Two days later, Harry slowly walked down the windy staircase towards the potions classroom. The night before last had been a particularly brutal Quidditch practice. Oliver Wood, Gryffindor’s Quidditch Captain, had made everyone practice so hard that some of the Gryffindors had collapsed once they landed back on the ground. It also didn’t help matters when they all practiced in a sudden downpour. The entire team was sick now, including Harry. Luckily, the team had already defeated Slytherin so he wasn’t too concerned.

“You’re late, Potter,” a voice softly hissed from the head of the classroom.

“Sorry,” Harry replied with a hint of annoyance. He wasn’t feeling well to begin with, but add a spending quality time with Snape and he really wasn’t feeling well.

“Save your mindless apologies for another time, Potter. For one, I do not care. And for two, they are worthless when they are from your mouth. Now, take your seat before I wither and die of old age.”

“We can only hope,” Harry muttered under his breath as he took his seat. It instantly became dead quiet in the dark, damp dungeons. The young Gryffindor glanced towards the head of the classroom and sighed. Snape was sitting at his desk correcting essays. However, the dark onyx eyes were staring into Harry’s emerald eyes with an indescribable look. After awhile, it started to unsettle Harry. “Is something wrong?”

“Only that I am stuck here with you, Potter,” Snape replied off the cuff. He then glanced back down onto the essay he was grading. “Perhaps you should begin working on your potion, Potter, before you find yourself out on your ass.” The big tall bat of a professor then quickly got to his feet and stalked out of the room. His long black robes flowed majestically behind him.

“Bloody bat,” Harry mumbled as he pulled out his materials to brew the potion. He quietly lit the fire for the caldron and sighed. He knew he was going to be in for a long night. He sighed and pulled out the jar that contained pickled eyes of newts. He shivered unconsciously as he glanced at the unnatural looking eyes. He then set down the powdered asphodel and bicorn horn. A few years ago, he had been in a science class learning about electromagnetism and about the periodic table of elements. Now he was mixing strange ingredients together to concoct odd potions with magic.

Twenty minutes later, Harry’s potion had turned a neon bluish color and glowed. It bathed the room in a florescent range of beautiful colors. He had to admit it. Potions was kind of fun. That was if he didn’t have a certain bat hovering over him all the time. A little annoying voice in the back of his head then reared its head.

I protect him, the familiar low and irritating voice whispered in his mind. Harry sighed at the little voice. He so did not need a voice that sounded like Snape, especially since he had the real thing in the backroom. Speaking of which, where was he? Harry turned around and tried to catch a glimpse of Snape. However, he only saw darkness. He knew that Snape had to be lurking in the shadows out there somewhere. He just couldn’t see where. A few more moments he spent looking for Snape, but he had no such luck. He turned back around and continued brewing his potion.

Hmm…if I add this to it, it will…it will…um…well…um…maybe if I did this…no…no…definitely not that… Harry then sighed as he watched the bluish-gray smoke rise out of his caldron. His potion was still salvageable, but just barely. He glanced at the bottle of yellow liquid in his hand and then back to the caldron. What if I added this to it?

“You would create a cataclysmic explosion that would probably wipe out all of Hogwarts,” the silky voice drawled behind Harry. “However, by all means, do pour that solution in there. I must say that I am rather tired of this tedious life. After all, I would have done it long ago had it not been for my being a teacher. I would be the first suspect, you understand?” Snape then walked closer to Harry and glanced into his caldron. “Pitiful,” he sneered before his eyes darted to Harry. “How anyone considers you all-powerful is beyond me. You can’t even manage to brew properly a Soothing Solution right.”

“I’m not good at this stuff,” Harry quickly retorted.

“Yes, that is abysmally clear.” Snape then sighed heavily before he pinched the bridge of his hooked nose. “Tell me, Potter. Do you honestly have a death wish? Or are you just that stupid to think that pouring liquid sunshine into your horrid solution will have no consequence whatsoever? Always acting before you think, aren’t you, Potter? One day, it will get you killed. Now, leave before I turn you into a little ray of sunshine,” he sneered. Harry didn’t need to be told twice. He fled like a wounded dog.