Never Alone by Julz
Summary: Severus Snape is a complicated man, but when it comes to protecting Harry Potter's life, there is nothing more simple than succeeding. When Severus finds himself caring for the boy after an attack, how will their relationship change? Snape-Harry mentor fic.
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Arthur, Bellatrix, Draco, Dudley, Dumbledore, Fred George, Ginny, Hagrid, Hermione, Lucius, McGonagall, Molly, Neville, Original Character, Petunia, Remus, Ron, Shacklebolt, Sinistra, Tonks, Vernon, Voldemort, Wormtail
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Out of Character Snape, Overly-protective Snape
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy
Media Type: None
Tags: Adoption, Animagus!Snape, Kidnapped, Pregnancy, Sibling Addition, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Takes Place: 6th summer, 6th Year, 7th summer
Warnings: Alcohol Use, Character Death, Neglect, Out of Character, Profanity, Rape, Romance/Het, Romance/Slash, Self-harm, Suicide Themes, Torture, Violence
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 62 Completed: Yes Word count: 397611 Read: 400107 Published: 24 Jun 2009 Updated: 10 Feb 2016
Winds of Change by Julz
Author's Notes:
Hello my lovely readers! I felt like posting again, so here’s another chapter! I’m in a little bit of pain right now. Know why?? Because I got the Dark Mark tattooed on my arm! Woo hoo, it hurt so good LOL. Enjoy this chapter! Maybe I’ll put a link to a pic of my tat on my profile…if you ask nicely.

After checking that Draco was comfortable and well taken care of, Severus headed off to the Headmaster’s office, where he had a meeting with the elderly wizard. Their conversation after lunch had been interrupted by Dumbledore being called away to a Wizengamot meeting, and they rescheduled for that afternoon instead. Severus knocked once on the large door of the Head’s office after riding the spiral staircase up.

“Enter,” Dumbledore called from behind his desk. He looked up at the visitor, his half-moon spectacles perched on his nose as he looked over some folders from his meeting previously. “Ah, Severus. Good, you’re here. Have a seat, my boy. Would you like some tea or maybe something stronger perhaps?” Albus offered, pulling his wand to conjure up whatever it was the Potions Master requested.

“Tea will suffice, sir. As I stated before, I wish to speak with you about Potter. You know of his recent vision into the Dark Lord’s mind already, so I presume you’re already aware that he has not yet achieved adequate Occlumency skills. Without Draco being able to assist in teaching Harry, I think I should start teaching him once more to insure that it does not happen again. I have an appointment with my Neurology Healer to do a follow up on my last tests. He said before that I was nearly healed, but he wanted me to continue to avoid Legilimency and Occlumency. If I get the all clear from him, I would like your permission to begin lessons with Harry again,” Severus explained, nodding his thanks as Dumbledore handed him a steaming cup of tea.

Dumbledore took a sip of his tea and set his cup down before crossing his fingers in front of him, his gaze far off in thought. “I think, Severus, that that is a wonderful idea, as long as you are healthy enough to do it without causing further damage. It is pertinent that Harry does not continue these visions, or I fear that a repeat of last year’s Ministry fiasco will occur. I wonder, though – why are you suddenly so willing to help Mr. Potter out again? Last year you were hard pressed to teach him, and after only a little while, you refused to teach him all together. I know that you reached a truce with the boy over the summer, but after the Diagon Alley attack, I was sure you’d refuse to associate yourself with Harry again. Something has changed between you and the boy, Severus; or maybe it is just you who has changed.”

Severus tapped agitatedly on the side of his tea cup, looking anywhere but at the Headmaster. It seemed that his softening towards Potter had become too obvious, highlighted especially by this offer to teach him Occlumency again. “My views of Mr. Potter have changed a little, yes; the boy helped heal and assist me after I was tortured nearly to death by the Dark Lord. However, my offering to help him with his Occlumency has less to do with my feelings towards him, and more my concern for the rest of the Wizarding world. We need Potter in order to win this war, and for Potter to achieve that, he needs to protect his mind. I am only trying to help win this war,” Severus insisted, feeling like that was a clever and well thought up excuse for his sudden concern for Harry.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly, his ice blue eyes twinkling in amusement. “Ah, Severus. It is good to hear that you have grown to care for others around you, especially certain green-eyed teenage heroes. Your growing fondness of the boy is not something to be ashamed of; quite the contrary, actually. It is very admirable that you have overcome your prejudice towards the boy and turned it into affection. Now, for the sake of your hard, ruthless reputation, I’ll gladly keep this secret for you. However, I want you to promise me something, Severus.”

Severus abandoned his attempt to convince Dumbledore he did not care for the boy like he had grown to over the summer. The old man was too intelligent not to see through his ruse, and deep down, he had know that all along. “What is it you want from me, Albus?” Severus asked, not impolitely.

“From what I observed over lunch, and of his reactions regarding you after the attack, I believe that Harry has also grown to have certain affection for you as well, and he knows that you, in part, return that affection. What I want from you, Severus, is a promise that, if you continue to care for Harry the way you are, that you will not stop. I need to know that Harry is not being set up to be abandoned by another father-figure.”

Severus took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, thinking about the magnitude of what Dumbledore had said. He knew the Headmaster was right, as much as he wanted to deny it. The contrasting feelings of how he felt about Harry the first five years he knew the boy, and the last few months he had spent with him over the summer was a drastic change. It affected Severus much more than he anticipated, and it changed everything. This promise that Dumbledore was asking for, it was very much a life altering decision, as it insured that, war or no war, Harry would forever be a part of his life. With Draco as his responsibility now as well, was that something he was ready for or willing to do?

“I fear you ask too much of me, Albus. I am human; I make mistakes and break promises like the next person. Is your trust in me endless? You would allow me to take Harry in, to care for him as if he were my own? Or are you only looking to insure that Harry is safe because you know that I must protect him by the Vow, even after you’ve gone?”

“I trust you with my own life, Severus; why would I not trust you with Harry’s as well? It is not insurance for my own peace of mind, but something that Harry truly needs. He needs a mentor, someone to go to for anything at all – guidance, advice, comfort, help. I believe that you can provide that for Harry, and your change in feelings towards the boy shows that you are willing to do it as well. After all, who did Harry run to after his recent nightmare? Not Remus; one of his father’s best friends, not myself; his previous mentor and Headmaster, not Minerva; his Head of House. Harry went to you, Severus, and that speaks volumes about his trust in you. You must understand that trust in an adult is one of the hardest things to achieve with an abused child,” said Dumbledore, nodding knowingly at his Potions Professor.

Severus nodded slowly, knowing exactly how hard it was to trust adults as an abused child. “I do understand. So, what exactly does this promise include?” Severus asked, caving already to the idea.

“Simply that you help guide Harry through these tough times, and that you’ll always be there for him when he is in need. Something else I might suggest is giving him a sense of stability while protecting him. How would you feel about allowing Harry to live in your quarters here at the school with you? You can protect him better that way, and your relationship can grow stronger with constant contact. What Harry needs is a father, Severus, and you can be that for him.”

Severus blinked rapidly, feeling that maybe Dumbledore was asking too much of him. To go from hating the boy and being forced to protect him, to grudgingly taking care of him because he was forced to, to growing fond of him and wanting to protect him out of his own will…It was all too much for Severus. However, he knew that if he didn’t make this promise, Dumbledore would not let the blooming relationship between himself and Harry continue, and he knew he didn’t want that. How extraordinary that Severus Snape cared about Harry Potter like a father would a son. Some would say the apocalypse would come much sooner than that occurred. “I promise, and I…I’d like it if Harry were moved to my quarters,” Severus said, barely above a whisper. He could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest as the gravity of what he’d just said hit him like a million tons of bricks.

Dumbledore beamed at the Potions Master and nodded, clapping his hands together once in excitement. “Very well, I will meet with Harry and discuss his moving to the Dungeons with him to set it all in motion.” Dumbledore sobered as he looked fondly at Severus, his eyes becoming watery. “You will never know just how much this means to me, Severus. To know that you and Harry will have each other…it puts this old man’s heart at ease, and it surely gives me hope for the future. You are as good as my own son, and I am proud of you, Severus.”

Severus felt his chest constrict painfully as some sort of long suppressed flood of emotion surged forward. He leaned forward with his elbow propped on his knee, his hand held shakily in front of his mouth as tears threatened to fall. He never thought he’d cry again. “Thank you, Albus,” Severus whispered in a strained voice as he closed his eyes to keep the moisture from falling. After taking a few deep breaths, Severus opened his eyes, only to see that Dumbledore had risen from his seat and walked over to stand beside him, his hand grasping his shoulder firmly.

“There is no need to thank me, son.”

That last word shattered Severus’ last bit of control. His shoulders shook as he wept into his hands, Dumbledore’s hand still resting comfortably upon his trembling shoulder.

S~S~S~S

The rest of the week passed by very quickly, a comfort to Harry, who had grown increasingly lonely and missed his best friends dearly. He was excited for the new school year to start up so that the castle would be teeming with students instead of cold and deathly silent. Just after dinner on the last day before the other students would arrive, Dumbledore asked Harry to come up to his office to talk about some things.

“Please take a seat, Harry. Tea?” Dumbledore asked as he sat down behind his desk and conjured a cup of tea for himself.

“Uh, sure. Thanks, sir. So…am I in trouble?” Harry asked, having no idea what he could possibly have done to get in trouble, other than his foolish mistake in the Diagon Alley attack.

Dumbledore chuckled merrily as he sat his tea cup aside, his eyes sparkling affectionately. “No, Harry, you’re not in trouble. I had a meeting with Professor Snape the other day concerning your dream about Voldemort. He’s expressed a desire to continue teaching you Occlumency in Draco’s place once he’s cleared as healed from his own mental injury. I told him that that was a very good idea. That is alright with you, I presume?”

Harry nodded with a slight shrug, actually quite relieved that Snape was going to teach him again. “Yeah, I’d actually like that very much. I really don’t want to have to see something like that again, and Snape – sorry, Professor Snape is a good teacher when he wants to be.”

“Now, Harry, there is also something else I wish to discuss with you. This summer, the relationship between yourself and Professor Snape has changed quite a bit. Even with what happened to Mr. Malfoy, Professor Snape is still willing to teach you Occlumency. In years passed, Professor Snape would never have been willing to do that. He’d be snide, rude, and treat you horribly, just like the first five years he taught you here at Hogwarts. Last year, you vehemently blamed Sirius’ death on Severus, and would hear nothing against that idea. Yet now, you’re actually glad to have Professor Snape teaching you, and you corrected yourself out of respect for his proper title; if I may say so myself, these changes are quite drastic. What made things so different?” Dumbledore asked, curious as to what Harry’s answer would be. He neglected to ask Severus this question, as he knew the man would only deny that there was a change to begin with.

Harry bit his lip gently as he thought about everything Dumbledore said. The Headmaster was right, things had changed quite drastically between himself and Snape; but why? “Well, he did save my life, Professor. And, well…I guess I sort of saved his too, after his torture. We just understand each other now, and we both realized how foolish it was to waste our time hating each other when we had so much in common. He realized I was not in fact a carbon copy of my father, and I learned that Professor Snape is human too, and he can make mistakes just like the rest of us can. Not to mention that he also showed that he does indeed have a heart that’s not frozen.”

Highly satisfied with this answer, Dumbledore felt it was perfectly safe to move right on to propositioning Harry about the move. “Professor Snape has agreed to allow you to move into his personal quarters with him as a means of protecting you better, while being able to focus more time on teaching you Occlumency. Now that I know you both seem to have grown fond of each other, I feel safe in having you move down to the Dungeons with him. I know it is not preferable because you will be moving away from your friends in Gryffindor Tower, but your protection is more important at this point. Too many attempts have been made on your life while at this school already; I wish for you to have more protection this year to stop history from repeating itself. What say you?”

Harry frowned slightly, his brows creasing as he thought about living with Snape for the entire year. Yes, it would suck not being close to his friends, but it wasn’t like he’d never see them or get to spend time with them. Dumbledore was right; he was in just as much danger here at Hogwarts as he was without. Now with his newly acquired truce with the Potions Master, Harry felt that living with Snape didn’t sound as distinctly unpleasant as he would have thought only a year before. “I think that would be alright, Professor. You’re sure Professor Snape doesn’t mind?”

“Quite the contrary, Harry; he is perfectly happy to share his living area with you so that he may protect you.”

“Oh…” Harry said, feeling a warmth spread throughout his body at the idea of Snape being ‘perfectly happy’ to have Harry living with him. “So, er…Should I go pack now, or am I not moving yet?” Harry asked, starting to feel a little bit anxious about the move after all. What would Ron and Hermione say? Given their reactions in Diagon Alley, he was sure it would be nothing good.

“Professor Snape has cleared out one of his spare rooms for you and everything has been set up – bed, wardrobe, and desk. You even have your very own bathroom inside your room. So, if you’d like to go pack up your trunk now, Professor Snape will be up to Gryffindor Tower to assist you with moving.”

Harry laughed lightly, feeling slightly annoyed by that comment. “Oh, so he was set to come help me move already, regardless of if I approved of the move or not?”

Dumbledore smiled back at the young Gryffindor, his eyes sparkling in amusement. “No, Professor Snape has actually been standing in the doorway this whole time and just now learned that he’s going to help you.”

Harry blushed as he whipped around and saw Professor Snape standing beside the door with his arms crossed behind his back, looking quite amused himself. “Oh…Well, don’t I feel stupid.” Harry glared half-heartedly as Snape actually laughed at him. It was nice to hear that laugh, however.

“Come, Harry. Let’s get you settled in so that we can start the Occlumency lessons again. I’m all healed up now, so I can teach you again.”

“Brilliant,” Harry drawled with a playful eye roll. He was actually kind of excited about the move. It would probably be a bit hard at first, and maybe a bit awkward, but with the way things were going, he knew everything would be ok in the end.

S~S~S~S

“Harry! Oh, goodness, I’ve been so worried about you! Why haven’t you written back? Have you been in terrible trouble? How is Malfoy, did Snape skin you alive?”

Harry shook his head to clear it as he tried to understand all of Hermione’s jumbled questions as he was hugged excruciatingly tight by his best friend.

“Calm down, ‘Mione. Let the man breathe before he answers all your questions. Please do answer them, Harry; she’s been driving me spare with all her worry, mate,” Ron said with a crooked grin as he pat Harry firmly on the shoulder.

Harry smiled widely at his two friends, glad to have them close again. “I haven’t written back because Hedwig is on strike apparently, and the school owls were still off on their own summer holidays. No, I haven’t been in trouble. Draco is in a coma, and my skin is still intact. Now can we please go sit down?” Harry asked exasperatedly as he nodded towards the Great Hall, where students were flooding in after the carriage rides from the Hogsmead train station.

The trio all sat down at the Gryffindor table in their usual spots in the middle, Harry in the middle as Hermione continued to berate him with questions. “A coma? Oh no, that’s terrible! They’ve no idea how to wake him up?”

“Not yet, but they’re working on it. Professor Snape is paying the best Healers, so all that can be done, is being done. He’s actually here at Hogwarts in the infirmary,” Harry said, starting to feel that familiar, leaden sense of guilt take hold of him again.

Ron looked like he wanted to say something nasty, but before he could, Ginny swooped down upon them and took the seat across from Harry. “I think McGonagall’s made a mistake, Harry. She made me the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Why on earth didn’t she give it to you? You’re not still banned are you?”

Harry had forgotten about his leave from Quidditch, though he didn’t regret it. He already had way too much on his plate without captaincy duties as well. “Er, no, I’m not still banned. I…I told McGonagall to give it to you, because I’ve decided I’m not going to play Quidditch this year.”

Before Ginny and Ron could shout their horrified and angry out-bursts, the doors opened and in walked Professor McGonagall, leading in the long line of first years. The Hall remained generally quiet as the sorting began. Afterwards, the feast began after a few short words from Dumbledore.

“No Quidditch, Harry? What happened to you this summer? Are you even really Harry?” Ginny asked as she stabbed viciously at a baked potato.

“Of course I’m really Harry – ”

“Can’t be, because the real Harry would never give up Quidditch. What’s wrong with you, mate? You gave up the captaincy…to Ginny!”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Please, stop! Both of you! Look, I’ve got way too much going on with Voldemort and this war to worry about something like Quidditch. What happened this summer? I was nearly killed, I lost every family member I had left, I had to take care of Professor Snape after watching Voldemort torture him, I was stuck in a cottage the whole time, and I nearly killed another student trying to save you lot! I grew up, that’s what happened, alright? Now drop it,” Harry snapped as he focused back on his plate, even though he had lost his appetite completely.

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione all left Harry quite well enough alone for the rest of the meal, either talking to each other, or eating in silence. After dessert had vanished, Dumbledore stood to give his usual start of term reminders. However, he added something else this year.

“This summer, we unfortunately lost three of our dear students to violence due to Voldemort’s uprising. Would be fifth year, Warwick Davis of Slytherin; would be second year Delilah Jacobs of Hufflepuff; and would be seventh year Amelia Stoneheart of Gryffindor. Another student has also been hospitalized indefinitely, as he is in a coma from another Death Eater attack; sixth year Draco Malfoy of Slytherin.” The hall broke out in gasps, whispers, cries of shock and a few wails of grief. “I’d like to have a moment of silence for these lost souls and their grieving families.”

The Great Hall stayed deathly silent as all of the staff and students looked down mournfully at the tables, or looked around with wide, shocked eyes at their friends in silent surprise. After what felt like a year, Dumbledore clapped his hands loudly, making them all jump, and dismissed them.

“We’ll see you in the common room, Harry. We’ve got to help monitor the new Prefects and do patrols until everyone makes it to their common rooms,” Hermione said as she stood and started to pull Ron along by the hand.

“No, actually, you won’t. I…I’m not staying in Gryffindor Tower this year,” Harry said reluctantly, having successfully avoided the topic all night until then.

“What? Where are you staying then? Did you get a personal room?” Ron asked, his brow knitted in confusion.

“Well, yes, I do have my own room, but…Well…I’m living down in the dungeons with Professor Snape,” Harry said in a rush, not meeting his friend’s eyes.

“WHAT?! That’s completely insane! Why on EARTH would you want to stay down there with that greasy old bat and the Slytherins?” Ron shouted, making many students turn towards them to listen in.

Harry blushed lightly and tried to ignore the stares, feeling anger rise in him at Ron’s words. “Don’t call him that, Ron! I’m staying down there because I’m better protected with Snape so close. He’s also teaching me Occlumency again. This was the most ideal way to do things – “

“Ideal? Living with Snape is ideal? What spoiled potions have you been taking, Harry?! You’re sleeping in the snake pit for Merlin’s sake!”

“Ron, please – ,” Hermione hissed, trying to pull him away from Harry, who looked to be growing more and more upset.

Harry was now beyond angry, his fists held shaking at his sides so he did not grab for his wand and simply curse Ron. “Professor Snape saved my life, Ron! If he can’t protect me, nobody can! You need to grow the hell up and get over personal grudges! We’re at war here, and we should be focusing all our efforts on fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters, not each other!” Harry yelled, making a few people gasp or squeak in fright.

Ron’s face was dangerously red, and his blue eyes were blazing in anger as he tried to shake Hermione’s hand off of his arm. “You’ve lost your fucking mind, Potter. I dunno who brain washed you, but somebody obviously did. Have a nice year with the greasy git and the snakes; I’ll have no part in it.” Ron walked away, bumping Harry’s shoulder painfully as he went.

Hermione tsked in annoyed anger and confusion as she watched him walk away. “I’m sorry, Harry. He’s been so angry since he found out you were living with Snape and Malfoy. I’m sure he’ll get over it soon. Don’t let him get to you, alright? I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before moving quickly through the crowd, feeling like she was neglecting her Prefect duties already.

Harry sighed tiredly as he tried to make his way out of the Great Hall along with the masses of students. As he headed towards the dungeon steps, he saw Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle walking towards him, looking ready to start a fight. Before they could reach him, however, Snape stepped in front of them, blocking Harry from the angry group.

“Already starting fights, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle? Twenty points from Slytherin. I’ll make it clear now, and I will not repeat myself; you will leave Potter alone, you will not cause him any problems, and you will have to answer to me if you disobey. Am I understood?”

The three Slytherins nodded in a shocked sort of way, moving away towards the dungeons as Snape gave them a dismissive wave of his hand. “You might want to make sure I accompany you on the way to and from the dungeons for the first few weeks, just as a precaution,” Severus warned Harry as he took him by the shoulder and steered him through the crowd of stupefied Slytherins who had overheard Snape’s punishment just seconds before. It was going to be an interesting year.

S~S~S~S

“These schedules were made with your O.W.L. results in mind. If you have any discrepancies with these classes, please come see me immediately after breakfast so we can get it figured out. I will tell you all now; if you did not reach the required grade in your O.W.L.s for a certain class, there is nothing I can personally do to get you into said class. If it is that important, you need to speak directly to the Professor of the class and get signed approval for a schedule change. Have a good day.”

Harry was looking down at his schedule with a little less distaste than he would originally have upon seeing double Advanced Potions twice a week, of course with the Slytherins. Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy, and Herbology along with the rigorous Potions classes wasn’t exactly the worst schedule, but he would definitely be busy.

“Can I see your schedule, Harry?” Hermione asked from across the table. Ron had opted to sit down by the fifth years with Ginny instead of near Harry. Though nothing had been established, Harry knew he was no longer being spoken to because of his ‘treachery’.

“Sure, let me see yours,” Harry said as he handed his time-table over to the bushy-haired witch. He took Hermione’s offered one and nearly choked on his breakfast. “Geez Hermione! Are you going to need another Time-Turner this year?” Hermione was taking far more subjects than he was, and she was a Prefect to boot.

“Goodness no, and I wouldn’t take as much if I needed to use one again. I was insane to do that third year to begin with. No, my schedule is quite full, but I’ll be able to manage because I won’t have any free periods.”

“You do realize that this year was designed to be a sort of break between O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, right? They offer free periods now because we’ll need them to keep up with the work, Hermione,” Harry said incredulously, feeling that maybe his friend was pushing herself too far. Transfiguration, double Advanced Potions, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures were far too many courses in Harry’s opinion.

“You’re taking Care of Magical Creatures again? I didn’t even think about continuing on in that; I dropped it.”

Hermione grabbed her schedule from Harry and looked it over with a crease between her brows as she took a bite of her blueberry muffin. “I’m not supposed to be in that class, actually. I need to go speak with Professor McGonagall about this. Can you let Professor Snape know that I might be late for class because of this?” she asked as she got up from the table and gathered her books.

“Yeah, sure. See you later,” Harry said with a shrug as he continued to work on his eggs and bacon.

“See you.” Hermione walked off towards the staff table, leaving Harry sitting alone with his breakfast.

Neville scooted into the seat Hermione had just vacated, dragging his plate across the table with him. “Hey, Harry. I heard you had a pretty crazy summer. Ron certainly had a lot to say about it,” Neville said under his breath, avoiding looking over in Ron’s direction.

“I’m sure he did. Yes, my summer was a bit crazy, but it was nothing less than I expected.  How about you; good summer, then?” Harry asked his ex-roommate, trying not to let himself get too annoyed by Ron’s obvious attitude towards him as the redhead walked by with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Neville shrugged as he finished off his bangers and mash with gusto and took a swig of pumpkin juice. “My summer was boring, really. Gran and I took a short trip to Albania to visit my uncle Alfred. He’s taken ill, so I wanted to see him one last time before he passes.”

Harry frowned slightly, feeling a surge of sympathy for his friend. He knew Neville was quite fond of his Herbologist uncle, and like Harry was before, he was quickly running out of family members. “Sorry to hear that, Nev. So, what’s your time-table like this year?”

Neville pulled his time-table out of his back pocket and handed it to Harry. “All easy classes pretty much. By some miracle I was actually let into Snape’s class with only an E. I need that class to continue with my Herbology career ambitions. Double Advanced is going to be hard though. I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up with O requirements with my lower grade.”

Harry looked over Neville’s schedule and saw that they shared all of the same classes, but Neville was also taking Muggle-Studies. “Professor Snape had to lower his expectations for the class because there weren’t very many students who did receive O’s, and there were quite a few with E’s that needed the course. I got in his class that way too. He’s not too happy about it, but he did agree to lower the class standards, so I think us E students will be ok. We’ll stick together, since Ron is being a prat and will probably partner with Hermione instead.”

Neville looked particularly relieved as he took his schedule back and handed Harry his back as well. “That’s great, thanks Harry. Ron was being awfully rude last night. He even made a first year cry because she was standing in front of the wrong staircase looking confused, the poor thing. Hermione was right livid with him and he stomped up to bed ranting and raving away how you were betraying everyone. What’s he on about, mate? I heard you guys fighting last night after dinner, but I didn’t exactly linger to find out why,” Neville asked, peeling a banana and taking a bite out of the fruit.

Harry sighed resignedly as his appetite finally left him and he pushed his plate away. “Well, this summer, my aunt and uncle’s house was attacked by Death Eaters. They were trying to get at me, but instead they killed my family and left me there to die. Professor Snape came and saved my life, and I ended up staying with him for the rest of the summer. To make a long story short, I’m in a lot more danger this year than normal, if you can believe that, and Dumbledore thought it would be a better idea for me to move down and live in Professor Snape’s quarters with him so he can protect me better. Ron flew off the handle because I’m ok with the new arrangement. Professor Snape saved my life and took care of me when I needed it; I feel safe with him.”

Neville was staring at Harry, his mouth gaping and showing off his slightly chewed banana. He blinked and few times and shook himself out of his stupor before glancing around in a paranoid way as if he expected Snape to swoop down upon them. “Wow, Harry. When I heard you had a crazy summer that is not what I thought happened. I’m sorry to hear about your family, Harry, that’s horrible. You know I don’t really like Snape, but if he saved your life than he deserves a bit of credit for that. He’s not being so…nasty anymore, is he?”

Harry shook his head and grabbed his bag from under the table as most everyone was getting up to head to class already. “No, not to me at least. We sort of reached a…understanding, of sorts. A lot of things changed this summer.”

Neville grabbed his own bag and hopped agilely over the top of the Gryffindor table so that he could walk alongside Harry. McGonagall glared at him for it and he cowed slightly. “Sounds like it. Hopefully he’ll not be as bad in classes this year, but I won’t keep my fingers crossed. Ron’s just being a git, Harry. He’ll get over it soon, I’m sure.”

The two of them walked to double Advanced Potions together, talking about how this year was going to go and greeting other friends along the way. When they reached the Potions classroom, they could hear raised voices coming from down the corridor walking towards the room.

“…Ridiculous, Ronald! You’re acting like a child, Harry doesn’t deserve this! You’re no better than the Slytherins, the way you talk to Harry and bump into him like you’re some big person, but you’re not! You’re nothing but a belittling little toe-rag, and I’m sick of hearing you talk about him like that! Grow the hell up, or leave me the hell alone!” Hermione shouted as she stopped in front of the dungeon classroom, her breathing erratic and her eyes glossy with tears.

Ron was a very ugly shade of puce as he tried to blend in with the wall beside the door, trying to avoid all the stares he was getting. He caught Harry’s eyes and gave him the most disdainful, hateful look Harry had ever seen on his face.

“Well, well, a lover’s tiff already? Five points from Gryffindor for shouting in the halls, but ten to Ms. Granger for gaining some sense. Enter,” Severus said in his classic frightening and sarcastic drawl as he opened the door to his classroom and held it open as his double Advanced sixth years filed in.

Harry bit his lip, wanting to make sure Hermione was alright, but not wanting to gain Snape’s wrath himself. It was starting to look like the Potions Master hadn’t changed at all, really. Then again, he did take away five points from Gryffindor just to give them back plus more. Harry already had a headache.

“We’re going to start with a Potion from your O.W.L.s today just to make sure you’re all awake and up to this classes standards. This will be a solo potion, no helping each other. Whoever completes their potion correctly and hands it in the quickest will win a prize, which you’ll learn of when the winner is determined. Directions are on the board, you have two hours to work.” Severus flicked his wand and the directions to the Draught of Living Death appeared on the board, before sweeping over to his desk and sitting behind it, pulling parchment towards him immediately to fill out a point sheet. The new rules about house points were designed with him in mind, he knew. Even though points would automatically be taken or given when a Professor or Prefect spoke the words, a point sheet had to be filled out with the amount of points, the student who lost or gained the points, and the reasoning for punishment or reward by the separate Heads of House. It was up to the Heads to revoke and reward points when they felt the reasons were not justified enough for them. However, Severus was clever and good with words, so no matter what the reason, he knew his rewarding and revocations would stick.

Throughout the class, Harry worked diligently on his potion, being as precise as possible while still trying to finish quickly. He knew Hermione was off her game because of her row with Ron when he saw that she was at least four steps behind him in the potion making process. After the first hour, he looked around and saw that he was indeed ahead of everyone else, with Neville coming in close behind him. It looked like Ron had simply given up and was stirring around what looked like murky brown water lazily. After adding the final ingredient, powdered unicorn horn, Harry stirred his potion clockwise for four minutes, and then counter-clockwise for two before letting it simmer for ten minutes. He ladled out some of his potion and poured it carefully into a vial, corking it with his wand and holding it by the wax seal, as the glass was hot from the contents. He walked up to Snape’s desk and held out the potion, waiting for the class’s reaction.

Severus looked up from his lesson plans for next week’s first-years and stared at the potion in Harry’s hand for a few seconds before pulling out a handkerchief and carefully taking the hot glass from Potter. He pulled open a desk drawer and took out a special kit designed to test the effectiveness of potions. After pouring half of Harry’s potion into a tiny cauldron, Severus stirred in a thick crystalline substance, making the potion turn into a paste-like consistency rather than its previous liquid state. He used a dropper to collect some of the paste, and then smeared it on a bright green piece of wax paper, which sizzled and turned a lovely shade of lilac, before bursting into flames and shriveling up into ash. “Very well, Mr. Potter. You’ve successfully made the Draught of Living Death correctly and quickest. Your prize is this: fifty points to Gryffindor, and one free full grade to replace any failing grade you should acquire this year. Everyone else, clean up and pack up – I’ll not be accepting any more potions,” Severus said as he packed away his kit and resealed Harry’s potion to store it in his student potions cupboard.

Harry smiled as he caught Snape’s eye before turning around to go back and clean up his area and pack his things away. He felt very accomplished with his surprising performance and felt no sympathy as a few Slytherins and even some Gryffindors glared dolefully at him. After he packed away his stuff, he sat down on his stool to wait for the bell to ring. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Snape hovering over him, looking down his nose at him.

“Good job, Potter.”

Harry blinked a few times, unable to respond with anything since his throat had dried up at Snape’s words. “Uh, thank you, sir.”

Hermione’s eyes were wide and disbelieving as she stared at Harry after Snape had moved away to berate a Slytherin about a melted cauldron. When the bell rang shortly after, Hermione quickly caught up with Harry. “That was…well, it was weird! Since when were you good at potions, and since when did Snape reward his students for doing what they were told? What did you do to him this summer, Harry? It’s like he’s a completely different person! Do you realize in one double-period, Snape rewarded Gryffindor sixty points, and took away twenty from Slytherin! That has got to be a record,” Hermione said quickly, her eyes still wide.

Harry chuckled as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “I didn’t do anything to him, Hermione. He just…changed.”

“Well, whatever inspired that change, I’m forever grateful. Rewarding me points for yelling at Ron? Brilliant!” Hermione said with a wide grin laughing along with Harry as they both headed off to Transfiguration together. Neither of them noticed a certain red head glaring at them from behind, looking like he was plotting his revenge.

The End.


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