Okay, Missy (or Mister, I suppose niggysupporter is unisex), this is what you get for ordering me around in a review. I'm a sucker for reviews, and I admit it freely. If you'd only sent me a PM, which you actually can't do so that's out, then I might have been able to decline. But no, I'm a sucker for reviews. This was supposed to just be a one-shot
Severus Snape sat tall in the teacher's box, proudly aware of the silver-and-green Slytherin scarf round his neck.
Students, and even teachers, always became unreasonably excited over Quidditch. Snape had as good a time laughing at them behind his hand as he did watching the match, but even he felt a little thrill of excitement whenever Slytherin played Gryffindor, especially the first match of the term. Somehow, he felt that the pounding Slytherin had given Gryffindor for the past six years almost repaid the taunts and the tricks he'd endured from Gryffindors in his school days.
A roar went out from the crowd as the players crossed to the center of the field. From his spot so high above the pitch, Snape could barely make out a tiny thatch of unruly black hair, small, even for a MacGonagal had apparently discovered in Potter some incredible talent for flying, and Dumbledore had agreed to bend the rules and let the boy play. This would probably blow Potter's head out of proportion, and he'd be puffed up about it for weeks. There was so much James in him, Snape thought with a scowl.
The game began, and Potter was circling high above the match, watching for the snitch, and then dove down and began darting about the pitch, snatching at the air in front of him every now and then. Snape tried to concentrate on the game, and not how vindicated he would feel if the son of James Potter fell from his broom right about – now.
Suddenly, the boy's broom stopped short and then began jerking from side to side; he was nearly bucked off, barely keeping his seat.
Snape knew he shouldn't be feeling so happy that Potter's boy was having so much trouble, but somehow he didn't quite feel bad enough to do anything about it.
As Harry jerked higher, he glanced wildly about, and for an instant so brief that he didn't recall it later his eyes met Snape's.
The sheer terror in Harry's wide green eyes jolted Snape out of his smug complacency. He almost seemed to hear Lily's voice this time, begging him.
Sev, please! He looked around wildly, wondering what he could do.
A soft muttering caught Snape's attention, and he realized that someone was hexing the broom, trying to kill Lily's boy. He quickly started to mutter a generic counter-curse, praying that it would be enough until some more permanent solution could be found.
As the broom tossed wildly, the Weasley twins flew up and tried to get to Harry, but it yanked away and even higher. The twins didn't give up, however, and settled for circling below Harry in case he fell.
Snape felt a flash of gratitude toward the obnoxious pair, and the next time they were goofing off in his class, he couldn't quite bring himself to take points away from them, merely settling for an icy glare before he continued teaching.
Out of the corner of his eye, Snape saw someone dart across a row of seats and pitch Quirrel forward into the next row. Harry's broom abruptly stopped bucking, but Snape continued to mutter the counter-curse, just in case.
A flash of blue-white and a licking, painful heat began crawling up his leg and Snape jerked in his seat, looking down, but there was nothing there, only a fading blue tinge to the air around his leg.
He looked back up in time to see Potter cough the snitch out of his mouth and wave it in the air, grinning madly. Quirrel was climbing back over the bench, stuttering profuse apologies and almost crying with embarrassment.
Quirrel had tried to kill Lily's son, Snape realized with a flash of icy cold rage. That stuttering, mumbling little fool, with his ridiculous purple turban, had tried to curse Harry off his broom and make him fall to his death. But Snape wouldn't let that happen. He would go to Azkaban for murder if he had to, but nothing would hurt Lily's child –
But this wasn't just Lily's son.
The boy had so much James in him .... It almost sickened Snape, the fact that he was going to do anything for a child of James's.
And yet ... as he made his way back to the school grounds, Harry walked by Snape with his two friends, the youngest Weasley boy and the bushy-haired Granger girl. The three of them eyed him accusingly, but all Snape saw was a pair of emerald green eyes.
No, he wouldn't be protecting James Potter's boy. He would be protecting Lily's son.
And those eyes made even Azkaban more than worth it.