Madam LeCroix looked down at the child.

The boy was working hard at understanding the calculations. He had to be, she knew what she expected of her pupils.

Between her and Severus the boy was drowning in work.

They were both careful that he did all his homework, learned for school, ate and slept but otherwise he was always busy with one or both of the portraits.

His friends knew when he found something interesting he didn't do anything else till he was finished.

He had the same obsessive pedantry as uncle Percy without the lacking personality.

It was a character trait that was readily accepted in Slytherin house. All people with big ideas were obsessive in on way or the other.

After his death, after the people heard what happened and what he did, Severus Snape was considered the epitome of Slytherin.

Obsessive.

The Dark Lord

Obsessive.

Salazar Slytherin

Obsessive

Albus Severus Potter

Obsessive

OK, not necessarily in that order.


Severus lounged in a nice landscape and saw Madam LeCroix and Mr Potter working on the calculations.

Severus had concentrated on the arithmancy needed for potions developing and spells crafting, but he got his arithmany NEWT and had a working understanding.

The calculations the boy wanted could have been done by a fifth class, the problem was having all the needed information.

They had these informations.

It was the last part of Potter's project, Severus already read everything else and was impressed with the work. At least he was as impressed as he would get with the student.

After he commented that is was "Satisfactory", Al Potter was ecstatic and grinned wide as a reaction.

For that he earned "The Brow". Al realised he should have waited with showing his happiness.

What started as a little project for history escalated in a book about the war, the political groups and the inner workings.

It wasn't something you would expect of a third year.

Severus had given Albus a lot of information that wasn't known outside of the circle of Death Eaters. He answered questions that nobody ever thought of asking. Or did everybody really think they didn't do anything else but muggle torturing and killing? Or that you recruited a bunch of power hungry Slytherins be crucioing them to insanity?

Dunderheads all around.