Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters and ideas are the whole intellectual property of Ms. J.K. Rowling and are hers alone to sell. I do not receive, nor would I accept any compensation for any of the owned intellectual property of Ms. Rowling (nor that which she has licensed to WB etc.). What follows is just a wacky little ditty I wanted to get out of my brain. It only got there because I so love that which Ms. Rowling created. No copyright infringement is intended.

Of Potions Lessons

Severus Snape was a hard teacher to like. This was a fact. For the most part, he didn't care if his pupils liked him as long as they turned their work in on time and didn't blow anything up or melt any cauldrons in his classes… Harry's class had been a challenge since the beginning. It was yet another Gryffindor and Slytherin combined class (he really thought that Albus and Minerva took some kind of sick pleasure in putting these two groups together in volatile situations like this).

On the Slytherin side there was Draco Malfoy… No one in the class save Harry and Draco knew why he both favoured Draco, and yet despised what he represented – and neither of them knew the whole story. Then there was Crabbe and Goyle – who had maybe half a working brain between the two of them…

And on the Gryffindor side, there was yet another Weasley… he'd taught all of them now save the youngest – a girl he believed… There was a Muggle-born girl who seemed to have memorized the text-book – when he'd asked, on the first day if anyone aside from Harry knew the uses of several ingredients, she'd known them all… until he'd deliberately asked one that she couldn't know – because it wasn't in any books available to a first year student – especially one Muggle-born. With a satisfied smirk, he'd been about to comment about no one knowing the answer, when Harry'd raised his hand – of course he'd known, he'd read nearly all of his father's books at some point in his life…

Oh, yes, Harry's was a hard class to teach. After their first test, when Harry'd gotten top marks, he'd had to smother any question that he had given him any advantage in the grading. He'd also had to give Pansy Parkinson a detention for openly questioning her professor, and head of house's integrity.

'If any one of you wishes to question my grading integrity…' he'd glared at them all, leaving every one of them certain that he did not recommend doing so. 'You may speak with your head of house – if you do not feel that your head of house can resolve your concern, you may take your complaint to the headmaster. I fear, however,' he'd growled. 'That he will tell you the same thing I will – and that is that a correct answer, is a correct answer. No matter who you are.'

He gathered that Harry had taken some flak about it as well from one of his own year-mates. He'd overheard some older students talking about how Harry'd thrown his test down on the table in the common room and told them all to look it over and even check their books for themselves to see if he'd gotten so much as one extra mark for anything incorrect. 'He hadn't,' the girl had said. 'I looked at it later – he just left it there over night – and he'd gotten exactly the mark it deserved – he just had the right answers. And there's no way that Snape would cheat anyway – not even for Harry! They're both too proud for that. I just think – well, it makes sense doesn't it? Harry's grown up around him hasn't he? He's bound to have learned a thing or two about potions – just from being in proximity!'

That was true anyway. He may favour the Slytherins, in his classes and out, but one thing he would not do, was to give anyone marks for something they didn't deserve.  He didn't care who it was – if the pupil got the questions right, or the potion right, they got the marks. If they didn't get it right, he wasn't doing them any favours by giving them high marks anyway.

The fact was that Harry really had learned a lot about potions from him. He'd always been curious as a child (a trait that had gotten him into quite a lot of trouble…), he had watched Severus' potion brewing avidly, and had read every book (potions or otherwise) that Severus had allowed him to – and then some… Thankfully, within a few weeks, the other students seemed to accept that Harry just knew the answers from having been exposed to potion brewing a lot growing up. Many of the Gryffindors, and even some of the Slytherins even ended up asking Harry for help when they were studying. Harry had worked especially with a boy who Severus considered a danger to potions everywhere – Neville Longbottom – another Gryffindor, who had yet to brew a successful potion – instead finding new and amazing ways to melt cauldrons and waste ingredients. Though with Harry's continued help, Severus had to admit, he was starting to get closer…

As different as things were, with Harry now being a regular Hogwarts student, some things never changed. On Hallowe'en someone had let a troll in the castle. Severus had known right away that it was meant as a distraction, and checking quickly to see that Harry was heading out with the rest of the Gryffindors to their tower, Severus had gone directly to the third floor corridor in time to chase away – someone… he still wasn't sure who it was, but he did have an idea who had let him in…

He couldn't go after the figure when it ran, as he was distracted by a loud crashing and the unmistakable stench of a troll – it'd obviously left the dungeon. Quickly covering his injured leg thanks to that bloody three headed dog, he'd dashed after the sound. On his way he'd met Quirrell and Minerva and they'd dashed into a girls toilet moments after the sound of a huge crash.

'Urgh – troll bogies.'

Severus had heard the voice half a second before the three of them slammed into the room, his blood pounding in his ears. Seeing the troll, knocked out by three eleven-year-old children, Quirell had nearly fainted. Seeing his father, Harry hadn't looked much better. Severus was practically shaking with rage, and was about half a heartbeat away from starting screaming at Harry in front of everybody when the girl – Granger had spoken up.

She'd gone after the troll? Harry and Weasley had only come after her? This did calm his anger a little bit, but not so much that he didn't still pull Harry into an empty classroom for five minutes after Minerva had dismissed the students, to yell at him and make him swear not to go wandering the halls like that again. He did understand that he hadn't had much time to think things through, but instead of going after Granger alone, they still should have told a teacher and let the adult handle the situation.

Unfortunately, the whole school almost instantly knew that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been caught after knocking out the troll by McGonogall, Quirell and himself – they also knew that Harry had come back to the dormitory separately, after the other two, and looking sullen… Another two weeks of glares and surly potions classes was Severus' reward…

****************

Arrgh!! This is impossible! Severus couldn't help himself – image be damned – he was worried about Harry playing Quidditch. He'd never forbid him from joining the Gryffindor team – he'd seen him fly in their practices and could tell he was good. And Harry absolutely loved Quidditch but—

LOOK OUT!! That was too close… He was now certain that the only reason why any parent allowed their children to play this damn sport at Hogwarts was because they weren't here to watch the games… And why did his first game ever have to be against Slytherin? Severus could hear the wood of the bench he was sitting on groan under his tight grip as he struggled not to panic every time a bludger or other player came close to Harry.

But damn if he wasn't good though… another thing he must have inherited from James. Severus had been a passable Quidditch player – seeker, actually. But certainly never as good as Harry was already – but James had (even though Severus hated to admit it) been an absolutely brilliant chaser, and Lily hadn't been half a bad beater…

Severus was pulled violently out of his thoughts as he saw Harry's broom jerk violently and unnaturally. Severus had picked out that broom himself, and had personally inspected it for safety. Seeing Harry fly over the handle of the broom, Severus leaped to his feet, wand ready to stop Harry from plummeting to the ground – fortunately, Harry managed to hold onto the handle, but barely. Instantly Severus began muttering a steadying charm to hold the broom still so that Harry could hang on. He couldn't take his eyes off of Harry and the broom or the steadying spell would be broken, but he knew that someone, within sight of Harry was uttering the hurling hex that he could feel struggling to overcome his own steadying spell – he could only hold it steady so long…

Damnit – he wished that Albus were there – he'd be able to help – find who was hexing Harry – or cast a stronger steadying spell… or something – he'd hated having to miss Harry's first game, but he'd been needed to solve an emergency at the International Confederation of Wizards…

Severus was desperately trying to think of something to do, when he heard a commotion behind him and Hermione Granger came crashing into him, causing him to break eye contact as he stumbled forward…

'Professor! You have to…'

'No!!!' Severus screamed, cutting her off and looking up desperately to see Harry – Thank God! He was climbing back onto his now still broom. He turned back to see that in her haste, the Granger girl, who had become a very close friend of Harry's, had sent several of the other teachers and guests in the box sprawling as well. A very good friend she must be to risk running up here, Severus thought, and his anger toward her vanished. 'He's alright now,' he said quietly and composing himself. 'Thank-you Miss. Granger, you should return to your stands…'

He whipped his head around, forgetting anyone else's presence when he heard the crowd gasp as one. Still standing, and gripping the edge of the raised box, he leaned over, his heart in his throat to watch Harry dive and go flying off of his broom from very close to the ground. Holding his breath, he watched as Harry got up and seemed to retch a few times before spitting out the snitch and holding it up proudly for all to see. Severus breathed again. Slytherin had lost – but his son had won, nearly getting himself killed in the process. He was both disappointed for the Slytherin team, but extremely proud for Harry at the same time…

Urgh, he was either going to have a massive coronary, or go completely mad by the time Harry graduated at this rate.