A/N: The disclaimer stays throughout the story. Please read and review!
Thanks again, Snapeaholic for beta-ing this!
Chapter Two: Potions
Professor Kenaz stood in front of the class. "Settle down, everyone. Today we will be working on the Draft of Peace, which is used to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. It is very important to measure everything exactly. Too much of an ingredient can cause the drinker to fall in a deep, sometimes eternal, sleep. Can anyone tell me one ingredient used in this potion?"
Severus wrote all he already knew about the Draft of Peace on his sheet of parchment. Although he normally did not raise his hand in class, he made an exception for Potions and DADA. He raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Snape?"
"One ingredient of the Draft of Peace is powdered moonstone, sir," Severus stated as he lowered his hand.
"That is completely correct, Mr. Snape. Ten points to Slytherin," Professor Kenaz smiled. "The Draft of Peace is a rather tricky potion that will require your full attention. It is also one of the potions that will show up during your O.W.L.s. I am allowing you to work together, and I will pair you up."
He then began to pair certain students together, making sure to place one who was a better at potions with one who was struggling. He ended up with three of them left: Severus Snape, James Potter, and Lily Evans. Normally, they would be even, but Remus Lupin was out again. He pondered what to do. He knew that he could place Lily and James together since Severus was quite capable of doing this potion on his own, but he also knew that James had been bothering Lily lately.
"Mr. Snape and Miss Evans will work together. Mr. Potter, you can work with Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew." He knew that Peter Pettigrew could use all the help he could get. "Get to work, everyone." The professor went back to his desk and sat down, marking papers while glancing up occasionally to watch them work.
Lily went over to stand by Severus. "It looks like we get to work together again."
"Yes," Severus said coldly, busying himself with the potion ingredients. "You're not going to mess this up, are you?"
She glared at him. "No." She had to admit that she wasn't the best at potions, but she still had decent marks. She copied down the steps from the board.
"You can start with the ingredients. I'll prepare the cauldron." He spoke with an air of authority.
"Very well," she sighed, picking up the mortar and pestle and placing some moonstone in to grind into powder. Moonstone was not as easy to pulverize as she originally thought. She continued to work on it as not to give Snape the satisfaction of needing his help.
He readied the cauldron, making sure it was at the precise temperature for the potion. He glanced over at her, noticing her obvious struggle with the moonstone. A slight smirk flitted briefly on his lips. "Allow me, Evans. You can work at slicing the lavender."
She hesitated for a second, then handed it to him. "Fine."
She took up the knife and began to slice the lavender. The herbs were so much easier to chop. She quickly finished and then began to pick off the yellow flowers of the agrimony, which would be needed to be ground into a fine powder as well.
Severus looked at her again. She had a decent technique, but it could use improvement. He noted by the smell of one of the potions that it was getting ready to boil over. Pettigrew had obviously added the syrup of hellebore before the passion flower. He shook his head and began mincing the passion flower. His hands moved quickly and fluidly as he prepared it.
Lily had finished with the agrimony petals and watched as Severus worked. Wow. If he used half the precision he did in making potions, he could easily get down the wand waving patterns in Charms. She made a mental note to mention that to him during their next study lesson. She was so entranced by his hands that she completely forgot that she needed to put on her gloves for the datura and pricked her finger on the sharp thorns of the mature plant.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, bringing her finger up to suck on it.
He quickly dropped the knife and grabbed her hand. "You don't want to do that, Evans." He took out a handkerchief and wrapped her finger up in it. "It can cause powerful hallucinations if you get much of the datura's essence in your mouth."
Their eyes met as he held onto her hand, and then his eyes suddenly turned cold. "Be more careful next time."
"Yeah. Thanks." She sighed and held the handkerchief tight to her finger until it stopped bleeding. She placed it aside and helped stir the potion as he added the final ingredients. She breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed the potion giving off a light silver vapor.
"Well done, you two," Professor Kenaz commented as he walked by. He
collected the vials, and after giving their homework assignment, he dismissed them, quite pleased with most of their work, although only Severus and Lily had gotten the potion correct.
Severus enjoyed the quiet peace of his favorite table in the library, which was located near the back beside the potions books. He was rarely disturbed here, but unfortunately, his peace was abruptly over as two of his fellow Slytherins ambled over.
"Been hanging around with that Gryffindork Mudblood a lot, haven't you, Snape?" Jugson taunted.
"Yeah, Snape. Is she your girlfriend?" smirked Nott, a sixth-year Slytherin.
"It is not my decision with whom the professors pair me," Severus snapped, not bothering to look up from his book.
"Of course not," Jugson said sarcastically. "Oh, look. Here comes your girlfriend."
Lily entered the library and walked back to the Potions section to get a book. She wanted to work on her homework already, knowing that there was no use in setting it aside until later. She noticed the three Slytherins there and considered retreating. However, she was a Gryffindor after all, and she raised her head defiantly and walked in. She began looking for the particular book she needed, and after a moment's search, she found the book on moonstone. She turned around, finding her path blocked by Nott and Jugson.
"Going somewhere, Mudblood?" Jugson inquired.
"Leave me alone," she said, trying to shove past them.
Severus had pushed his chair back and stood up. He did not want to get involved.
"Where do you think you are going?" Nott asked Lily. He saw Severus trying to leave as well. He gave Lily a firm shove in Severus's direction, and she lost her balance, dropping the library book as she fell hard against Severus. He was knocked off kilter and fell back into the chair with Lily on his lap.
"Sure the Mudblood's not your girlfriend, Snape?" Jugson jeered.
She tried to get up but was pushed back down onto Severus's lap. "Leave me alone," she yelled angrily.
"Why would we want to do that, Mudblood? This is much more fun," Nott sneered.
"Leave her alone, Nott," James said. He was flanked by Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and his wand was drawn.
Nott and Jugson backed away. They were outnumbered. Lily quickly scrambled off of Severus and pushed her way past the Marauders.
"You're welcome, Evans," James called as she left the library. He then glared at Nott, Jugson, and Snape. "You better leave her the hell alone." He motioned for his friends to follow him as they stalked out.
Jugson hit Severus on the shoulder. "Well, that was fun. See you later, Snape."
Severus sat there for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Part of him was completely furious at what happened, but another part of him, particularly the telltale bulge in his pants, had enjoyed having the girl on his lap. He shook the thought away and stood up. His gaze fell on the book laying the ground. He slowly bent over and picked it up. He hesitated to place it back on the shelf, and he checked out the book instead before walking down the halls to the dungeons.
He paused a little ways from the library. He could swear he heard someone crying. Silently, he turned down the corridor and paused at an opened classroom door. He peered inside and saw her sitting on the floor against the corner. Her head was bowed, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. She was obviously upset, and he considered just leaving for a moment. "Evans?"
She quickly wiped her eyes and glared at him. "Are you going to call me that horrible name too?"
He gave her a questioning look before he realized what she meant. Mudblood. Nott and Jugson had called her that degrading name. He walked over and knelt down in front of her. "I wouldn't do that, Lily. I know how it is."
Her bright green eyes met his dark ones, and she slowly nodded in agreement. Yes, he would understand. He handed her the book he had brought. "You dropped this back in the library."
"How...?"
"I checked it out. You can use it. Just make sure you turn it back in when it's due," he told her.
"Thank you, Severus," she said with a slight smile.
He stood up and offered her his hand. She reached up, taking it in hers, and stood with his assistance. They looked at each other for a moment.
"I should go," she said suddenly. "Thank you for the book, Severus." She moved past him to leave, but stopped at the door. "If you would like to work on your charms work some more, I am willing to work with you. I even have an idea that might help."
"Very well, Lily. That sounds nice," he answered.
She smiled at him. "Okay. See you later." She waved good-bye to him and left, feeling better about what happened earlier. She was actually looking forward to working with Severus again.
A/N: Please review!! It only takes a moment.
Chapter Two: Potions
Professor Kenaz stood in front of the class. "Settle down, everyone. Today we will be working on the Draft of Peace, which is used to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. It is very important to measure everything exactly. Too much of an ingredient can cause the drinker to fall in a deep, sometimes eternal, sleep. Can anyone tell me one ingredient used in this potion?"
Severus wrote all he already knew about the Draft of Peace on his sheet of parchment. Although he normally did not raise his hand in class, he made an exception for Potions and DADA. He raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Snape?"
"One ingredient of the Draft of Peace is powdered moonstone, sir," Severus stated as he lowered his hand.
"That is completely correct, Mr. Snape. Ten points to Slytherin," Professor Kenaz smiled. "The Draft of Peace is a rather tricky potion that will require your full attention. It is also one of the potions that will show up during your O.W.L.s. I am allowing you to work together, and I will pair you up."
He then began to pair certain students together, making sure to place one who was a better at potions with one who was struggling. He ended up with three of them left: Severus Snape, James Potter, and Lily Evans. Normally, they would be even, but Remus Lupin was out again. He pondered what to do. He knew that he could place Lily and James together since Severus was quite capable of doing this potion on his own, but he also knew that James had been bothering Lily lately.
"Mr. Snape and Miss Evans will work together. Mr. Potter, you can work with Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew." He knew that Peter Pettigrew could use all the help he could get. "Get to work, everyone." The professor went back to his desk and sat down, marking papers while glancing up occasionally to watch them work.
Lily went over to stand by Severus. "It looks like we get to work together again."
"Yes," Severus said coldly, busying himself with the potion ingredients. "You're not going to mess this up, are you?"
She glared at him. "No." She had to admit that she wasn't the best at potions, but she still had decent marks. She copied down the steps from the board.
"You can start with the ingredients. I'll prepare the cauldron." He spoke with an air of authority.
"Very well," she sighed, picking up the mortar and pestle and placing some moonstone in to grind into powder. Moonstone was not as easy to pulverize as she originally thought. She continued to work on it as not to give Snape the satisfaction of needing his help.
He readied the cauldron, making sure it was at the precise temperature for the potion. He glanced over at her, noticing her obvious struggle with the moonstone. A slight smirk flitted briefly on his lips. "Allow me, Evans. You can work at slicing the lavender."
She hesitated for a second, then handed it to him. "Fine."
She took up the knife and began to slice the lavender. The herbs were so much easier to chop. She quickly finished and then began to pick off the yellow flowers of the agrimony, which would be needed to be ground into a fine powder as well.
Severus looked at her again. She had a decent technique, but it could use improvement. He noted by the smell of one of the potions that it was getting ready to boil over. Pettigrew had obviously added the syrup of hellebore before the passion flower. He shook his head and began mincing the passion flower. His hands moved quickly and fluidly as he prepared it.
Lily had finished with the agrimony petals and watched as Severus worked. Wow. If he used half the precision he did in making potions, he could easily get down the wand waving patterns in Charms. She made a mental note to mention that to him during their next study lesson. She was so entranced by his hands that she completely forgot that she needed to put on her gloves for the datura and pricked her finger on the sharp thorns of the mature plant.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, bringing her finger up to suck on it.
He quickly dropped the knife and grabbed her hand. "You don't want to do that, Evans." He took out a handkerchief and wrapped her finger up in it. "It can cause powerful hallucinations if you get much of the datura's essence in your mouth."
Their eyes met as he held onto her hand, and then his eyes suddenly turned cold. "Be more careful next time."
"Yeah. Thanks." She sighed and held the handkerchief tight to her finger until it stopped bleeding. She placed it aside and helped stir the potion as he added the final ingredients. She breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed the potion giving off a light silver vapor.
"Well done, you two," Professor Kenaz commented as he walked by. He
collected the vials, and after giving their homework assignment, he dismissed them, quite pleased with most of their work, although only Severus and Lily had gotten the potion correct.
Severus enjoyed the quiet peace of his favorite table in the library, which was located near the back beside the potions books. He was rarely disturbed here, but unfortunately, his peace was abruptly over as two of his fellow Slytherins ambled over.
"Been hanging around with that Gryffindork Mudblood a lot, haven't you, Snape?" Jugson taunted.
"Yeah, Snape. Is she your girlfriend?" smirked Nott, a sixth-year Slytherin.
"It is not my decision with whom the professors pair me," Severus snapped, not bothering to look up from his book.
"Of course not," Jugson said sarcastically. "Oh, look. Here comes your girlfriend."
Lily entered the library and walked back to the Potions section to get a book. She wanted to work on her homework already, knowing that there was no use in setting it aside until later. She noticed the three Slytherins there and considered retreating. However, she was a Gryffindor after all, and she raised her head defiantly and walked in. She began looking for the particular book she needed, and after a moment's search, she found the book on moonstone. She turned around, finding her path blocked by Nott and Jugson.
"Going somewhere, Mudblood?" Jugson inquired.
"Leave me alone," she said, trying to shove past them.
Severus had pushed his chair back and stood up. He did not want to get involved.
"Where do you think you are going?" Nott asked Lily. He saw Severus trying to leave as well. He gave Lily a firm shove in Severus's direction, and she lost her balance, dropping the library book as she fell hard against Severus. He was knocked off kilter and fell back into the chair with Lily on his lap.
"Sure the Mudblood's not your girlfriend, Snape?" Jugson jeered.
She tried to get up but was pushed back down onto Severus's lap. "Leave me alone," she yelled angrily.
"Why would we want to do that, Mudblood? This is much more fun," Nott sneered.
"Leave her alone, Nott," James said. He was flanked by Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and his wand was drawn.
Nott and Jugson backed away. They were outnumbered. Lily quickly scrambled off of Severus and pushed her way past the Marauders.
"You're welcome, Evans," James called as she left the library. He then glared at Nott, Jugson, and Snape. "You better leave her the hell alone." He motioned for his friends to follow him as they stalked out.
Jugson hit Severus on the shoulder. "Well, that was fun. See you later, Snape."
Severus sat there for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Part of him was completely furious at what happened, but another part of him, particularly the telltale bulge in his pants, had enjoyed having the girl on his lap. He shook the thought away and stood up. His gaze fell on the book laying the ground. He slowly bent over and picked it up. He hesitated to place it back on the shelf, and he checked out the book instead before walking down the halls to the dungeons.
He paused a little ways from the library. He could swear he heard someone crying. Silently, he turned down the corridor and paused at an opened classroom door. He peered inside and saw her sitting on the floor against the corner. Her head was bowed, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. She was obviously upset, and he considered just leaving for a moment. "Evans?"
She quickly wiped her eyes and glared at him. "Are you going to call me that horrible name too?"
He gave her a questioning look before he realized what she meant. Mudblood. Nott and Jugson had called her that degrading name. He walked over and knelt down in front of her. "I wouldn't do that, Lily. I know how it is."
Her bright green eyes met his dark ones, and she slowly nodded in agreement. Yes, he would understand. He handed her the book he had brought. "You dropped this back in the library."
"How...?"
"I checked it out. You can use it. Just make sure you turn it back in when it's due," he told her.
"Thank you, Severus," she said with a slight smile.
He stood up and offered her his hand. She reached up, taking it in hers, and stood with his assistance. They looked at each other for a moment.
"I should go," she said suddenly. "Thank you for the book, Severus." She moved past him to leave, but stopped at the door. "If you would like to work on your charms work some more, I am willing to work with you. I even have an idea that might help."
"Very well, Lily. That sounds nice," he answered.
She smiled at him. "Okay. See you later." She waved good-bye to him and left, feeling better about what happened earlier. She was actually looking forward to working with Severus again.
A/N: Please review!! It only takes a moment.
