Severus sat in the classroom with the strong sense of impending doom. Potions was his and Harry’s first lesson, and he knew the boy was going to stuff it up. But as Harry walked into the room Severus only had one thing on his mind, “WHAT HAS HE DONE TO MY HAIR?????” It was taking all of his strength not to jump up and assail the child in charge of his body. He clenched his fists tightly and glowered at Harry. Luckily, all of the other students were too shocked and surprised to notice what he was doing. They were all staring at him with wide open eyes and gaping mouths. Harry, for his part, looked extremely nervous. He looked back at the students with a mixture of terror and authority. Then he looked directly at Snape. He didn’t smile. He didn’t grin. But Severus could tell he was mocking him.
He was willing Harry to do something. The boy just stood there a moment and then gradually stepped forward.
“Attention class. Today we will be doing theory work surrounding Potions which aid other spells. Assistant Transformation potions, for example. You will all need to be paying close attention to what I tell you. If you do as such I should see no reason as to why you couldn’t accurately make the Potion in our double lesson.”
“Is that it?” Snape wondered, “he’s not going to say anything about his ‘new look’? I could kill him. Right here. Right now. Tear him limb from limb.”
Potter moved up to the blackboard and started to write. His handwriting was not nearly as flowing or neat as Severus’s, but it wasn’t his own scrawly type either. Severus stared at it. Was the boy using a different style deliberately? He seemed to look at it surprised himself, though, before continuing.
“Now, I believe I set you all some reading. Who can tell me why certain spells need Potions?” the boy said. Severus frowned deeper, he was being far too friendly. Over in the front corner, Brown was giggling with Patil and he hadn’t said a thing. Severus put his hand up anyway, along with Granger and surprisingly, Longbottom.
“Neville!” the boy said, sounding as shocked as Severus felt, “why don’t you explain?”
Longbottom opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again before answering. “Some spells need extra energy,” he said simply. Potter looked like he wanted Longbottom to continue but the other boy was fixatedly looking at his desk, his face going red.
“Can anyone tell me anything else about why we might need them?” he asked in a somewhat lost manner.
“Sometimes there are certain functions that only a Potion can perform,” Granger said to Severus’s side, looking immensely pleased with herself. “For instance, when you are first learning to become an Animagus, the ministry provides you with an Assistant Transformation potion called Animilite that delays the process down so that you can better learn how to control it.”
Potter looked someone confused but simply nodded. “Well done Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor for both of you.”
There was a gasp from all the students in the room.
*****************
Severus was prevented from jumping from his desk and launching himself at Potter by the boy moving quickly away back to the board. Many of the Slytherins had recovered from their shock and realised what Potter had done. They also looked ready to attack. Draco, especially, looked not only distraught but disgusted.
Potter started to write up scrawled notes that he had clearly memorised word for word from Severus’s instructions. He listed key potions and ingredients. Most students copied from the board diligently.
Severus noticed in the ingredients lists that Potter had not put enough emphasis on the ingredient always found in auxiliary potions. Severus had not specified that there was one always present himself but he hoped the child would figure it out.
“Sir, shouldn’t you say something about the arrowroot?” he asked with a small smile. Potter turned around.
“What about it?” he asked, somewhat taken aback.
“Well, it appears in all the Potions you’ve listed,” he replied. Potter turned back to the board and surveyed the lists of ingredients.
“Why yes, it does,” Potter said disconcertedly.
“Does it serve a specific function?” he asked. Granger kept looking at Severus as if he were mad. Potter faultered for a moment.
“That’s just what I was about to ask all of you. What is the importance of arrowroot?” Potter asked. People started to raise their hands.
“It’s important because it makes the Potions go the right colour,” Severus barged in without raising his hand. He was hoping Harry would reply in the affirmative so that one of the students could correct him. At least, he hoped one would be able to.
“No, that’s not it, it’s because it strengthens and thickens the potion!” Granger corrected before Potter had time to respond.
“How would you know anyway?” Severus yelled, furious that she should ruin what was to be immense fun.
“How would you?” Granger yelled back.
“You’re a know-it-all!” Severus said, delighting in the fact he was causing such an uproar and there was nothing Potter could do about it. All of the students were looking at the three of them in awe, including Ronald Weasley who seemed to think his teacher and friends were possessed by something.
“You’re an idiot!”
“That is enough. Twenty points from Gryffindor. And if I hear anything else from either of you, you’ll both have detention,” Potter said. Severus stared gobsmacked. Taking points from his own house? Threatening one of his best friends with detention? My, my.
“Hermione started it,” Severus said with a mischievous grin.
“Right, detention tonight, both of you! You will meet me down here at 6 o’clock.” Potter said. Severus was astounded. He was even keeping his word! “We will continue the lesson in utter silence, if anyone has any questions they shall raise their hands like civilised people and not simply say whatever they wish, whenever they wish.”
Draco Malfoy raised his hand. “Sir, it is only fair that we Slytherins gain points from being so well behaved isn’t it?”
“No it is not, ten points from Slytherin, Malfoy, for being an arrogant little,” he paused, apparently searching for a word that was not too offensive, “pain in the neck.” Now Gryffindor and Slytherin were once more even.
Severus was not amused by this but as the students started to look amongst themselves and Severus realised that they were passing notes to each other, he smiled. They were very much disturbed by Potter’s behaviour. At this point he wasn’t concerned with what would happen once he got back in his own body, he was only intent on making Potter suffer. Hermione had turned her back on him and Ron looked at him with a frown. Well it would serve the boy right not to go messing with things that didn’t concern him.
The class continued in the prescribed silence and Severus congratulated himself on having made it this far without attacking Potter, who fumbled and fussed through his explanations of the potions. Quite a few times it was obvious the students were somewhat confused by his jumbled accounts but too afraid to ask. The required time for class eventually elapsed and Severus was glad to leave the classroom.
Severus mused that whilst his reputation may be sullied, so, at least, was Potter’s.