Unspoken
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
A few days later, when the Ravenclaw and Slytherin first-years had Potions during their first morning class, Ronald, Gregory and Vincent arrived fifteen minutes late carrying large heaps of toast in their hands.
"Sorry, Professor, we overslept," Ronald said between two bites of toast.
"Out!" Snape bellowed. "This is a classroom and not a dining room. You will brew this morning's potion tonight after dinner. Seven o'clock and not a minute later."
"Yes sir." The response was simultaneous with small breadcrumbs flying everywhere around the boys, before they fled the classroom.
'Interesting how he didn't take points from Slytherin,' Harry thought, as he looked at the recipe for hand creme on the board in surprise. In contrary to the one which Artemis had taught him, it was lacking drops of moon fern oil, which had an especially softening effect on the salve. The idea 'Perhaps, it is Artemis' invention and Snape doesn't even know about it' did not cross his mind, as he brewed the potion the Unspeakables' way.
"Potter!" The professor suddenly approached his cauldron pointing his wand at his cauldron with an "Evanesco" on his lips.
However, Harry was faster and quickly cast a protective charm at his cauldron that caused the professor to stumble backwards and the spell to dissipate.
"Potter! Detention tonight at seven o'clock."
"No, sir." Harry calmly continued his brewing, causing the teacher to see red.
"Potter!" The professor's voice was dangerously quiet; however, Harry chose to ignore the man in favour of one more step of brewing, before he would be able to place his concoction under a stasis charm.
That done, he turned to the professor, trying his best to keep his voice calm and as friendly as possible. "Professor Snape, I believe that it was our task to brew the potion for hand creme. May I please be allowed to finish my potion?"
Apparently realising that the whole class observed their discussion with apparent interest, the professor merely nodded and returned to his desk. Only when everyone had placed a small phial of their concoction onto the teacher's desk and he had banished the remaining liquids from their cauldrons, did he address Harry again.
"Detention tonight, Mr. Potter."
Inwardly groaning, Harry left the classroom, feeling thoroughly annoyed at the man.
HP
"At least, you don't have a meeting with the Unspeakables tonight." Connie's voice felt soothing to Harry's mind and helped to reduce his anger at the professor.
"Still, I'd rather spend the evening with you. Lucy, will you remain here during my detention?"
The canine replied affirmatively, letting out a huge yawn, as she stretched out on the sofa occupying her own as well as Harry's spot.
HP
Wondering if Snape would make him brew the same potion again, Harry arrived at the Potions classroom punctually at seven o'clock. When he entered the room, Snape sneered down at him holding out his hand.
"Your wand," he hissed upon Harry's questioning look and pointed to a sink filled with cauldrons. "Clean these cauldrons without magic."
Letting out a deep sigh, Harry set to work, hoping that the professor would leave him in peace, so that he could simply clean everything using wandless magic.
To his relief, five minutes into the cleaning process, Ronald and his two roommates arrived, and after a sharp comment about being punctual, the professor made the recipe for the hand creme appear on the board. "Brew. I'll be in my office if you have questions."
'Thank Merlin,' Harry thought and with a flick of his hand cleaned the cauldrons and made them float back into the shelves. Just when he readied himself to time slide an hour into the future, Ronald addressed him.
"Harry, can you help us? What are we supposed to do here?"
Nodding, Harry made his way over to where his classmates were struggling with the preparation of the ingredients. Standing between Ronald and Vincent, he patiently showed them how to prepare the ingredients and led them through the brewing process.
He did not notice that Snape returned to the classroom and watched them for a few minutes, before he cleared his throat.
"Potter! Which part of do not use magic did you not understand? Borrowing your classmates' wand, because I took yours? How stupid do you believe I am?"
"Sorry, sir," Harry replied, thinking, 'Better that he believes I borrowed a wand than to admit that I'm capable of wandless magic.'
However, Vincent spoke up. "Professor, Harry did not use anyone's wand."
"Potter, accompany me to the headmaster's office now. And the three of you…" he cast the three boys a stern look, "… will finish brewing your potions just by yourselves."
HP
Harry slowly trailed behind Snape to the headmaster's office, feeling thoroughly annoyed. On the way, he almost stumbled over Mrs. Norris, who was roaming the otherwise empty corridor.
"Hi Mrs. Norris," he said in a soft voice and took a moment to pet the cat, before he continued walking. 'Whisker, I am so sick of Snape. He's dragging me to the headmaster's office again now, because I used magic to clean a huge pile of cauldrons. How petty is he?'
'Give me a moment. I have a surprise for you,' the Unspeakable replied, however, did not reveal any detail.
'Thanks. I am looking forward to it,' Harry thought back, as he walked on with a small smile playing on his lips.
As before, the professor was waiting in front of the gargoyle, eyeing him with an expression of pure hatred.
HP
"Severus and Harry. How nice of you to visit me on this fine evening."
"Albus, you should know by now that I'd never pay you a social visit together with Potter."
"Is that so, my boy?"
Harry inwardly smirked, as he accepted the offered lemon drop in a vain attempt to drive Snape nuts.
"What has Harry done now?" The headmaster's voice was gentle.
"During class time, he did not brew his potion correctly…"
"It was absolutely correct," Harry interrupted the professor.
"It was not and, as I was trying to say, when I tried to vanish the incorrect potion, Potter attacked me."
"No, sir."
"Harry, my boy, then please tell me what happened from your point of view."
Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir. I realised that the recipe did not mention drops of moon fern oil, but I added it, because it makes the potion much smoother. Professor Snape did not even question me but merely tried to vanish my potion. I did not attack him. I merely cast a protection charm at my cauldron, before he could do anything to it. I then finished my potion, and then he assigned me detention."
"Drops of moon fern oil?" Snape asked in apparent disbelief. "Why am I supposed to question a first-year who believes to know everything better than a potions master? Ah, right, because you're almighty Potter."
A commotion from behind Dumbledore's desk made them all turn to the portrait of Godric Gryffindor in surprise that only intensified, when a female voice began to shout at the adults in the room.
"Severus Snape! Are you really that petty? Harry is also my son in case you haven't realised. Just because he looks like his father, you hate him with a passion and don't even recognise how brilliant at brewing he is? Headmaster, you're not much better, and with you, I still have a bone to pick anyway."
tbc...?
Thank you so much for the kind reviews for the last chapter. Are you still interested in this story?