Part 29 – The Mentor
It was a snowy winter morning the first day back at Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays.
Severus's mother had convinced his father that he should have some healing potions to help with his injuries before returning to school. Tobias had agreed that it would be for the best and consequently Severus was now fully recovered from his holidays.
Having done all his homework whilst hiding out in his room at home Severus found that he had little to do on the Sunday afternoon before lessons began again.
He had written letters to both his mother and his grandparents that morning and had borrowed school owls to deliver them. Wondering what to do for the rest of the day he headed out into the grounds and found himself wandering in the direction of Hagrid's hut.
Looking at the disturbed snow he realised before he even got to the hut that he was not the first visitor to see the gamekeeper that day. Four sets of student sized foot prints were clearly visible and heading directly for the hut.
Slowing his pace a little he got to the hut and raised his hand to knock and see if he would be welcome to join the party. He had not quite hit the door when he shivered at the sound of a familiar laugh from inside. Moving around the side of the hut he peered cautiously in the window. Sure enough, sitting around the table in Hagrid's hut were James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.
Edging away from the window, Severus was about take the path back to the school when he heard the unmistakable sound of his own name being spoken. Moving back to the window again he crouched down on the damp ground to listen to what they were saying about him.
"I think my mother wanted me to make friends with him," he heard Sirius say in an astonished voice. . "On New Year's Day she barely shut up about how he was a model student and how proud his mother is of him."
"He sent me right to the main party room," James said. "He was deliberately trying to get us into trouble."
"Now, now," Hagrid's voice called from what seemed to be the other side of the room. "Yer don't know that."
"What do you mean Hagrid? He sent James to the party. We'd have been in so much trouble if I hadn't spotted him in time."
"Well James, did Severus know yer weren't supposed ter be there?" Hagrid asked reasonably.
"That's not the point. I asked where Sirius was and he sent me right into the lion's den."
"Did 'e know Sirius weren't in the main room then?"
"Er…"
"Um…"
"So 'e might 'ave thought Sirius were in the party?"
"I guess," James sounded reluctant to admit that he might have been wrong.
"You did say he was on his own in the kitchen when you flooed in mate," Sirius said in a voice that betrayed that he was disappointed at Hagrid's reasonable logic.
"So yer don't want ter be causing no trouble this term with no good reason," said Hagrid as Severus sat outside feeling rather guilty to hear the friendly gamekeeper standing up for him when he knew he didn't deserve it. He had known that Sirius wasn't in the party with his family and guests just as he'd known what would happen if James had been caught.
"It's like I was saying," he heard Remus say. "You do tend to think the worst about him all the time."
"Still doesn't change what he did last term though," Sirius declared.
"Yeah, that's right," James agreed.
"Yeah," Peter echoed.
"But yer don't want ter be getting into trouble now, do yer?" Hagrid advised.
Severus listened as the others sounded their agreement. He stood up and hurried back to the school. He no longer wished to see Hagrid and didn't know if he could look him in the eye again. He had done exactly what Sirius and James suspected and Hagrid had stood up for him and defended him, when he knew that he didn't deserve it at all.
Half an hour later Severus was still wandering around the corridors. He had avoided the Slytherin common room where he knew that Lucius was regaling everyone with stories about his holidays. He had noticed that morning that Lucius was careful not to mention his Christmas Day visit to the Snape household and instead spoke of the marvellous New Year festivities at the Black House. Severus didn't know whether to be hurt or relieved that he hadn't mentioned his visit.
He was still looking for something to do to pass the time when he found himself looking into the office of Professor Slughorn, the Potions Professor who was working alone over a steaming cauldron.
The multicoloured vapours of steam rose in the dungeon and Severus found himself inching his way into the room to see what it was that the Head of Slytherin was working on.
"Can I help you Severus?" Professor Slughorn asked in an absent minded manner as he continued to add ingredients to the cauldron.
"No Sir," Severus replied. "I was just…"
"Being nosy?" Professor Slughorn grinned. "Well come in and learn something if you've nothing else to do this fine afternoon."
Severus walked across the room and pulled up a stool. Leaning forward he looked into the simmering cauldron which was a strange shade of peach with streaks of yellow in it. It was a startling contrast to the green, blue and purple vapour that was still rising from it.
"What is it?" Severus asked.
"Well how about I tell you what I added to it, and you see if you can figure it out?"
"Is it something we're going to make this week?"
"No this is something you might get to make in your fourth year. But you seem to have a talent for potions, and I think you might be able to work out what this one is anyway."
Severus knew he looked doubtful but nodded his agreement to the informal test.
A few minutes later Severus knew most of the ingredients in the potion but still had no idea as to what it was.
"Maybe these will help you…?" Professor Slughorn said as he placed a jar on the table. Severus leaned forward to see what was in the jar and felt his stomach do an uneasy somersault. The seeds inside were the same as the ones he'd slipped into James and Peter's potion several months before.
"Is it some kind of cleaning potion?" Severus asked in a small voice, knowing that the seeds were a vital ingredient in many of the cleaning potions in the book he had looked in.
"You got it!" said a delighted Professor Slughorn. "Thought you might figure it out with them."
Severus looked up at the Professor and squirmed on his seat.
"Don't look so worried. You're not in any trouble."
"I'm not?"
"Can't be taking points from my own students when Professor McGonagall went on that little frenzy of hers after the first Quidditch match of the year. Besides it was just a prank."
"But you failed them for something that wasn't their fault?" Severus questioned.
"They'd have failed anyway, Peter had added all ingredients in entirely the wrong order, something that is vitally important for the Bass potion, though not for the one you triggered with the seeds. Their voices would have gone higher instead of lower without the seeds."
"So it wasn't my fault they failed?"
"Well you didn't help them?" Professor Slughorn laughed.
"How did you know it was me?"
"Saw you in the grounds that day collecting them. Since I use that little patch myself for my own stores it wasn't hard to figure out when the potion took effect."
"Why didn't you say anything at the time?" Severus asked curiously. That class had taken place well before the first Quidditch match and he was astounded that he had not been in trouble at the time.
"Don't like taking points from my own house if I can help it," Professor Slughorn explained with a shrug. "So let's hear no more about it."
Severus nodded in relief.
"Well this batch seems about finished." Professor Slughorn leaned over the cauldron and dipped a dirty fork into it. Severus watched as it came out sparkling and clean.
"Is this what's used to clean all the school's cutlery?" he asked.
"No." Professor Slughorn shook his head. "This is for Madam Pomfrey to clean the infirmary with. It's a lot stronger than any other cleaning potion or spell and is used once a month to completely clean the hospital wing. Another three cauldrons will do the trick. You want to help with the next one?"
"Okay," Severus replied and stood up to go to the store cupboard for the ingredients required.
The afternoon passed quickly for Severus and by dinnertime they had completed all the cleaning potion required by Madam Pomfrey.
"You're a hard worker," praised Professor Slughorn as they cleaned the table and put away the excess ingredients. "Do you want to help me with the potions on a regular basis? Say, every Sunday afternoon if you've finished all your work for your other classes?"
Severus nodded his agreement. He was usually finishing off his extra work for the other classes on Sunday mornings, either with or without Lily and the rest of the study group. By Sunday afternoon he had little to do with his time other than hang out in the common room or the library. The idea of extra work was one that few students would relish, but for Severus it was a fine way to spend a few free hours.
"Good, good," said Professor Slughorn. "Now hurry along."
Severus nodded again and ducked out of the door, but not before Professor Slughorn called out "should keep you out of mischief too" and gave him a quick wink.
