Tracey Davis.
Another Saturday, another detention with Snape. Harry trudged his way down to the dungeons. He knocked hesitantly at the door.
"Potter, get in here." Snape snarled at him. He made his way into the Professors' private rooms.
"Today Potter you will be preparing ingredients. These will be for my private supplies. If the instructions state half inch pieces that is what you will prepare. If they are even a thousandth off then you will be here redoing the work. As it is this work would take a competent student most of the morning, you will be here all day. Use the right knives. Ensure they are clean before use. If you forget I'm sure you will enjoy another visit to the infirmary. Davis." Here Snape gestured at the girl Harry hadn't noticed was in the room. "Will be here too. She will report to me, to ensure you don't slack off. I have other things to be doing other than watching a dunderhead like you."
With that the bat like professor swept out of the room leaving Harry standing in the doorway.
Harry made his way to the workbench and read the parchment full of instructions. Snape had certainly picked the worst ingredients for him to work on. If it was messy, slimy or just plain stank he had to prepare it
He glanced up from separating some puffer-fish from their eyes. It appeared buying them separate as most people did wasn't good enough for Snape. He used his arm to push his glasses back up his nose. He didn't want his hands anywhere near where he could smell them. Across the room he could see Tracey copy his action as she pushed her own glasses up her nose. She had an amused smile on his face as she watched him from behind her cauldron.
"So what did you do to get stuck in here on a Saturday morning?"
Her only response was to put a finger to her lips. Harry was about to return to his fish if she didn't want to talk that was fine with him.
As he picked up his knife, she threw some ingredients into her cauldron and then quickly stirred first one way then another.
"I couldn't talk I was counting. What did I do? I asked nicely. I'm here as a reward. I need to improve my medical potions technique."
"You do know Slughorn is potions professor this year?"
Tracey rolled her eyes. "Yes and of course Slughorn would be delighted to help half-blood Tracey Davis, whose mother is no one famous and works in a shop and whose father has a middle rank ministry job and is no one famous. No, I have to work for my opportunities. I'm not going to be collected for my name or family. Speaking of work, you need to fill that jar up. "
Picking up his knife and the next fish Harry asked, "So Snape helps out of the goodness of his heart?"
"Well Snape helps because it's his job, He's my head of House and he meets each of us once a term to see how we are doing. He knows I want to be a healer, so this is his way of helping. If this potion is up to professional standard it will be sold, I will get a small percentage but more importantly I will start to get my name known.
Also in true Slytherin fashion helping me helps himself, He doesn't have to supervise you and he gets his Saturday to himself. Keep filled that jar up, it's flobberworm mucus next." She smiled sweetly while delivering that news.
Harry bit back a groan before asking. "So why do you want to be a healer?"
"It's a good job but most importantly they are neutral. In the last war the only healers attacked or injured were those caught out of uniform in public places. St Mungos was never attacked, no healers home was raided either. If I want to get out of this war alive then this is the best way for me."
"So that's it? You find a way out for yourself and you don't care about the rest of us?"
"Look Potter, it's not a matter of caring it's dealing with the circumstances you are in. I'm lucky to be classed as a half blood. I have a muggle born grandfather on my father's side and a great granddad on my mothers. I'm in the same year as the kids of four death eaters, one who has already taken the mark. Neutrality is as far as I can go and make it out alive. If we weren't in Professor Snape's private quarters I wouldn't be talking to you. You can stare at me with those piercing eyes of yours all you want, it's just the way it is."
Harry stared at her for a long time. "I never had the choice you know? I didn't chose to fight him, he choose me and he keeps doing it. The thing is I've met him and the inner circle. If we all stood together he would be defeated in a day. I've seen the crowds out shopping, or seeing off the kids at the start of term, we outnumber him but too many decide to be neutral."
"If it ever came to an all out fight, he takes people one by one. If I declared a side I'd be dead in my bed. You have no idea what it's like to be a halfblood in Slytherin."
"Ok then, what would you do, in another house? If you had the choice?"
"I'd still want to be a healer. It is a job I've always wanted to do. My mum tells stories about me giving potions to my teddy bears when I was a little girl. What I'd really like is to have freedom to mix with people. I do runes with Grainger but because Nott is there I can't speak to her. When the Yule Ball happened I went with Zabini as the least worst option. Most girls my age have had boyfriends. Since there is no one in Slytherin I would even consider I get to go through school without that. You dated Cho last year, someone from a different house would not be allowed in Slytherin."
Harry put down his knife and looked at the girl in front of him. She was tall and slender, possibly even skinny. Her glasses were of the thinnest material possible the arms connecting directly to the lens. Her colourless blond hair pulled back tight in a short ponytail. Harry watched the vein on her neck pulse slightly as she spoke. For the first time he saw her as a girl and not just a Slytherin. He looked down quickly.
"So I answered, what would you want to do if there was no war?" She asked.
"I don't know, which is what I want, to just live a life that isn't set in stone. I'd like to have some more disastrous dates. That date with Cho was the most normal thing I've ever done. Still no one sent her hate male like they did to Hermione. That's all I want, to live my life, date, mess up, like anyone else without the press watching my every move and everyone's expectations resting on me."
Harry had taken to staring hard at Tracey while he was talking again. She looked up meeting his gaze before blushing and looked back down to her cauldron.
"What was it like? Kissing Cho, I mean."
"Rubbish. She was in tears, it was a wet mess. Not very romantic really."
"Still better than me." Tracey, set her timer next to her cauldron. "Simmer for fifteen minutes." She said as she hesitantly took a step towards him. "You understand, don't you? I have to stay neutral no matter how piercing your eyes are, or how much I want to get that ridiculous hair of yours to stay still." She was now standing directly in front of Harry. "My first kiss could most certainly never happen here. In Snape's lab, with you." As if moving through a glacier her hand rose out and touched his chin. Please Harry, just once."
Stepping around the table Harry nodded. They were both hesitant and uncertain but gradually moved close together. The kiss was just as uncertain. Their lips came together and Harry had to break contact to lick his lips before they tried again. The second time Harry seemed to sink into the kiss and pulled Tracey close to him.
When the buzzing from the timer sounded, he was uncertain where the noise came from. Tracey ran back to her cauldron and added her next ingredient.
After she had finished the next phase of the potion, she looked back to him. "Thank you Harry, but you best get back to work. You do know that never happened?"
Harry reluctantly agreed and went back to puffer-fish eyes. The rest of the day passed with Harry doing more revolting tasks while Tracey gave all her attention to the increasingly complex potion.
Eventually Snape returned and declared his efforts adequate. The following Saturday he headed to his detention with a spring in his step to find himself alone with the dark and brooding professor, as he was for the rest of the term.
A.N.
Some reviewers have stated that they think that some of these would make a good start to a longer story. I have no intention of enlarging any of these tales. However if any one wants to do so, feel free. This is fanfaction I have no copyright over it. Although if you do decide to write a chapter 2 to any of these send me a pm I always need new stuff to read.