Harry sat in a comfy green armchair Friday morning. His first Potions lesson was first thing today and he was nervous. He didn't want to let Professor Snape down by messing up his potion or getting a question wrong. The boy continued skimming through his potions book even though he had practically memorized it by now.

"What potion does chapter eight focus on?"

"The Draught of Living Death," Harry answered immediately without thought. He looked up and saw Blaise descending the staircase.

Blaise snickered and Harry flushed slightly red.

"Seems to me, you've suitably memorized that book," Blaise smirked. "Care to join me for breakfast, or are you trying to memorize every sentence now?"

Harry closed the book with a sigh and stood. "I suppose I'll join you."

"Oh, thank you so much Mr. Boy-Who-Lived," the other boy replied with total adoration on his face. "I feel so honoured to be in your presence."

Harry rolled his eyes and laughed along with Blaise. That boy sure can be dramatic at times!

Even though Harry joined Blaise for breakfast, he could do little more than push his food around his plate. The green-eyed wizard really looked up to the Potions Master and didn't want to let the man down by not doing well in his class.

Blaise noticed him pushing his food around. "Will you relax? You'll do fine. It's just potions."

"I know," he hissed. "I- well- look, I just can't explain this to you. I'm going to get a head start to the dungeons. See you later." With that said, Harry stood and left his dumbfounded friend sitting at the Slytherin table.

Harry walked briskly to the dungeons, being careful of his surroundings. Professor Snape had warned his first years not to wander by themselves in the event some older student decided to bully them. Harry wasn't too worried though. He was already almost there and had yet to run into anyone. Plus, Fred and George had taught him a few interesting hexes that he could use if necessary.

Harry slowly walked through the open potions classroom door and noticed it was empty. He claimed a seat in the front and pulled out his materials while he waited for someone else to arrive.

The Potion Master's door opened. "Mr. Potter," he greeted.

"Good morning, Professor Snape," the boy replied.

"How are you managing in Slytherin?"

Harry shrugged. "Fine, sir."

The Potions Master started intently at his student. "And the incident with Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry blushed and looked down. "He insulted my mum, sir. And I, uh, pulled out my wand and told not to talk about my mum like that again."

The man gave a sharp nod. "And Mr. Malfoy's reaction to that? Neither of you were in the infirmary therefore curses must not have been cast," he surmised.

"Well, actually he apologized and then I went to bed."

One of Professor Snape's eyebrows rose. Before he could comment, he heard students approaching. "I would like to come to my office tomorrow, when it is convenient for you."

Harry's eyes widened and he bit his lip. "Have I done something wrong, sir? Is that because I threatened Malfoy?"

The man shook his head. "No. I merely wanted to discuss a few matters with you."

"Okay," Harry nodded his head slowly.

Several Slytherin students came into the classroom and sat down. Blaise claimed the seat next to him and Harry was surprised to notice that Draco Malfoy sat directly behind him. The other boy had been keeping his distance lately, although Harry could tell the boy was watching him with a calculating expression on his face.

The green-eyed wizard turned his attention back to the front. He noticed that Professor Snape was gone.

The classroom doors opened forcefully and hit the wall with a loud bang. All the students turned to see their potions professor swoop into the classroom like an overgrown bat.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began very softly. Every student in the classroom could easily hear him, despite his soft, strict tone.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of your will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper to death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Harry held onto every one of the man's words. The entire speech made potions sound so much more interesting than he thought. He couldn't wait to get started! The professor went through the roll sheet before looking over at his newest batch of students.

"Weasley!" Professor Snape snapped suddenly. The entire class jerked into attention at the abrupt loud exclamation. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

The Draught of Living Death- chapter eight, Harry thought ironically, recalling Blaise's teasing earlier that morning.

"Uh, I dunno, sir," the red-headed boy replied.

"Thomas! Where would you find a bezoar?"

Stomach of a… goat? Harry wondered.

One of the Gryffindor girls raised her hand and was waving it around, eager to answer the question. Professor Snape ignored her and stared at the boy who was stumbling to find an answer.

"Tut, tut – clearly the Gryffindors chose not to open a book. Potter- care to share the answers?"

"Powdered root of asphodel added to an infusion of wormwood creates the Draught of Living death and a bezoar can be found in the stomach of a goat, sir," Harry replied quickly.

"And what does a bezoar do, Mr. Potter?"

The boy paused. "It's a stone that can save you from most poisons." It took Harry a second to recall the properties but with all his extra potion reading, it didn't take him long to remember.

"Five points to Slytherin for your correct answers," the man stated.

Harry nearly smiled brightly as he saw approval shining in the older man's eyes. He remembered he was in class though, so he refrained from expressing his happiness.

Professor Snape flicked his wand at the board and the instructions appeared. He had the students pair up and set them to work on a potion to cure boils. Harry and Blaise got to work on theirs and managed to successfully create their first potion. The Gryffindors weren't doing so well though since one boy managed to blow up his potion and became covered in boils. Harry felt bad for that boy but he was extremely grateful that his own potion didn't blow up. As the Slytherins headed towards the History of Magic classroom, Harry could be seen wearing a small, happy smile. Potions class wasn't so bad after all.

Harry followed the other students as they headed out to the Quidditch pitch. Today they were having their first flying lesson. It had originally been planned for next week with the Gryffindors but something came up and Madam Hooch had to reschedule the lessons. The green-eyed wizard was grateful they didn't share this lesson with Gryffindors since it would have likely ended badly.

When the Slytherins reached the pitch, they immediately noticed the brooms lined up. Thinking quickly, Harry quickened his pace and claimed one of the brooms that didn't look too roughed up. Blaise snatched the one next to him and flashed him a grin.

"Flying is brilliant," the boy said. "You haven't tried it yet, have you?"

Harry shook his head. "Grew up with muggles, remember?"

Blaise winced. "Yeah, I forgot about that. You'll get the hang of it easily, I'll bet."

Harry tried to smile, in hopes of covering up his nervousness, but it wasn't too successful. It sounded brilliant, but he was also afraid of making a fool of himself in front of the other Slytherins.

"Step up," Madam Hooch ordered. "Place your hand over the broom and say 'UP!'"

Harry called his broom and was surprised when it jumped immediately into his hand. Several other students were successful while others had problems getting their brooms to rise.

"Now, mount your brooms. First you are going to hover briefly, then touch back down. Understood?" The students nodded their consent and did as instructed.

Harry nervously got on his broom and rose a few feet off the ground. It was a bit difficult to balance at first but it wasn't long before the green-eyed wizard felt secure as he hovered there.

Madam Hooch instructed students to practice hovering and touching back down for several minutes before she let them move about more freely. Students were told to spread out more and practice flying around in circles.

Harry could barely restrain his excited grin as he flew back and forth across the Quidditch pitch. After everyone had got the basics down, she permitted them to fly around freely, as long as they didn't fly higher than six feet off the ground. It wouldn't be until the next lesson when they were allowed to fly later. Harry, however, was too excited to wait that long.

Later that evening, after Harry ate, he slipped outside and jogged over to the Quidditch pitch. It was brisk and getting dark out, but he couldn't resist the temptation to practice flying more. This time, none of the other students were watching so he could fly around freely.

"Alohomora," the green-eyed wizard whispered and watched as the broom cupboard door creaked open.

A little extra reading goes a long way, he thought with a grin. He rummaged through until he found a decent looking broom. He hopped on and soared into the evening sky. It felt as wonderful as he'd anticipated. The sense of freedom was exhilarating as he flew fast. He shot up as fast as the broom would take him before diving down. He wore an excited grin the whole time.

Harry remained outside for a while until the cold wind blew across his face and made him shiver. Glancing at his watch made Harry realize much more time had gone by than he'd anticipated. He flew back to the ground and walked quickly to the broom cupboard, where he once again stored his broom.

A thought occurred to him as he closed the door. He knew how to unlock it, but he didn't know how to lock it back up.

A murmured word from behind caused Harry to jump and spin around quickly. Professor Snape was standing behind him and had just tucked his wand back away. Harry glanced at the door and noticed it had been locked.

"Mr. Potter, will you please accompany me to my office?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied with an unhappy sigh. He was surely in for it now. Professor Snape would surely take away points or give him detention for breaking into the broom cupboard.

Harry followed Professor Snape to his office and immediately sat down when the professor motioned for him to do so.

"I'm sorry-" Harry began but stopped when the Potions Master raised his hand to silence him.

"Mr. Potter, I didn't call you here to berate you for your evening escapade. You are not the first, nor are you going to be the last, student to borrow the school brooms for a short period. I would like to compliment you on your exceptional flying skills however."

Harry sat there, mouth gaping, as he tried to comprehend the fact that he wasn't in trouble. It took him another moment to realize that Professor Snape had even complimented his flying skills.

"Uh, thanks, sir," the boy managed to get out.

"I merely requested your presence to inquire about your first week. Other than the incident with Draco, have you become accustomed to being a Slytherin?"

"Everything has been good so far," Harry said. "I haven't had any problems with any of the students so that's good, I guess."

The man nodded. "I know many of the school's population weren't expecting you to end up in the Slytherin house."

"I don't care what they think," the boy replied with a shrug. "Is there anything else you wanted?"

"Yes," Professor Snape stood, went over to his desk and rummaged around through it before pulling out something. He walked over to Harry and handed it to him.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared down at a picture of a beautiful red-haired woman. He caught sight of the green eyes and knew immediately that it was her mother.

"Is," he cleared his throat. "Is this my mother?" he asked hoarsely.

The Potions Master nodded. "Yes, that is a picture of your mother when she was in her final year here."

"Can--can I keep this?" Harry asked, clutching the picture to his chest.

"You may," the man replied, lowering his head.

"Thank you very much, sir," the green-eyed wizard stated as he continued to gaze at the picture.

"Have you been keeping in contact with your family?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yeah, I've been writing my mum about twice a week so far and my grandparents about once a week. Her and Grandmum have been sending me packages," he added with a small smile.

The Potions Master noticed that the boy didn't mention anything about Connor Blair. "What about Mister Blair? Do you write him?"

Harry looked away and shrugged. "Yeah, I've written him once but he hasn't replied yet. My mum said he's been busy lately."

"Do you get along well with him?" Severus pressed on.

Harry shrugged again. "I guess."

"What do you mean 'I guess'?"

Harry remained silent for a minute, debating if he really wanted to talk about Connor or not. "We don't really get along that well," he began before taking another breath to continue on. "All those times I met you, were because I had to go with Connor to work. He said he'd get more done if I went outside for a while. So I wandered through the bookstores and eventually I stumbled across you."

Professor Snape frowned. "That man let a ten-year-old wander through London by himself?" he asked, astounded that a man would do that.

Harry bit his lip and looked down.

Severus stared intently at the boy. "Does he… treat you acceptably?" he asked cautiously.

Harry's breath hitched for a second but he covered it up by coughing slightly. "Yeah, he doesn't- he's not mean like my… uncle."

The older man could see that the boy was hiding something but chose not to push it further. He'd find out the information he needed soon, but not tonight.

"Headmaster Dumbledore and I paid a visit to your aunt and uncle before this term started," Professor Snape stated.

"You- you met them…?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Yes," the older man replied.

"What did you do to them?" the boy asked.

…Flashback scene…

Severus smirked at her and pulled out his wand.

"I saw a most lovely garden outside that I simply must investigate," Headmaster Dumbledore said as he walked towards the door. He turned back, looked Severus in the eye and said, "Don't be too harsh," before stepping outside and closing the door.

Severus turned back to the two Dursleys and glared hatefully at them.

"You made a young boy's life miserable because he was a wizard. Every single push, hit, hateful word, and everything else will remain in your memory for a long time. The exact number of days Harry Potter was in your care will determine the length of your punishment."

The Dursley's looked terrified. "What are you going to do?"

Severus swished his wand and chanted a long strand of Latin before lowering his wand.

"Every night you will dream of what you did to Harry. Every single night, with no rest until the curse has broken, you will dream of all the hateful comments, pushes, slaps and chores you made him slave over."

Vernon didn't look impressed. "That's it?"

Severus sneered at the man. "No. Instead, you will dream of what you did to Harry, but you will see your son in his place. You will dream of belittling your son, pushing your son around and even hitting your son."

Petunia's eyes widened. "No," she gasped in horror.

The Potions Master just glared at her. "The two of you deserve worse," he spat before standing up.

A creak on the stairs caused him to turn around. The large blond boy, Dudley, was standing there looking down at him.

Severus just smirked and lifted his wand. "You are incredibly spoiled obese child." He muttered a curse in Latin and Dudley looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Food will no longer taste good to you. All sweets will taste especially revolting and food in general will no longer appeal to you." Dudley's eyes widened and he stared at the dark, tall man in horror.

Severus wore a smug smirk as he headed towards the door. Just before stepping outside, he flicked his wand once again at the Dursley boy. A few seconds later, Dudley howled and clamped his hand over his behind. He turned around and shrieked when he could see a pink curly pig tail sticking out.

He closed the door behind him and stepped outside to a strange sight. The Headmaster was leisurely casting a few petty hexes around the house. Severus recognized a few of them as weed enhancers and rapid lawn growth.

"All finished Severus?" the man asked, not pausing in his work. The once beautiful garden was already taking a turn for the worse as weeds overtook the plants.

"Yes."

"Weren't too harsh?"

"Regretfully, no. I could have easily done worse."

"I'm sure you could have, my boy. Shall we head back to Hogwarts?"

Severus took one last look at the Dursley house and vowed to return once more in the future.

…End Flashback…

Harry was quiet for a moment. "At least you didn't physically hurt them."

"Why in Merlin's name do you care if they were hurt?! They are the ones that hurt you. They should suffer for what they've done!"

Harry flinched and looked down at his feet, hiding his fear. Professor Snape was downright scary when he was angry. "I-I'm sorry, sir."

He heard the man sigh and Harry peeked up through his hair fringes. The professor's eyes were closed and he was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Mr. Potter. I apologize for losing my temper.”

Harry slowly turned his face upwards and could see that the man was no longer angry with him.

"It's okay, sir. It's just, they are my last remaining relatives and I didn't want to see them hurt."

The man sighed again. "Why? Why would you prefer they remain unharmed after what they did to you?"

"I think what you did was a suitable punishment. Besides, if they hadn't, erm, left me in London, then I wouldn't have ever met my new mum."

"I see," Professor Snape nodded.

He glanced at the clock and stood. "It is late. I shall escort you to the common room to ensure that you arrive without further delay."

Harry made sure he still had his mother's picture in his hand as he trailed after the man until they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

"Terrence Higgs wasn't much of a seeker," Professor Snape stated offhandedly.

"Sir?"

"Quidditch, Mister Potter. Tryouts are tomorrow afternoon and I expect you to arrive promptly on time."

"Yes, sir. Thanks, Professor Snape. For everything," Harry said sincerely. He received a sharp nod in return.

"Good night, Mr. Potter."

"Night, sir," Harry replied softly.