First day of classes! Harry felt like he would just vibrate right out of his skin or fall asleep in this cup of orange juice. Yeah, he didn't sleep very well his first night and that was because of his excitement for today and not because his bed was too big and too cold. Nope. Just pure excitement.
"Ugh. We share classes with Slytherins this year," Ron gagged, showing a glimpse of chewed up omelette.
"That's disgusting," Hermione wrinkled her nose.
"Slytherins are disgusting," Ron chirped opened his mouth to display the mess of cheese and egg he had consumed causing the girl to turn away with a gasp of dismay.
"Excuse me?" Harry frowned.
"What?" Ron frowned right back.
"Use your brain, Ronald. Severus is his twin. And he's in Slytherin," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Uh oh. Did I just hear someone say the impossible?" A boy who had to be Ronald's brother popped up suddenly. He was a tall, lanky boy with carrot red hair and freckles and blue eyes that shone with pure mischief. His mirror image sprouted from the ground as though he had crawled to avoid being seen until just then.
"I think you did, Mr. Weasley. Any persons with eyes knows our dear Ronnikins can't do things like keep his foot out of his mouth. It's a serious condition," the mirror image clicked his tongue sadly. He placed a hand on Ron's head only for it to be slapped off but then he placed it back. This continued on for the amusement of their fellow Gryffindors as the lanky boy continued on in a most serious tone. "Hello. I am Healer Frederick Weasley and this is my colleague Healer George Weasley—no relation."
"You two look exactly alike," Harry pointed out.
"We get that a lot but I truly cannot see it," the first twin shrugged.
"Yes, we—."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" A voice shrieked and then there was a crash. Harry jumped to his feet just in time to see a head of red hair move away from the Slytherin table. There was a large boy so big that he completely obscured Severus from view and it seemed as though he was trying to jump across the table to get to the tiny redhead but several hands stopped him. Oh no. Harry had a bad feeling about this. The necklace was cold. Severus wasn't in danger because he was the danger.
"I'll be right back," he told his new friends. He cursed the fact that Slytherin table was so far away as he ran as fast as he could. It was their first day and this was supposed to be fun.
"Yoor jusa ferst year ya little shite. Dun go makin enemies of—!"
"Please do not call yourself powerful or dangerous. I don't want to laugh and embarrass you further," Severus cut off the thick Irish accent. Harry slid to a stop to take in the scene. There was a broken plate and food strewn across the floor as though it had been thrown. The boy across from Severus was older, maybe a fourth year. He was tall and… practically bursting out of his school robes due to his insane muscles and he was absolutely furious, his face a familiar shade of purple and foam nearly dripping. The boys restraining him barely had a grip at this point. But there weren't any wands out and Severus was too far back to physically attack anyone. Good. It was still salvageable. "If you are so offended that you lack knowledge a first year has then perhaps you should pick up a book rather than a fork." Never mind.
"Hey—." Harry started to step into the fray and hopefully not into a hex but was stopped by what had to be the most pompous voice in the whole world.
"If this is the way you act at school then perhaps I should inform my father, Snyder." All eyes snapped to the blond haired boy who had spoken. Back straight, single eyebrow raised and a cup of orange juice dangling disgustingly elegantly in a little, pale hand. Draco.
"I—he—." The muscular boy sputtered, gesturing wildly.
"Apologize then walk away, Snyder," the blond commanded, cutting off the stream of words. Snyder froze as though he had been slapped.
"That's not necessary," Harry protested. He could just barely believe this was Draco Malfoy the klutz that saved his brother. This Draco Malfoy now seemed like some snooty prince with his nose in the sky—like Dudley but richer.
"I apologize, Potter," Snyder spat between clenched teeth then he turned on his heel and stomped from the Great Hall. A girl with silver hair didn't pause her chewing as she gave her wand a few complicated waves and the plate put itself back together and the food vanished. Chatter resumed quietly amongst the snakes. Almost like nothing had happened. Harry looked to the Head Table to see that none of the teachers were even looking their way. That was weird, right? There was almost a massacre over here and nobody even blinked!
"Harry, why would you step between two people and not have your wand out?" Severus sighed as though Harry were the one antagonizing people into attacking him. He gaped as his twin casually grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He grabbed Harry's hand and began to drag him back to his designated table of lions which snapped him out of his utter astonishment.
"Don't you mean why were you starting fights on your first day!? Sev! You almost got expelled," Harry waved his free arm wildly because there was no doubt in his mind that Severus would have went for the most excessive ultimate attack battling Snyder to teach everyone else that he was not to be messed with.
"Do not be so dramatic, Harry. Expulsion," Severus scoffed as though the word and its entire conception was ridiculous. "Besides, as status quo I do not start fights." Harry rolled his eyes. Sure, technically Severus didn't start fights but he sure knew how to get people to start them when he wanted to fight. Severus didn't even give the Gryffindors a single glance as he grabbed Harry's bag to sling on the same shoulder then he was on the move again, this time out of the Great Hall. "Our first class is Potions."
—+
"So, you're that girl from Diagon Alley." Severus glanced up from the tome disguised as a textbook he was reading. It was Malfoy. The blond haired boy stood in front of his workbench, arms crossed and a carefully casual look of boredom on his pointed face.
"I am a boy," Severus replied, going back to his book. Snape had recommended the book of theories and demanded he read them all and note which ones were possible and which ones were pipe dreams dreamt by a fools. It was a term long lesson atop several other ones such as a book of advanced Charms and several higher level defensive spells and a book of morally grey spells. All of them were infinitely better than whatever lessons their professor would have… whoever he was. He could tell just by the homework assignment written on the board that this teacher was either a novice or he thought them toddlers. Just a foot on healing potions? He could write five feet just on the ingredients of one potion. And that we just plain vague.
"Lying is unneeded. I have a parent on the school board… and eyes in my head," Draco rolled said silver eyes. Severus wondered if their disguises were shoddy or if they just happened to run into the two children that were observant. They hadn't been caught by Hagrid… then again the half giant was nearly ten feet tall and thus looking down from that angle. Next time he would need to use prosthetics or magic to alter cheekbones and noses…
"Where is the professor?" Daphne asked quietly.
"Maybe you guys killed him like the other one!" A voice that was definitely Ronald shouted from the back. The office door chose that moment to swing open.
"Now, now. No one has killed us just yet," a man chuckled as he came into the room. He was an average height man that was a bit too unassuming in Severus's opinion. He had honey blond hair and eyes like gold and a stupid mustache that curved under his small smile. The only out of place thing about him were the scars. Silvery lines that stretched over his face and trailed under his collar. Slightly behind him was a friendly looking if not short and fat man with dirty blond hair and watery blue eyes. This man looked quite like a rat if Severus was being honest.
"Hello, children. I am Professor Lupin and this is my assistant Professor Pettigrew. We apologize for being late but I am quite sickly and needed a few more minutes to get ready," Professor Lupin explained. He pulled out a scroll and asked them all to stand up and come to the front.
"As you all should know this is Beginners Potions. It's a subtle art, powerful in its own right and necessary to be a full rounded wizard or witch." That was it? That was the speech on the beautiful, complex science of Potions!? Severus refused to gape but he felt his inteneral jaw hit the floor. The man pulled open the scroll and squinted at the list. "Let's see… we are even between Houses—wow Gryffindors and Slytherins. I don't think we've had this combination. How about we… Harry?!" The man's mouth dropped open comically and he seemed to choke on his own spit. He stared at Harry as though seeing a ghost and angel at the same time. Severus didn't like that. He took a protective step in front of his brother, glaring as though the man meant to snatch him up and run away. Which he probably did with the way he continued to stare.
"I guess it has been ten years," his co-professor muttered just loud enough to be heard. He stared at Harry as well so was treated with a glare from Severus just the same.
"Yes, um. You're quite right, Peter. Ten years and such. Um. Hm. You must be Severus then. Welcome to Hogwarts boys," Professor Lupin cleared his throat and managed to drag his eyes away from the now-curious Gryffindor. "As I was saying, Gryffindors will partner with Slytherins. It will really help you children bond, I believe." There were muted groans and muttered protests.
"So. I think Parvati Patel and Daphne Greengrass will be good. Ronald Weasley and Vincent Crabbe. Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson. Lavender Brown, Millicent Bulstrode. Blaise Zabini, Seamus Finnigan. Harry Potter, Severus… no, no. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Yes, yes. Severus Potter, Neville Longbottom. Finally we have Dean Thomas and Gregory Goyle."
Harry wasn't mad that he hadn't gotten to be with his brother but he was certainly jealous. Whoever (Neville, apparently. The lucky kid) was partnered with his brother would most definitely be the top of the class when it came to brewing. Well, maybe Draco wouldn't be that bad. He turned to his new partner and was met by an expression he saw on Severus's face pretty often: unimpressed. It was normally directed at some idiot who didn't quite realize he was an idiot.
"Is there something on my face?" Harry asked, crossing his eyes.
"No, there isn't. There's no wig on your head, either," Draco replied. Ooohhh! Harry was going to have to talk to Severus about their disguise.
"Before we start our first potion, would anyone like to tell me what flowers to expect when speaking of Narcissus?" Two hands shot in the air almost before the question was asked. Severus and Hermione. "Uh… Miss Granger?"
"The Narcissus genus are predominantly spring perennial plants in the amaryllis family," she said quite confidentially.
"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor. Can anyone name any examples?" Two hands again. Severus and Hermione, "Miss Granger?"
"There's the…" Hermione looked hesitant, her eyes sliding to the Slytherin boy across from her then back to the expectant professor. She continued with a frown, "jonquil and poet's narcissus which are quite common in healing draughts."
"Ten points to Gryffindor, brava Miss Granger!" Professor Lupin applauded the girl.
"Now, based on Miss Granger's answers and the ingredients I have listed on the board can anyone venture a guess on which healing draught we will be working on?" This time it was only Severus who raised his hand, "no one?" Severus looked up to see if his hand was actually raised and there it was. In the air. He gave it a little wave. "No one at all?" Hm. "Oh, Mr. Potter!" Professor Lupin pointed to not him but to Harry.
"Severus knows the answer. I thought you might not have seen him," Harry leaned over his table to place a hand on Severus's head, clearly showing that it was this Potter he should have chosen.
"That doesn't seem to be correct, unfortunately. We are brewing a simple healing potion called Felix Fix It created by a well known brewer by the name of…? Yes, Mister Finnigan?"
"Felix Felix."
"Very good. Another five points to Gryffindor. Now turn to page 25 where you will find a brief explanation on the potion and the steps on the next page. My assistant will be handing out the ingredients. As soon as you receive yours and thoroughly read the instructions you may begin. I will walk around to observe. Feel free to speak but in a low tone, please."
"Soooooo we think the Professor was totally ignoring you, right?" Harry leaned across his work table to whisper.
"He's most definitely ignoring you. It's why I didn't raise my hand for the last question. Testing a theory," Hermione nodded.
"That or he suddenly goes blind in my direction. It is not a common phenomenon but it does happen," Severus frowned. He was sure he hadn't done anything to the docile looking man as it was only the very first day but he certainly would do something if he continued to be ignored. The only question was if it should be overt and untraceable like a gas or something Harry would do… perhaps taking the screws out of his chair or a bucket of water on the door or…
"Thank you," Neville said as he was handed their ingredients basket. Severus took it immediately and began to shift inside. The flowers were absolutely mangled! Subpar, definitely not fresh and probably ordered in bulk. Merlin! What was that smell? Their toad eyes were chemically altered to stay fresh which just… that was damn stupid. Severus shot his hand in the air. Amber eyes roamed the room and skipped over him. Oh? Okay.
"Longbottom, I'll be right back. Fill half the cauldron with water," Severus commanded. He slammed the basket down and stomped to the door he saw the professors come from and threw it open. "Lumos!" He flicked his wand to light it. Severus took a look around the room and decided right then and there that Lupin and Pettigrew were the worst professors in Hogwarts and definitely not Potion Masters. The ingredients on the wall were in alphabetical order (from what he could tell) for Merlin's sake! One had to be a special kind of stupid to do that. There was also dust all along the shelves, webs clinging to bottles and—Severus wept. He physically wept at the mere sight of an unsupervised potion just sitting in the corner like that. There was some sort of mildew along the wall, right where the potion sat. Just who. Who hired these idiots? He stomped over to the cauldron and bent through the shield to give a whiff only to immediately snatch away. Good God it stank to the high heavens like rotting entrails! And was most definitely burnt. He wondered what it was, bubbling and silver as it was and in a pure silver cauldron as well…
"And just what are you doing in here?" A nasally voice demanded. Severus peered over his shoulder to see Professor Pettigrew, his lips pulled down in a frown.
"Oh, I thought I was invisible and could do whatever I please," Severus shrugged, pulling away from the potion. He wandered to the shelves and pulled down the vial of crystals he desired. Testing the seal assured him they were not tampered with at the very least though he doubted their freshness.
"Ten points from Slytherin. Please take your seat," Professor Pettigrew pointed in what might have been an authoritative way had it not been the way his eyes seemed to dart around nervously. Very rat-ish.
"Your potion is burning," Severus was never one to let a potion be ruined over something so petty. Professor Pettigrew cursed under his breath and rushed over to the small cauldron much to his satisfaction.
—+
"Neville. Do you know what half means?" Severus asked calmly as he found himself looking into a full cauldron.
"Oh, um. Yes. I do but uh, you left and Professor Lupin said that the directions said a full cauldron," Longbottom chewed on his bottom lip. He threw a glance at the other pairs to see if he had done something awful but their cauldrons were all full of water as well.
"Yes, but Professor Lupin isn't brewing with subpar ingredients nor does he have extra ingredients to fix this handicap," Severus explained as nicely as he could. He tilted the cauldron and drained half the water out then he carefully placed it upon the flame in the middle of their table, thankful the Gryffindor hadn't thought to do it. He handed some flowers to the boy, "Cut the roots diagonally. Toss the petals." Longbottom looked back to the book and chewed on his bottom lip. Severus pinched his nose. "Look at our petals. Do they look healthy to you? Yes or no?"
"B-but…" Neville fiddled with said petals. They did look unhealthy, limp and brown around the edges. He certainly wouldn't give them to his mum or dad as a present so he supposed he shouldn't want to use them in a potion either but the directions specifically said petals and he wanted to do a really good job in all his classes to make his gran proud…
"If we fail, I will take responsibility," Severus sighed, working on grinding the crystals as fine as he could. Longbottom didn't seem assured but he did as asked. They worked… okay together. Severus found himself biting down on his tongue as the boy seemed to have some sort of hearing problem or something. Or maybe it was the way Professor Lupin stared at them before looking away when Severus stared back.
"Okay. Now we just let it simmer until the end of class," Severus turned the heat as low as he could and started to clean up.
"Uh… are you sure? I mean? My um, the book it says that…" Longbottom trailed off as he wrung his fingers half to death.
"If I wasn't sure then… for Merlin's sake. Don't believe me if you want but alter that potion and I will hex you across the room," Severus growled. Longbottom let out a noise that could only be described as a squeak and he scrambled to clean instead. Severus rolled his eyes and pulled out his secret tome.
"Seeeevvvv!" Harry half whine interrupted a particularly fascinating theory of a cure for vampirism. It was total lunacy that boarded on gibberish but still fascinating.
"What?" Severus muttered, not turning his eyes from his pages.
"We followed the directions perfectly and our potion isn't right. I know it should be much lighter than this and the smell is off but I don't know why," Harry poked him with what felt like a ladle. Hopefully a clean one. Severus took a deep breath, smelling his potion well on its way to being perfect and the many other cauldrons that just weren't right. Even Harry's and Harry followed directions quite well. Did neither professor smell that? With a sigh he closed his book and turned around only to be beat by Professor Pettigrew.
"Is there a problem H—Mr. Potter?" The stout man asked almost eagerly. Ew.
"I was just asking Sev… oh yeah, you're a professor. Forgot. Me and Draco followed all the directions, see he's still stirring and it's not the right blue," Harry explained.
"So um, did you do something um fun for Summer vacation…" A voice asked beside him. Most likely Longbottom and thus unimportant. Professor Pettigrew inserted himself between Harry and Draco, his back half to the blond as he leaned in close to Harry to peer at his book. Why didn't he already know the potion and it's directions? Why was he so close? Would Severus get expelled if he blasted the man across the room? And why was the other one staring so hard at Harry despite in the middle of helping another pair? Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose. He should have enrolled them in some other school.
"How are you done already?" Hermione's voice demanded somewhere to his left. Perhaps they could have passed for girls at Madam Olaf's School for Gifted Witches. At least for a few years. Or maybe that new Russian school rumored to be run by a vampire and staffed entirely with Dark Witches and Wizards. At the very least they probably would only be trying to 'corrupt' or extort them, it wouldn't be none of this… fawning, he supposed he'd describe it.
"Um, Sev changed some stuff." Professor Pettigrew still didn't know the problem and now seemed to be taking the bronze stirring spoon from Draco. In mid-stir. Severus winced. It was now ruined. Curdled. Chunks would form in the bottom.
"Look what you've done!" Draco glared at the man, obviously realizing what would now happen.
"What do you mean you changed some stuff?" Hermione again. Severus wondered if there was a telepathy charm he could teach the two so that they could shut up while Severus spectated. Wait, did Longbottom call him Sev?
"It seems that you and Young Malfoy skipped a step or maybe you haven't stirred long enough," The Professor deduced. Incorrectly.
"Are you—YOU messed up our potion when you stopped me from stirring!" Draco snapped.
"Two points from Slytherin, there is no need to yell at a professor Mr. Malfoy," Professor Lupin chastised on his way over.
"My father will hear about the lack of competency in this sham of a classroom," Draco threw himself back in his seat, arms folded.
"Well our um our ingredients weren't good so Sev changed it a bit."
"What's this I hear?" Amber eyes snap over to Severus. For a moment he wasn't quite sure what the man was talking about but then he realized he must have heard what had to be the loudest Gryffindors in the classroom. The man walked the few feet to their table where their potion bubbled softly away. The right shade of blue and, Severus glanced at the clock, ready to come off the fire. "Why are your petals not in your potion?"
"Those petals are disgusting and whoever paid for much less harvested them is a fool," Severus leaned forward and gave the potion a sniff. It smelled just how his ma made it, how he's made it countless times. He turned off the flames.
"You cannot just make up your own recipe, that is dangerous," Professor Lupin frowned.
"I didn't 'make it up'. It is the same recipe using different parts and it wasn't as though I guessed. I knew," Severus mimicked the expression. He didn't quite understand the problem seeing as it wasn't his ingredients that were utter shite. No one had a proper potion as they did, the Hermione/Pansy duo were probably the closest and Draco/Harry had been on their way until the professor had come along.
"I'm sorry to say but I can't count this," Professor Lupin pulled out his wand. Did he mean to banish his hard work!? Severus grabbed the cauldron by its hot rim and yanked it out of the path of the spell. He couldn't hold in his scream of pain at the second degree burns he'd given himself.
"Merlin! Are you okay!?" Professor Lupin jerked back in horror then forward with hands out in concern. Severus ignored him and carefully poured some of his healing potion upon the damage. Before the entire classes' eyes his flesh mended leaving just a touch of redness.
"See? We brewed Felix Fix It," he grinned triumphantly. Professor Lupin gaped from the potion to his hands and back to the potion then his frown was back.
"Detention."
—+
Severus wouldn't say he was fuming. No. Fuming would imply he was angry and he wasn't angry. He was royally pissed and he would set this school a goddamn ablaze before he let this injustice slide. Professor Remus Stupid Mustache Lupin would rue the day he gave detention to Severus Tobias Potter for doing nothing wrong.
"Sev… that parchment hasn't done anything to you," Harry placed a hand atop of his as he added another dot to another 'i' quite savagely. Severus snapped his head around to glare at Harry because he was pissed and plotting! But then the boy flinched violently and dammit. Now he was angry and guilty. He twisted his hand and intertwined their fingers.
"I just…" he made a vague and angry gesture with his other hand. A smile tugged at Harry's lips and he gave the fingers in his grasp a squeeze because of course Harry understood.
"Hey no problem. Besides we have detention together so it should be fun," Harry shrugged. Severus tilted his head in curiosity. He had stormed out of the class as soon as he was given detention and subsequently ignored any lost House Points or additional detentions he may have received to sit inside the nearly empty Transfiguration classroom. The only other being was a cat that was substantially magical. It wasn't until he was half way through the assigned homework that the rest of his classmates, Harry included, joined him.
"Yeah. I told Lupin—."
"Professor Lupin," Hermione piped up over her textbook and a seat in front of them.
"I mean the guy is totally off his rocker and he gave Harry detention for no reason," Ron protested from beside her, twisting in his seat to look at them.
"He did say to a professor that if they can't see great talent right in front of them then they're a… what did he say exactly, Parvati?" A dark skinned girl with curly blond hair grinned from the front of the class. Lavender Brown. The Indian girl beside her whipped around, dark eyes obviously amused.
"Hideously blind quack not worth the price of a bronze cauldron," she practically cackled. Severus raised an eyebrow to his suddenly red faced twin. All the Gryffindors began to laugh, even Hermione had to lift her book higher to hide her giggles.
"Dun forgit whot he seaid aboot the mustache!" A nearly choking Seamus Finnigan piped up, practically hanging off the howling Dean Thomas beside him.
"He called it stupid, unnecessary and a hazard to anyone who looked at it!" Ron pounded his table, literal tears coming down his face. Severus bit back his smile. He wasn't sure why he hadn't expected Harry to defend him and it was almost enough to soothe the injustice. Almost. But not quite. There was still day-ruing that had to happen. Not as harshly now but it would happen.
"Class is going to start soon," Pansy muttered irritably in the quiet class, "Are all professors going to be late?"
The cat atop the desk stood at that moment, giving a stretch before jumping towards the podium and there stood Professor McGonagall in all her stern glory. She was an animagus, Severus noted, a touch impressed.
"There is one thing that has never and shall never happen in the history of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and that is me being tardy. None of you should be either. I expect each and every one of you with your books and quill, ready to learn. I am sorry to say that I do prefer my classes separated by House…" The witch looked over her glasses at the twin who threw off the balance. Severus frowned as he realized that the Gryffindors had followed Harry like a bunch of ducks to its mother so it was he who had to move. Almost as soon as he stood Ron jumped the table to take his seat. Neville, with a look of relief on his face, left his seat beside Blaise and threw himself next to Hermione.
"Ciao, tereso," Blaise's lips curled up like a particularly wicked cat with a tasty canary between its teeth as he approached. Right before he could take the seat, the large body of Gregory appeared and stole it. The dark skinned boy blinked in surprise then tapped the other on the shoulder. "Are you blind or stupid, Gregory? That seat is taken."
"Mr. Potter, there is an empty seat at the front of the class besides Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall called out rather patiently. Two brown pair of eyes snapped to where she said and there was Draco, attempting a casually bored look ruined only by his silver eyes continually darting over to them.
"Tch, he is no fun," Blaise rolled his eyes. Then he blew a kiss to Severus, "In the next class, tereso." Severus shook his head in quiet amusement and went to the only empty seat.
"That was quite unnecessary," he said quietly, opening his book.
"I disagree. Family should stick together and we are practically cousins," Draco shrugged. Severus choked on his startled laugh. He had forgotten that purebloods saw godparents as actual family, never to be taken lightly or dismissed. Snape probably gave Draco his middle name. So, sharing a godfather meant as Draco said, practically cousins.
"If you truly believe that then you know I have a right to information about him," Severus murmured, keeping his eyes on the lecturing witch. He wanted to grab the boy and shake every bit of information out of him. This was the one mystery that he had the answer sitting right next to him and it irritated him to know that he couldn't quite reach it.
How did Severus Snape die?
Draco placed a hand over his, "Later."
—+
Minerva felt like she was just going to melt as she gazed at her Severus. He was a wee little thing, tiny as she remembered him and his nose was crooked once again. She shook her head in disappointment, she should have known that the Dursleys weren't treating the boys right. She should have listened to her instincts when they screamed at her about Harry not being safe. Oh she chewed Albus out so hours after she saw the boys in that Hospital Wing. A cracked skull! Poisoned! But Albus had placated her. Explained, a little pale faced, that it had been a one time incident. The Dursleys had been 'startled' by the letters and attempts to recruit the boys and Severus had been 'combative'...
Minerva smiled just a bit. That sounded like her Severus. If he didn't want to move then it would take a mountain to force him. And Harry. Sweet, protective Harry. Minerva glanced at the green eyed boy, sitting at the edge of his desk and just rapt with attention. Curious, smart boy like her Severus. She looked back to him. He didn't appear too off. Still to himself, shoulders hunched just a bit and a slight scowl pulling at his lips. She grinned, glad to see that some things never change even with a new, prettier frame.
Severus raised his hand.
"Mr. Potter?" She walked over. He silently held up his sewing needle. Oh my, she only gave the assignment but a minute ago and it was really more for them to attempt for the last twenty minutes of class. She looked it over, felt along it and yes, it was a perfect transfiguration. Her Severus was still just as brilliant. She smiled gently down at the red haired boy. "Twenty points to Slytherin. If you wish you may leave early."
"Thank you, Professor." Oh he was still so quiet. She wondered if he was still as much of a Quidditch fan as he was an adult. He loved going to games with her, bickering over which teams had the greatest potential… perhaps she could invite this Severus to her office for tea. Not too soon but soon. She needed to speak to him, to see if he had any memories in there, repressed or otherwise.
Severus packed his books, whispering something to Young Malfoy and she hid her wince. If there was something about her Severus that she did not like it was his… relationship with Malfoy. Lucius was a wicked boy who led Severus down a dark path and right into the hands of that monster. There was no telling that Draco was the same but still, a Malfoy was a Malfoy. They were users, seekers of talents to exploit and destroy, to manipulate and twist. Yes, that tea time will have to be soon.
"You going to the library?" Harry asked as the boy passed his seat.
"Of course. I'll see you in flying class after lunch." Oh there was that smile she missed. Still small and soft, almost invisible as it was a secret just between him and the one he directed it to.
Her Severus was still in there.
—+
TBC!
There goes the first two classes. I didn't put it in cause it's not important but I did the classes as such: Potions and transfig on mwf. Flying on Mondays. Astrology on F nights. Charms, DADA, herbology on TTh. History of Magic on WTh.
Ummm oh yeah! I got some cool, like impressively creative guesses on the potion Professor that never occurred to me and were like top level advanced ideas but nope! It's Lupin and (GASP) Pettigrew!