"What's a matter Potter? Scared of getting your hands dirty?" Snape sneered.
Hands dirty? Hardly. Hands mutilated? Now that was different. Harry had dropped his cutting knife in his potion by a mistake. Fishing it out with his bare hands probably wasn't the best solution, but the most enjoyable to Snape's standards.
"Well? What are you waiting for? It wont bubble to the surface on its own." Snape said, a wicked smile forming on his face.
Come to think of it, the potion was bubbling. Harry could hardly forget that when liquid bubbles, its best not to touch it.
"It's too hot sir. I don't want to burn myself…" Harry said in a level voice. The whole classroom looked up to see what Snape would say.
"Mr. Potter, if you paid any attention in my class, which is blatantly obvious you don't, you'd know you were making a freezing potion. The worst burn you'd get is from the heat of the air. That is, if you mixed your potion properly. I'm tired of hearing your excuses. Get your knife. Now." Snape spat.
"My dad must have done something really bad to piss him off." Harry thought bitterly rolling up his sleeves.
A soft knock reverberated from the dungeon door. Snape reluctantly hovered away from Harry and opened the door.
"Good evening Severus." Said a cheery Remus Lupin. "Might I have a word with you?"
"I'm teaching a class right now. As a teacher my students are expected to learn." Snape sneered.
"How fitting, you have a brilliant class." Lupin said smiling catching Hermione's eye. "Perhaps over tea then?"
"I don't drink tea." Said Snape trying to shut the door on Lupin.
"Really? What about coffee?"
"I hate coffee, as well as people who interrupt my class." Snape said trying to slam the door, however Lupin's foot refused to move.
"Then I guess you wont complain if I serve you water? Everyone likes water-" said Lupin.
"No thank you!" Snape said kicking Lupin in the shin. Remus slipped his foot out of the door in pain as Snape slammed and locked the door.
"Now, if there are no more interruptions-" Snape said facing his class.
"Sir, it's time for us to go." Hermione said.
Snape's face twitched unpleasantly as the whole classroom was filled with an uncomfortable air.
"Well then…" said Snape regaining his composure. "You had enough time to work on your potion. If it is not finished, you get a zero. Class dismissed."
As everyone started to walk out Harry was stopped.
"Potter, ten points from Gryffindor for disobeying a teachers order."
"Harry? Disobey?" Lupin said slipping between students and the door. "Hello Harry, you should get to class."
"Yes Professor." Said Harry.
"Lupin, I can't meet with you today. I am busy. I have better things to do than drink tea with you." said Snape.
"If you like we can drink something harder." Suggested Remus.
"It's not about the drink Lupin. I don't want to see you outside work. Understand?" Snape said not bothering to hide how irritated he was.
"I'm sorry Severus, but it is vital that I talk to you." Said Lupin suddenly becoming serious. "I was hoping you would be courteous."
Snape pressed his lips very tight.
"Fine. But I'm not going to stay long." Said Snape.
"Very well, that's all I ask." Lupin said a playful smile dancing on his mouth.
"And there had better be brandy!" Snape yelled after Lupin as he walked out the dungeons.
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"Stupid slimy dolt! He took ten more points off Gryffindor- I swear the Slytherins are going to win the cup this year!" Ron shouted angrily pounding his cup on the table. "I don't think I could handle Draco with another smug look on his face."
"Calm down Ron, we still have another marking period. Besides, they're only winning by a couple of points…" Said Hermione. But even she could not convince Harry that they weren't in a slump. Slytherin was leading by 65 points now, and there were only a couple of Quidditch games left in the year.
"Hey Harry, what do you say to visiting Lupin after school?" Asked Ron.
"Sure, why not? I have nothing else to do…except that potions paper." Said Harry nonchalant.
"You can't blow off that potions paper, it counts for 15% of our grade." Hermione scorned. Ron gave Hermione a doubting look.
"He's probably going to fail him anyways. It makes it easier for both of them. Besides, it probably only counts for 5% of our grade because he assigns us so many essays."
Hermione sighed agitated. "You two are impossible."
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"Which room is he in?" Asked Ron.
"I don't know, he wasn't in the DADA classroom. Let's check the teachers lounge." Harry said.
As they both came upon the room the hesitated.
"Are we even allowed to be in the teachers lounge?" asked Ron.
"Uh…well I suppose, if it was really important." Harry said not quite sure. "Just knock or something."
However, they were saved the trouble. Snape had just opened the door and was glaring at their guilt- ridden faces. Even if they hadn't done anything, Snape had an amazing way of making them feel like they had.
"Well…loitering I see." Snape sneered. "What are you two doing here?"
"We were just looking for Professor Lupin…" Said Harry.
Harry felt Snape's glare shoot through him like a bullet.
"He's not here. At least, not in the teacher's lounge. I advise you not to go looking for him either. He has a lot of work to do. I'm positive both of you do also, because your last potions papers was simply atrocious." Snape spat. "Ten points from Gryffindor, for loitering in the hallways."
Harry stomped on Ron's foot to keep him from saying anything. Ron's ears turned as red as his hair as Snape floated away, his robes bellowing behind him.
"That greasy prat!" Ron yelled as Snape was well out of sight. " Just wait until Graduation Day!"
"Well…what do we do now?" Harry said trying to change the subject.
"Boys. I was hoping I'd run into you." Said Lupin walking down the hall. "I am just on my way to see Professor Snape. We were going to have a chat over bran- uh, a drink. Actually, I was wondering if you two would join us? Oh, where's Hermione?"
"She's working on her potions paper." Said Ron rolling his eyes.
"Oh, how lovely. Well I guess we can move on without her. You don't have anything pressing for the next hour do you?" Lupin said in an excited rush.
"No, not at all." Said Harry a bit confused.
"That's wonderful. Here, hold these for me. Careful Ron, hold them proper. They're very sensitive to ground levels." Said Lupin handing the boys very large jars. The jars had a black vale over them.
"What's in them?" asked Ron.
"Now, now, lets not spoil the fun. I'll show you, follow me." Lupin said jumping up the stairs. He was skipping every other stair.
"Ah, Severus, I see you've helped yourself." Lupin said.
Snape had a lurid look on his face when Ron and Harry walked into the room. Harry half regretted coming; he should have known any company with Snape was un-enjoyable.
"Set the jars down on the table." Lupin said. Snape was glaring at Harry and Ron both. Going from one to the other, a sneer forming his face very clearly.
"Right. Now, I asked you all here to show you a legend; a creature that is in both the Muggle and Magical world. A very rare creature indeed." Lupin said smiling.
Snape didn't look excited at all. In fact, he was more interested in his drink.
"I give you---THE JACKALOPE!"
Snape's drink didn't stay in his mouth very long. Sputtering and coughing he stared open mouth at the two bunnies with antelope horns growing from their heads.
"I found two of them on the grounds last night. Aren't they beautiful? Of course I'll let them go, but I thought you'd like to have the horns. Aren't they an extremely rare ingredient for difficult potions?" Lupin asked, pleased to see the look on Snape's face.
"You put them in a glass jar!? They can easily shatter through it!" Snape screamed.
"Well…" Lupin said looking at them. "They don't seem to mind."
Snape became very quiet.
"Give me the horns and release the stupid beasts." Said Snape.
"They're not stupid beasts Severus. They're very nice jackalopes and they didn't mind coming to me."
"All the same Lupin. If you don't mind I would like to have their horns." Snape spat. He finished what was left of his drink and left.
"Poor Severus. He's been looking for jackalope horns everywhere. I just happened to be there at the right time. Hey Harry, Ron, grab a saw won't you?" Lupin said pulling saws from under a shelf.
"Better than doing that potions paper." Ron said.
Coincidently, the jackalopes liked loosing their horns. They grow them back in the summer anyways.
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Authors Note: Hope you enjoyed it. I don't own Harry Potter.