A/N Thanks for all the reviews guys! I'm having massive writer's block on how to end this story at the moment, so any ideas would be most welcome! Hope Snape doesn't scare you all too much at the end of this chapter! Apologies it's so short but I'll make sure to make up for it with a nice long one next!

I don't own the Potter-verse or any of the characters.

Enjoy! :)

Harry did get to go flying that evening. He was sent with stern warnings about headaches and if he ever wished to fly again to come back to the Hospital Wing before he went to bed. This time Harry did as he was told.

Two days later Harry, Ron and Hermione were on their way to Defence. Snape was outside the classroom with a sneer on his face.

"Potter, with me. You will see Granger and Weasley in your next class."

Snape turned without waiting for a response and walked off, forcing Harry to have to follow. Instead of heading to the dungeons, Snape held open the door to a disused classroom, just one floor down.

"In." He commanded shortly.

Harry entered the room, completely confused. Why couldn't he go to defence with the others? What did Snape want?

"Fortunately seventh years have flexible timetables, so we will spend this hour, plus your other Defence periods in here. You will not go into a room where Professor Quirrell is without myself or Professor McGonagall also being there. Do I make myself quite clear?"

Harry's confusion levels rose and clearly showed on his face. "Yes sir, but why not?" He instinctively flinched as he finished that question, Snape did not look pleased. Harry still reacted when big men glowered at him, expecting retribution.

"Because Potter, you and the Dark Lord are linked and he appears to be somewhat connected to Professor Quirrell. That is a curse scar. Only that who cursed it can make it open in such a way as it did yesterday. The longer you spend in his presence, the worse it will get. Thus Poppy has excused you from class Defence lessons on medical grounds and we get the delights of each others company for an extra three hours a week."

"I'm what? What?!" Harry almost shouted

"You heard Potter. Now enough of that, what is the best way to avoid being hit by a spell?"

"Don't be in its way sir."

"Can spells be blocked?"

"Some sir."

"Which cannot?"

"The Unforgivables, sir."

"What happens to you if you are caught using one of these spells?"

"Lifetime in Azkaban, sir."

Snape was impressed. The boy had obviously paid attention in Defence lessons. Why couldn't he do that in Potions? Maybe some of Lily's intelligence had passed down after all.

"Satisfactory Potter. Today we will be examining different types of spells. The four types are what?"

"Charms, jinxes, hexes and curses, sir." Harry promptly replied.

"And the difference between a hex and a curse is?" That was a question normally put to second years.

"Intent sir. I found a book in the library about it and asked Hermione a bit. It's really interesting."

In response, Snape shot a stinging hex at Harry. It hit him straight in the thigh and he yelped.

"You didn't move Potter. Rule one, pay attention to your surroundings. Knowing where everyone and everything is could be the difference between life and death."

Harry nodded, but because of that, missed the next stinging hex that Snape sent. It hit him in the abdomen.

"We have just had this discussion Potter. You getting hit once is bad enough but you getting hit twice? That's a waste of my time. Five points from Gryffindor."

This stinging hex Harry avoided, just, but walked straight into Snape's second one.

"Rule one Potter! Pay attention."

"Yes sir." Harry sidestepped as he was replying.

By the end of the hour Harry was stinging all over but he had learnt to avoid two and sometimes three consecutive spells. He was always hit in the end though and Snape's acerbic comments didn't leave him feeling as if it were any great achievement.

"I do not wish to have to fetch you again Potter. You will come here for every Defence lesson from now on."

"Yes sir. Thankyou for teaching me sir."

Harry left the room to Snape growling. He had seen the man's eyebrow raise almost imperceptibly when he had dodged the third spell that first time and it gave him hope that maybe he hadn't done too badly after all.

Severus had headed back to the dungeons after Harry left. He had an hour off now - NEWT Potions were two hour sessions. They weren't as easy to retimetable as he made out but Snape would do almost anything Poppy asked of him, especially if it contained her green eyed, raven haired nephew.

He summoned some coffee from a house elf, strong, black and bitter as he thought about that Defence lesson he had just given. Potter not only knew the answers to questions on the first year and second year course but with enough insults to incite a need to prove himself he had managed to evade three consecutive spells! That was OWL or even NEWT level evasion, although by then many tended to prefer magical way of not being hit. Sadly, Harry's upbringing probably had a fair bit to do with his agility, but no-one could change the past and that agility could just save his life one day and he'd be glad of it.

The boy seemed enthusiastic about Defence, like he was with Potions at that age, and a natural too. Slowly Severus was coming to terms with the fact that although Harry may look like James Potter, he was actually much more Lily. A little part of the guilt and loss that he had felt for the last ten years went away at that point and it caused a slight smile to break out.

Severus reheated his coffee and sat down with his latest Potions Journal, still smiling slightly.