Severus Snape stirred the potion clockwise once as it simmered on the low open flame, then reached for his wand as the potion turned a pale robin’s egg blue color. He was concentrating on his potion, and the instructions that he had written earlier so hard that he didn’t even notice the knock on the door to the potion lab.

 “Accio Boomslang skin.” Snape startled himself with his raspy voice as he interrupted the silence. As the jar of Boomslang skin landed in his hand his lips twisted upwards into a slight smile. He set his wand back down on the table and lifted his hand to brush his dark hair out of his eyes, never noticing the strand of hair that drifted down to land in the potion. Using one hand to twist the lid off the jar Severus began to hum a little under his breath. He was never happier than when he was making a potion. Especially one that was this tough. He was attempting to make a deaging potion for Albus Dumbledore that would have nearly the same effect as the Sorceror’s stone that had been destroyed by Potter in his first year at Hogwarts several years ago. Severus stopped humming and froze for just a second, a sneer comin over his face. Potter was a thorn in his side that he would most likely never be rid of. Thinking about Potter also made Snape think of Lilly. He opened his jar of Boomslang skin and paused for a moment thinking of the differences he had noticed between Lilly and her son.

“Severus?” Albus Dumbledore’s voice broke through Snape’s thoughts and startled him into jumping. The jar of Boomslang skin in his hand fell out of his hand crashing to the floor, and a large piece of Boomslang skin fell silently into the potion. Snape looked down at the broken jar, and then looked at his potion. It was still a pale robin’s egg blue color with nothing noticeably wrong.

“What is it? Was it important enough to disturb me while I was working on your potion?” Snape sneered at the Headmaster, then cast a quick Evanesco to clean up the mess of broken glass and Boomslang skin.

“Ah…Well I was just wondering why you haven’t been showing up to eat during meal times for the past week. I just wanted to make sure you were eating. The House Elves said that you haven’t asked them for anything when I asked so…” Dumbledore allowed his voice to trail off as he looked at his Potions Master.

“Does it look like I’m starving?” Snape asked with a sneer. “I haven’t asked the House Elves for anything because it’s easier to eat a granola bar than to ask them for anything. I picked up a rather large supply this summer. Larger than normal. I knew that I’d be working on things that would distract me from eating properly this year, and I knew at the sorting feast that I wouldn’t want to eat int eh Great Hall very often due to that great… pink menace.” Dumbledore chuckled at this description of the new DADA professor, then looked at Snape curiously.

“What are Ganola Bars?” Dumbledore asked curiously, having never heard the term. “Granola bars. They are usually some sort of grain mixed together with something slightly sweet that have extra added vitamins and nutrients to give a person energy and nutrition when they do not have time to eat a full balanced meal. Accio Boomslang skin” Snape summoned the next jar of Boomslang skin and this time managed to successfully pull a small piece of skin out before sending it back to it’s original place. Snape began chopping the skin into precise small pieces as he waited for Dumbledore’s response.

“Ah. I’m glad to hear that you are still eating at least. How much longer until the potion will be complete? Will it be in time for you to eat Christmas dinner with us tomorrow?” Dumbledore asked Snape.

“Not too much longer Headmaster. It should be done by then.” Snape finished chopping the Boomslang skin and deftly scooped it up and put it into the potion. He stirred it three times counter-clockwise and smiled a little as the potion turned a delicate shade of green. He turned towards the Headmaster. “The potion now needs to simmer for twenty minutes before I add the next ingredient.”

“Excellent! That’s just long enough for a little chat.” Dumbledore said as he walked towards the potion table and Snape. “I’ve been meaning to ask you a few questions about what happened when you spoke to Umbridge a last week before you disappeared.”

“Ah yes…One of my first year Slytherins had come to me and told me that Umbridge had forced her to use a blood quill. I meant to tell you, but I ran into her on my way up to your office. We might have had a few words. She will not be using that particular blood quill ever again. At least not on my snakes.” Snape grinned a particularily nasty smile and Dumbledore nodded.

"Well, you see Severus…She has demanded that you be fired. As she has quite a bit of weight behind her, I must, by all appearances, be at least considering her reccommendations. That is why I have allowed her such free reign in her classes and her punishments. However…I am also allowing her enough leeway to make as many mistakes as she desires so that when she makes her final move, I will be able to checkmate her. So…For a little while at least, I must not allow you to teach any more potions classes, though you may, and I hope will, remain living in your quarters and remain here as the Head of Slytherin.” As Dumbledore spoke he peeked into the cauldron where the potion was. Unnoticed by both of the men, a single white strand of hair drifted from Dumbledore’s head and into the potion. The hair disappeared, and the potion turned a deep shade of green and began to bubble. Snape stalked over to his desk, in an attempt to hide the fury that he felt. He knew that he was a spy and was supposed to be able to conceal his emotions better, but in his own potions lab with only Albus Dumbledore he had let his guard down for just a few moments. Dumbledore took a few steps towards Snape, before Snape swirled around with his robes billowing slightly.

“So…How long will we need to keep this charade up?” Snape sneered at the headmaster that he trusted with his life.

“Only until the end of the year at most. In the meantime, I have assigned the rest of Harry Potter’s detentions to you, at least for the duration of the Christmas Break. Mr. Potter will resume his detentions the day after Christmas. So be prepared to see him on the 26th. ” Dumbledore stated. There was suddenly a slight popping noise, and Dumbledore turned. Snape looked towards his potion, since that was where the noise had came from. When both men were looking at the potion, the cauldron began to shake. Before either of them could react, the cauldron exploded sending shards out all over the room, covering the two men, and the room with a deep, emerald green potion. Dumbledore dropped to the ground when a piece of the csuldron hit him, and Snape tumbled backwards over his desk, striking his head on the wall as he fell.

~~~~

Harry was trying to hide and not having much luck at it. He ran down two flights of stairs before pausing to breathe. Umbridge had been looking for him for several hours and there had been several close calls as he has been hiding in his various hiding spots. Harry wondered where Dumbledore had gone, but quickly began running down another flight of stairs towards the potions lab as he heard a noise in the stairwell above him. He wasn’t sure that it was Umbridge, but he thought he’d better be safe than sorry.

Harry quickly reached the potions corridor, and shot through the door without knocking. He stopped as the door closed behind him and his mouth fell open as he took in the potion covered lab in front of him.

“Snape?” Harry asked the quiet room, not expecting an answer. When he heard a groan from behind the desk Harry stepped carefully until he was at the desk. When he looked behind the desk he saw a younger version of his potions master, covered with potion, laying on the floor with his eyes closed, and blood trickling from a cut on his head. Harry’s eyes widened as he heard a moan from the floor behind him. He turned to see a young red-headed teenager laying on the floor behind him covered with the same potion that was all over the room.