~~~O ~~~O ~~~O (::) (::) (::) to my awesome reviewers bellapom, LP, and EsterDF, your encouragement had me working overtime on this and loving every minute of it.

Thank you to all those who favorited and followed this.

I do not own Harry Potter or any of these quotes from movie and book.

The quotes in bold italics are from the book while the quotes in bold and underline are from the movie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Snape'sPOV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A boy with black hair and eyes, walking with a girl with red hair and green eyes.

Up through the space between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables,

Stopping at the front of the Hall.

Evans, Lily!

GRYFFINDOR!

Snape, Severus!

SLYTHERIN!

And Snape was no longer watching Lily, he was watching a boy with messy black hair and green eyes, his most hated and his most beloved in one.

The Sorting Hat started to sing:

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The hall burst into applause as the hat finished. A red headed boy (probably a Weasley) leaned forward and whispered something in Harry's ear, and Harry smiled nervously in response.

The Sorting started off with Abbott, Hannah, and went through to Snape's other Godson, Draco Malfoy, who was a Slytherin the moment the hat touched his head. Snape smirked proudly as Draco swaggered off to the Slytherin table.

And then-

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry stepped forward and the hat fell down over over his eyes.

Snape waited. And waited. And then finally-

GRYFFINDOR!

Snape allowed himself a wry smile. It wasn't that he wasn't surprised, he had just hoped that maybe- but no matter.

Harry was getting the loudest cheer yet from the Gryffindor table. One of the prefects got up and shook his hand, the Gryffindor ghost patted his arm. Snape saw him wince slightly, and remembered when a ghost had glided through Lily the first time, she had jumped out of her seat, knocked water all over Sirius Black sitting next to her, and glared at him furiously when he laughed at her.

The boy with red hair collapsed in the seat next to Harry, the last of the new students (Zabini, Blaze) was sorted into Slytherin, and Dumbledore spoke before the tables filled with food.

Snape barely ate, half in the past, half in the present.

Quirrell turned to him. "P-p-professer Sn-snape, would you like some of this e-e-excellent tripe?"

"No, thank you," replied Snape curtly.

"O-or this-"

"No, I'm quite good."

He was watching Harry again, trying to see Lily in him and seeing nothing but James Potter.

And then it happened.

Harry looked straight at him and the Foxflame Pendant burst in flames in Snape's hand, warming but not burning.

How had he done that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Harry's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The hooked nosed teacher looked straight in Harry's eyes- and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"N-nothing."

The pain was gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the look the teacher had given him-such a piercing, curious look that Harry was unnerved.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.

"Oh, so you know Quirrell already? No wonder he looks so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Snape's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He leaned against the wall, breathing hard. A girl with red hair walked past him, toward the potions classroom. He almost moved toward her. "Lily-" Stop, he told himself. Stop looking for her everywhere. She's dead, she's not coming back.

He waited for the last straggler to in his class to make their way in. Time for my dramatics as you called them, Lily. He glided into the classroom, slamming the door.

"There will be no foolish wandwaving or silly incantations in this class … as such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art of potion making. However, for those select few who posses the predisposition," here Snape let his eyes linger on Malfoy, "I can teach you to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses… I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper on death."

Snape let his eyes move over the class and saw Harry Potter apparently avidly writing down everything Snape said, but Snape had seen James Potter use that trick one too many times.

"Then again, some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confidant enough not to pay attention."

The girl sitting next to Harry elbowed him and he looked up. Snape glided over in front of him.

"Mr. Potter. Our new … celebrity." Snape paused, choosing his words carefully, and then went on. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry shook his head.

"You don't know?" Well let's try again." Snape clinched the pendant tightly. "Where Mr. Potter would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know, sir." He would not be provoked, unlike Lily or Potter. "And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know. I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" That was Potter's humor with Lily's politeness. "Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "for your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will heal most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant which also goes by the name aconite. Well? Why aren't you writing this down?"

Snape paused. "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

Harry glared at him with an expression so like Lily's Snape could have laughed. I keep looking for Lily in every flash of red hair, but should I start looking for her in the face of James Potter? No. He is- he must be more like Potter.

And what did you think? I'm trying to edit as much as possible but I can make it better with suggestions by way of reviews!