“Okay, what is used to make Draught of Living Death?”

“Powdered roo’ o’ asphodel to a’ infusion o’ wormwoo’.  Why?”

Scratch, scratch.

“I’m writing a report on it for Professor Snape.”

“I doan remem’er havin’ ter write a report on tha’…”

“Extra credit.”

“Ye need extra credi’?  Ni, yer one o’ the top Potions studen’s!”

“Not half as good as you, Harry.  You have…a knack…for making potions.”

“Yeh, yeh.  I ‘eard all ‘bout tha’.”

Scratch, scratch.

“Ya know, I think that’s the reason Snape likes you so much.”

“Mmm?”

“‘Cause your such a good Potions student.  And you seem to know everything beforehand.  Like last class when…”

Niamh and Harry looked up to see Madam Hooch enter the Slytherin common room, a roll of parchment in her hand.  She looked at them for a moment then walked over to one of the bare walls and placed the parchment against it.  The parchment unrolled and stuck itself to the wall as she turned and walked out.  Niamh looked at Harry and asked, “Can you see what that’s about?  I really have to finish this essay.”

“‘O course.”

Harry pulled himself out of his chair and walked over to the parchment on the wall.

“Flyin’ lessons.”

“Pardon?” said Niamh without looking up.

“I’s abou’ flyin’ lessons.  We’ve got ‘em tomorrow af’er Charms.  Wi’ the Gryffindors.”

Niamh’s lips curled in a sneer at this.  Harry walked back over to her and sprawled in his chair.

“Ye worried?”

“Oh course.  Stupid Gryffindor prats…”

“Oi!”

“Not Ron, silly!  I mean, Ron’s cool and all.  So are his brothers.”

“Discoun’in’ Percy,” said Harry.

“Yeah.  But the rest of the Gryffindors…  Urgh.  I wish they’d get their broomsticks out of the asses.”

“Intrestin’ imag’ry.”

“Thanks.  Damn, there’s Malfoy.  Slimy git.”

Harry chuckled then scowled as Draco walked over to them.  He growled, “Wha’ do ye wan’ now, Malfoy?”

Draco smiled sinisterly and said, “Who said I wanted anything?”

“Go away, Malfoy,” spat Niamh darkly.

“Or what, O’Feir?  You’ll curse me?”

“Actually, I will.  Ya know, there’s a really old curse I found in a book that will…  what was it again, Harry?”

“Blow yer ‘ead up ter the size o’ a melon,” replied Harry lazily.

“No, the other one.”

“Oh.  Tha’ one.  Make yer feel like yer on fire tha’ one.  Actually burns ye up from der insi’ if i’s cast on ye long enough.”

Draco paled slightly and snapped, “There’s no such thing.”

Harry and Niamh exchanged a look then turned to Draco and asked in low voices, “Do you want to find out?”

Draco opened his mouth to say something then shook his head and vanished into the first year boy’s dorm.  Niamh looked after him for a moment then turned to Harry.

“I feel sorry for you.  Having to sleep in the same room as him and all.”

Harry shrugged.

“I’s na’ so ba’.  I goh the be’ by the wall.  ‘E’s righ’ in fron’ o’ the door.”

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Welcome to your first flying lesson.  Step up to the left side of your brooms.  Come on now.”

“Good.  Now, hold out your hand and say ‘Up!’”

“Up!”

“Goo’ bleedin’ go’s!”

Madam Hooch looked down the line of Slytherins.

“Something wrong, Mr. Potter?”

“No, ma’am.  Jus’ s’prised meh, tha’s all.”

Harry shook his head and looked at the broom that had jumped up immediately into his hand.  Mr. Weasley had never showed him it would do that.

Niamh looked at Harry after she got her broom up on the third try and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’.  Jus’ s’prised tha’s all.  Never done tha’ ‘fore.”

Niamh blinked.

“You’ve flown before?”

“Yeh.  A’ Ron’s.  ‘E an’ tha twins an’ ‘is da’ taugh’ meh.”

“Cool.  What the…  Oh, my…”

“Tha’ wou’ be tha’ wor’.”

Harry and Niamh watched as Neville Longbottom lost control of his broom and began zooming about the field where they were standing.  When he finally landed, it was with a crunch and without the broom.  Harry winced and whispered to Niamh, “Soun’s like ‘e’s goh a broke wris’.”

A few seconds later….

“Tut, tut, tut.  It’s a broken wrist.  Come on.  Up you get.  All of you stay here while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing.  If I see one broom in the air, you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say Quidditch.”

Niamh whirled to stare at Harry as Madam Hooch walked off with Neville.

“How’d you know?”

Harry held up his left arm, which had a strange look about the wrist.

“Broke mine meself a goo’ many times.  I know ‘ow i’ soun’s.  Bloody ‘ell, wha’s Malfoy doin’ now?”

Harry and Niamh looked to where Ron was trying to get a sphere-like object from Draco.

“Give it here, Malfoy!”

“I think not, Weasley.  Maybe I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find.  Like on the roof!”

Draco was in the air a moment later, floating about twenty feet above them.  He continued to taunt Ron from there.

“What’s the matter, Weasley?  Scared?”

Ron’s ears turned red and he started to climb onto his broom but Harry beat him to it.  He flew up to hover in front of Draco and snarled, “Give i’ ‘ere, Malfoy.”

Draco’s gray eyes narrowed.  “Shove off, Potter!”

“I said, give i’ ‘ere, Malfoy.”

“Fine.  You want it?  Go and get it!”

Draco pulled back his arm and threw the sphere.  Harry let out an acid remark then shot after it as Draco dived back to the ground.

The sphere soared in an arc then began to plummet downward.  Harry cursed and dived after it, keeping his eyes on the glittering object.  He reached out his arm….

Jerking the broom’s handle upwards, he skimmed back across the ground, a mere few inches above it.  As he landed beside Niamh, he grinned and handed the sphere over to Ron.

“Ma’ sure Neville ge’s i‘, Ron.”

Ron nodded.  “ I will.”

Suddenly someone hissed, “Snape!”

“POTTER!”

Harry looked up to see his Head of House storming onto the grounds with McGonagall.

“Sir?”

Snape looked at him then snapped, “Come with me, Potter.”

Harry handed his broom to Niamh, who smiled at him then walked after Snape.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Inside, Potter.”

Harry went inside what he could only presume was Snape’s office from the resemblance is bore to the Potions classroom.

“Sit.”

Harry sat in one of the chairs place in front of a dark desk as Snape sat in the chair behind the desk.

“Rather interesting stunt you pulled, Potter.  What was so important that you had to risk your neck for it?”

“Malfoy picked up somethin’ one o’ the Gryffindors dropped.  Somethin’ o’ Neville’s.  Ron was tryin’ ter ge’ i’ back but Malfoy would’n ‘ave i’.”

“So you took matters into your own hands.”

“Yes, sir.”

Snape looked at him for a few moments then smiled.

“I’d never have imagined Lily Evans son would end up in Slytherin.”

Harry blinked and sat up straight.

“Ye knew my mum?”

“Quite well.  We were friends of a sort.  But that’s not what we’re here for is it?  You could have killed yourself today trying to get back Longbottom’s Remembrall.”

“I know.”

“Mmm.  But you’re an excellent flyer…  Have you flown before?”

“A’ Ron’s.  ‘E taugh’ meh.”

“Weasley taught you how to fly?”

“‘Is da’ actually.”

“Well, that’s a much better explanation.  Did they tell you about Quidditch?”

“Yeh.”

“Good.  We desperately need a reserve Seeker.  Higgs is leaving this year.”

“So…I’ll be Seeker nex’ year?”

“That would be correct.  Now, head back to your class, Potter.  I will speak to Flint tonight.”

“Flin’?”

“He was voted Quidditch Captain this year.  Now off with you!”

Harry nodded and left Snape’s office, breaking into a run as soon as he got into the dark, deserted corridor.  He was going to be a Seeker!  Wait till he told Niamh and Ron!

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

I hear him running as soon as he got out of my office.  Silly boy.

Merlin, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw him diving.

Lily would’ve come back to haunt me if I’d broken my promise to protect that boy.

I told her the day after he was born that I’d do anything to protect the both of them.  Even if she tried to kill me for it, I would.

Ha!

Imagine that.  Severus Snape, the guardian of James Potter’s son.

It actually might be funny if they were still alive.

And that boy hadn’t grown up on the streets.

I wonder why that was…

He was supposed to be with Lily’s family.

Which was the stupidest decision Albus ever made.

I told him!

I told him Lily’s sister hated magic and so did her oaf of a husband.

I told him, dammit!

And now look!

That boy grew up on the streets!

Damn.

I should have kept an eye on him over the years.

Can’t believe Albus didn’t find him.

Eleven years on the street.

Merlin, I hate thinking about that.

Reminds me of my own time on the streets.

Shiver.

Don’t think about that.  It’s in the past.  Done and gone.

Or is it?

Is it really in the past when I still bear the scars from the beatings that old orphanage witch used to give?

I think not.

I hate to imagine what scars that boy has.

The streets are harsher now than they were then.

Okay, Sev, stop this.  Brooding does nothing.

Right.

Makes me feel better.

Sigh.