October 13, 1972
Severus Snape couldn't keep the smirk from his face as the Slytherins and Gryffindors trooped into the greenhouse. As if it weren't enough that Mayfair had grabbed Potter's and Black's plants completely at random, it looked as though they hadn't noticed that their projects were a good foot or so shorter today. Potter was playing his stupid tricks with the Snitch, and Black was making some sort of idiotic remark. Only Lupin seemed to have registered the fact that Snape was displaying more of a grin than usual.
"Settle down, class. Settle down." Professor Elm had noticed the Snitch, of course, but resigned himself to glaring until the Potter brat put it away. "Today we will examine your plants and, if there is sufficient growth, we may harvest some for the hospital wing. You all, I presume, are aware of the healing properties of the jewelweed spears?"
Several hands shot up. "Yes, Miss Evans?"
"The roots, when ground into a powder, are good for assorted insect stings and the leaves can made into a tisane for fever."
"Excellent. Five points Gryffindor. Now, let's have a look at your plants, shall we?"
Severus's grin turned positively evil as he reached for his, keeping an eye on Potter and Black. They still hadn't noticed, the fools, although Lupin was casting suspicious looks when he saw the state of Severus's very healthy, very tall plant.
"Augh!" Potter's shriek reverberated throughout the greenhouse, drawing everyone's attention.
"Dyah!" Black's scream nearly rivaled Potter's for volume. "Professor!"
Severus choked back a laugh.
"What is it, what is it..." He didn't look very happy at being interrupted by what he presumed were childish antics. "Potter. Black. I presume you two were so busy playing at Quidditch that you forgot to attend to your Herbology homework?"
"I..." Potter was clearly trying to think of an excuse. "It... It wasn't like this yesterday!"
Sirius had finally figured it out, and was pointing an accusing finger at Severus. "He must have switched the labels."
"On both of your plants?" Professor Elm's bushy eyebrows looked as though they were attempting to crawl into his receding hairline. "And did he then magically turn his ... very healthy plant, I note, five points to Slytherin... into two neglected ones?"
He knew he couldn't manage an innocent expression, not with the grin fighting its way onto his face, so he settled for a generic sense of smugness. "Thank you, sir."
There wasn't anything they could say in front of the Professor, of course, but Potter did manage to stick his foot out directly in Severus's path at the end of the lesson. He'd been half expecting it, and managed to avoid falling in a heap on the ground. "I know you did... something... Snivellus," he snarled quietly. "You couldn't grow mold on your robes if you had a growth charm and a week's head start."
"You need your eyes checked again, Potter?" he retorted. He knew he shouldn't; he knew he was just getting himself in for a bigger beating, but he couldn't resist. "I thought I was the one with the big, strong plant and you two were the ones with the limp excuses for salad greens."
"If you're all done comparing..." Professor Elm's voice sounded behind them, making them all jump. "... notes. Potter, Black, don't you have someplace to be? Severus, a word..."
The two Gryffindors gave him loathsome looks, clearly under the impression that he was being asked to remain behind for some kind of extra-credit work, something to ingratiate himself with the teacher. Severus, on the other hand, was suddenly struck with the fear that his midnight foray had been discovered. Professor Elm gave no indication as he slung a companionable arm around Severus's shoulders, prisoning him, leading him back to the greenhouse. Once there he shut the door and turned to the student, who was wondering just how bad things were going to get.
"That's quite a healthy growth of jewelweed you have there, Severus," he said after a few interminable minutes.
"Thank you, sir..." He wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't get him in trouble. He settled for the least that was politely possible, using survival instincts learned long ago.
"It isn't yours, is it, Severus?" The professor's voice was gentle but firm. "It's certainly not Potter's or Blacks, they don't need any help to muck up their assignments, as much time as they spend playing about, but it's not yours either."
"Sir..." His mind raced. Was there anything he could say that would get him out of this mess? Technically it was... sort of. It ... "It's not ..." Inspiration struck. "I had help, sir. I found a tutor."
Professor Elm's eyebrows shot up into his hair again. "A tutor? And who might this paragon of toleration be?"
"Sir?"
"Who is he?" the Professor clarified, although it had been less the long words that had confused Severus and more the cause of the phrase. "Your tutor."
"Er. She..." he realized at the last minute how that must have sounded. "Sir. She's a Ravenclaw. Miss Mayfair." He hoped, although he knew better, that Professor Elm would conveniently forget that she was a first year.
"Rowan Mayfair is your new Herbology tutor?" The Professor didn't believe him, clearly. "Severus, I'm disappointed in you. I can understand why you wouldn't want to lose face in front of Gryffindor, but lying to me..."
"I'm not lying!" he shouted, but it was less angry and more desperate. "I'm not... Professor, you can ask her! She needed help on her Potions work, she's absolutely dismal at it... and so I traded her, Potions for Herbology. She came down to the greenhouse and helped me fix what was wrong... she's really good with plants. Really good. Green thumb, and all that." Although he'd never understood the reasoning behind that particular stupid phrase.
"Is she, now. I'll have to speak with her about that." The Professor fixed Severus with a stern eye. "And about your supposed Herbology tutorial. It'd be a good thing for you, really. For you both, I suppose, if what you say about her Potions abilities are true. If not..."
Severus winced. It would probably be a detention for him, at the least, if Professor Elm now found out that Severus had been lying. Which he might, if Mayfair lied about him to cover her own tracks. "Yes, sir. It is, sir."
"All right. Go on, get to your next lesson. Tell them I delayed you, if you wish."
Severus ran, grateful for the reprieve, wondering what the Ravenclaw girl would say.
Severus Snape couldn't keep the smirk from his face as the Slytherins and Gryffindors trooped into the greenhouse. As if it weren't enough that Mayfair had grabbed Potter's and Black's plants completely at random, it looked as though they hadn't noticed that their projects were a good foot or so shorter today. Potter was playing his stupid tricks with the Snitch, and Black was making some sort of idiotic remark. Only Lupin seemed to have registered the fact that Snape was displaying more of a grin than usual.
"Settle down, class. Settle down." Professor Elm had noticed the Snitch, of course, but resigned himself to glaring until the Potter brat put it away. "Today we will examine your plants and, if there is sufficient growth, we may harvest some for the hospital wing. You all, I presume, are aware of the healing properties of the jewelweed spears?"
Several hands shot up. "Yes, Miss Evans?"
"The roots, when ground into a powder, are good for assorted insect stings and the leaves can made into a tisane for fever."
"Excellent. Five points Gryffindor. Now, let's have a look at your plants, shall we?"
Severus's grin turned positively evil as he reached for his, keeping an eye on Potter and Black. They still hadn't noticed, the fools, although Lupin was casting suspicious looks when he saw the state of Severus's very healthy, very tall plant.
"Augh!" Potter's shriek reverberated throughout the greenhouse, drawing everyone's attention.
"Dyah!" Black's scream nearly rivaled Potter's for volume. "Professor!"
Severus choked back a laugh.
"What is it, what is it..." He didn't look very happy at being interrupted by what he presumed were childish antics. "Potter. Black. I presume you two were so busy playing at Quidditch that you forgot to attend to your Herbology homework?"
"I..." Potter was clearly trying to think of an excuse. "It... It wasn't like this yesterday!"
Sirius had finally figured it out, and was pointing an accusing finger at Severus. "He must have switched the labels."
"On both of your plants?" Professor Elm's bushy eyebrows looked as though they were attempting to crawl into his receding hairline. "And did he then magically turn his ... very healthy plant, I note, five points to Slytherin... into two neglected ones?"
He knew he couldn't manage an innocent expression, not with the grin fighting its way onto his face, so he settled for a generic sense of smugness. "Thank you, sir."
There wasn't anything they could say in front of the Professor, of course, but Potter did manage to stick his foot out directly in Severus's path at the end of the lesson. He'd been half expecting it, and managed to avoid falling in a heap on the ground. "I know you did... something... Snivellus," he snarled quietly. "You couldn't grow mold on your robes if you had a growth charm and a week's head start."
"You need your eyes checked again, Potter?" he retorted. He knew he shouldn't; he knew he was just getting himself in for a bigger beating, but he couldn't resist. "I thought I was the one with the big, strong plant and you two were the ones with the limp excuses for salad greens."
"If you're all done comparing..." Professor Elm's voice sounded behind them, making them all jump. "... notes. Potter, Black, don't you have someplace to be? Severus, a word..."
The two Gryffindors gave him loathsome looks, clearly under the impression that he was being asked to remain behind for some kind of extra-credit work, something to ingratiate himself with the teacher. Severus, on the other hand, was suddenly struck with the fear that his midnight foray had been discovered. Professor Elm gave no indication as he slung a companionable arm around Severus's shoulders, prisoning him, leading him back to the greenhouse. Once there he shut the door and turned to the student, who was wondering just how bad things were going to get.
"That's quite a healthy growth of jewelweed you have there, Severus," he said after a few interminable minutes.
"Thank you, sir..." He wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't get him in trouble. He settled for the least that was politely possible, using survival instincts learned long ago.
"It isn't yours, is it, Severus?" The professor's voice was gentle but firm. "It's certainly not Potter's or Blacks, they don't need any help to muck up their assignments, as much time as they spend playing about, but it's not yours either."
"Sir..." His mind raced. Was there anything he could say that would get him out of this mess? Technically it was... sort of. It ... "It's not ..." Inspiration struck. "I had help, sir. I found a tutor."
Professor Elm's eyebrows shot up into his hair again. "A tutor? And who might this paragon of toleration be?"
"Sir?"
"Who is he?" the Professor clarified, although it had been less the long words that had confused Severus and more the cause of the phrase. "Your tutor."
"Er. She..." he realized at the last minute how that must have sounded. "Sir. She's a Ravenclaw. Miss Mayfair." He hoped, although he knew better, that Professor Elm would conveniently forget that she was a first year.
"Rowan Mayfair is your new Herbology tutor?" The Professor didn't believe him, clearly. "Severus, I'm disappointed in you. I can understand why you wouldn't want to lose face in front of Gryffindor, but lying to me..."
"I'm not lying!" he shouted, but it was less angry and more desperate. "I'm not... Professor, you can ask her! She needed help on her Potions work, she's absolutely dismal at it... and so I traded her, Potions for Herbology. She came down to the greenhouse and helped me fix what was wrong... she's really good with plants. Really good. Green thumb, and all that." Although he'd never understood the reasoning behind that particular stupid phrase.
"Is she, now. I'll have to speak with her about that." The Professor fixed Severus with a stern eye. "And about your supposed Herbology tutorial. It'd be a good thing for you, really. For you both, I suppose, if what you say about her Potions abilities are true. If not..."
Severus winced. It would probably be a detention for him, at the least, if Professor Elm now found out that Severus had been lying. Which he might, if Mayfair lied about him to cover her own tracks. "Yes, sir. It is, sir."
"All right. Go on, get to your next lesson. Tell them I delayed you, if you wish."
Severus ran, grateful for the reprieve, wondering what the Ravenclaw girl would say.