Thanks to everybody who left a review! It is so interesting for me to read what you think!
And a great thanks goes again to my beta, JadeSullivan!
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Snape stood outside the door of the Potions classroom. From inside he could hear the students' voices as they prepared themselves for the lesson as well as chatted about irrelevant issues. He opened the door and stood in the doorframe, waiting for the pupils to notice him. When they did, all conversations ceased at once.
'Professor Slughorn is not feeling well at the moment,' Snape said casually as he made his way to the front-desk. 'He has asked me to teach this class for him today.'
He could see that Potter blanched; in fact, the boy's facial expression was priceless.
Snape stood beside Slughorn's desk and scrutinized the class, his gaze resting on Potter a bit longer than on the others. The silence in the classroom was absolute until he began to speak in a quiet voice.
'As most of you have attended my Defence class as well, I have decided to further our discussion. You will be brewing a healing potion today. Though it is one of the easier healing potions, you may find it a bit complicated, as healing potions are among the most difficult to brew. However, as this is supposed to be a NEWT level class, you all should be able to do it, unless you managed to scrape by with a barely legitimized Exceeds Expectations, that is.'
He smirked and and caught Potter's eye. The boy glared at him, just as he had expected.
'Open your books to page 315 and begin,' Snape commanded.
A rustling noise filled the classroom as everybody thumbed through their books to find the right page. Finally the class fell silent again, and Snape looked over to Potter. The boy was sharing a book with Weasley, and Snape thought that he seemed slightly hesitant to use the book that had caused him so much trouble. However, the teacher wasn't satisfied with this. He wanted Potter to hand the book over. Given the anger this particular pupil had already caused him this morning, he couldn't resist provoking the boy.
'What's this over here?' Snape walked over to their table, smirking cruelly. 'Can't afford your own book, Weasley?'
Weasley blushed angrily. And Snape actually felt a small, unexpected pang of sorrow for him; after all he knew what it was like to be looked down on due to owning shabby things. But as he had expected, Weasley's fury was nothing compared to Potter's, who glared at him hotly. 'This is Ron's book… I forgot mine!' Potter spat.
'Is that so, Potter?' Snape didn't believe for a second that the boy had simply forgotten his book and wondered how he could even think he would get away with this lie.
'Five points from Gryffindor for not even being able to come to class prepared.' He went to the cupboard, looked inside and saw at once a battered-looking copy of Advanced Potion Making that looked very familiar. He picked it up and, thinking that Potter had preferred not to hand the book over personally but secretely put it back into the cupboard, he decided that he could accept that. However, on a second look he noted that something was wrong. He flipped quickly through the pages and realized angrily that it was a brand new book just bound with his own, old cover. Potter must have exchanged the covers on purpose to conceal the fact he was using his old book. Snape wondered briefly when Potter had comitted this act of fraud, if at the beginning of the school year or just now, but then he decided angrily that he didn't care. It made no difference.
He violently dropped the book on the desk in front of Potter.
'Here Potter, use this. It looks despicable from the outside but amazingly clean on the inside.'
His eyes bore into Potter's. The boy gulped, obviously aware that Snape couldn't be fooled.
'Thanks,' Potter muttered, quickly opened the book to the right page and started on his potion.
Snape walked around the classroom as he always did, though Potter's place was the one he stopped by most. He could tell the boy was very nervous and couldn't concentrate sufficiently. With the amount of glances the boy shot toward him, he wasn't surprised when Potter skipped a line in the instructions. At once his potion, that was supposed to be a light blue liquid, turned acid-green and had the consistency of thick glue.
'Shit,' Potter muttered under his breath.
'Language, Potter.' Snape said as he looked into Potter's cauldron. 'I wonder… how exactly did you make it into this NEWT class? It's shocking that you have managed to remain in here without Professor Slughorn throwing you out due to incompetence.'
The class was silent; one could have heard a feather fall. All eyes were peering uncomfortably into cauldrons, but it was obvious that everybody was listening intensely.
'Maybe I display more competence with Professor Slughorn, since he actually tries to teach me instead of just offending me,' Potter threw at him, his eyes flashing.
The absolute silence in the room became even more intense. Snape was livid. True, he had not expected Potter to confess using tips out of his old Potions text, not with everybody listening, but he hadn't been pepared for Potter's impertinence either, blaming him for his own inaptitude. He didn't answer at once but just stared at the insolent boy, who stood behind his desk, hands clenched into fists as he glared back at him.
'Potter, I don't know if you think that just because you have already been assigned as many detentions with me as as you can possibly receive, you can be as insolent as you wish,' Snape finally said in a dangerous whisper that was just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, 'but be assured that I can find numerous ways to punish you, especially one of them you will not like at all. Do I make myself absolutely clear?'
Potter bit his lip and didn't answer. At the other side of the room, Draco snickered, which caused Potter to blush and avert his eyes. Without saying a word he sat down.
Snape snorted before sweeping over to Malfoy to inspect his potion, confident that he wouldn't hear any more insolence from Potter until the end of the lesson.
He flipped his head around at the sound of the familiar grumble.
Perhaps he was wrong…
'I knew there was something truly enjoyable missing in Potions class this year…' As all the students still hardly dared to breathe, Potter's sarcastic muttering to Weasley was loud enough for everybody to hear.
For Snape this was the final straw.
'Stay after class, Potter.'
Potter paled. Convinced that he had finally succeeded in making the boy shut up for the remainder of the class, Snape began his final round of inspecting the more or less satisfying results of his students. From the corner of his eye he saw Potter scribbling a note on a piece of parchment and pass it to his friends, who, after reading it, just shrugged and looked at him with helpless and worried expressions. Normally Snape wasn't one to tolerate the passing of notes in class, but this time he ignored it. In fact he was rather amused because he was almost certain of the content.
'All right, clean up your places and botttle a sample,' he said when the bell rang and sat down behind his desk. The students hastened to do what they were told and most pupils left the classroom hurriedly, placing their labeled vials on Snape's desk as they passed it. Potter's friends, however, lingered a bit longer, obviously reluctant to leave him alone.
'Granger, Weasley, out! Now!' Snape barked, and after a last pitiful glance at Potter, they fled.
The teacher knew they were probably expecting him to cane Potter right now, and in fact, he was tempted to do so. After all Albus had given him permission! But the headmaster had also said that he would talk to Potter this evening about Snape's authority in this regard, and Snape wanted this talk to take place before. Besides, in spite of his anger at the boy, he would not cane him before his backside had healed. However, as Potter had thrown his offer to heal him right back in his face he certainly wasn't going to offer a second time. So the professor figured he had to wait for a few days until he could take the cane out of the cupboard, but he was determined to make the boy already feel the anticipation. He watched Potter as he got up from his chair and hesitantly walked towards Snape's desk.
'All right, Potter,' Snape said, as he slowly stood up. 'I will be back in 15 minutes, and I will deal with you then. Meanwhile I want you to clean out the classroom cupboard. Take everything out, clean the shelves and the inside of cupboard, and put everything back inside in nice order. Those are all things I need, and I won't waste my time looking for them simply because you produced a mess. Understood?' He conjured a bucket with soapy water and some rags out of thin air. 'Begin now. I want everything finished when I come back.'
'Yes, sir.' Potter replied. Snape nodded and left the classroom. To his annoyance, the first thing he saw after closing the door behind him was Potter's fanclub right at the opposite side of the corridor staring at him wide-eyed.
'Granger and Weasley! I will not tolerate your lurking in front of my door. That's ten points from Gryffindor!' he shouted and was pleased to see them scurry away in haste.
He walked next door into his office and looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes seemed an appropriate time to let Potter stew, sufficient to clean the cupboard and find the cane. And maybe the boy was inelligent enough to make up his mind about how he wished to proceed regarding his Potions textbook. To be fair, Snape finally decided that Potter couldn't have been expected to give him the book during the actual lesson. After all, it was possible that he had planned to give it to him in private.
He would give the boy another chance, and if Potter took it, Snape was determined not to say anything about the book anymore. The professor sighed and scanned the headlines of the Daily Prophet, sighing when he found nothing interesting. Finally, the quarter of an hour had passed and he went back to the adjacent classroom.
When he entered the room, Potter approached the front desk choking out in a polite tone, 'I've just finished, sir.'
Snape nodded and silently picked up the tattered book that still lay on his pupil's desk.
'Do you have anything to say to me, Potter?' he asked, his voice neutral.
'No, sir.' Potter said in a small voice. Snape couldn't believe this stubbornness and tried again.
'Potter, there are many things that I will not tolerate; insolence is one of them. Another is lying. Now… what do you have to say to me?'
Potter just looked at him and silently shook his head. Snape couldn't believe that the boy still refused to come clean. Immediately, his temper coiled. So much for second chances…
Snape's eyes flashed. 'Hand over your school bag.'
Potter flinched and slowly made his way over to his bag, but instead of bringing the whole satchel over to him, he simply unpacked his Potions text, walked back over to him and held the book out to him.
'I think this is what you're looking for, isn't it?' he offered quietly, not meeting Snape's eyes.
'Indeed it is, Potter,' Snape said slowly, taking the book and flipping through the pages. He placed both books close to each other and exchanged the book covers in just the way Potter had done at some time in the past. He shoved the new book towards Potter. 'This is yours, I believe.'
Potter nodded and looked at it miserably.
Snape's voice was a dangerous whisper: 'I cannot believe, Potter, that you still wanted to use the other book. You tried to convince the headmaster and me that you were oh so sorry about using an unknown spell. Now had you been honest about that, wouldn't it have been the normal reaction to come clean and hand the book over immediately? No, you not only lied to me in the bathroom but also just a minute ago.'
'But I only wanted to use the book for Potions! I didn't want to try out any other unkown spells!' Potter protested.
'Your arrogance is almost offensive, Potter. Do you take me for an idiot? Did you think I would not find out, even if you had had class today with Professor Slughorn?' Snape's voice gradually increased in volume.
Potter shook his head vehemently. He seemed to struggle internally until he finally spoke.
'I want to become an auror, and I need a good Potions mark, sir,' he mumbled, staring at his feet. 'And it was so easy with the Potions tips inside. I guess I just thought it was worth the risk...' His voice faded.
'Worth the risk…' Snape repeated, his face was expressionless. 'Well Potter, you are certainly going to find out if it was worth the risk, for you are going to be punished for it, as well as for your insolence in today's class.'
Good, Snape thought with grim satisfaction, when he saw Potter glance over to the cupboard. He knows what to expect.
He continued, 'But not today. You may go to lunch now.'
Potter stood, rooted to the spot, staring at him.
'Potter, what part of "go to lunch now" confused you? Go. I clearly stated I would punish you another day.'
'Yes sir,' Potter muttered. He collected his things and left the classroom in haste.
'Worth the risk…' Snape repeated slowly once more to himself.
For once, Potter had seemed to be honest, and a part of Snape could even understand the boy's motivation. Would he have done the same in Potter's place? The man shook his head. There was no way he could have been stupid enough to pass up so many chances to redeem himself.
It didn't matter if he understood the reasons for Potter's behaviour. He would not tolerate it.