The Potions Master's Bane
by Healer Pomfrey

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, time travel, sick!Harry. I am only writing for fun and how I want it.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T COMPLAIN BUT STAY AWAY FROM MY STORIES!

"Mr. Potter, our new celebrity," Professor Snape suddenly spoke up, looking at Harry in clear disdain.

Harry stared back with bewilderment, when the teacher asked, "Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"A sleeping potion, also known as the Draught of Living Death, sir," Harry replied, causing his classmates stare at him in clear amazement.

However, the professor was not pleased and continued asking questions, seemingly unhappy when Harry managed to correctly answer all of them, including those that were clearly seventh year material.

Harry inwardly sighed in relief, when the professor finally gave up and made a recipe appear on the board with a flick of his wand.

'Finally, I'm going to get to brew my first potion,' he thought, happily, and eagerly went to get his ingredients. He did not notice that the professor watched his every move ready to ridicule the boy for his non-existent brewing abilities. However, in spite of the teacher's expectations, he managed to brew a flawless potion - in contrary to Neville, who even with Hermione's assistance happened to make the liquid in his cauldron explode.

"Snape was really in a bad mood," Draco spoke up on the way back to the entrance hall. "He's said to never take points off Slytherin."

"And he didn't even gave Harry any point, when he answered all questions correctly," Hermione agreed, giving Harry a compassionate look.

"He seems to dislike me for some reason," Harry said in a small voice. "It's a bit sad, because I'm really interested in potions."

"Next is Defence Against the Dark Arts," Hermione suddenly said. "Does any of you know where the classroom is?"

"Please follow the others and go ahead. I'm not allowed to attend Defence anyway," Harry replied, inwardly groaning.

"All right Harry, we'll see you at lunch then," Blaise threw in, and Harry's four friends hurried behind their classmates, who were accompanied by one of the Slytherin prefects.

'I'll just go back to my room,' Harry thought. 'Maybe I can help Madam Pomfrey with something. She's really nice in contrary to Snape.' He slowly returned to the hospital wing, smiling, when Pomfrey immediately came out of her office upon hearing the door open.

"Hello Harry," she said, kindly. "Do you have a free period now?"

"Yes, it's Defence Against the Dark Arts now," Harry replied, before he blurted out, "Do you know why Professor Snape hates me so much, and is there anything that I can do about it?"

The healer motioned him to follow her into her office, before she explained, patiently, "Professor Snape was in the same Hogwarts year as your parents. While your mother was his best friend, your father was his childhood enemy. Unfortunately, you resemble your father a lot, even if only from your outer appearance. I believe that there's nothing that you can do about it," she added, pensively, "except for being on your best behaviour and show him that you're interested in Potions."

"I'm very interested," Harry replied, eagerly. "Potions is my favourite subject. I've read all seven Potions books already. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to answer his questions. I can't wait to be able to brew more difficult potions, but if he hates me so much, I won't be able to ask him if I may use the Potions classroom outside of class," he added in disappointment, more to himself than to the healer.

"Madam, is there anything I could do to help you during my free period?" he then asked in a soft voice.

Pomfrey cast him a thoughtful look. "If you really wish to help, you could prepare a few ingredients for me. Professor Snape is so busy that I always have to brew some potions myself, and I could very well use an assistant."

Harry happily busied himself preparing the ingredients for the recipe that Pomfrey laid out for him in the small potions lab behind her office. From time to time, he looked at her questioningly, making sure that he was preparing the ingredients in the correct way, and Pomfrey gently taught him how to properly prepare this and that, while she brewed the potion.

They just finished the potion when the last morning class was over, and Pomfrey profusely thanked the boy, awarded twenty points to Slytherin and instructed him to attend lunch in the Great Hall.

"Thank you very much for allowing me to assist," Harry replied, gratefully.

"I have an idea," Pomfrey said, thoughtfully. "I need to speak with Professors Dumbledore and Snape first though."

HP

After the last afternoon class, Hermione, Neville, Draco and Blaise visited Harry in his room, and Pomfrey gently added a few more chairs to the round table, so that Harry and his friends could do their homework together. After dinner, the five students returned to Harry's room, and it soon became a habit for them to study in the cosy little room with the beautiful view over the grounds.

When his friends had returned to their houses after curfew on the first evening, Pomfrey added an additional door to his room that led out into the corridor next to the hospital wing. "This way, you and your friends don't have to go through the hospital wing every time to come here," she explained, patiently, before she added a painting of what seemed to be a healer to the door.

"This lady is Ceridwen Hufflepuff, the younger sister of Helga Hufflepuff, one of the founders of Hogwarts. Like Helga, Ceridwen is a healer as well," she informed him. "Please agree on a password with Ceridwen."

Harry spent a few minutes speaking with Ceridwen, before he went to bed, thinking,

'Thank Merlin that I'm living in my own room, otherwise it would be difficult to remain friends with Hermione and Neville.'

Harry enjoyed all of his classes very much and loved being at Hogwarts. None of the other teachers did as much as mention it when he entered the classroom five or even ten minutes late. Only the Potions Master glared at him as much as possible and took points from his own house at every occasion.

Harry swore to himself that he would never again be late for Snape's class. On the second day of classes, he skipped lunch in order to be at the Potions classroom on time, and on the following day, he walked together with his classmates, feeling all over sore and feverish by the time they reached the dungeons. However, to his relief, no one seemed to notice his predicament, apart from Pomfrey, who was very upset when she checked on him in the evening as usual.

"Harry, please do not cast concealment charms on yourself," she told him in a firm voice.

"Excuse me, Madam, cast what?" Harry queried in shock, causing the kind witch to patiently explain about the charms that he had - apparently unconsciously - cast at himself.

"I only wished that no one should notice," Harry admitted in a barely audible voice, knowing that he was sometimes able to wish for things.

"Please don't do it, as it affords unnecessary magic," the healer instructed him.

"I'll try," Harry promised.

HP

On the following day, the first years had their first Flying class. Before he left his room in the morning, Pomfrey had told him that he would probably be able to fly, as it was rather people's magic that allowed them to fly than their muscles. However, she instructed him in a strict voice to immediately come down to the ground if he noticed that he didn't feel well.

Since Pomfrey had not been completely certain about the matter, Harry did not feel overly reassured and was slightly afraid to fly. Nevertheless, he attended the Flying class, which took a dramatic turn when Neville managed to break his hand after mere ten minutes. The students patiently waited for the Flying instructor to return and allow them to fly.

"Oh look, Neville lost his Remembrall," Draco suddenly said, handing the ball to Harry. "Let's go and visit him in the hospital wing later on."

However, when Madam Hooch returned after a short while, Neville was with her.

"Madam Pomfrey has already healed my hand, but I'm never ever going to fly again," he informed his friends.

Finally, the first years were allowed to fly, and Harry enjoyed himself greatly. Seeing that several students could already fly very well, Madam Hooch gave them a Snitch to play, and to everyone's surprise, Harry was always the first to catch it.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Madam Hooch kept a close eye on him, knowing from Pomfrey that he might have problems flying too much. However, instead of developing any problems, the boy turned out to be a brilliant Seeker.

"I'll speak with Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain," Hooch told Harry at the end of the class. "You'll make a fantastic Seeker, and Slytherin is in dire need of one."

"That would be totally cool," Draco spoke up. "You're really brilliant, Harry. I'll also speak with Marcus and try to convince him."

"Marcus won't be a problem," Blaise threw in. "But Snape, because Harry is still a first year."

'Snape will never allow me to play on the team,' Harry thought, feeling slightly disappointed. 'It was really much fun to hunt down the Snitch.'

HP

No one spoke to Harry about the matter on this evening, however, when he sat between Draco and Blaise at breakfast in the morning, Draco told him that Marcus, the Quidditch captain, had had a huge fight with Professor Snape in the common room. Although the whole Slytherin house had taken Marcus' side, Professor Snape had not agreed to make Harry Slytherin's Seeker.

"He's not a real Slytherin, and he's a first year anyway," Blaise whispered, imitating their head of house's way of speaking.

"He seems to hate me with a passion," Harry replied and stood from his seat, not feeling hungry anymore. 'I better go and get to the Transfiguration classroom on time,' he resolved.

HP

Unfortunately, the first years' Potions class was during the last afternoon class, so that Harry had to walk from the greenhouses to the dungeons in a fairly fast pace, not wanting to be late for Potions. During the class, he was very sore and felt hot and cold at the same time. When he went to get his ingredients, a bout of dizziness overcame him, and he quickly held on to a shelf in order to steady himself. Unfortunately, when he reached for the shelf, he accidentally stumbled against a cauldron with a simmering potion on the nearby table, causing the lime green liquid to explode all over himself.

"Potter!" Snape shouted, enraged. "100 points from your house and detention with me for a week for wasting an important potion. Go and see Pomfrey."

"Excuse me sir," Hermione spoke up in a soft voice. "May I please escort Harry to the hospital wing?"

"Ten points from Gryffindor for disturbing my class," the Potions master bellowed. "I'm sure all mighty Potter will find the way to the hospital wing himself."

HP

Harry grabbed his book bag and left. If he had been achy before, he now felt absolutely miserable and was shivering violently. Slightly holding on to the wall, he slowly dragged himself out of the dungeons and straight into his own room, where he scrambled into bed immediately.

"Ceridwen," he called out to the kind witch in the portrait. "Could you perhaps ask Madam Pomfrey to come to me when she has time, please?"

"Of course dear," the healer replied in a gentle voice. "I can see that you need her."

An instant later, Pomfrey entered the room, giving Harry a concerned look. She quietly listened to what Harry told her, before she waved her wand over him casting a diagnostic spell.

"Oh dear," she finally said. "I'm afraid that you managed to pour the potion for the squid's flu over yourself, which is the only of the common potions that may only be used internally. External use of the potion, which means when it hits your skin, it causes you to get ill with the squid's flu. I'll ask Professor Snape to make an additional batch of the potion, which he has to brew anew anyway, as Hagrid fell ill with the squid's flu. Until then I can only give you a fever reducer." She let out a long sigh, before she informed him, "I'm afraid that you'll have to remain in bed for at least two days."

HP

It was after curfew on the same day that Harry was lying in his bed, awake. Apparently worried about him, Pomfrey had left the doors between his room and her office open, and Harry unintentionally heard the teachers talk in her office.

'They seem to have tea together, at least the four heads and Dumbledore,' he thought, when his name suddenly penetrated his ear.

"I'd like to make a suggestion," Pomfrey spoke up. "During the last three days, Harry has used his free time during his classmates' Defence Against the Dark Arts class to assist me with the brewing of potions. He is extremely adept, and he told me that he loves to brew and has even read all of the seven Potions books before the beginning of the school year. Therefore, I thought that maybe we could make him our student assistant. Severus doesn't have enough time to brew all the potions needed, due to his double workload, and it would help me greatly to have a student who can assist me in busy times."

"I believe that's a very good idea, provided that Harry is interested," Dumbledore replied, pleasantly. "If I remember correctly, his mother was also very adept at brewing. Severus, what do you think?"

"No Albus," Harry could hear the Potions professor's voice. "Only yesterday, our Quidditch captain wanted me to bend the first year rule in order to make Potter Slytherin's Seeker, and now you want to make him the student assistant for Potions. Just because an almighty Potter comes to Hogwarts, we have to change all the rules? Maybe it's time for him to learn that the world doesn't solely revolve around him. He's exactly like his father. He behaves as if Hogwarts belonged to him."

'What?' Harry thought with a combination of horror and anger, tuning out the other professors' loud protests. 'What did I do?' He pondered the matter for a while, before he realised, 'I haven't done anything. It's just because Snape hates my father that he dislikes me so much. I'm going to do something about it,' he finally resolved.

tbc...

Thank you for your kind comments for the previous chapter!