Snap! Snape rapped his desk with his wand in a futile attempt to quiet the students. Everyone was restless because of the feast that followed this class. Usually Snape had no trouble with the behavior of his students. Most times his presence was enough to quiet the class.Harry hated this class anyway. He hated the way that Snape was always breathing down his neck as he measured ingredients and made snide remarks about him to the whole class. He looked over at Ron, his face was slackened with day-dreams of the food that awaited him. He sneaked a peek at Malfoy, even he wasn’t listening.

"CLASS!" bellowed Snape. His face was twisted into an expression of utmost rage. The class was suddenly so quiet that you could hear water dripping off the stones.

"Once again you have proved that you are the greatest group of dunderheads that have ever entered this room," he said in a deathly quiet voice. Hermione gave him a very offended look.

"Today we will be working on a tricky potion called-" Snape slapped the blank black board with his wand. Spidery letters formed the words Splintering Draught.

"Now who may I ask, in this group of dunderheads, knows the effect of the Splintering Draught on its user?" he drawled. Hermione’s hand shot up amongst the sea of expressionless faces. She was waving it around in desperation to prove that she was not the idiot that Snape thought she was. Snape ignored her quivering hand.

"No one? How sad. Five points from Gryffindor for being dull enough not to raise your hands," Snape jeered. Harry’s face heated up with the injustice of the docked points.

"None of your precious Slytherin’s raised their hands either, Hermione was raising her hand," Harry retorted angrily. Snape whipped around to look at him and his face twisted into an unimaginable shape.

"Potter, one more word out of you...and you will miss the feast," he said with a sneer. Harry glowered silently.

"This potion will instantly shatter whatever bone that it touches and cause the owner immense pain."

Harry shivered at the sight of the smile that spread across Snape’s face. With a final rap against the board, the difficult ingredients materialized on the board and Snape took to his stalking around the classroom offering snide remarks to all the Gryffindors. As Ron worked he muttered swears referring to Snape and what a git he was.

After an hour and a half, Harry looked around. Almost no one in the room had the clear green color that the potion was supposed to have. His was a pale green with a sort of fog to it. Only Hermione had the exact color. As Snape walked around he simply sniffed and walked away, obviously disappointed that he had no opportunity to make a remark. When he came to Neville Longbottom, a sneer played across his face. Neville’s potion was a bubbling yellow color and was spitting smoke that smelled like rotten eggs.

"We will now be testing the potions with Longbottom as our lab rat, he has broken so many bones already that one more won’t make a difference."

Neville went white in the face and looked as if he would like nothing more than to disappear and never be seen again. Snape beckoned to Neville to stand up. He whimpered and stayed in his seat, as white and stationary as a piece of parchment. Snape raised his wand, "Locomoter Longbottom." Neville rose from his seat and was pushed by an invisible force to the front of the room. Right then Harry wanted nothing more than to take a caldron of the Splintering Draught and dump it over Snape’s head.

"Malfoy, bring me Granger’s potion," he barked. Malfoy slid out of his seat and swaggered over to Harry’s.

"Lets see you protect Longbottom now Potter," he whispered as he swiped Hermione’s caldron off her desk. Harry was blinded with raw anger. The next moment was a blur. He sensed himself sticking his foot out for Malfoy to trip over. Then he saw the clear emerald green liquid fly into Snape’s chest. He let out a roar of pain. Every one was frozen with horror. Neville took the chance to slink back to his seat unnoticed. Harry didn’t know what came over him, in a flash he was out of his seat and at the wounded Professor’s side. He was gasping with pain through his many broken ribs. He ignored Malfoy’s mutters about how it was all Harry’s fault. Professor Snape was sprawled on the floor.

"Erm-" he turned to the class, everyone was staring at him.

"Hermione, go tell Professor Flitwick that Snape is hurt, Hermione was up in a flash and out the door in a swirl of black robes.

"Dean, erm, everyone else try and clean up the potion without getting hurt. Lavender, go tell Madame Pomfrey that Snape is coming," Harry ordered. It felt odd to be in charge.

"Locomotor Mortis," he murmured. Snape’s almost unconscious form rose from the dungeon floor. As he made it to the corridore’s, people glanced at him curiously, almost accusingly. Harry felt bad about what he did no matter what Snape had done. But he couldn’t help feeling some satisfaction that Neville would not be the one testing the potion. Peeves was hovering right behind him.

"Potty hurt a Professor, ickle little Potty is a very bad boy!" he sang with glee.

"Shut up Peeves," Harry roared. Madame Pomfrey gasped when she saw the hovering Snape glide into the wing.

"My, we’ll have him fixed up in a jiffy, good as new I say," she chirped waving her wand around the ribs.

"Professor, are you all right?" whispered Harry. Snape’s eye’s opened a little bit. And he swore that he saw a small, thankful smile slip on his face. It felt good not to see his usual sarcastic smile on his face. In this state he looked almost kind. Almost being the key word.

During the feast that night, Ron was fascinated by the thoughts of what Snape was going to do to Harry when he was in his right state. As Ron was unfolding a particularly winding tale about how he would stick him in the dungeon forever, Snape walked up behind him.

"Potter, for your clumsiness during my lesson today, fifty points will be taken away for my injuries," he drawled. Ron looked at Snape with disgust. Harry would have too if he didn’t notice him mouth the words, Thank you.