Standard disclaimer that applies to this entire fic: For all you who only have two brain cells, which are currently not speaking to each other… I do not own Harry Potter or anything JKR created.

AN: Semester is over. Still have a 4.0. Yea! I should be able to post at least weekly for the rest of the summer. I am trying a new technique in this chaper, for the first time. Please read the whole chapter before deciding if you like it or not. If you like the technique, let me know in the reviews and I will be sure to use it again. If you don't like the technique, be sure to let me know in the reviews so I don't use it again! Thanks!

Chapter 7

First Day of Potions: Points of View and Aftermath

************* Draco's POV************

While walking to potions, the darkness of the dungeons, lit only by ever present wall sconces, did not intrude on Draco's private thoughts. He had two books with him which he planned to give to Harry; one a book on pureblood etiquette, the other a magical diary paired to one in his dorm room. The diary would allow Harry and him to write to each other secretly. It is an old trick, but the only thing Draco could arrange on such short notice. But Professor Sprout had said something to Harry and then escorted him from the hall, so no chance to give the books to him just yet. Maybe he could get them to Harry after lunch.

As he walked in silence, Draco carefully reviewed the scene from earlier.

Breakfast was very confusing! Harry had somehow prevented a political disaster and Draco was pretty sure Harry was totally unaware of the shape that disaster would take. Although, it was beginning to look like Harry knew more than he was showing Draco. No one is that lucky. After the girls stopped laughing, the heads of each house handed out schedules to everyone. Draco was surprised he had double potions first thing and with Hufflepuff. His information said double potions normally paired Slytherin and Gryffindor. At least the day would start easily. Professor Snape had been tutoring him in potions for the last two years. Professor Snape also being his godfather created a nice synergy. The plan was to ask some oblivious Gryffindor a difficult question and when he couldn't answer, Snape would ask Draco, who would answer it. Knowing the questions and answers ahead of time made certain he would answer them correctly.

***(slightly paraphrased) excerpt from HP and the Sorcerer's stone***

Professor Snape started class by taking the roll call. Like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.

"Ah yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new – celebrity."

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands, as Snape finished calling the names.

With eyes cold, dark and empty, Snape addressed the class in a soft voice, "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry forced himself to look Snape in the eye, "I am not sure, sir."

Snape's lip curled into his trademark sneer, "Tut, tut – clearly fame isn't everything."

Snape continued his attack on Harry, "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Harry answered, "I don't know, sir."

Snape sneered, "Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter? What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Harry answered, "I don't know, sir."

Professor Snape looked at Draco and raised an eyebrow, "Well, Mr. Malfoy, can you answer the questions?"

Snape had prepared Draco for this moment to shine brighter than his peers.

"Sir, powdered asphodel root added to an infusion of wormwood will make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons. Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, which is also known as aconite." Draco recited his prepared answers with a smile. The rest of the students would now suspect his potion tuition far exceeded their own and the other Slytherins would be more cautious of annoying him, lest they should 'accidentally' be poisoned for their troubles.

"Sir," Harry began, with his hand raised to be recognized.

**** (And here Snape's day begins to go sideways) ****

"What is it, Potter?" Professor Snape demanded.

Harry stood beside his desk and began, "Sir, Mr. Malfoy's answers are correct…"

"I know they are correct!" Snape growled, "Why are you interrupting class to make such an obvious statement?"

"Sir," Harry continued, "Mr. Malfoy's answers are correct, given the information you provided in the questions and assuming he had not studied beyond his OWLS, as some of those answers would be expected from a seventh year student, not a first year student meeting his potions professor for the very first class."

"If you have a point, Potter, you should get to it quickly. I will be taking points from your house based on the length of your interruption" Snape snarked.

Harry took a deep breath and continued, "Sir, the questions were incomplete. Had a potions master asked you those exact same questions, you would not have been able to answer them without making potentially unjustifiable assumptions."

Snape's sneer had caused the hearts of hardened killer's to skip a beat, yet Harry continued to meet his gaze without flinching. "What 'unjustifiable assumptions' do you think I made, Potter?"

Harry took a deep breath before beginning, "Sir, you did not give the provenance of any of the ingredients you listed, nor sufficient information. For example, the first ingredient you listed, powered asphodel, is found in multiple locations; the growing season, available light duration and intensity, soil conditions, harvesting methods, and manner of reducing it to a powder will all have an impact on the quality of the ingredient. However, the more egregious error is lack of specificity, since the term "asphodel" is commonly applied to plants of two different groups; Asphodeline and Narthecium. The yellow asphodel, also known as the King's Spear, grows in the Mediterranean region. A properly prepared powder of its roots is useful in many potions, including the Draught of Living Death. However the Bog Asphodel, which is far more likely to be found in Britain, when powdered and properly prepared, is a rather unique method to assassinate someone. While adding it to an infusion of wormwood would not increase its lethality, the wormwood would disguise the taste if the wormwood were infused in alcohol. The resulting concoction, administered when the intended victim has been drinking for some time, causes the victim's skin to become extremely sensitive to sunlight. As the effect lasts nearly two days, the usual mechanism of death involves the victim attempting to go about his normal routine the next day, steps into the sun, and bursts into flame… just as a vampire would."

Harry looked at Draco and smiled, "Professor Snape also did not identify the type of liquid the wormwood was infused into. Was it alcohol? Perhaps water? Maybe dragon's blood? Wormwood infused into dragon's blood might have an interesting property or two. Each of the other questions likewise required assumptions which were unwarranted, given we are all first years and this is our first day of potions class."

Harry looked back at Professor Snape, whose face was assuming a rather purplish hue.

The class was stunned. No one dared to breathe.

Draco wondered what had just happened. He had answered the questions exactly as his godfather had instructed him to answer them. Yet Harry had given an apparently solid rebuttal to those answers, indicating the answers were flawed BECAUSE the questions were flawed!

Draco watched in stunned silence as Professor Snape took 40 points from Hufflepuff, gave Harry a week of detention with the janitor for his cheek and ordered Harry to leave the room and not to return until after Snape had spoken with his head of house.

As Harry walked past Draco on his way to the door, Harry smiled and winked at him.

'What was he up to now? What the hell was going on? Harry definitely knows more than he is letting me know.' Draco thought. 'Am I being scammed?'

Draco spent the rest of the period reviewing everything Harry had said or done since they had met.

**** Snape's PoV ****

'Today is the day I get back at James Potter,' Snape thought joyously.

Severus had waited over a decade to begin exacting his vengeance on Potter. Dumbledore's little tirade the previous evening was not going to interrupt his plans. Oh, Snape would ease off the Gryffindor's, which should get Dumbledore off his back, but 'Puff Potter… not in the slightest.

Snape entered the class as was his custom, sneer in place, rapid walk, and a perfect cape billow to intimidate the first years. He had perfected this over the last decade. The first class always went the same, except today. Today Snape had Hufflepuffs with Slytherins for the first time… and Potter.

His plan to intimidate and belittle Potter would start immediately.

"Harry Potter, our new celebrity," Snape sneered before launching into his standard first day speech. Potions are great. You are all idiots. I should be canonized for giving my valuable time to such imbeciles. Not the exact wording, but definitely the intent.

"Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape asked quietly. It is NEWT level material, but all the better to embarrass the scion of James Potter. Of course Potter didn't know.

Where to find a bezoar? Fourth year material. Potter didn't know, again.

What is monkshood/wolfsbane/aconite? This is actually in the book for first years, even if it is covered after New Year's. Again, Potter did not know. Snape was a very happy man as his plan played out.

""Well, Mr. Malfoy, can you answer the questions?"

Draco had repeated the prepared answers perfectly.

And now that annoying Potter brat was waving a hand in the air. Apparently he did not learn the required lesson. Snape smiled internally before preparing to verbally eviscerate the brat. "What is it, Potter?"

By the time Potter had finished his interruption, Snape realized he had failed to intimidate little Prince Potter. In fact, Potter had embarrassed him in front of a group of first years. Potter's information was correct, but how did he know it? A quick glance in Potter's mind during his interruption showed him looking through the Hufflepuff library this morning, stopping on the exact plants Snape questioned him on. Why was he looking at seventh year material? Why did he stop on those pages? Why was he standing up to a professor on the first day? Something was very wrong here.

In a fit of rage, Snape docked 'Puff Potter points, assigned him detention and ordered him out of his class. Sprout would hear about this disruptive behavior!

**** Dumbledore's office, after supper that same day, ****

**** Dumbledore's point of view ****

The headmaster turned from examining the animated silver instruments which gave so much information to the informed viewer. All those tied to Harry indicated everything was fine, for the moment.

Turning from his ruminations, Dumbledore looked at the assembled heads of house. Snape looked ready to explode. Sprout looked very concerned. Apparently Severus had already spoken to her about young Harry. Minerva also looks concerned, probably for the punishments Harry received from Severus and wondering how she can balance the scales without annoying Dumbledore. Given the nature of the disruption, Dumbledore was quite amused at everyone's reaction.

"Would anyone like a lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered, motioning to the low silver bowl filled with the confection; but all refused as usual.

"Then shall we start? I hear Severus has a topic to discuss," the headmaster said as his eyes sparkled merrily.

"A topic to discuss?" Snape yelled. "A topic to discuss? Here is a topic for you, why is Potter not serving his first detention as we speak?"

Dumbledore smiled and popped a lemon drop into his mouth, "Because I suspended the detention."

Severus looked like a pressure cooker with a faulty relief valve, i.e. about to explode.

"WHY, IN MERLIN'S NAME, DID YOU SUSPEND IT?" Snape exploded.

"Because the punishment was unwarranted. You do remember the conversation we had just last night, don't you?" Dumbledore spoke evenly, without a trace of anger in his voice.

He continued smoothly, "Last night I told you your behavior is deplorable. That was the exact word I used, 'deplorable'. You were told to change your behavior or there would be consequences. You remember that."

Dumbledore's gaze swept the other three. "You all remember this." It was not a question.

The portraits of headmasters long past looked on with interest.

Looking back at Severus, Dumbledore smiled, "So, why did you think asking NEWT level questions of our young Harry was acceptable behavior? Why did you ask him a fourth year question? Why did you ask him, in his very first potions class, a first year question on material you will not cover for months?"

The other three heads of house looked at professor Snape with varying degrees of disapproval, Sprout's being the strongest. Apparently Severus had forgotten many of his potion supplies came from Pomona's greenhouses.

Snape began imperiously, "I don't know what that pampered brat told you…"

Anything Severus planned to say was lost as Harry's head of house rose to his defense, "Pampered? PAMPERED? Are you blind as well as unprofessional? That boy is abused. He has been abused for YEARS! PAMPERED? I'll show you pampered!"

BOOM! Dumbledore was standing behind his desk, wand in hand and looking every inch the wizard of his younger years.

Snape stopped in the act of reaching for his wand. To slow, far too slow… as Flitwick's wand was holding very steady on the potion master. Sprout had pulled a chicken's egg from her robe. Having experienced Sprout's rather ingenious delivery mechanism in the past, Dumbledore could not allow her to give Severus what he so dearly deserved. 1985 was proof enough to last a lifetime.

Dumbledore sat back down, placing his wand clearly and closely to hand. "You will calm yourselves and sit down. Now."

Looking near mutiny, they all sat, wands ready to hand for Severus and Filius, two more eggs appearing in Pomona's hands. Minerva looked like she would love to hex Severus, but was maintaining her composure, barely.

"Pomona, you said Harry has been abused. How do you know?" Dumbledore asked evenly.

"I asked Poppy to give him a scan this morning. He is malnourished. Many of his bones have been broken to varying degrees over a significant period of time. Many of his injuries are commonly associated with physical abuse and neglect." Harry's head of house said while staring daggers at Snape. "Do you know what a spiral fracture is Professor Snape?"

Dumbledore was slightly awed by the amount of sarcasm, disdain, and anger Professor Sprout had infused into the word "Professor".

Pomona had built a full head of steam and she was nowhere near done with Severus. "A spiral fracture occurs when a long bone is twisted. There are many perfectly legal methods for that to occur. But since Harry is not a figure skater, gymnast, or studying to become a professional dancer, I think we can rule the accidental methods out. In child abuse, there are several methods of inducing a spiral fracture. Harry has multiple old spiral fractures which have healed. The degree of fracture indicates it was done slowly and deliberately with the intention of avoiding an obvious fracture. This produced 'greenstick' and 'stress' fractures. They were produced with malice, with the deliberate intention to cause extensive pain without getting caught by the medical system. THAT is the way Mr. Potter has been 'pampered'." Professor Sprout was standing, almost shouting at Snape. As she finished she stood there trembling, seemingly praying for Severus to be stupid enough to say anything about one of her 'puffs.

Snape was short-sighted and bigoted where the Potter name was concerned, but he was not THAT stupid! He remained seated with his hands clearly visible.

"And when did this scan occur, Pomona?" Dumbledore inquired gently, diverting her attention from Severus.

"Right after breakfast," she responded after taking a deep breath and turning away from Snape.

"That is impossible!" Snape snapped. "Potter was with me this morning for double potions!"

Pomona quickly turned back to the potions master, ready to lambast him again, when Dumbledore interrupted her.

"Was he?" Dumbledore inquired of Snape with a smile and a mischievous eye twinkle.

Snape's eyes seemed to pop out of his head as it all clicked into place.

"Polyjuice," Snape stated flatly.

"Polyjuice," Dumbledore agreed. "I warned you Severus. You will become a model professor or you will become an object lesson to your replacement."

Filius, Pomona, and Minerva were stunned into silence as they realized what had occurred. Dumbledore used polyjuice to impersonate Harry Potter for his first potions lesson with Snape!

"I warned you Severus. I warned you all. But I knew you would not be able to resist baiting young Harry. I also knew you would claim it was his word against yours. You are not as Slytherin as you think you are, Severus."

Snape reacted as if slapped.

"Indeed, I am more Slytherin than you are," Albus smiled mischievously, "as we have just proven."

"So, here is what is going to happen," all trace of humor gone from Albus' face, "You will cancel Harry's detentions. You will reverse the points you took from his house. You will not continue this crusade against James Potter through his son. And last, until you convince me you have changed your behavior, you will no longer be Head of Slytherin."

Everyone, even Professor Snape, was speechless. Dumbledore had never removed a head of house, even temporarily.

Dumbledore looked at each head of house in turn, letting them see he was completely serious.

He asked rhetorically, "Any questions?"

Surprisingly Snape was unable to keep quiet, "Who will be the temporary head of Slytherin?" (The stress on "temporary" was quite clearly heard.)

Albus popped another lemon drop before responding, "I believe I will take the position while you are otherwise engaged," eyes twinkling madly.

"Sir," Pomona timidly raised her hand, having forgotten the eggs she still held, "If you were in Harry's potions class, how will Harry deal with whatever you said or did during that class?"

Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled, "It has been taken care of."

**** Earlier in the day, just after 'Harry' was thrown out of class ****

**** Hospital wing, Dumbledore's PoV ****

Dumbledore asked Poppy, "I need to speak with our young Harry, alone please."

The school nurse was not interested, "I am in the middle of several scans. If I leave now, I will have to start over. Perhaps you could wait a few minutes."

Dumbledore decided to cast a compulsion charm, "I believe there is a book in the restricted section which would help you with this. You wouldn't want to miss anything by being too hasty, would you?" A slight and unnoticed hand movement and a little extra 'twinkle' sealed the charm.

Madame Pomfrey's eyes glazed for just a second before returning to normal, "I know just the book. Thank you for reminding me!" She adjusted her cap before heading for the doors. Poppy left with a last comment, "You don't leave him alone. Wait until I get back."

Dumbedore really hated using compulsion charms on staff, but sometimes the Greater Good required it. Smiling he turned to Harry, "You had an exciting first day in potions I hear".

Before Poppy returned, Harry had a new set of memories of how he 'just happened' to look at some books in the Hufflepuff common room this morning, as he waited for his dorm mates to get ready. It sure was lucky he flipped through the book and stopped on asphodel, wolfsbane, and wormwood. He remembered the bezoar thingy from a nature program he heard through his cupboard door when Dudley fell asleep watching cartoons.

"Oh, hello Headmaster. I must have dozed off," Harry apologized.

"Don't worry, young man. Many wish they could drift to sleep so easily. Enjoy it while you can." Dumbledore explained as he stood up. Poppy had just returned. "I will leave you in the capable hands of Madame Pomfrey."

As Albus left he gave Harry one last bit of comfort, "Don't worry about the point loss, Harry. I will take care of everything."

'Indeed, I will,' Dumbledore thought happily as he left Harry behind.

AN: Hope you liked it. Remember reviews not only show me you like (or dislike) certain parts, but can also help guide the story. You can thank Iphigelina for part of the next chapter. Thank you for the idea Iphigelina!