Professor Snape sneered at the two Gryffindors in the room, and stalked out. They had the temerity to bend the rules for Harry Potter. Which, granted, normally he wouldn't have cared. It was Quiddich, after all, and boys went to ridiculous lengths to do stupid things for this confounded sport. However, Snape had several irons in the fire, and he didn't want the Gryffindors finding out about... well, most of them. Poisoning students was frowned upon, after all.* And so, Snape pretended to be completely and utterly unreasonable... about something that was, in fact, unreasonable, so it was perfectly understandable that he'd been so upset. Thus setting the Gryffindors in their rut.

Hours later, Snape strode beside Minerva McGonagall, who despite all her shrewdness in battle, still found herself wondering how in blazes he managed to sneak up on her! They were in a school, after all, not a forest or dark alley. It shouldn't be possible! "A word, if you please." Professor Snape said cordially, and Minerva immediately began scanning her former student and colleague for signs of a trap. Or mind control, mustn't forget mind control.

"Of course, Severus," Minerva said stiffly, ushering him into her Head of House Office.

"If you insist on following this foolhardy, possibly lethal 'Gryffindor Idea' of putting Potter on the team, I have a favor to ask." Professor Snape opened.

Minerva simply studied him, wondering what in Hel's good name he could possibly be up to. He had been incensed, earlier - hadn't he? "Tea." Minerva said, if only to get the tall man to sit down and cede some authority along with his monumental stature. Snape nodded as he sat, his long legs crossing to fit in the chair with slightly less awkwardness than he'd displayed as a student - and she'd seen him entirely too often then.

"Of course, Professor." Snape said, trying to pull the discussion out of social niceties, and back to business. Or so Minerva assumed. He was always hard to read.

Minerva took a sip of her tea, and asked, "Now, about this favor..."

"You have borne personal witness to the dire shape of our school's brooms." Snape began, to which Minerva could only nod. "I have put an order in to get Potter something... more suitable."

Minerva McGonagall was suddenly quite glad that she hadn't been drinking her tea, as she would have choked on it in shock. The young Potter and Snape had seemed to start up the feud that James and Severus had never truly concluded, not during school - not after school, not even while working against the Dark Lord Voldemort Himself. That Severus Snape was going to commit an act of charity towards the 'Potter Brat'** was... remarkable. And Minerva McGonagall didn't believe a single word of it. Oh, Snape was serious, of course he was serious - the "Make Minerva Spit Tea" game was only played in front of others***, and this was a remarkably poor showing besides. "And?" Minerva volleyed, pausing a moment before saying, "I fail to see what this has to do with me." Because, while she might have been inclined to intervene, if Snape was up to No Good, it had been a very long time since Minerva had felt confident that any impression, taken anytime, was justification enough to see that in Severus Snape.

Minerva regarded her younger colleague with a jaundiced eye, as he sipped his tea, content to let her stew, for the moment.

"I want you to pretend you were the one who bought it instead." Snape said, forthright as he was only with Gryffindors (and occasionally Hufflepuffs, but he rarely needed favors from Sprout).

Minerva smiled that pretty smile that she never showed to students (who saw her authority smile instead), and said, "Done." Cats always did love a good mystery - particularly stalking them, pinning them to the ground, and pulling their wings off. The hunt was on.

*What Snape's doing with Potter's Detentions? Not the Half of his plans for his House.

**Snape's term. Minerva's heard it often enough to be using it.

***Snape enjoys undermining Minerva's sphinx impression.

[a/n: ...Snape is doing Snapeish things. Off to Harry, who is not about to be doing potterish things, despite the detention.]