As his older housemate had somewhat optimistically predicted, the majority of his day hadn't been too bad.

Even if there had been one or two occasions where he had to put up with a small number of problems that he honestly should have expected due to the fact that most children had a very strong yet naïve sense of morality.

The first such instance had happened in the class that had been taught by the professor whose stature was that of a Goblin, but whose facial features could almost be called normal if he didn't have that ridiculous mustache on his face.

Apart from the roll call, where Flitwick had suffered some sort of mini panic attack when he got to his name, everything had gone well for the disguised dragon Demon.

He had managed to find a seat that ensured that he wasn't in danger of exposing the back of his head to unwanted projectiles. While giving him plenty of targets should he feel particularly vindictive or bored.

None of his fellow badgers had felt the need to engage him in conversation, even if they had made it known that if he ever felt that need he would always be welcome to join them.

And while he had earned some disproving glares from Weasel and his new entourage, an Irishman with pyromaniac tendencies and a football fan, it wasn't something he couldn't handle if they tried to get the jump on him.

The only downside of course was being in the same class as the bushy-haired know-it-all.

He could understand the desperate need to catch up to others when there was clear that they enjoyed the advantage of living with the knowledge that magic was real.

And he could also sympathize with the need to get recognized for the amount of effort a person put into learning about their new circumstances.

But Granger's attitude ensured that he viewed her with nothing but annoyance.

Quoting word for word each relevant passage of their coursebook was bad enough since it proved that she was incapable of forming an original opinion. And the constant interruptions to dispute or clarify each little point were also irritating.

But what really got on his nerves was her reactions when it quickly became clear that she would be the SECOND best student in their class.

For while she had to use the proper wand movements and incantation to successfully perform the unlocking charm, Harry had only needed to point his wand at the locked chest for it to work.

This feat had earned him ten points for Hufflepuff, and more than a few looks of admiration, specifically from the round-faced Lion whose last name would have undoubtedly earned him nothing but cruel laughter if he ever went to Hell.

But Granger's attempt to get him in trouble for 'cheating', and Flitwick's gentle reprimand that some Wizards were born with more natural ability than others, ensured that he had earned a self-declared academic rival.

An unwanted annoyance to be sure, especially since it was clear that she hadn't taken the advice he had given her on the train to heart. But at least it gave him the opportunity for amusement whenever he was feeling in a more vindictive mood.

Transfiguration on the other hand was pretty much uneventful, apart from the spectacle of watching a small tabby cat transform into a stern-faced Witch.

But after that, and some more tedious note-taking, the only real interesting thing that happened was the reaction McGonagall had given after had transformed his match stick into a needle on his first try.

Of course, he had no intention of informing her that he had been able to do that after his first month of lessons with Stolas. And even then it had taken him some time to ensure that the transformation lasted longer than a minute. But still, he wasn't going to turn down praise for his efforts.

Though he could have done without the nostalgic smile and remark about how alike he was to his 'father' when it came to transfiguration. However, he was lucky that the anger he usually felt at being reminded of his connection to James Potter was misinterpreted as being directed elsewhere.

Otherwise, he strongly suspected that the inevitable meeting to discuss his 'disappearance' would happen much sooner than he intended.

But currently, he didn't have much time to dwell on that future conversation. Since now he was entering the part of the castle that Tonks had warned him about.

He supposed it made some sort of sense to have the magical equivalent of a chemistry lab far away from the more habitable parts of the castle.

But couldn't they have used a basic warming charm down here?

Thanks to a mistake Via had made in one of their earlier classes together, Harry understood that some potions reacted quite badly when exposed to high temperatures.

But since he highly doubted that each and every classroom down here was filled with explosive or toxic material, they could have at least ensured that the passageways were warm to walk through without feeling like someone had left the AC up on high.

It would probably only get worse when winter came around. But luckily, he had both the money and the talent to ensure that his robes were properly enchanted with heating charms.

So it wouldn't be too bad.

Or at least it wouldn't be if Tonks hadn't revealed that the professor for one of the most important classes in the castle was led by a man who was both biased and sadistic.

However, she did say that Snape, while generally unpleasant to everyone who wasn't a Slytherin, was particularly nasty to those who belonged to the House of the Lions.

Which meant that as long as kept his mouth shut, and did nothing to draw attention to himself, his parents wouldn't have to be called in to resolve some sort of 'disciplinary issue.'

But considering the manner in which Hogwarts' Potions Master barged into the room, his cloak billowing behind him in a manner that was as intimidating as it was flamboyant, Harry had a sinking feeling that his optimism would prove to be unfounded.

"There will be no foolish wand-waving, or silly incantations in this class."

…

Satisfied that his entrance had managed to put an end to the useless chatter, for he knew by now that these first years had already been warned by their older housemates about provoking his ire, Snape continued his welcoming speech.

"As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few who possess the predisposition...I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death."

Pleased to see that his Slytherins were greeting this introduction with open-minded eagerness, even if only a small number of the little fools possessed the potential to perhaps make it into his advanced classes, the greasy-haired Potions Master felt his frown turn into more of a sneer as he directed his attention towards the other half of the classroom.

While the Hufflepuffs were usually the second most irritating House he had to teach, the first one, of course, being the so-called House of the Brave, the presence of James Potter's son was enough to move this year's batch of Badgers to the top of his list.

He had spent 3 years desperately looking for any sign of the missing child that had been abused by Lily's sister, subjecting himself to associating with the type of scum that would have been too vile for even the inhabitants of Knockturn Alley. Only to find that his efforts were wasted as the brat merely appeared for his Sorting with all the confident swagger of his less than lamented father.

That being said, however, there was something off about the boy that made Snape temporarily pause before he set the tone for their future interactions.

He couldn't exactly explain it, but Potter tended to carry himself in a manner that vaguely reminded him of the Dark Lord during his more…. approachable moods.

Mentally dismissing such an absurd notion, and willingly, albeit reluctantly, to give the boy one chance to prove himself, Snape turned his less than friendly gaze towards the rightfully wary Hufflepuff.

"Potter! Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Upon seeing the brat's frown, Snape was prepared to move on to the next question.

But before he could the green-eyed clone of James Potter managed to give an answer.

"That….would be a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death. Sir."

His eyes narrowing further at the boy's insolent tone, though he did incline his head forward to indicate that had indeed been the correct answer, the hook-nosed Potions Master continued his little test.

"And if I were to ask you to find me a bezoar, where would you find one?"

This time the answer was much quicker.

"In the stomach of a goat."

Once again disappointed by no legitimate excuse to berate the son of his childhood tormentor, if only because it might be possible that he had inherited Lily's intelligence instead of his father's inflated sense of importance, Snape decided to ask his final question.

"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

And once again the answer was given almost immediately.

"There is no difference since it's the same plant. It also goes by the name of aconite and…devil's helmet."

Confused by Potter's expression of grudging amusement at that last name, and now confronted with enough proof to suggest that the boy had received some prior training before his arrival to Hogwarts, Snape ensured that his black eyes were locked with the ones that reminded him of his mistake before casting a wandless legilimens.

But while he had no difficulty in entering the mind of the eleven-year-old, the images that he found in Potter's mind were not what he had expected.

For instead of a constant string of memories, either of his life after he had been 'rescued' from the family of Lily's sister, or the abuse he had suffered at the hands of the Dursleys, Potter's mind resembled an infinite corridor with infinite doors.

Of course, he could sense that this mindscape was still being developed. And if he was willing to use the same amount of power the Dark Lord used with his legillmency probes he was confident that this representation of Potter's mind wouldn't do much to slow him down.

Still, it was rather impressive that an eleven-year-old boy had managed to create what would be considered an average level of shielding in those who spent years studying the mind arts.

And if he was a more generous man, he might even award poin…

"Tiptoe. Through the window.

By the window. That is where I'll be.

Come tip toe, through the tulips.

With meeeeeee."

Giving a mental shiver as he heard a cheerful and high pitched voice sing a song that he hadn't heard since he had reluctantly agreed to Lily's suggestion to visit a Muggle record store a few weeks before they had both gotten their Hogwarts letter, Snape turned towards the direction of where the music was coming from.

And canceled the connection immediately as he was confronted with something that had no right in being in the mind of an eleven-year-old child.

…..

Fighting the urge to smirk as he felt the greasy-haired bat's probe rapidly pull out of his mind, though he had to give the man credit at recovering his composure after he saw some of the traps he had set up in his mindscape, Harry could only nod his head as Snape finally decided to act like a teacher.

"Well? Why aren't you all writing this down?"

Albeit one that had no problem in taking out his frustrations on his underaged students.

Still, he supposed it could have been much worse.

Thanks to the lessons he had taken with Via and her mother, not to mention Tonks's warning about Snape's 'testing' methods, Harry believed that he was well prepared to handle the less than welcoming atmosphere of the Potions classroom.

And if the greasy-haired bat tried to read his mind again, or tried to intimidate him in a manner that made him want to sick his mother on him BEFORE giving his name to Blitzo, he had other ways to mess with him.

But for now, he wouldn't worry about it since Snape once again proved that he was unsuited for teaching.

Yes, he understood that a good deal of the class had probably received prior instruction before starting their official education. And yes it was actually more interesting to start a practical part of a lesson than to spend hours on theory and proper instruction.

But when the whole point of a class was to mix dangerous and valuable substances together in order to create medicine, in this case, a cure for boils, it was the teacher's responsibility to ensure that the students didn't end up either harming themselves or wasting the equivalent of their monthly salary.

And since some of the students, notably the two goons of the blond Nazi ferret, were probably the type who needed to remove their shoes if they needed to count twenty, it was only a matter of time before something wen…

'BOOM'

Before something like THAT happened.

He was grateful that he was literally on the other side of the classroom.

Otherwise he would've had to share in the Slytherins' misery of having Crabbe's foul-smelling potion burning through his shoes. Or perhaps even suffering the fate of having his face splashed with a chemical concoction that was supposed to cure boils instead of causing them.

"Nott. Escort your housemate to the Hospital Wing. Anyone else whose skin also came into contact with that potion may also leave."

Watching the gorilla-faced boy being held upright by another rat-faced Snake, Harry felt his eyes narrow as the so-called 'professional' tried to saddle him with the responsibility for this easily avoidable mishap.

"Why didn't you warn him Potter? An honest mistake? Or perhaps a deliberate act of indirect sabotage to make you look better than you are? Ten points from Hufflepuff."

Knowing full well that arguing would only make it worse, for he correctly guessed that Snape was the type of bastard who goaded his victims just so he could justify a harsher punishment, Harry took a deep breath to calm himself.

Though just cause he was smart enough to practice his dad's advice on dealing with a bully instead of his mother's didn't mean that he couldn't do something to express his displeasure.

He didn't exactly possess a lot of talent in this field. Especially when compared to Loona and Via.

But judging by the way Snape flinched at his somewhat off-tune humming of 'Living in the Sunlight', the disguised dragon Demon knew he had managed to get back at the greasy-haired bat.

However, despite his so-called 'victory', Harry was smart enough to realize that he had merely exchanged shots in what was sure to be a long and drawn-out war. Which meant that he would need further intel about his enemy if he was going to win.

Sadly, Tonks probably couldn't offer more than a basic understanding of his opponent. And even if she did, he highly doubted that she had experienced the same sort of desensitization process that could only come from living in Hell.

But no one said that he couldn't ask for outside assistance.

For when it came to getting revenge, nothing was better than having the aid of a violent goth girl.

…..

"No, absolutely not! I forbid it!"

Frowning in annoyance at Blitzo's refusal, though in truth it was the way he acted that really pissed her off, Loona managed to somehow keep her tone even as she pointed out her adoptive father's hypocrisy.

"Why? The entire point of the company is to get revenge on people. And it's not like we can't just kill him later. Hell, I'm sure there's a ton of people out there who would pay good money to make this bastard suffer before we finally kill his ass. So why not?"

And of course, the Imp's answer was as petty as it was idiotic.

"Because THIS is how it starts Loona. First, it's small favors that don't really require much effort. Then they start asking for money and various addictive substances. And once he's sick and tired of using your hol…"

"Finish that sentence and I'll give you a hole that even your feathered boyfriend won't want to touch."

Baring her teeth until Blitzo raised his hands to signal his compliance with her order, Loona could only roll her eyes as the Imp once again proved that there was something mentally wrong with him.

For most of the time, he had nothing but good things to say about Harry. Even if most of the time the compliments were used as an indirect way to insult a certain white-haired coworker.

But whenever it came to her friendship with the still growing dragon Demon, Blitzo always got more than a little protective.

"Ok fine. I won't say anything about THAT so long as his little trouser dragon remains as soft and limp as Moxxie's spine. But the point that I'm trying to make here is that IF he wants something from you, you HAVE to make him work for it. Otherwise, he'll keep taking advantage of you until one day he decides he doesn't want to wear a condo…GRRKKK!"

Giving the Imp a chance to recover from being kicked in the groin, if only because she didn't want the pain of the next blow to be dulled by the first, Loona managed to keep control of her more violent impulses as she glared at her adoptive father.

"This is the last time I'm gonna tell you Blitzo. There is NOTHING going on between me and Harry. And even if there was, my love life is none of your concern. Got it?"

While she knew that he would likely ignore this warning in the future, the glaring Hellhound nevertheless accepted the former circus performer's nod of agreement before she turned her attention back towards something that wouldn't normally do.

Even if she was a tad annoyed at having to do this, Loona was rather touched that Harry had decided to ask for her help instead of relying on the birdbrain.

Which meant that, unlike her job, she would actually put in more than the barest amount of effort to complete this task. And if she didn't, she would find some other way to help the young dragon Demon.

But after some digging in the stupidly long list of newly arrived sinners, concentrating on those that had died in Britain between twelve and fifteen years ago, she had found enough info to move to the next step.

Even if slightly more than a quarter of that specific demographic was no longer around thanks to the annual Extermination.

She still wasn't sure how Harry was going to use this information, or if the selected Demons would want to pay for extended periods of torment instead of going for an immediate execution. But she was confident that with her help, her friend would do just fine.

…..

Annnnnnd that's enough for now. Apologies for the shortness of the chapter, but since it only covers the first day, more or less, believe it is sufficient lol.

Harry is already proving to his teachers that he is a talented student, and not sure if you all caught it, but basically annoying Hermione by being better than her. The books, and other fanfic stories of which the most prominent one that I can think of is 'Cadmean Victory', highlight her inability to be second place when it comes academically (especially when there is proof of 'cheating' like in the Half Blood Prince).

Of course part of his success is due to the fact that he has prior training/more incentive to learn. And…again basing this off of some less than charitable theories….he had a study partner (i.e. Octavia) who didn't hold him back like a certain ginger.

And the potions lesson….think its safe to say that Snape got a little bit more than he bargained for lol. I have been looking forward to writing THAT scene for a while now, and glad it finally happened. Especially the bit with 'Tip Toe Through the Tulips', and the other Tiny Tim song that I first heard in the FIRST episode of Spongebob Square pants (i.e. Living in the Sunlight…but more specifically the verse "Things that bother you, never bother me". Wont go into TOOO much detail about what Snape saw….but until I reveal it in later chapters…feel free to use your imagination.

And as for Blitzo's attitude towards Harry…was inevitable once Harry began to get older. But of course this being Blitzo/Hell, his attitude changes depending on situation.

Anyways that's it for now.

Once again thanks to Dark Scythe Drake for their editing purposes since it allows me to write faster without having to edit it myself lol.

Pleased to see how many people like this story. Your reviews and comments are appreciated :D

Plz continue to review. No flames.

Til next time.