyes, staying still.
"So my ribs should be fine?" Snape asks.
"Yes, they're mostly healed but I still want you to stay until I'm really sure." Neville hears someone walking, most likely Poppy. He feels his blanket being tucked in and smoothed.
"And what about Mr. Longbottom?" His heart seems to skip when hearing his own name on the other man's lips.
"He should be fine by tomorrow, but I told him to stay longer to rest." She pauses, "He feels guilty for what's happened and he really wants to apologize to you."
"He blew up my class room and almost got me killed; do you really think I care if he's sorry?" Neville curls his toes, feeling his heart tug.
"I don't think he was aiming to do that, Severus." Poppy tells him, "From what I heard, you were really hard on the boy and he panicked." She pauses for again, probably to breathe. "What do you think he was going to do, you pushed him into tossing the root into the pot. So it's as much your fault as it is his." Snape didn't say anything. "That boy woke up an hour ago so worried about how you were holding up and feeling terribly guilty. At least do me that favor of forgiving him."
"Fine," There was a tiring tone in his voice. Snape looks over to the boy lying in the bed. He still looking like a mess.
"Thank you," Pomfrey smiles, "In a few moments, I'll be waking him up for diner. Will you talk to him about it?" Snape nods, rubbing his temples. This was starting to become a headache. She walks over to Neville and shaking his shoulder to wake him up. "Mr. Longbottom, wake up."
Neville opens his eyes finally to see the smiling Miss Poppy Pomfrey looking down at him, she stood up straight and looks behind her to Neville knew was Snape. Neville follows her gaze to see him staring back at him.
"Professor," He says, sitting up. His body was still a bit sore, he could feel. Neville lowers his gaze to his hands. "I'm…really sorry about what's happen."
"I've already spoken to Dumbledore," Snape mutters, "You'll be retaking the test and…in your free time, you will be in my office being tutored." Neville looks back up at him in non-belief. Snape was going to tutor him? Really? Neville gave a weak smile and nods.
"That will help a lot, thank you." He returns to looking at his hands, his stomach doing flips. This was just great. Yeah, He needed the tutoring but now he was going to spend his free time with the meanest teacher in the whole school. The thought sent a chill down Neville's spine. He would be lucky if the man didn't hex him every chance he got.
Neville sat the Gryffindor table alongside his friends; he just staring at his untouched plate in front of him. He had barely spoken a word since he left the hospital wing, making his companions worried. Hermione reaches over the table and places her hand on his to trying to comfort him. Not paying much attention, it caught Neville off guard and he jerks his head up to look at her.
"Did something happen?" She asks.
"No, not really." Neville tells them, "I'm just going to have to retake the test is all."
"Then why are you all pale, Mate?" Ron asks, his mouth filled with food at the moment. Neville shrugs, he didn't really want to talk about what Snape had told him. "Come on, you're scaring us all."
"Maybe you're just a little shocked that Snape didn't have you expelled?" Harry suggests from his seat, jokingly. Neville just shakes his head, slumping his shoulders a bit. "Then what?"
"Professor Snape is going to tutor me." The three others look at each other.
"Isn't that a good thing? Your grades would be better in his class," Hermione mutters, "Besides, isn't that what you said you wanted in the library?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Tutoring would be the best thing for me and all but I'm scared." Neville sat up in his seat, biting his lip. "I mean, you've all seen how he treats me in class. Knowing my luck, he'll be even worse!" The four went silent, knowing that Snape would probably be harder on the boy from now on.
"This is your last year," Harry points out, "You won't have to deal with him for much longer, just try to tough it out for a little bit longer."
"And you'll have to wait for him to get out of the hospital wing to even begin tutoring." The Weasley boy adds from his seat. He was right, it would be another week before Snape was able to teach again. Perhaps he could study until then so he wouldn't look too much like a fool?
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