Chapter 1
The black haired teacher sighed, once again resting his head against the warm bark of the tree before him. His nerves were still tingling with pain, an unfortunate after affect of the cruciatus curse that had been inflicted upon him. The leaves of the forest rustled in tune, it seemed, with his own violent shivering. Cold seeped into his body from the stony ground where had curled his body to rest, his simple black robes providing little protection from the temperature.
Severus moaned quietly as another tremor racked his body. It was time he returned to the castle. Dumbledore would know if he hadn't returned by morning and of course Madame Pomfrey would be livid if he didn't turn up to be fussed about after this latest summoning.
A sudden warmth prickled into his forehead and fingers, infusing every inch of skin that touched the tree he was leaning against. Slowly the energy traveled through his body, leaving a welcome numbness in its wake, his pain seeping slowly away.
He struggled to his feet, reaching for the tree again as soon as he had hidden the telltale white mask in his pockets. "Thank you," he whispered tiredly, briefly resting his head against the massive trunk again, "I shall remember your gift."
Shadows parted as he slowly limped towards the castle.
xxxHP/SSxxx
"Severus!"
He groaned as he leaned heavily against the statue of Godric Gryffindor. Why couldn't his strength have left him at some other spot in the castle?
"How bad is it this time?"
"Not now, Albus." he gritted his teeth, "Just get me to Poppy so I can return to my dungeons as soon as possible."
"Of course," Dumbledore took his arm and at once a white light flashed around them, swallowing the statues and the courtyard. Severus blinked furiously as the stabbing whiteness receded, melting back into the walls of the darkened hospital wing. They had obviously been expected as no patients were staying for the night and Poppy stood waiting, wand at the ready.
"Albus, please put him on that bed." She pointed at the corner with a scowl. "Severus, don't you dare tell me that you're fine and only wish to return to your dungeons and be left in peace!"
Dumbledore's chuckle earned him another deadly glare from the potions master. "You know our Severus all too well, Poppy. Let's get this over and done with."
"I am most assuredly not your Severus, headmaster," he sneered, "and I'll be immensely grateful if you were to indeed get this ridiculous examination over and done with considering that I am, in fact, perfectly fine."
"Did you hear anything important at the meeting tonight?" Dumbledore asked, making himself comfortable on the bed next to Severus.
"The Dark Lord seems to be planning something new again, though he hasn't deemed it necessary to elaborate on his plans as yet."
"A pity. Do you think he's likely to stage another attack on Harry soon?"
"For Merlin's sake woman!" Severus turned to glare at Poppy. "Aren't you done prodding me yet?"
"You're alright if the screening spells and your temper are anything to go by."
"Excellent." His robes swished as he stood up, glaring pointedly at the clock on the wall. "Since nothing important happened today, I'll return to my quarters and give you a detailed report tomorrow."
"As you wish," Dumbledore sighed, "And Severus? If you wish to take the day off tomorrow..."
"Absolutely not!"
"You really should," Poppy interrupted, "Or at least take some pepper-up potion and skip your morning classes and..."
"And have Longbottom explode yet another potion with some incompetent substitute teacher present? I think not."
Dumbledore shook his head as the door slammed shut with a resounding bang. He grinned as Poppy went through exactly the same motion with a roll of her eyes.
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Sleep eluded him that night as his thoughts insisted on going through the meeting over and over again, trying to make sense of what he had learned. Poppy had always known about his role as spy but he hadn't wanted to confront Dumbledore about Voldemort's latest claims in front of her. It would be bad enough if there was any truth to Voldemort's words. He glared angrily at the wall as dawn finally approached. It was too late for sleep now he realized with a groan. Double potions with the new sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins was first and, of course, the report to Albus.
xxxHP/SSxxx
"Well, well, well," he drawled, giving the class his best sneer, "If it isn't the infamous Mr. Potter. Have you decided that arriving on time for lessons is beneath you?"
"No, Sir", the boy glared defiantly at him, green eyes flashing, "I'm not late, I'm four minutes early."
"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter." Snape ignored the pained groan from the Gryffindor part of the classroom, "The lesson starts when I begin to teach and I say you're late. Understood?"
Potter glanced briefly at his friends, who were already seated and then crossed his arms in front of his chest. Shakily he resumed staring at Snape.
"I wanted to know, Mr. Potter", Snape sneered again, "if you've managed to wrap your astonishingly lack of intellect around the fact that you are late to my class."
"Yes, Sir." Potter ground out angrily.
"Good." Snape's teeth flashed in a dangerous smile. "You will be working with Mr. Malfoy today, Potter. I would advise you not to fail today's assignment. Have a seat!"
Quietly Harry complied, knowing that anything he might say would only succeed in further aggravating the professor. He glared briefly at Malfoy as he slipped into his seat, trying to inch as far away from the Slytherin boy as possible.
"Today", Snape began, waving his wand at the blackboard, "you will learn to prepare a decent pepper-up potion. I realize that there are those among you", he glared briefly at Harry and Neville, "who will likely be unable to concentrate long enough to complete the assignment correctly. Still, correct or not, you will turn in a sample of your work at the end of class."
Still scowling Snape strode up and down the aisles between the tables as the students gathered their supplies and set to work, here and there correcting a Slytherin or ridiculing a Gryffindor as he passed in a swirl of black robes.
"Clock-wise, not counter-clockwise, Weasley! Surely even you must be able to tell the difference!"
"Ground, not powdered, Longbottom! Are you ever going to be able to understand a simple instruction?" The black haired man leered menacingly at the shivering lump of a boy who he knew feared him above all.
"Wait another moment before you add the lemon leaves, Mr. Goyle, and your progress will be acceptable."
Countless insults, snarks and twenty-seven deducted points later, the lesson finally drew to a close. Harry and Draco had avoided speaking to each other as much as possible and had, somehow, managed to get the color of the potion right when finally a loud boom echoed through the dungeons.
"Potter! What in Merlin's name have you done this time?" The professor swept through the room, menacingly hovering over Harry and Draco, who were both covered in sticky, black remnants of the burnt potion.
"I didn't..."
"Potter threw something into our cauldron..." Draco immediately accused Harry, eager to direct blame.
"Quiet!" Snape roared. "Twenty points from Gryffindor and detention with Filch tomorrow for sabotaging the lesson, Potter!"
The room erupted into chaos, with the Slytherins cheering and throwing ingredients and the Gryffindors too occupied with their protests to retaliate.
"But Sir, I didn't!"
"Would you prefer that I deducted fifty points, Mr. Potter?"
"No, Sir." Harry whispered into the sudden stillness.
"Very well. Ten points to Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy, for enduring working with an incompetent partner and managing to stay calm in spite of his failings."
"Thank you, Sir." Malfoy's smile was as brilliant as his smirk at Harry was vicious.
"But that's not fair!" Seamus protested, "You didn't even see what happened and..."
"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Finnigan." Snape said coldly, ignoring the Gryffindors' renewed whispering. "Bottle your samples and bring them to my desk. For the next lesson you will prepare a seven feet of parchment on how a pepper-up potion would work when combined with a dark potion of your choice. Now clean up this mess."
"Sir!" Hermione called, her hand waving wildly.
"Miss Granger?" The Professor raised an annoyed brow in the girls direction.
"How are we expected to complete the assignment, sir? There are no dark potions in our books and we aren't allowed into the restricted section of the library." She protested with logic, as was her habit.
"I guess you'll just have to finally use your overactive imagination for something useful for once, Miss Granger. I'm shocked that such an insufferable know-it-all as yourself would even ask such a question. Now get going!"
Shocked into silence, the students collected the spilled ingredients and cleared their worktables, quickly filing out of the classroom as soon as Snape had vanished what was left of the potions.
xxxHP/SSxxx
"Sit down, my boy." Dumbledore regarded Severus with serious concern. "I've heard that you were a little... cranky this morning."
"Potter was extremely obnoxious and the rest of the ungrateful brats was no better."
"I see", Dumbledore sighed, "Severus, I would ask that you please try to reign in your anger and frustration over your students behavior in the future. They are children, if you recall."
Snape merely raised an eyebrow.
"And Harry in particular." Dumbledore added, knowing that Severus wouldn't react well to the request.
"I assure you, Headmaster, it won't do Potter one bit of good to have someone else coddling him."
"Severus..."
"No, Albus", Severus frowned, "I will no give the boy special treatment."
"Tea, my boy?"
"No, thank you."
Snape watched in annoyance as Dumbledore proceeded to fill two cups with the steaming amber liquid and pushed one towards him with a small plate of cookies.
"I find that everything looks better with some tea and sweets." Dumbledore smiled.
"Unfortunately tea and sweets aren't going to rid the world of Voldemort." Snape said dryly. "Nor will they save me from having attempt to teach the noble art of potions to complete imbeciles such as Mr. Longbottom."
"Really Severus, you could show a bit more understanding for poor Neville's situation." Dumbledore admonished the younger man.
"Was there a point to this meeting, Albus? Other than to point out how abominably I treat my students, that is."
"Actually there was, as you are very well aware." Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I'd like to hear what happened at the meeting yesterday."
Severus gave a curt nod. With a flick of his wand he sent the unwanted teacup sliding to the center of the table. "Nothing much happened, though there is something that I feel you may find to be quite important."
"Important? But you said yesterday..."
"I had no wish to discuss this in front of Poppy." Severus explained.
"Poppy?" Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Severus, she has always known that you are a spy! She is a member of the Order, why should she not hear what you had to say?"
"Because Voldemort claimed that someone has passed information to him. He claims that his source of information related to him part of the prophecy that you have been keeping secret from the rest of us."
"What?" Albus Dumbledore's expression was dumbstruck. "Surely, there was no one...did he mention who it might be?"
"I don't know who." Severus shook his head, "To my knowledge, I was the only one who had overheard the prophecy and even I did not hear all of it."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Is it true?" He ask as he watched the headmaster study the portraits of his predecessors with a heavy sigh before answering.
"I am afraid so." He adjusted his glasses, briefly pinching the bridge of his nose in a gesture of frustration. "There was more to the prophecy than what I told Harry and the Order."
"And that would be?"
"As you know, Sybil Trelawney predicted that Voldemort would mark a child as his equal and that neither would be able to survive while the other lived."
Severus stopped himself from casting the older man an irritated glance as he stopped yet again. The older man was beginning to become a creature of habit.
"She also predicted that the marked child could only become the victor if the Lost Raven supported him."