Harry woke up the following morning and groaned. He was still in the Infirmary. He couldn't quite fathom why he was always waking up in this place. The sun was streaming brightly through the windows, and Harry thought his head was going to explode. He was confused as to why his head hurt so much, until the events of the previous day came flooding back to him. He was suddenly only too aware of the vision he'd had, and the headache from hell that had followed it. He assumed that Severus had given him a sleeping draught, or some other sort of potion to put him to sleep.

Harry gently raised himself up and reclined against the pillows behind him. He grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and placed them upon his face. No one was in the Infirmary, which just seemed odd. 'Where was everyone?' he wondered. He figured Madame Pomfrey was in her office, but he was a bit put out that Severus hadn't stayed with him. He was unaware that the older man had stayed with him through most of the night.

Harry started when he felt something jump onto his bed. Looking back towards the foot of his bed, he noticed that a friend had come to join him.

"Hello, Zane." he murmured, and patted the area beside him. Zane immediately crawled up the rest of the bed and sat himself comfortably beside the boy, laying his head on Harry's lap.

The raven-haired youth had begun to wonder where the dog had run off to. This was the first time he'd really seen him since McGonagall had tried to send him back to the Dursley's. Harry gently scratched the dog behind the ears, as he seemed to really enjoy it, and laid back, content to just sit there.

His thoughts were once again disturbed when the Hospital doors opened. He hid his disappointment when he realized it was only Ron and Hermione, not Severus.

"Hey guys." he said, waving them over when they looked unsure. They were surprised Madame Pomfrey wasn't there as well, and presumably, didn't want to get into trouble if they weren't supposed to be there. But, they were more than willing to break the rules, especially if it had to do with Harry.

"Hey, mate." replied Ron. "Are you alright? We found you in here yesterday, but we didn't know what had happened to you." he explained.

Hermione pulled up one of the Hospital chairs and placed it beside her friend's bed. She eyed him critically before finally taking her seat. "It was your scar, wasn't it?" she asked.

Harry was bewildered. "How'd you know?" he asked. "And how'd you find out I was in here?"

Ron simply pointed at the dog still lying comfortably across Harry's lap. "He showed us, oddly enough." remarked Ron, watching the dog in some wonder. "Who is he? He seems to know you pretty well."

Harry brightened immediately at the mention of his new pet. "His name is Zane." He told them. "I met him over summer break."

"You did?" asked Hermione. "Where exactly were you during break, Harry?" Hermione picked up an errant strand of hair and began twirling it through her fingers. She was hoping Harry would talk some more about where he had been during these past months. She was still concerned about his well being. And as far as she knew, there was still someone out there who had hurt her friend. She needed to know who it was if she were to be of any help.

Harry sighed. He knew they wouldn't just let the subject drop. "I went with Professor Snape to visit his cousin, Deliverance." he answered. It wasn't a lie, he was just conveniently leaving out the main part.

"Deliverance?" asked Ron. At Harry's confirming nod, he continued. "I met her the other day. So this is who she was talking about." he said. Deliverance had asked him not to tell Harry she had talked to him regarding the Snape issue. He intended on keeping it that way, if at all possible.

"You met her?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah. She was pretty nice, actually. She said she was late for a walk with Zane. Now I understand what the heck she was talking about. That had me wondering for a while." he said, smiling.

"She is pretty cool." replied Harry. "So," he said, addressing Hermione. "How'd you know I was having problems with my scar?" he asked again.

Hermione was glad to finally be back in the conversation again. She hadn't known whom Deliverance was, and was slightly miffed at Ron for not telling her about the woman earlier. "It was really just a guess, but why else would you be in the Infirmary. It's the second day of school, what could you possibly have gotten yourself into?" she asked.

Harry nodded in agreement. "It was my scar." He said, rubbing the lightning bolt shape engraved on his forehead in remembered pain. He shivered when he recalled exactly what that vision was about. "He knows that Professor Snape is a spy." he muttered so quietly they could barely hear him.

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione, clearly worried about the Professor.

Harry nodded once again. "I'm worried about him. He's already promised me he won't return to any more meetings, but what if he's called and he goes anyway. They could kill him." he whispered.

Ron surprised himself by trying to calm his friend down. "If he promised you he wouldn't return, then he won't. Snape keeps his word if nothing else." he said, knowing how painfully truthful the man could be.

Harry's smile was a dim contrast to his normally vibrant ones. "I hope you're right, because if he does go to one, I'm going after him." he stated firmly. "I'll drag him back kicking and screaming if I have to."

Hermione looked at Harry in concern. 'Would he really go after Snape to a Death Eater meeting? Way to sign your own Death Certificate, Harry.' she thought worriedly. Perhaps it was time to have a little chat with Professor Snape, if only to make sure Harry didn't do anything unduly stupid. He did have a tendency to walk into situations without thoroughly thinking them through.

"Don't do anything stupid, Harry." she chided.

"I won't." he promised. But she was still unconvinced.

Professor Dumbledore had given Harry the rest of the day to rest, even though he was feeling fine after the potions had kicked in and his headache had all but disappeared. He lay in bed, idly counting the designs on his blanket, and wishing for something interesting to do. Hermione had brought him some books to read, but they were mostly schoolbooks, which weren't anything he found of interest at the moment. He wished Ron had brought Quidditch Through The Ages, or something that was at least a little exciting.

His perusal of Hogwarts: A History was interrupted when Madame Pomfrey came over in her usual bustle and ran a few odd scans.

"Well, you seem to be doing much better." she stated. "Feeling any pain?" she asked, while putting a slightly cool hand to his forehead.

"Nope." he replied, hoping he would be released.

"I suppose I can let you go then. There's no sense in making you stay when nothing ails you." she said, and Harry silently whooped with joy. "But you need to take it easy, don't go gallivanting around the castle. You could go to classes, you know." she suggested, making Harry believe that was what she wanted him to do.

"I just might go lay down in my dormitory, if you don't mind." he said, and quickly left the Infirmary before she forced him into going to classes.

The school day was almost over, so there really was no sense in going to class when he'd already missed most of them. He decided he really would go to his dormitory, if only to stay off of Pomfrey's radar. It wouldn't do to get caught wandering the corridors when he had told her he'd gone to lie down. Which didn't sound like such a bad idea, all of the sudden. He really was tired, and no wonder, considering.

He made it into the Common Room, and flung himself down on the couch, entirely too tired to make it upstairs to his dorm room. All that walking had taken it out of him. He didn't know if he should be worried or not. Not thinking on it seemed like a good idea, so he went in that approach. The fire was blazing happily in front of him, and he was grateful for it's warmth. It may still be warm outside, but the castle was always freezing, at least to him it was.

He had nearly drifted off, not caring in the least that he was still lounging on the couch, when he heard a soft noise coming from behind him. Assuming it was one of his classmates, he ignored it and continued to doze. The next thing he knew, he felt that couch depress beside him, and his eyes shot opened.

"Snuffles?" he asked, looking at the dog in shock. "What are you doing here?" He was completely awake now, and attempted to sit up, but didn't quite make it. He was utterly exhausted, and ended up falling back into the couch.

The huge bear-like dog immediately transformed back into Sirius, despite the dangers of doing so, and watched Harry with growing concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked, mimicking the gestures of Madame Pomfrey, and placing his hand on the boy's forehead. "You don't look to good."

Harry shrugged. "I had a vision." he said, as if that explained everything. "But what are you doing here?" he asked again.

Sirius still had a look of concern on his face, but apparently decided to let his godson's exhaustion go for a moment, at least. "Professor Dumbledore needed to talk to me about something that you don't need to worry about." he said, as he noticed Harry's interested look.

"Nobody tells me anything." he grumbled, but Sirius ignored it.

"He also informed me that you were in the Infirmary, or had been. So, these visions, do you have them often?" he asked. He knew Harry had them, thanks to Professor Dumbledore, but he didn't realize they were this debilitating.

Harry settled himself more comfortably on the couch before answering, and grabbing one of the decorative pillows from the other end, he stuffed it behind his head. Sirius watched all this in slight amusement, until he saw the boy shiver. It was always too dang cold in this place for his liking, and apparently Harry felt the same. He grabbed a throw from the opposite chair and draped it over his godson. "Better?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks." he replied.

"So, are you going to answer my question?" he asked, resisting the urge to tuck him in.

"Yes, geez, you're impatient." kidded Harry. "I really only have them when Voldemort is really angry about something, or that sort of thing." he stated.

Sirius sighed, running a hand over Harry's disheveled hair. "I'm sorry you have to experience this…stuff." he said, not sure how to categorize it. It seemed all the bad things always happened to Harry. Feeling a change in subject was in order, he pulled a package out of his pocket. "I know it's way past your birthday, but I wasn't able to access an owl or any bird for that matter. So, here." he said, handing the colorfully wrapped present to Harry.

Harry ran a hand over the present. In all the chaos that had been his summer vacation, he had totally missed his birthday. Ron and Hermione had sent his presents to the Dursley's as no owl had been able to reach him. He could only assume they had been destroyed, as they wouldn't allow that 'freakish' crap in the house. 'Jerks.' thought Harry.

The raven-haired teenager went to quick work ripping the paper from the box, which amused Sirius to no end. "I hope you like it." he said.

Harry smiled. He'd like anything Sirius got him, as his godfather actually put thought into the present. The Dursley's always said it was the thought that counts. Well, not when it came to them. They had simply grabbed the nearest item they didn't need and threw it at him. That was his birthday gift. The pricks.

He pulled a small square mirror1 out of the box, and looked at Sirius questioningly. "A mirror?" he asked, wondering what its purpose was.

"It's a two-way mirror, Harry. All you have to do is say my name and you'll appear in my mirror. Then I'll be able to talk in yours." He quickly explained, looking nervous. "Do you like it?"

Harry was actually quite thrilled with the present. He could now talk to Sirius whenever he wanted. He didn't have to worry about him anymore, as long as he was able to achieve contact through this mirror. "Yes, Sirius. I love it, thank you!" he said, and managed to wrap his arms around Sirius in a sideways hug, as he was still lying on the couch, and his godfather was sitting beside him.

Sirius smiled. "Good, I'm glad you like it." he stated, even more thrilled that Harry had hugged him. He sometimes worried about Harry, especially when someone tried to physically touch him. He had noticed on more occasions that not that the boy would either flinch away from touch, or downright avoid it. He figured it had a lot to do with his relatives, which annoyed him to no end. If only he'd been able to take him in. If only they hadn't lost Pettigrew. Harry could be staying with him. Not all things turned out the way he had always hoped they would.

Harry shifted again, still unable to get completely comfortable. "Why don't you go on up to bed, Harry. I can tell you're tired." said Sirius.

Harry nodded in compliance, but made no move to get up. Sirius laughed. "Need some help?" he asked, seeing as Harry wasn't going anywhere.

The boy shrugged, but held his arms up for Sirius to help drag him off the couch. Seeing Harry stretching his arms out to him reminded Sirius of a time when Harry had been much younger, and in the same pose, only wanting Sirius to pick him up. It ate at his heart, knowing he had missed out on so much of this kid's life. Instead of pulling Harry off the couch, he pulled Harry into another hug, startling the boy. Harry stiffened at first, but then relaxed into the touch, until his godfather started rubbing his back. Unbeknownst to Sirius, Harry still had some harsh bruises on his back that hadn't fully healed. Harry tried to ignore it when Sirius rubbed his back, which would have been comforting on any other day, but not when he had bruises on him. Instead he gently disengaged himself from the hug.

"Sorry about that, just got caught up in the moment." explained Sirius, sheepishly.

Harry smiled at Sirius' discomfort. "It's okay." he said, and with the help of his godfather they made it up to his dormitory. Sirius made a point of tucking Harry into bed, telling him he hadn't been able to do that since he'd been a baby. Harry smiled again.

"I'll be around for a while, you know, because of Dumbledore and the such. So, if you need me, use the mirror, and I'll be right here." he said, patting said mirror, which he had placed on Harry's nightstand.

"I will." Replied Harry. "You'd better get out of here, though. The others will be up soon." He said, realizing he'd missed dinner. It wasn't any big deal, as he hadn't been hungry today, or for a while, actually.

"Okay, kid. I'll see you around." he said, turning into a big black dog, and disappeared into the shadows of the room.

Severus hadn't seen Harry at all that day, which was disconcerting for him. He had stayed practically the entire night while Harry was in the Hospital Wing, but had to leave to prepare for classes. Professor Dumbledore had informed him that his charge was allowed the rest of the day off after he had awoken in the Infirmary. He had been worried when Harry hadn't shown for any of his classes, as some of his co-workers had told him. But, he still hadn't seen the boy, and the need to check on him was becoming a distraction from his work. He had been grading sixth-year essays for the past hour, and wasn't getting anything accomplished.

'It's nearly midnight.' he thought. 'The students will be asleep, they'll never even know I was there.' he reasoned with himself, and began his way to Gryffindor tower.

The Common Room was deserted when he entered, and as it should be, he decided. He stealthily climbed the stairs to where he knew the boys' dormitories were. He placed a Silencing Charm on the door and himself, just in case, and entered the dorm. He immediately made his way to Harry's four-poster bed and pulled the drawn curtains away. He unconsciously sighed in relief at seeing the boy safe and sound in his own bed. He hated to admit it, but he wished the child were able to stay down in his room in the dungeons, with him. He'd feel so much better knowing where he was. But he knew Harry would never agree to that, at least he imagined as much.

As Severus watched, Harry turned onto his side and placed his arm underneath his pillow, supporting his head. The boy sighed a bit before relaxing into sleep once more. A patch of hair had drifted down onto the boy's face during his move. Severus unthinkingly brushed the errant hair out of Harry's face, placing it behind one of his ears, and letting his hand linger momentarily. The Professor was surprised when Harry moved into the touch, almost seeking it out. He stood watching the boy sleep for a few moments longer before finally making to leave the room.

But, as he reached the door, he felt as if someone was watching him. Turning back, he saw through the still opened curtains that Harry was looking at him with wide eyes. Severus took an involuntary step backwards; as those eyes weren't green they were red. The boy on the bed sat up and continued to stare at him eerily.

"Harry?" he asked, tentatively taking a step forward.

The boy continued to stare for a long while, which was seriously beginning to scare Severus to no end, when he finally spoke. "You betrayed me, Severus." rasped a voice that did not belong to Harry.

A rustling of covers distracted the older man as the other occupants of the room were beginning to wake up. Ron pulled back his curtains, got one good look at Harry and fell out of bed. The red-haired boy was scooting across the floor on his bottom, making his way over to Severus unknowingly. Ron was looking wildly around the room. Severus grabbed the boy by the collar and hauled him to his feet. "Get out of here, Weasley." he instructed firmly. "Get your friends while you're at it." he added.

Ron didn't need to be told twice. "Get up, guys!" he suddenly yelled, making Severus flinch, and getting the unwanted attention of the possessed Harry.

Harry slowly slid off the bed and began to walk towards Ron and the other students in the room, who had awoken at Ron's yell. Seamus grabbed Dean by the wrist and pulled him out of the way. Neville was stammering awkwardly in his bed, unable to move due to extreme fear.

"Leave them out of this!" yelled Severus, descending on 'Harry' in his anger.

"Fight it, Harry!" screamed Ron, once again getting the red eyes set on him. Severus tried to interfere, but 'Harry' brought his hand up and Severus shot into the wall.

"Oh my God." Whispered Ron, trying to covertly make it to the door, motioning for his dorm mates to do likewise. But it seemed that 'Harry' was having some issues, as he suddenly doubled over grasping his head.

"No!" yelled 'Harry', and as quickly as it had started, it was over. Harry stood back up, and it was green eyes that looked back at them. He gave Ron and the others an apologetic look that was also bordering on fear, and made a dash for Professor Snape. Kneeling beside the fallen man, he hesitantly placed a hand on the man's neck, checking for a pulse. Finding one, he sighed in relief and practically collapsed into a sitting position beside him.

"Sir?" he asked, shaking the man's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

As no response was forthcoming, worry plagued him and he dropped his head into his hands. He was confused and scared and in a little bit of pain. His scar was still throbbing painfully, but most of all he was scared. Voldemort had taken over his body once more, only this time it had been almost all consuming. He could hardly think through the pain, but watching his guardian slam into the wall had put things in a different perspective. Harry had known at that moment he had to fight back, and hard. Oddly, it was his thoughts on his growing…well, he didn't know what it was, not quite love, but it was definite caring for Severus that had sent Voldemort fleeing from his mind.

Harry noticed that his dorm mates were starting to crowd around him and turned to look at them questioningly. "Are you all alright?" he asked them.

Ron nodded, but the others were looking at him warily. "Are you?" asked Ron, considering his best friend had just been possessed by Voldemort, or at least he assumed as much.

"I've been better." muttered Harry. He was more upset at himself for allowing this to happen than anything else. How had this happened, as it hadn't ever happened before? He definitely needed to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore. "Help me with him, will you?" asked Harry, gesturing at Professor Snape.

"What was he doing in here, anyways?" asked Neville.

Harry and Ron briefly made eye contact and made a silent decision. "Who knows." replied Ron. "Maybe he knew something had happened to Harry through the wards on the castle?" he said, hoping the others would take him at his word. Luckily, they did.

"You're probably right." remarked Neville.

Harry found his wand lying on his bedside table and proceeded to levitate Professor Snape off of the floor. "We need to get him to the Hospital Wing." instructed Harry. "Come on."

The four other boys followed behind him, if only from morbid curiosity on what had just transpired in their room. Halfway there, Harry asked Ron to run ahead and fetch the Headmaster, which the redheaded boy had been more than happy to do. They reached the Infirmary, and Harry walked into the large room, laying Professor Snape on the nearest bed. "Madame Pomfrey?" he called. A few seconds later, Poppy stepped out of a back room, which he imagined held more supplies for the Hospital, and hurried over to them.

"What happened?" she asked immediately upon seeing Snape lying there.

Harry found he couldn't, or rather didn't, want to talk about what had just happened to him. It was almost too complicated to mention. 'Oh, I was just possessed by Voldemort, who sent Snape flying across the room by just raising his hand.' he imagined saying. Instead, he said, "He was thrown into a wall."

Of course, Pomfrey wanted more information than that. But luckily, or not so luckily, Professor Dumbledore and Ron came hurrying into the Infirmary at that moment. By the look on Dumbledore's face, Ron had already informed him on what had just happened. He looked extremely worn down and Harry thought he saw a trace of apprehension in those eyes, before it disappeared.

Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey had a short discussion from behind drawn curtains, where Professor Snape lay. When Dumbledore came back out he immediately pulled Harry to the side.

"Are you alright?" he asked, laying a hand on the child's shoulder.

Harry shrugged, as he felt better, except for the continual throbbing in his scar. "I'm okay." he replied.

Dumbledore looked less than convinced. "Perhaps we should let Poppy check you over as well." he suggested. Harry wanted to protest, but he could tell by the look in the Headmaster's eyes that it wasn't up for negotiation.

"Okay." he finally relented. "How's Professor Snape?" he asked, clearly worried.

"He'll be fine, Harry. Just a bit of a concussion, we think." he stated, and led Harry over to another bed. "Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Finnigan, and Mr. Thomas, why don't you head back to your dormitories. Everything is under control now, there is nothing to worry about." he said, giving them a reassuring look. The three teens looked doubtful, but left anyways. Ron came closer to the bed Harry was currently lying on, right beside Snape's.

"How do you feel, mate?" he asked, looking extremely worried. "I've never been so freaked out in my entire life." he whispered. "How did he do that?" asked Ron, referring to Voldemort.

Harry looked slightly uncertain himself. "I'm not sure. It just has to be something with my scar. It always is." he said, disheartened. "I hate this damn thing." Harry rubbed painfully at his scar, wishing to wipe it from his body.

Ron was hasty to grab his friend's wrist, pulling his hand away. "Stop that." he scolded. "It won't help anything."

Harry sighed, longing to be through with Voldemort once and for all. This new development between the two of them was more than frightening, though. He was utterly terrified. If he hadn't regained control over his body, who knew what would have happened to his friends…to his guardian. He refused to allow that monster to hurt his friends or his 'family.' He already considered Sirius family, and it seemed as if Severus Snape was running a close second.

When Harry's yawns became more and more frequent, Ron was also sent back to his dormitory, so both boys could get some rest. It was still fairly early, probably around five, and they still had classes tomorrow.

Harry watched as the Headmaster, followed closely by Ron, left the Infirmary. He knew Dumbledore would have a talk with all of his dorm mates about keeping this quiet. It was imperative that no one knew of this occurrence. If anyone found out that Voldemort had overcome him so easily, all hell would break loose. He could imagine being asked to leave, and being shunned by the entire Wizarding World. He shuddered at the mere thought of being forced to leave the only place he had ever thought of as home. Harry carefully turned over in bed, as his head was now aching as a whole, and fell into a troubled sleep.

The next morning, he woke up to a splitting headache. Gingerly sitting up, he rubbed the back of his head, wondering what the hell had hit him. The events of the previous evening came rushing back and he practically leapt out of bed in his hurry to find the boy. He was therefore very surprised upon finding his sitting across from him, eyeing him with an amused look on his face.

"Harry?" he asked, as the last memory he had of him was of a crazed man taking over his child's body. He decided to let go of the fact that he had just referred to Harry as his child. He had to stop doing that.

"It's me." replied the teenager, looking down at his sheets awkwardly. "I'm really sorry about what happened last night. I didn't even know he could do that." he more than whispered, as the events were still haunting him.

"Yes, that bastard is full of surprises." remarked Severus. The Potions Professor knew it was time to teach the boy Occlumency, but didn't want to add the strain of that particular ordeal to the already distraught boy. He'd mention it later, when Harry was more relaxed. "It's almost time for breakfast, are you feeling up to joining the rest of your classmates today, or do you need another day off?" asked his Professor in all seriousness.

Harry was slightly surprised that Snape would let him have another day off, but didn't mention that fact to the man. "No, I think I'd rather face classes." He said, thinking he'd rather not face a day filled with thoughts on Voldemort. Plus, he figured if he was distracted with other things, such as schoolwork, the bastard as Snape referred to him, wouldn't be able to invade him again.

"Very well." replied Snape. "I'll see you in Potions class then."

Harry nodded and slid out of the bed. "Bye, Professor." he said, and left the Infirmary.

Later that day, Harry dragged himself down the stairs and into the dungeons. He was beyond tired, obviously, as he hadn't exactly had the most restful sleep last night, and was more than ready for bed. It was time for Potions class, and he found himself extremely worried about how Severus would act towards him. He didn't know if he would keep up the act in class, since technically Voldemort knew his little secret. But, what if the students, and through them, their parents, didn't know about Severus' spying. Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Harry proceeded into the classroom. Ron and Hermione were already there sitting at their table. Harry quickly took a seat behind them, which ended up partnering him with Neville. This wasn't too bad, if he didn't think on the fact that Neville was horrible at Potions.

"Hey, Harry. How are you doing?" asked Neville, looking very concerned. Harry thought the boy was worrying over him about last night.

"I'm fine, Neville. Thanks for asking." He said, but the boy continued to give him secretive glances, making Harry worry himself. Harry didn't know that Neville knew his secret. That Neville had overheard Ron and Hermione talking about his bruises.

A few minutes later and Professor Snape stormed into the room in his usual flair. "Open your textbooks to page 354." He instructed, while flicking his wand at the board. Instantly the directions for the potion they were to make that day appeared. After Snape's usual degrading remarks at a few of the Gryffindors, he explained the danger of this potion. It was highly hazardous to their health if it touched their skin, if made correctly.

"Now, I highly doubt any of you will actually be able to make this Potion to the exact conditions described in the book, so the threat of having your skin completely peeled from your body is highly unlikely." he said in a scathing tone, making Harry flinch. The man had been standing directly beside him during his rant.

"Get to work." he spat and walked up to the front of the class, completely ignoring Harry.

Well, this answered the question on how he would act in class. Obviously, his spying duties weren't completely out of the bag. Sighing deeply, Harry tried to concentrate on his Potion, and keep his confusing thoughts at bay.

Midway through class, Harry realized he and Neville had seriously blotched up their potion at some point. Instead of a dull gray/green color, it had turned purple. That couldn't be right. It bubbled and sizzled and just had the look of disaster written all over it. Harry found himself worried over what Professor Snape would say when he realized they had screwed up their potion. Looking ahead at his two friends, he discovered that their potion looked perfect. But, that was no wonder considering Hermione was doing most of the work.

Harry had slumped in defeat, noticing Neville had done the same, except for a decidedly more frightened look on his face. Snape was going to assign them detention they just knew it.

Moments later and Snape glided in the general direction of the Gryffindors, taking points here and giving out detentions there. When he finally reached Harry and Neville's table, he gave a painful sigh. "Did you not read the directions?" he asked, pointing to the board. "It's really not that difficult of a concept to understand." he hissed. "How pathetic can one get? Perhaps a detention filled with making this potion will refresh your memories." he snapped and walked away.

Harry knew he shouldn't take the scathing remarks personally, but years of this same treatment caused him to do otherwise.

Slumping down into his chair dejectedly, he almost didn't see the most volatile potion ingredient fly into his and Neville's cauldron. The bubbling of moments before turned into hissing, boiling, poisonous splats that threatened to overflow from the cauldron, directly onto himself and Neville. Harry immediately drew his wand and muttered a shielding charm for around the cauldron and pulled the other boy from the dangerous fumes. Snape came thundering over in all his glory, and Harry never felt so miserable in all his life. That was until the cauldron exploded.