Friday night had been a disaster. Severus had been cornered by Albus immediately after his classes were done for the day, and had dragged him up to the headmaster's office.

"So, Severus, how was your first week of classes?"

No offers of sweets. That did not bode well.

"They went as well as could be expected," he replied evenly, running his fingers along the front edge of the headmaster's desk.

"Children are not as bad as you make them out to be," Albus chided, watching him closely.

Severus scoffed. "My last decade of experience says differently."

"You gave Harry Potter thirty-five house points in your very first class with him."

"If he had been anyone else, I would have given him sixty."

Albus sighed and looked at Severus pointedly over the tops of his half-moon glasses, and folded his hands together in front of him. "Severus… we have a specific path we must follow."

"He's a Slytherin, Albus. I asked him questions intentionally above his year level, so I could mock him when he got something wrong, but he answered everything right. Denying my own house any points would have been even more suspicious."

"Thirty-five, Severus. I cannot think of a single other time you've awarded anyone that many points, in a single month, let alone a single class."

"It was a double period."

Albus slapped his palms against the desk. "Voldemort is coming back, Severus! I need eyes on the inside, if I'm to keep these students safe! I need you to play your part!"

"The boy's a prodigy, Albus! He takes after Lily. There is no way I can ignore or deride his talent for the next seven years."

"…Did you tell him about Lily?"

"What?"

"What did you tell him about Lily, Severus?"

Severus glared. "Fine, I told him about his mother. Told him she was a potions prodigy, herself, and told him she was kind. Told him we were friends."

"Severus!"

"What would you have had me do, Albus? The boy knew nothing of his parents. He was desperate for any details I could give. Should I have told him the truth about his father, instead? That the man was an insufferable elitist bully who tortured me daily for years? Would that have made the boy warm up the to wizarding world?"

"I do wish you would stop with that."

"ALBUS! The boy trusts me. Lily's son has no one else in this world, and he trusts me. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I am sure as hel not going to break his trust, now! He's vulnerable enough to persuasion in Slytherin, as it is."

"I'm not asking you to throw him off a cliff, my boy. Just back off. Stop playing favorites."

Severus collapsed back into a chair, and threw his hands up in surrender. Arguing with Albus was a pointless endeavor. The man heard what he wanted to hear.

"Just answer me one thing, Severus. Did that boy dedicate his summer to learning potions to make his mother proud? …Or did he do it for you?"

Severus had not had an answer for that. He still didn't. Things had only gotten worse, after he'd escaped the headmaster's office. Quirinus sat next to him again at dinner, and grilled Severus about his unprecedented generosity regarding house points, interspersed with the most awkward attempt at small talk that Severus had ever endured. The man had stuttered his way though explaining his current lesson plan, the various options he'd toyed with as his addition to the corridor three security, and yet another rambling rant about the vampire he was certain was still stalking him. Severus had been rather short with the man, stating in no uncertain terms that how he ran his classes were none of the turbaned man's business, and Severus had no interest in Quirrell's business, either.

Which, of course, had segued nicely into a painfully awkward staff meeting, where even more people had asked Severus about his break from point-withholding tradition. Minerva was a little too enthusiastic in her teasing, while most of the others were simply incredulous that it had been Potter, of all people, to instigate such a change.

Severus had lashed out against the attention, and had ended up insulting Potter more harshly than he had intended, to get his colleagues to back off. He felt guilty about the things he had said, which was stupid, because they couldn't hurt Potter if he never heard them, and it would help to keep Severus safe, once the Dark Lord reared his ugly head, once more.

He needed to decide what he would do when infighting inevitably broke out, amongst his snakes. Potter's presence made them uneasy, especially the older ones, who had memories of their parents or older siblings fighting, and dying, for the Dark Lord's cause. Potter's presence in their sanctuary would feel like a betrayal, a violation.

It was Sunday, now, and Lucius Malfoy had just summoned Severus to the Hog's Head to update his progress.

He sneered at the encoded message. Severus Snape gave progress reports to Albus Dumbledore and to the Dark Lord, no one else. He was not bound to answer the summons of self-absorbed pretentious blondes, not now, and not ever.

He would need to feed some form of information to Lucius eventually, of course, but he would do it on his own terms. Nothing of consequence had even happened, yet. Lucius could afford to sweat a little.

He could afford to wait.

Severus had more pressing concerns. Something about Quirrell's conversation had not settled right with him, once he'd taken the time to reflect upon it, properly. Severus was going to take up some extra shifts, patrolling the third floor.