Gasping awake, Harry sat up in bed, squinting his eyes at the bright dim lit light shining from the bedside table lamp. Remembering his...dream, Harry fearfully glanced around. Not really sure what he'd see.

“It's alright Pott....Mr Pott....Harry, it was just a dream.”

He flinched back at the unexpected sound of Snape's voice.

“S-snape? Th-th-that you?” he nervously asked, turning his head in the direction of the voice. Flinching again when he saw a blurry figure standing close to the bedside.

“Yes Mr Potter, it is I” Snape replied, giving a small nod of his head.

Harry decided to ask, “Uh....where’s my uh....glasses.”

“Oh. My bad Mr Potter....” Harry watched as the potions master reached for something atop of the nearby bedside table with a blurry large hand. “Here you go,” Snape said, startling the boy.

There was a moment or two of hesitation, before Harry nervously took his glasses from the potions master. Putting them on, he thanked the professor.

“No need, Mr Potter.” Snape shook his head. The room fell silent. “Did you want to....to talk about it?” Snape eventually asked.

Harry started shaking his head in the negative. No, I don't want to talk about it.

“It was....it was about the chamber,” he started, telling Snape, looking at the professor.

Snape frowned, confused.

“The chamber of...secrets?”

“N-no sir,” Harry shook his head. “The uh....chamber where Dumble.....”

“Headmaster Dumbledore.” Snape interrupted, correcting him.

Harry let out a sigh, but complied. “Where the uh....headmaster hid the uh....philosopher's stone,”

There was a long pause, “it is alright, Mr Pott....Harry, take your time.” Snape gently said,

Harry looked at the potions master with a strange look. It felt a mixture of strange and....well, warm whenever Snape slipped up and called him by his first name. Not many people, in Harry's lives do. It's just usually, Potter or Mr Potter, but never Harry, the name his parents gave him, the name that represents him as a person, not his mother or his father, as most people usually do, when they call him Potter or Mr Potter and not only that, they end up treating him as if he was his parents and not himself. One of the Many reasons Harry liked Mrs Weasley, she’s always calling him Harry, always treating him as an individual and not as if he acted like his parents.

“Ron, Hermione and I, we uh...well, after getting um....passed fluffy-that's what Hagrid....I mean, professor Hagrid, called the three headed dog-we um, fell into these vine like plants....” Harry continued,, shortly pausing. A thoughtful look appearing on his face as he tried to remember what the plant was called. He glanced across at Snape, who also had what appeared to be a thoughtful look on his face. “I uh....can't exactly remember what Hermione had called them, but she remembered the plant's weakness was sunlight and anything similar.....”

“Devil's snare?” Snape interrupted,

Harry looked confused, knowing he had heard that name before. Hermione. She had called the vine like plants that name. He gave a small nod to Snape.

“Yeah sir, that's uh....that's the uh name foe the plants. That's what Hermione had called them when we were down there.”

The room fell silent as Harry sat there on the bed, contemplating on how to continue with telling Snape what had happened in reality and his nightmare. So far, he's just been telling Snape the actual events of what had happened in reality. Finally, making up his mind, Harry nodded to himself, silently agreeing with his thoughts.

“After we uh....managed to get passed the um....Devil's snare with the help of Hermione, all three of us continued, until we came to the next obstacle....” he paused, trying to remember what the next obstacle had been. The keys.

Harry went on to tell Snape what had happened with the keys, he then paused, this was where his....dream started, when they had gotten to the fourth obstacle. The chess board.

Nervously, he bit his bottom lip, unsure of whether to tell Snape what had happened in the dream first or what had happened in reality, then tell him the dream. He decided on going with the latter idea.

“Don't bite your lip, Mr Potter.” Severus told his ward, startling the boy.

“Why not sir?”

“It is simply a bad habit.” He simply replied

Potter thought about it for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. “O-okay” was all the boy said in reply.

Severus frowned, confused. “Okay what?”

The Potter boy sighed,

“Okay I....uh, won't bite my lip again.” The child said,

Severus couldn't help but snort at that. “Don't make promises you cannot keep, Pott...Mr Potter,”

“I'm serious.”

“I know. But, you won't just be able to stop biting your lip just like that....that is why it is called a habit.” Severus explained.

The child looked as if he was about to protest, but Severus cut him off before he could even get one word out.

“We're getting off topic. Continue with telling me what your....nightmare was about?” Severus gently said, pushing a little. He wouldn't be able to help the boy if he didn't know what the boy's nightmare had been about, and he was immensely grateful that he had a cousin like Colleen, who told him of the actual events, since it will most likely help him with helping the Potter boy.

Speaking of which, the Potter boy, nervously continued talking about his nightmare, while Severus sat there quietly, listening to the boy, making sure he hung on to every important word, as the boy talked about the chess board obstacle, the potions obstacle and of course what had happened down in the last chamber.

Severus noticed how pale thee boy looked when he started talking about the seventh chamber where the headmaster had kept the mirror of erised. He wondered if facing Quirrell with the Dark Lord's head, was really traumatic for the boy, if that were the case, he wondered if the boy was getting some help talking about the event.

“....en I uh....got there sir, I was expecting to see...to see Quirrell or Voldem....”

“Don't say his name!” Severus hissed, causing the Potter child to flinch. Instinctively Severus' right hand went to his left arm.

Usually, most people tended to just apologise and be sure not to say that name, but Potter decided to ask why not, Severus thought that was it, and was about to give a...reason why he doesn't like it when people say that name without actually revealing what he had foolishly done many years ago, only, Potter continued talking.

“Dumble....I....I mean, professor Dumbledore sir, said ‘fear....”

“....fear of a name, increases fear of the thing itself.” Severus interrupted, knowing exactly that's what Potter was going to say. Blasted headmaster!

Potter looked up at him in surprise.

Severus couldn't help but roll his eyes at Potter's expressions. “Yes Pott...Mr Potter, I've heard headmaster Dumbledore say that quote many times before, but it does not....work for me when it comes to the Dark Lord, for reasons I cannot explain right now....”

“Who's the Dark Lord?” Potter asked, frowning, confused.

Severus’ eyes went wide, unsure of how to exactly answer that question. For once, a child has managed to cause him to be unable to speak. He shook his head.

“That is for another time Mr Potter, right now, though, we are here to discuss your nightmare.” Severus said, deciding it was the best time to get back on track.

Potter looked as if he was about to protest, or at least avoid talking about the dream.

Severus dearly wished he could use veritaserum potion on the boy, but unfortunately he couldn't as it doesn't mix well with the nutritive potion, even in a magical being's stomach.

“Tell me the rest of your nightmare and I....” Severus paused, thinking of something that could convince the boy to talk about the dream.

“Dream.” Potter interrupted

“And I....what?”

“Call it a dream....not a....not a nightmare.”

Severus frowned, confused, but complied. “Very well Mr Potter, I shall call it a dream if you want me to.” He the continued on with his threat, “and I shall hold back from giving you and your two cohorts detention on the first day back at school.” Severus smirked when he noticed the boy’s face change. No doubt, thinking that I cannot do what I just said I won't do if he tells me about his dream.

Detention? But...you....we didn't do anythi....” the boy stuttered, unsure if Severus really can give him and his friends detention.

Severus rolled his eyes.

“Actually I can.”

“You-you can?” Potter looked up at him in confusion.

The potions master leaned forward slightly in the chair so that his face wasn't far from the boy's. He glared at the Potter boy.

“Might I remind you Pott....Mr Potter, that you and your little friends stole potions ingredients from me, a professor and a head of house, back in your second year and brewed a potion unsupervised in the girls bathroom!” Severus reminded the boy,

Potter’s face went Blanche.

“I-it, wasn't....us” Potter stuttered, shaking his head in the negative.

The head of Slytherin continued to glare warningly at the boy.

“Are you sure about that?” Potter hesitated before nodding his head. “Then please explain to me as to why Miss Granger was in Madame Pomfrey's Hospital wing looking like an Animagus spell gone wrong....” Potter had a confused look on his face.

“What's a....ani-ani....”

Severus sighed. He had forgot for one moment that the child was going into third year this September.

“Animagus?” Potter nodded his head again.

Severus explained to him what an Animagus was.

"An Animagus Mr Potter, is a wizard or witch that can transform themselves into an animal at will. It is a learned skill and is taught during third year at Hogwarts in Transfiguration classes. When a wizard or witch becomes an Animagus, they have to register that they are one so the ministry can keep track of those who have learned to become one."

Potter's mouth formed an 'O' shape, shortly followed by a frown.

"Uh...sir, is uh...McGon...I mean, is professor McGonagall an Animagus."

Severus nodded. "Yes, she is. She's a cat. Why do you ask?"

Potter told him about his first transfiguration lesson back in first year, when he and Ron had been late, and when they arrived to class, they had assumed luck was on their side, until McGonagall had morphed back to herself.

Knowing they were getting off track, Severus decided to turn the conversation back to where they had left off, before Potter had asked what an Animagus was.

“....or a polyjuice potion gone wrong?”

*****

This time it was Harry's eyes that went wide. Bloody hell.

How the hell does he know we stole ingredients from him and brewed the polyjuice potion?

Harry felt stupid then and there. He's the potions master idiot. Pomfrey would have had to get his help to turn Hermione back to normal. Harry told himself, knowing that was most likely the reason. Though, why didn't they have a detention then and there? Harry now wanted to know.

“Well Pott...Mr Potter? I'm waiting!” Snape’s tone startled him out of his thoughts.

Dejectedly sighing, Harry, after a quick silent apology to both Hermione and Ron, he confessed that they did steal the potions, but he explained their reasons.

“We uh....well, you see sir....we thought Malfoy....would know about the uh chamber of secrets. We-we thought he was the heir of Slytherin.”

Silence fell over the room as Snape sat there. Harry could tell that the potions master was no doubt contemplating on what he had just confessed and their reasons for what they did.

“Interesting.....” Snape said in his usual silky tone that made every student that wasn't Slytherin, run for the hills. “And what might I ask, did you and your cohorts find out about the Malfoy boy? Was it worth stealing potions ingredients from a professor such as myself?”

Harry wasn't sure whether the man was being serious or not.

“S-sir?”

Snape raised an eyebrow as he sat back in the armchair, resting an arm on one of the armrests. He tapped his spider-like fingers rhythmically against the same armrest as he waited for Harry to finish asking his question.

“Are-are you uh...being serious sir? Do you want to kn-know if we did find out if Malfoy knew about the um....”

Snape gave a curt nod of his head. “Yes Pott...Mr Potter, I am genuinely interested to know if you and your two cohorts did find what you wanted about the Malfoy boy”

Harry looked at Snape with confusion. Why does he want to know? I thought he would already know since he is Malfoy's head of house and possibly godfather?

“O-o-okay sir, but we uh....didn’t really find out much. It turns out that he knew just about nothing as we did.” Harry told the potions master, who had a look that Harry was starting to recognise as the professor’s thoughtful look.

Silence fell over the room once more until Snape broke the long minute or two silence.

“So....are you going to finish telling me about your dream or do I have to assign you and those two cohorts of yours detention on the first day back of school?”

Harry let out a dejected sigh, knowing he had lost. He hesitated a moment more longer, before continuing to tell Snape about the rest of his dream....this was what he was dreading. He couldn't lie to the man, no matter how many times he wanted to right this very moment, he just knew that if he did lie, Snape was sure to know. After staying in this house for quite some time now, Harry now knew that the man practically knew everything and nothing can get pass the professor.

He gave in, continuing telling Snape what happened in his dream. It wasn't a nightmare. Freaks don't get nightmares.

He told Snape what happened with the chess board obstacle, telling the professor that Ron sacrificed himself so they could finish the game to get through to the stone and protect it from....well, instead of saying to Snape that they had thought it was him, he just said voldemort. He told Snape about the potions obstacles and what happened in his dream.

“What happened next, in your night-in your dream?” Snape asked,

Harry sighed.

“I-i-it wasn't Quirrell....it was....it was...” Harry trailed off, not really wanting to say who it was.

Unfortunately, Snape wanted to know.

“It was who, Pott...Mr Potter?”

Harry shook his head in the negative. With a glance up at Snape, (big mistake) he let out another dejected sigh.

In a small, quiet voice, he told Snape who it was after the stone in his dream.

“It was.....” he swallowed thickly, “my-my uncle”

Severus sat there, stunned and speechless. This was much harder than I thought it was.

He continued sitting there for a good minute or more, trying to come up with a good reason as to why Potter's uncle might be in Potter's nightmare.

“What....” Severus started, but paused when he noticed the boy genuinely yawning. Taking out his wand, Severus casted a tempus charm. He frowned noticing the time.

3AM.

As he pocketed his wand again, after vanishing the time, he glanced over at the boy on the bed. He doesn't look too tired, perhaps I could push him a little further.

Mind made up, Severus decided to ask the boy what happened in his dream when it turned out to be the uncle.

Potter shook his head in the negative, not wanting to talk about it.

Not knowing what else to do, Severus gave in.

“Please, Harry,” he started to plead with the boy, using the softest tone he could muster, hoping that it would work. “Tell me what happened in this nig-dream of yours?”

It did.

While the boy told Severus the rest of his nightmare, Severus continued sitting there, quietly resisting the urge to floo over to the headmaster and hex the man into next week for leaving the boy with his cruel relatives, when the boy had perfectly better living relatives who would have been far better guardians than Lily's muggle sister and muggle oaf-in-law.

“and that's when I woke up.” Potter finished

Severus continued to sit there, speechless as he tried to think of how to reassure the boy on the bed.

“It wasn't your fault....what happened down in those chambers to stop the Dark....to stop you-know-who from getting to the stone....it wasn't your fault that your friends, the Weasley boy got hurt sacrificing himself.....”

Potter interrupted him. “Yes it was....if I hadn’t made them come, then....”

“Did you force your friends to come Mr Potter? Did you imperio them?

“Imperio? What does that mean?”

Severus cursed himself. Again, I need to remember the boy is only twelve and has been raised by muggles in the muggle world, not by a wizard and/or witch in the wizarding world.

Severus explained to the boy, what the imperious curse is and why it is an illegal spell to use.

Severus continued from where he had left off. “If... your friend, the Weasley boy had really died down there, it wouldn't have been your fault Mr Potter, because, he chose to go with you, and that is the same with your other friend, who had also chosen to go with you, Miss Granger. If she had been hurt or killed down there for trusting the potion, when you three all believed I was trying to steal the stone, then it wouldn't have been your fault....”

“It would have been my fault, I should have told her to stay with Ron instead but I....”

“She chose to go with you to complete anymore obstacles, did she not?”

Potter had a thoughtful look on his face, then nodded. “Ye-yes sir.”

“Then it wouldn't have been your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. Miss Granger, on the other hand, though she's smart, she’s too trusting in her abilities for her own good” Severus told the boy.

Potter looked at him, shocked. “You-you think Hermione's smart?”

Severus looked at his ward with confusion. Then nodded his head. “I believe I just said that, didn't I?”

Potter nodded. “But, in class....”

“That is different. Now, your uncle, cannot ever enter Hogwarts unless the headmaster and the minister of magic allows him to, seeing as he is a muggle. No muggle can see Hogwarts or even enter the castle. All they'll see is ruins.” Severus told the boy, and....”

Severus noticed the boy was looking exhausted to the point where his eye lids kept drooping. He watched silently as the boy tried hard to fight away sleep.

“Don't fight it, Pott....Mr Potter. You need the rest if you don't want to stay in bed all day.” He calmly told the boy, startling him.

“Huh....wha'” the boy gave a long yawn. He tiredly shook his head in the negative. “I, No'... tired”

Severus, wouldn't usually call his elf at this time of night unless the reason was important, but tonight, he'd make that an exception.

Calling Lucy, the tired little elf who had just been woken up, popped into the room. She gave a small yawn.

“I’s is sorry master Severus sirs” she quickly apologised.

The potions master shook his head. “Do not apologise Lucy. You did nothing wrong. You were just yawning, which I am not angry about. You have every right to yawn, considering you were no doubt in the middle of a deep slumber just now until I called for you.” Severus calmly told her, “now, enough talk. Do you think you could bring up two mugs of....” he glanced at his exhausted looking ward, “two mugs of chamomile and peppermint tea, please” He ordered

Lucy nodded her head.

“Yes master Severus sirs, I’s can dos that” with that, she was gone.

*****

Harry sat there in bed, confused. Though he was too tired to concentrate on anything he had just about heard Snape ordering two hot drinks.

“Uh...s-sir?” he started, slightly confused.

“Yes Pott....Mr Potter?”

“Why d-did you order two of the same drinks? Is-is anyone comi....”

Snape raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, seeing where Harry was going. "No, no one's coming over. As you can perfectly see if you look outside the window, behind you Pott...Mr Potter, then you will see that it is extremely late for any visitors." Snape paused, "the herbal tea is for you, you daft boy....(Harry flinched)….do you honestly think, I would order two of the same drinks for myself?"

Harry hesitated before shaking his head.

“n-no sir. I uh....”

Luckily Lucy popped back up with the drinks before Harry could continue digging himself a deeper hole.

“Thanks Lucy” he thanked the elf in small voice as she handed him a steaming mug of the herbal tea that Snape had ordered.

She nodded, “Careful masters, yours drinks are hot” she warned them.

Snape gave her a curt nod. “We shall be careful, Lucy. Now, return to your sleeping quarters, Lucy. It is late.” As she popped away, Harry watched Snape turn back to look at him, "drink your tea, Pott...Mr Potter....it helps on nights like these when you cannot get a good night's sleep. My mother, used to give it to me as a child and I do the same for my Slytherins." The professor explained,

Harry nodded, his head. "Thanks sir," he quietly said, before taking a slow sip of the tea.

Snape shook his head. "No thanks are required Pott...Mr Potter. The only thing I ask is that you don't waste that drink."

BOOM!

Harry startled in his seat,

CRASH!

His heart beat, increasing with speed as fear crept in.

He hated days like this when it's just constantly thundering and lightening.

It always manages to bring back memories of his earliest memory of a thunder storm, when he was four years old, fast asleep in his dark-at the time, spacious-cupboard under the stairs, trying to sleep as he had needed to get up early the next day to do his chores if he wanted to eat something. Only he couldn't, not when his cousin, Dudley started screaming, shortly followed by the thunderous sounds of his uncle running down the stairs and the lock on his cupboard door clicking open....

"Harry,”

Harry flinched-just as another thunderous noise from the afternoon storm sounded outside of the manor-feeling large spider-like hand touching his back.

Beside him Snape sighed, causing Harry to frown in confusion. The potions master continued speaking in a gentle tone.

“Don't you want to continue playing?” Snape asked, gesturing to the game of wizards chess they had been in the middle of playing.

Harry frowned, unsure of what to do or say. The thunder outside didn't help at all.

A thoughtful look crossed the potions master's face as Harry continued sitting there, shaking. Flinching every now and then from the crashing thunder.

Come with me,” Snape said, standing up and holding out a hand for Harry to take.

Unsure and not entirely trusting Snape, Harry just sat there, looking up at Snape's face, trying to work out whether to trust the man right this very moment or not.

“I will not bite, nor are you in any trouble Pott...Mr Pott...Harry, I just know a way for you to not concentrate on the raging storm outside.” Snape told in a firm but gently tone.

“Whe...where are we....”

“We will go down to my lab. Brewing with my mother when I was a child always helped me to ignore the thunder” Snape truthfully said,

Registering what Snape had said, Harry continued on looking up at the man, confused. “Wait...you want me to help you with brew-brewing?”

Harry watched as the man gave a shake of his head.

“You wish Pott...Harry,” Snape started, “with the potions skills you possess in class, I think I'd like to keep my lab in tact, thank you very much...but, you may help me with preparing the ingredients for the potion I am in need of brewing for Madam Pomfrey's Hospital wing.” The professor offered,

Harry thought about it. There was no Malfoy to disrupt him, or Neville for that matter to mess up the ingredients. He looked up at Snape again, nodding. Standing up, he hesitated before taking the potions master's potion-stained hand.

The older wizard guided the boy out of the living room and in the direction of his potions lab.

Once in the lab, Harry had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't having a crazy dream.

He wasn't.

“Alright Mr Potter,” Snape started, turning to face the boy. “You will be helping me with the calming draught...it is a fourth year potion, so you will follow every instruction I tell you. If not, then you will be banned from this lab until I see fit to allow you in here again. Understood?”

Hearing every word Snape had said, Harry nodded nervously.

“Ye-yes sir” he said, a little glad that they were down in Snape's lab than somewhere upstairs. If this was under any other circumstance, he'd be more nervous about being down here with Snape, alone....but right now, he was just glad that he couldn't hear any thunder.

“Good,” Snape gave a curt nod to Harry, taking out his wand and waving it. Shortly a potions book from a shelf from the right side of the lab came flying towards Snape, the professor, used his wand, guiding the potions book to the workbench that wasn't occupied with a brewing cauldron that contained a potion he was brewing for one of his clients. “First, go wash and dry your hands over there,” Snape indicated to a sink that was at the far end of thee room.

Harry nodded, going to do as he was told.

“Just a minute Pott...”

Harry flinched, turning to face Snape, ready to raise his hands in a protective manner. Did I so something wrong already? He thought nervously biting his bottom lip.

As if reading his thoughts, Snape shook his head.

“You are not in trouble Mr Potter....just be sure that I have actually finished talking before walking away from me” Snape told him in a neutral tone,

Harry nodded, in understanding. “Yes sir”

“Now, before you had been about to walk off....”

Harry had to resist rolling his eyes.

“I was just about to instruct you to have a look at that book there, Mr Potter,” Snape used his wand, pointing at the book that he had recently summoned, “and open it up to page 127....when you do, have thorough read through the recipe for the calming draught, while I gather the ingredients and equipment we will need. Understood?”

“Uh...yes sir, understood.”

“Good. Now go and wash your hands” Snaoe told him,

Harry did just that, going over to the sink where he washed and dried his hands, Snape did the same and both wizards then went to do their designated tasks.

Reading the recipe, Harry thought the potion looked rather interesting and easy to follow. When he was finished, he read through the recipe, making sure he had not missed anything out.

Just as he was nearly finished, Snape who had finished collecting everything that they would need, startled him from behind as he approached the bench himself, his arms full with potions ingredients that he knew he would need for the specific potion.

“Have you finished reading the recipe yet, Mr Potter?” Snape asked,

Harry flinched, too focused on the words in front.

“Uh...” he nodded his head, “yes sir” he glanced up at Snape, who told him to read it out to him then. He nodded again, turning back to the potions recipe.

He started reading out the ingredients first.

“So we need....six grinded lavender petals,” he paused, glancing up at Snape, who nodded his at him, silently telling him to continue. “three finely chopped asphodel petals,”

“We've got them....continue, Mr Potter,”

Harry nodded, continuing. “Uh we need...a strand of unicorn hair, two drops of rose oil, and a finely crushed moonstone”

Beside him, Harry could see from the corner of his eye that Snape was making sure he had the last three ingredients. He saw Snape nod to himself. His heart rate increased when he noticed the professor turning to look at him. He bit his bottom lip nervously, wondering what....

“If I brew and crush the moonstone and add the unicorn hair, do you think you can, Mr Potter....prepare the lavender and asphodel petals,”

A small smile started to spread across Harry's face, followed by a hesitant...

“Just a second Pott...Mr Potter. This is a fifth year potion, and it may seem easy at first to brew, but it is quite hard, and the only reason I am allowing you down here right now, helping me brew....is due to the storm.”

Harry braced himself when he recognised the warning glare the professor was shooting at him.

“If you mess this up like you’ve done with the rest of your potions in class....I'll....”

*****

Be calm Severus, calm. The potions master told himself when he closed his eyes.

He knew he can most of the time be harsh to the students when it comes to teaching a practical lesson, which was due to the fact that he knew from personal experience that he could never ever be friendly in a potions classroom during practical lessons, it was down right dangerous and he had learned that from the hard way. Several years ago when he had first started....

Concentrate Severus, you have potion to brew for Poppy and a twelve year old to watch.

He sighed, taking a deep breath in then letting it back out. Slightly calmer than earlier, Severus opened his eyes, looking down at his ward he just finished the threat, a little less harsh than before.

When they started preparing the ingredients, Severus, noticing from the corner of his eye how well Potter was finely chopping the asphodel petals, in the exact way a potioneer or muggle chef would do.

Severus frowned, confused, thinking back to the numerous potions lessons where the boy was always messing up the potion.

About to ask,

The Potter boy interrupted him before he could even open his mouth and let the question out.

“Sir, is uh...this okay?” The boy asked, nervously,

Looking at the chopped petals, Severus assessed them all, before nodding.

“Yes...these are...” he paused, trying to think of the right word to use. It wouldn't do to shock the boy to the point where he faints. “These are adequate. Well done, Mr Potter."

The Potter boy let a small smile appear on his face, causing a strange fuzzy feeling to appear in Severus' stomach. He didn't like it.

“Don't get too confident Pott....Mr Potter, you've still got to ground the lavender petals.” He told the boy,

The smile, just as it had appeared, it quickly disappeared from the boy's face and a forced neutral expression was now all Severus could see.

Not liking the different feeling he knew all too well, Severus rolled his eyes upwards, wondering if he was losing his mind.

“I am sure though, judging by the way you have managed to chop these petals,” Severus indicated to the asphodel petals, that were shortly due to go in to the cauldron, “then I am sure you'll mange fine with grinding the lavender.”

The boy just nodded, as he concentrated on the grinding the petals, while Severus added the asphodel into the cauldron, stirring clockwise, Severus, from the corner of his eye, noticed a small tug of a smile appearing on Potter's face.

The strange fuzzy feeling was back, and Severus decided he liked that feeling better than the previous one.

Brewing the potion for the rest of the morning, and finishing just before Lucy arrived to tell them that lunch was ready, Severus once again, compliment the boy on his preparation techniques that he showed with preparing the ingredients.

And as they sat, eating their lunch in silence, Severus was back to the question, why the boy couldn't brew a decent potion at the end of every lesson, while here, he managed to prepare the ingredients the exact same way Severus have done.