Thank you for all the great reviews. I'd like to answer a couple questions that were asked. There will be no pairings or romance in this story. Also, as to what house Harry will end up in I cannot say. I do plan to write a sequel and then maybe a few novellas to go with this story. Thank you all for sticking around this long. I know this story lacks strong action and conflict, but I promise you the sequel will have more of that.
"Uncle Sirius, are you sure this is safe?" Harry asked as Sirius mounted the broom that hovered a few feet above the ground.
"Of course it's safe, Harry. I even asked your father if we could go flying and he agreed as long as we stay close to the school." Sirius confirmed.
"I doubt he agreed to let me ride on a prank broom." Harry said honestly.
"I may have left that part out. But it's safe, as long as you know how to stop it." Sirius reached for Harry, but Harry stepped out of reach. Sirius lowered his hands but encouraged Harry to come forward.
"Don't worry Harry. I put a safety charm on it so we won't fall off. And if something goes wrong I'll make sure to stop the broom." Sirius held out his hands. Harry allowed the mature part of him to leave as he smiled and allowed himself to be lifted on to the broom. Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry before kicking the broom forward.
Harry fell back in to Sirius's chest as the broom dashed forward at full speed. Harry held on to the broom for dear life as it flipped upside down, forgetting that Sirius had put a safety charm on the broom.
The broom righted itself and flew straight for a bit before flipping upside down again.
"Harry. Let go of the broom and put your arms up." Sirius encouraged. Harry slowly let the broom go and put his arms up. He was surprised he stayed on but it felt cool having his arms feel the impact of the wind flying past them. He laughed as the broom righted itself again and started spinning in a circle. Sirius and Harry laughed as the broom suddenly starting performing corkscrews in the air. Then it flew straight up.
"Are we heading for a dive?" Harry asked, looking back at Sirius.
"I believe so. Better hold on."
"Nuh-uh. I'm keeping my arms up."
The broom stopped high up in the air. Tilting forward it began to dive to the ground. Harry kept his arms up screaming in excitement as the broom straightened out before it could hit the ground.
"Now, how was that, Harry?" Sirius asked, smiling down at the boy.
"That was brilliant. Let's do it again." Harry said excitedly.
"Well, first we have to wait for the broom to stop on its own, before we start it back up again."
"Um, Uncle Siri? We're heading straight for the castle doors."
Sirius looked ahead and saw the main entrance. He swore under his breath and pulled out his wand. He tried a couple spells which Harry guessed were made to stop objects. The broom didn't respond to any of the spells.
"Uncle Siri! We're gonna crash!" Harry cried.
Sirius looked up and pointed his wand at the doors. They flew open as the broom charged in to the school. Harry screamed as they soared down corridors and halls, nearly crashing several times. Students scattered, some pressing themselves to the side of the halls while others threw themselves to the floor.
"Sorry! Broom malfunction." Sirius called out various times.
"Look out!" Harry called to several other students.
An unknowing student exited the Great Hall and jumped out of the way at the sight of the broom. However, he left the door open and the broom glided in. It must have been nearing the end of lunch since several students and some professors were still inside. Students screamed as the wild broom grazed tables and skidded the walls.
"Uncle Sirius!" Harry cried.
"Just hold on, Harry. I'm sure it'll stop soon." Sirius guaranteed. The broom performed several dangerous turns and began to climb towards the ceiling, as if preparing to dive again. Harry closed his eyes, praying the broom didn't miscalculate and crash in to the cold, hard floor.
Miraculously, the broom stopped. Harry opened his eyes as he felt the broom slowly lower to the ground.
"Finally! Don't worry, I'm sure I can explain to the Headmaster what went wrong. He's pretty easy-going." Sirius said.
"I'm just glad that's over." Harry said. Then he started laughing along with Sirius. When the broom hovered a few feet above the floor, Harry's laugh was cut short.
"Uncle Siri."
Sirius looked up to see what caused Harry to stop laughing.
"Bloody damn hell." Sirius muttered.
Standing face to face with the two was a very livid Severus Snape, his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed.
"It was his idea." Harry told his father, pointing to Sirius.
"You're a great kid, you know that?" Sirius said sarcastically.
Severus's glare deepened at the comments.
"Out of all the thoughtless idiocy you could possibly do!" Severus yelled at the two. They were now in his quarters sitting on the couch while Severus paced in front of them. He's going to kill me. Harry couldn't help but think. He's furious. I don't think he's ever been this mad at something Uncle Sirius and I have ever done.
"What ludicrous inanity was going through your minds to think that flying a wretched prank broom through Hogwarts would be tolerable?" Severus glared at the two. When no one answered his question he focused on each one individually.
"How old are you, Harry?" Severus raised an eyebrow.
"You know how old I am." Harry muttered looking down. Severus frowned, towering over Harry. He reached out a hand and held Harry's chin up, forcing eye contact.
"When I ask a question, I expect an answer. Don't you dare get cheeky with me, young man." Severus growled.
"I'm eight." Harry quickly answered. Severus released Harry's chin, but continued to stare down at him.
"And at eight years old, should I have to monitor you like a toddler?"
"No, Dad." Harry answered.
"Then explain to me, Harry, why you would do something so foolish?"
"I don't know." Harry whispered. Sirius stood up ready to take full blame.
"Now Severus, I've told you it was my idea. I encouraged Harry to . . ."
"Sit down, Black." Severus warned. Sirius put his hands up in a defensive posture as he sat back down on the couch.
"You are the adult here. You should have known how imprudent it was to ride that broom. And then you drag my son along with you. You're lucky Harry didn't break a bone." Harry flinched at the memory of breaking his arm. "If you ever do something as asinine with my son, you won't be able to visit Harry for a month. Am I clear?"
"Crystal, Severus." Sirius refrained from rolling his eyes.
Severus turned on Harry, glaring furiously, and leaned down so he was eye to eye with his son.
"And if you ever do anything so precarious like what you did today, you my child, will be over my knees so quickly it'll make your head spin. Do I make myself clear?" Harry nodded his head. Severus gave a slight relieved smile as he straightened up.
"I believe it might be best if you two remain indoors, for your safety and for the welfare of this school." Severus suggested, though it sounded more like a command.
"Okay Dad." Harry responded while Sirius rolled his eyes.
"I have to teach a class now, Harry. I won't be there to save you a second time if you happen to find trouble. So stay out of it." Severus ruffled Harry's hair. Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around Severus.
"I'll be good. I'll stay in the castle." Harry said.
"And no hiding in any strange rooms." Severus said.
"Dad! I'll be fine. Uncle Remus is coming over soon."
"Good. Someone with a little common sense."
"Thanks, Severus." Sirius frowned.
"I'll see you at dinner. Mind your uncles. Unless Uncle Sirius tells you to do something you know you'll get in trouble for. See you later, Harry." Severus left at that.
Harry turned to Sirius. Sirius gave Harry a mock glare.
"Thanks for not ratting me out, you little brat."
"You got me in trouble." Harry puckered his lower lip out and giving Sirius his sad eyes.
Sirius fell right in to Harry's trap.
"Hey, don't cry tiger cub, I was only joking. I'm sorry for getting you in trouble."
Harry couldn't keep a straight face and started laughing. Sirius looked confused before he realized what Harry had done. Then he reached for Harry, tickling him.
"You little faker! I'll teach you a lesson." Harry laughed even harder, falling to the ground, as Sirius reached every ticklish spot he had.
Later that same day, after Harry's bedtime, Harry found that he couldn't sleep. He got up and went looking for his father.
"Dad?" Harry called, looking around the rooms. It was well past his bedtime; Severus had sent him to bed more than two hours ago. He hoped Severus wouldn't scold him for still being up. It wasn't his fault his brain wouldn't shut off.
"Dad?" Harry called again. Where was he? Harry looked at the door to his father's potions lab. It was off limits just like the one at the manor, but he didn't remember Severus working on any dangerous projects. He quietly opened the door and stepped in. It was dark and he didn't see Severus, nor was anything boiling on the lab table. He quickly left and shut the door, continuing his search to his dad's study. The light is on. Maybe he's in there.
Harry knocked softly, pushing the door open a bit. The room was empty. Shoot. Harry was about to shut the door when something caught his eye. On the desk laid the ancient potions book. It was open and a strange purple like hue was illuminating off of it.
Curious, Harry reentered the room, shutting the door slightly behind him. He approached the desk warily, unsure if the book was dangerous or not. Finally, he stood in front of the book and sat in his father's chair. On the page that was opened was a large drawing of a dragon, along with paragraphs of words he couldn't read nor understand. Harry figured the book was written in Latin or Greek. He gently touched the drawing and was surprised when the purple hue all gathered together and formed a small hologram like image of the dragon above the book. The dragon shook his head before the hue changed, forming only the beast's head. The dragon opened its mouth and released a flame before the hue morphed once more, revealing a dragon's tooth. The hue also formed words by the tooth in the same language the book was written in. Harry stared in awe of what he had seen.
"A dragon's tooth," A voice suddenly spoke, "holds an incredible amount of ancient magic, giving any potion enough power to do just about anything."
Harry jumped out of the seat when he heard the first words. He stared at his father with a guilty expression before looking down. The purple hue, sensing no audience, returned to the book. Severus spoke once more.
"Why are you awake, Harry?" Harry shrugged. "Then you can go straight back to bed. I will not tolerate shrugging when I ask a question." Severus scolded lightly.
"I couldn't sleep. I was looking for you, honest. But I . . ." Harry gestured towards the book, unsure if he would be in trouble for touching it.
"I see. Well, that would be the case for someone who challenged his uncle into a cookie eating contest, now wouldn't it? I doubt all that sugar has worn off yet." Severus explained, coming around the desk to sit in the chair Harry had just vacated. "While we wait for you to succumb to a sugar crash, let me show you something. Come here."
Harry allowed himself to be pulled on to Severus's lap, curling up in a comfortable spot. He looked curiously at the book as Severus glided his fingers over the words. The purple hue rose and formed a strange map. It appeared to be a mountainous area. The hue scaled over the land, showing every peak and tree in distance.
"This is where the dragons live. In the mountains of Russia and various rocky places around the world." Severus clarified. Harry watched as Severus moved his fingers over more words. The purple hue showed a dragon's tooth being crushed into a powder before altering in to a round container. "This is how a dragon's tooth is prepared for brewing usage. It is crushed in to powder. Then that powder is put in to a preserver container so it doesn't rot away."
Harry was fascinated by everything he was seeing and what Severus was saying. He remembered when he despised potions, Professor Snape more specifically. Though the man earned his respect after his death, Harry hated how the professor had treated him. Now that he was the man's son, he had grown to love potions just as much as Severus did, and absorbed information like a sponge.
"Can you read that, Dad?" Harry asked pointing to the foreign words.
"Yes, I can. This right here is what is most important." Severus pointed to a small section on the far right of the page. "Powdered dragon tooth is a rare ingredient to come by. It is not often found in apothecaries. It can be, however, given to a potions master by a dragonologist. So, son, do you know any dragonologists?" Severus asked, smiling softly at Harry.
I do, Charlie Weasley. Or, at least, he will be one. But I can't tell you that. Harry shook his head, smiling back.
"It's a shame. I don't think I'll be traveling to Russia any time soon. Looks like I'll just have to keep my eyes open. Perhaps in the summer, you and I can make a trip to Russia and see some dragons. How does that sound?" Severus looked down at Harry with a knowing smirk.
"Brilliant." Harry nodded, his smile widening. Finally, dragons that won't try to eat me. Harry felt the sugar crash hit, his eyes started closing and his head felt heavy. He wanted to sleep now. He let his eyes close. At least now he knew Severus's plan for the Headmaster's potion.
"I believe its bedtime now, child. And it looks like someone will be sleeping in." Severus lifted Harry up in a cradle position. "You're getting heavier. I can't believe how much you've grown."
Harry smiled, his eyes remaining closed. He couldn't believe how much he's grown either. It was just one more reality check that he was in a whole other world. He felt himself laid down on his bed and the blankets were tucked in around him.
"Goodnight, Dad." Harry whispered as he felt Severus kiss his forehead.
"Good morning, son." Severus whispered back before leaving the room.
Harry let out a small snort, his smile still on his face as he fell asleep.
"Uncle Sirius! Uncle Remus! Guess what?" Harry cried as he crashed into his uncles as they exited the floo. Remus needed to pick up more Wolfsbane and decided he'd turn the quick trip into a visit with Harry.
"I don't know tiger cub, what?" Sirius asked.
"Dad's taking me to Russia to see the dragons in three weeks!" Harry exclaimed. It had been two and a half months since the wild broom incident and school was drawing to a close. Only three weeks left till summer vacation started. Then Harry and Severus were packing and leaving on their trip. Harry couldn't wait. He was filled with strong childish excitement that his mature half just didn't care how he acted.
"Maybe I shouldn't have told him. It's all he talks about now. I believe everyone in this school, students and staff, know about our summer plans." Severus said as he stepped forward to pull the boy off his uncles' legs to allow them to enter. Severus set Harry down on his feet, but before he could tell the boy to calm down, Harry was following his uncles and sitting down next to Remus on the couch. Severus handed Remus a three vials of Wolfsbane, which he pocketed.
"Did you know that there are so many different species of dragons in the world?" Harry quizzed his uncle.
"No Harry I did not." Remus answered, smiling at Harry. "What else do you know?"
"Hungarian Horntails have a flame range of like fifty feet! It's a very dangerous dragon. And Norwegian Ridgebacks can breathe fire as soon as they're born! And Swedish Short-Snouts have blue flames that will turn you right in to ashes! And a Chinese Fireball likes to eat humans! I want to see one of those dragons. Dad, are we going to see a Chinese Fireball?" Harry turned his excited eyes on Severus.
"I don't know Harry. And you need to calm down, take a deep breath, and slow down what you're saying." Severus told him as he sat in his armchair.
"Okay." Harry closed his eyes, took in an exaggeratedly long breath, before speaking again.
"So did you hear what I said about the Hungarian Horntail? It's a very dangerous dragon, it gets its name from the spikes on its tail. And a Ukrainian Ironbelly! That one's like the largest dragon ever! It's so big, it could crush this entire school! I want to see that one, too! Dad, are we . . ."
"Harry Severus, enough." Severus scolded. Harry was taken back at the harsh sound of his name. He blinked a couple times, unsure what he did wrong.
"Now, Severus, he's just expressing some excitement. What's wrong with that?" Remus asked.
"When you live with him, everything." Severus growled. "I told him a week ago and he still hasn't shut up about it."
"Well, he hasn't told us about it yet." Sirius said. "So I'm willing to listen to him for a bit. Can't hurt. So, what were you saying about the Hungarian Horntail, Harry?" Sirius asked.
Harry's eyes lit up again as he jumped from the couch to the chair Sirius was sitting on.
"I didn't tell you? Hungarian Horntails are really dangerous dragons. They also have a long flame range and they have spikes on their tails and they look like these lizards I saw at a muggle pet shop. And the Swedish Short-Snouts! They're like a blue kind of silver color, I don't know what that's called. Dad, what's a . . . Dad?" Harry scanned the room for Severus and frowned when he didn't see him.
"One second, Harry. Keep telling Uncle Sirius about the dragons." Remus said. He stood up and walked in the direction he saw Severus retreat in. He found Severus in his study, leaning his head in to the palm of his hand as he wrote something down from a rather old looking book emitting a strange purple color. A clear sign that Severus was agitated, but trying to control himself.
"I know he's probably driving you insane, but you know what I've noticed?" Remus asked, hoping Severus would at least acknowledge his presence. Severus didn't look up but he did respond.
"And what might that be?"
"I've noticed that Harry truly worships you and your knowledge. He is clearly excited about a trip that you're taking him on, just the two of you, and he is expressing that. And every time he stumbles across a fact he probably didn't read in a book, he asks you what the answer is. He doesn't say 'do you know', he expects you to know. That says a lot about your relationship with him." Remus waited a long moment before Severus answered.
"I just wish he would shut up about it. As much as I love seeing him happy and smiling, to go on and on about the same trivial thing really pushes me over the edge."
"I'm sure it does. But do you know who else would go on and on about trivial nonsense? Lily. Remember when Harry said his first word? That became the talk of the month, especially considering that his first word was 'momma'."
Remus could see that Severus was softly smiling, probably remembering that event.
"And remember when you made Harry that baby mobile?" Remus continued. "Lily made sure that everyone knew you were the one who made it. I don't think she would have ever stopped talking about it if she were still with us."
"Indeed." Severus said before sighing. "But it still is frustrating. Harry, I mean."
"Yes, well, I think if you just let him talk about it for a while longer, I'm sure Sirius will be able to get his mind on something else."
Severus joined the trio again and Harry noticed him quickly.
"And a Peruvian Vipertooth is the smallest . . . Dad! I had a question earlier, what was it? Oh yeah, what's a blue that's kind of a silver called?" Severus smiled as he realized that Remus had a point. Harry expected him to know all the answers of the world.
"Well, you have a couple options. You could call it a blue-grey. A silvery blue. A roman silver."
"Roman silver. I like that one. The Swedish Short-Snout is a roman silver. See, Uncle Sirius? My dad knows everything." Sirius rolled his eyes.
Severus snorted. He chanced a glance at Remus and saw that he was smirking. Severus gave him a mock glare, which only made Remus's smirk grow. So the wolf had been right, that doesn't mean he had to be all smug about it. However, Severus couldn't help the feeling of pride towards his son that filled his chest.
"So Harry, would you like to play with Padfoot for a bit?" Sirius asked, growing tired of the dragon subject. Harry's eyes filled with even more excitement and he nodded his head. Sirius shifted in to Padfoot and quickly jumped off the chair before Severus could shout at him. Padfoot waited for Harry's instructions as to what game they might be playing.
"Padfoot's the dragon! I need my weapons!" Harry cried running to the kitchen. Padfoot, groaned and shook his head while Remus and Severus laughed.
"Good try, Padfoot." Remus snickered. Padfoot growled in annoyance.
"What did Harry say he was doing?" Severus thought aloud. Then his eyes widened and he shot up from his chair and walked quickly to the kitchen. Remus and Padfoot waited in the living room.
"Put that down!" they heard Severus shout.
"But I need a sword to fight the dragon!" Padfoot growled again.
"Give it to me." Severus voice said again. A drawer was heard being opened and then shut. Then came the sound of three smacks and Harry yelping. Severus lead Harry back out in to the living room. Padfoot leaped over to Harry.
"Dad spanked me with a wooden spoon, Uncle Remus." Harry pouted.
"What did you have?" Harry looked down, not wanting to give Remus a reason to not pity him.
Padfoot knocked Harry over and took off down the hall towards Harry's bedroom. Harry laughed and followed after him.
"He wanted to use a knife as a sword. Honestly, the boy couldn't be any more violent." Severus muttered, rubbing his temples. Remus bit his tongue to keep from laughing.
"I'm sure he had no intention of using it on Padfoot, just waving it around a little." Remus said.
"Waving it around a little." Severus repeated. "More like cutting off his fingers and skinning the mutt. No intention, indeed."
There was a loud crash from Harry's bedroom followed by absolute silence. Suspicious, Severus headed to Harry's bedroom, Remus following, and opened the door.
Feathers were flying everywhere. Padfoot was on the bed with half a pillow in his mouth and Harry was on the floor with the other half. Harry must have fallen backwards in to the dresser because the lamp that usually sat on top was now on the floor, the light bulb having exploded. His mirror that hung above the dresser had been knocked in to and had fallen a bit. Severus pulled it back up and discovered that the lower part of the mirror was shattered. Pieces fell to the floor.
Harry stood from his place on the floor, holding the shredded pillow behind his back. Padfoot guiltily dropped his half. Severus set the mirror down and crossed his arms, glaring down at Harry.
"Well, that didn't take long to turn a room in to a disaster, now did it?" Remus said pulling out his wand and restoring the room. Then he transfigured the pillow Padfoot had dropped in front of him in to a crate that surrounded Padfoot. Padfoot started growling and scratching at the door of the crate. Remus put his wand away and lifted the crate.
"I believe it's time Sirius and I headed home. We do have work in a couple hours. Sorry we couldn't stay for lunch, Severus." Remus left at that and carried the crate to the fireplace, leaving via floo. Harry looked up at his father and gave an innocent smile.
"Lunchtime?" he asked.
"Close. Corner time." Severus said, pointing to a vacant corner in Harry's room.
"Aww!" Harry whined as he walked over to the corner and pouted in front of it.
That night, Severus rubbed his eyes tiredly as he tried working on a batch of pepper up potion and fever reducer. He knew it was dangerous to try and brew while tired and unfocused, but he hadn't brewed any potions in a little over a week. Severus took a sip of his tea and continued stirring the pepper up clockwise seven times.
Thud!
Severus turned sharply at the noise. He saw Harry frozen by the door. He must have opened it too fast and the door crashed in to the wall. Thankfully, there was no damage.
Crooking his finger, Severus motioned for Harry to come towards him. The boy came forward and sat on the stool next to Severus. He looked up at his father expectantly.
"Did you take a bath?" Severus asked.
"Yep." Harry answered.
"Wash your hair?"
"Uh huh."
"Brush your teeth?"
"Umm, yep."
"Must I smell?" Severus raised an eyebrow at his son. Harry shook his head putting a hand over his mouth. Severus smirked.
"I advise you to go brush your teeth before I take you to the bathroom and do them myself like I did when you were four." Severus warned.
Harry grimaced, probably remembering the time he had lied to Severus about brushing his teeth twice in the same night. For some reason he had no intention of brushing. Severus had scolded Harry then dragged him in to the bathroom and roughly scrubbed his teeth.
"You have two and a half minutes to go brush before I want to see you back in here." Severus summoned his watch. "Go."
Harry jumped off the stool and ran back to the bathroom. He returned two minutes later, thirty seconds before his two and a half minutes were up. Severus sighed.
"Acceptable. Now, are you ready for bed?" Severus asked, adding the bicorn horn to the potion.
"Yes. Can you read me a story?" Harry pleaded. Severus gave Harry an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry Harry, I need to finish these potions. Tomorrow . . ."
"It's okay. I don't need a story. I'm getting too old for that anyway." Harry said sadly, looking at his bare feet. Severus felt an odd tug at his heart. How many more nights would Harry want me to read him a story? Severus 'accidentally' added a pinch too much of rosemary, and the potion bubbled angrily, ruined. Harry stared at the potion in shock, then looked at his father.
"Well, it seems I have ruined a potion. How unfortunate." Severus set the other potions he had brewing on a stasis spell. Harry smiled. Severus was sure Harry knew that he had purposely ruined a potion, but Severus didn't care. He lifted Harry off the stool and carried him over to his bedroom. Lying in the bed next to Harry, Severus allowed the boy to grab his fairytale book.
"Let me guess, you want me to read . . ."
"Babbitty Rabbitty!" Harry said excitedly.
"Of course." Severus was silent for a moment. Then he set the book on Harry's nightstand. "I have an idea. How about I tell you a story about when your mother and I were at Hogwarts." Severus laid on his side, facing Harry. Harry smiled, looking up at Severus, nodding.
"Alright, now let me think . . . ahh, I've got one. It was our fifth year at Hogwarts. We were in Horace Slughorn's potion's class . . ."
"Today in class, you will make a Calming Draught." Professor Slughorn said, going over the class project. "The following ingredients include peppermint, moonstone, ginger roots . . ."
Severus and Lily were sitting at the same table. Severus was looking through his potions book, reading ahead on what needed to be done. Lily glanced over at him, smirking.
"Oh, come on, Sev." She whispered. "This should be an easy potion to make. I'll have it done before half of the students in this class." Lily pushed a strand of her red hair back, looking rather confident. Severus glanced up at her before looking back down.
"Oh, really? I guarantee I'll have it finished before everyone altogether." Severus mumbled mindlessly, focusing more on the book.
Lily gave him a fake glare. "We'll see about that." As soon as Professor Slughorn had told them to get started, she was on her feet gathering her ingredients. When she returned, she noted that Severus already had his ingredients set out. He was looking at the book, reading the instructions.
"When did you get your ingredients? I didn't even see you move from your seat."
"I collected them before class started. That way, I don't have to wait for people." Severus explained. Lily growled and laid her ingredients out. She saw Severus writing in his textbook. It always annoyed her when he did that, but she also realized that what Severus wrote was either a correction to a step in the process or an easier way of doing something. She was always amazed at his intelligence. But that wouldn't stop her from being the first to finish the potion. Reading the instructions at lightning speed, Lily reached for the moonstone and started adding the powdered material to her potion. She glanced at Severus and noted that he was already cutting the ginger root.
Lily glared, giving her potion a quick stir and grabbed the ginger root. Wanting to show off her mother's passed down cooking talents, Lily chopped the ginger root like a professional chef before using one hand to throw the ginger in to the cauldron.
Lily saw Severus stare at her in surprise before he started chopping the roots faster. Lily grinned. About time I put a certain 'potions master' in his place. Lily moved on to the scurvy grass and roughly pulled the green leaves of the perennial herb off. She didn't bother returning the rest of the plant to a preserver container. Instead she started grinding the leaves immediately, watching as Severus struggled to catch up.
Soon the two were adding ingredients and stirring the potions at reckless speeds, ignoring the potions' obvious distress at being brewed in such haste. Lily and Severus grabbed the peppermint at the same time, adding a single pinch of the rather strong hybrid plant. That set both potions over the edge.
The two overly exerted potions exploded, covering Severus and Lily in the harmless, botched potion. Severus was stunned. He had never blown up a potion before, not since he was nine when he had attempted to brew a potion in his basement at home. His mother had had to heal him from the burns he had earned. Lily was stunned as well. She had ruined a couple potions in her time at Hogwarts, but never had she been covered in the product of her own disaster. Nor had she ever seen Severus screw up a potion.
Professor Slughorn came to stand before their desk. He looked down at the two potions and then at the two abashed teenagers. He seemed to guess how two of his best students ruined their potions.
"While a little competition is great among students, you must remember that potions need time to simmer and absorb the ingredients you are feeding to them. When you rush the brewing process, the chemicals and properties that allow different ingredients to work together don't have the time to form a bond nor have much effect on the potion itself." With that, Slughorn waved his wand and cleaned off the two students and banished the spoiled potions. "I expect three feet on why the potion went wrong, the importance of time and patience, and how competition between two brewers may be accomplished safely."
Severus and Lily groaned at that. More homework. Taking notes in his book, Severus gave Lily a playful glare. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Your glares don't scare me, Sev. So don't bother. Besides, it was your overconfidence that got us in to this mess."
"My overconfidence? I remember a certain redhead declaring that she could make her potion before the majority of the class."
"Well, if you hadn't turned it in to a competition, I would have done just so. Students are still brewing. But no, you just had to prove that you are the greatest potions master of all time, didn't you, Sev?" Lily smiled.
"I am, Lily. I am." Severus said proudly, making Lily roll her eyes.
Harry smiled through the entire story, enjoying the information Severus was feeding him about Lily. He loved it when Severus told him stories about his mother.
"Do you think Mom would know how to make the Headmaster's potion, Dad?" Harry asked.
"Am I not doing enough?" Severus frowned with a smile. "I do believe she would have thought of the use of ancient magic a lot sooner than I had, if I was being honest with myself. Now, its bedtime, son. You need your sleep."
"So do you, Dad." Harry said clinging to his arm and snuggling up to him. Severus raised an eyebrow. The boy was more perceptive than he originally thought. As tired as he was, he still had work to do, and he was the adult! He didn't need a little child, his own son, telling him when to go to bed.
"Harry, I have work to do." Severus said. Harry didn't respond. Looking down at the imp clinging to his arm, he noted that Harry had fallen asleep. He tried to move his arm, but Harry had managed to maintain a death grip on him.
"Bloody wonderful." Severus mumbled. Sighing, Severus decided to settle in for a bit till he felt Harry shift. It shouldn't be long. Severus thought. He felt his eyes grow heavier than they were before. Might as well as turn off the light, it may be a while. Severus snapped the fingers of his free hand. He wrapped his free arm around his son and was soon asleep as well.