Yo! I'm kind of surprised (but happy) that this even got any attention. I honestly didn't expect it to. Anyway, please remember that chapter lengths WILL vary-there's no specific number of words I'm aiming for, and that there will be little to no dialogue for the time being, as I'm going through the early years quickly. I have also written up to the end of fourth year-the beginning of the third task (about 11 or so chapters) so far, and have no desire to go around changing plot, so don't ask for anything to happen unless it's during or after the third task. These chapters so far are all also written in SS' POV for the time being. I plan for that to change in fifth year. Anyway, thank you to all readers so far!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...

Severus had been somewhat surprised when McGonagall had called Potter forward to be Sorted. Not because of who she was or anything of that sort, but because of her appearance. He had spotted her in the line earlier, but hadn't immediately pegged her for who she really was. He hadn't ever seen the child before-had expected her to look exactly like her mother. But she didn't. Not really. She didn't look exactly like Potter-like her father either.

She was small, positively tiny really, smaller than Lily had certainly ever been, likely the smallest girl in the entire castle right now if he had to guess. Her hair was black, like her father's, but shorter than Lily had kept her hair, and her fringe was, no doubt, hiding the scar on her forehead-the one everyone was attempting to gawk at. Her eyes were green, the same shape as Lily's, but brighter, far brighter than Lily's had ever been, even though they were hidden by those round glasses that really didn't suit her at all. But really, as he looked closer, he could see both of her parents in her almost equally, along with features that neither of her parents had had at all, no doubt inherited from aunts, or uncles, or grandparents.

Severus found himself to be somewhat disappointed when the girl was Sorted into Gryffindor, then couldn't help but wonder why exactly he had even expected a different outcome. He watched her, more out of curiosity than anything else. She didn't seem to be speaking much, just seemed to listen as others spoke around her. The sight of the feast caused her a great amount of surprise, and when she began to eat, it appeared as if she was hesitating. He looked away at that point.

He didn't pay any attention to the Potter girl again until her House, along with his Slytherins, had their first Potions lesson on Friday. He questioned her, unfairly at that, about things very few in her year could possibly have answered. He thought she wasn't paying attention to his words, thought her fame had gone to her head and she assumed she had better things to do than pay attention in class. So he had questioned her, and only her, had even taken a point-just one-off for something she really had no fault in, and it was only once she left the dungeon classroom that he realized he had been wrong.

She had left her notebook behind, by accident no doubt, and when he picked it up, he realized that she had been paying attention after all. In fact, she had been writing what he had been saying. No one else had done that.

He felt the guilt there, gnawing at his insides. So when the girl returned, hesitantly, to get her notebook back, he merely handed it to her with a firm reminder to be more careful with her belongings. He saw the way her eyes widened in surprise, saw the tentative smile that crossed her face, and watched as she fled. But the guilt remained.

He tried to ignore it as time passed, but it never really did go away. In fact, it only seemed to get worse. He knew why too. He wanted to hate her. Wanted to loathe her. But he couldn't. Really, what had she done wrong? Very little, and nothing children her age didn't already do.

Okay, so most eleven year old children didn't try to take down mountain trolls to save a friend's life, but the adults were just as much to blame for leaving all the students alone-Prefects were children too, after all. And really, if Potter and Weasley hadn't done what they had, then the Granger girl certainly would have died. And the results of the flying lessons had made him quite mad too, until he had overheard Potter speaking to Granger, telling her she wasn't sure what to think about the Seeker position and being on the team, because she wasn't sure she even wanted to play, but the team had seemed to pleased to have her, and she didn't want to disappoint them. And then there had been the dragon story which had turned out to be true, but that was Hagrid's fault, and then Salazar, the incident with the Philosopher's Stone, which, really, was entirely on Dumbledore and McGonagall.

He still tried to hate her. That summer, while the students were all gone, he tried to tell himself-tried to convince himself of reasons he could hate the girl. But he couldn't.


Then she came back for her second year, looking smaller than ever, and he'd been furious with her and Weasley for what they'd done with the car, and confused that the girl hadn't cared for the danger she had put herself in. And he thought she and Lockhart would get along merrily, but it was clear she hated the man, and did whatever she could to avoid him, even hiding behind Severus at one point, which had both annoyed and amused him. And then there was the entire Chamber of Secrets incident that was best not to dwell on. He never once believed she had anything to do with it, especially after he saw firsthand how shocked and frightened and angry she was when Granger had been attacked.

Those emotions-Granger's attack, were probably behind the reason why she had utterly failed in brewing her next potion. Failed to a point where Severus really had no choice but to assign her detention.

But that detention ended up creating an entirely new problem that Severus had absolutely no idea how to deal with.

Potter was quiet when she came in. Quiet and pale, just as she appeared to be most days now since Granger's attack. She didn't make any sort of fuss when Severus instructed her to clean the stack of cauldrons he had left by the sink, and he watched as she simply got to work.

That wasn't odd though. Severus had already noticed that Potter rarely argued with her professors. She wouldn't be pleased, that much would be obvious with the mutiny in her eyes and the way her jaw set, but she wouldn't argue either.

Now was the same thing. Potter took off her robes, rolled up her sleeves, and just began to clean. Since she was working diligently, Severus decided she would be perfectly safe if he focused on grading some terribly written essays instead...

Severus wasn't quite sure how much time had passed before he finally looked back up, only to find Potter in the middle of cleaning what appeared to be the final cauldron. He watched as she rinsed it, set it down, and then washed her hands. And it was when she reached for the hand towel that he noticed it.

Potter had a soulmate mark.

It was small, and difficult to make out from where he was sitting, but it definitely was one. He wasn't surprised in the slightest. At least, not until she stepped a little closer to his desk, moving to pick up her robes. That was when he was able to properly see the mark. It was a flower, a vi-

No. No, this couldn't be possible. How could this...how could this be? Was he mistaken? Surely he was.

"Professor?"

Severus blinked, finding Potter in front of him now, standing just across his desk, small hands braced on the dark wood, and looking at him with an expression that could only be concern. But she was now also close enough for him to get a good, long look at her soulmate mark.

A violet, in the centre of which was a small, indistinct shape that looked vaguely like a cauldron. It was the same. He wasn't mistaken.

"P-professor?"

"Leave."

"A-are you alright?"

"Get out, Potter!"

The girl started, shot him a hesitant look, then obeyed and fled the room. And the moment the door fell shut behind her, Severus crumpled in his chair, a hollow laugh escaping him.

What had he done to deserve this? No, no what had she done to deserve this? What had the girl done to deserve a soulmate as bitter and cold as Severus? What had Severus done to deserve such a girl as a soulmate? No, he had been right as a child. This soulmate thing was entirely fucked up...

Severus didn't tell Potter what he knew. There was no reason to upset and burden her with the knowledge. One didn't have to be with their soulmate to live a full and content life, after all. Potter would be better off not knowing who hers was.

And perhaps that was selfish of him. Selfish not to tell her the truth. After all, it should be her own decision to choose whether she wanted a proper relationship with her soulmate, or not. But he just couldn't do it. He couldn't believe she could possibly want to have anything to do with him.

She was young yet anyway. Too young. Maybe his mind would change once she was older. Maybe by then it wouldn't matter anymore. Maybe by then she'd find someone else for her, someone who wasn't him. That would be perfectly fine. It would...

But the revelation of Potter being his soulmate only made things worse, because now every time she did something dangerous, it had his heart pounding, his anxiety rising, and Salazar, the panic and fear that filled him was surreal. And since this was Potter he was talking about, it was far too bloody often. She was going to be the death of him. Hell, he nearly had a heart attack after the basilisk incident!

Severus was more than a little relieved when the summer holidays rolled around. At least the girl would keep herself safe now, right...?

That's it for now. This was actually originally two chapters which I decided went well enough to turn into one. And when I say I'm speeding through the early years, I mean it. Third year is also covered in just a couple of chapters-the next two. All the ones after that that I've written so far are of fourth year, which is longer thanks to the tournament and all, and even THAT is being sped through. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!