Harry and Ron looked over at Hermione.

"What is?"

"Well, he's not here. Isn't he always here on time? He's never late."

Harry didn't even have to work at hiding the silly giggle that wanted to burst out of him. They were sitting in Potion's class and it was already five past the hour. The Slytherins talked amongst themselves and didn't seem to notice that Snape was late.

"You worry too much Hermione," Ron said, enjoying that they had an extra five Snape-free minutes.

"What he said," Harry said pointing at Ron and putting his hands behind his head. Hermione bit her lip.

"But what if... you know... What if the Dark Lord called him away and he's hurt somewhere."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes in unison. "Then we'd have a substitute Hermione!" Ron said. "If he'd been called away then Dumbledore would know about it, wouldn't he?"

Hermione seemed to agree and left them alone about it for another few minutes, but as soon as the clock struck fifteen after, she started in again.

"Should we tell somebody? Maybe Professor McGonagall?"

Harry took his hands from behind his head and crossed his arms. No... that wouldn't do at all. If they went looking for Snape and found him, then the jig would be up. For the first time in months Harry had gotten a decent nights sleep, and had woken up with a new outlook on life... he wasn't going to let them change him back so soon... if ever.

"Why don't you just get up and teach Hermione? I'm sure he won't mind," Harry said suddenly. "I mean, you're already a month ahead of us anyway..."

She seemed to be taking this into serious consideration. "You really think I should?"

Harry looked at Ron and then Ron nodded in agreement. Even she was better than Snape. "Go for it Hermione," Ron said with a thumbs up.

It was to groans from the Slytherins and a smirk from Harry when Hermione took her text book up to Snape's desk and started the lesson.

"Come on Granger, get down before you embarrass yourself," Malfoy drawled. Suddenly she faltered and stopped teaching, looking to Harry uncertainly for help.

"Well it's her or me ferret," Harry said calmly, loving the fact that he was suddenly able to hold all his anger inside and not have sudden outbursts in front of everyone that constantly embarrassed him.

Draco scoffed from the next isle. "Yeah right Potter, as if you could do better than Snape. You're always failing Potions!" He and the other Slytherins started to laugh, but stopped suddenly when Harry calmly rose from his seat and motioned for Hermione to come back to her seat. She did so with a wary look at Harry, wondering when the explosion of emotion would come, but it didn't. Instead he took her textbook when he met her halfway, and walked to the front of the board.

"Let's see, can you tell me the four uses of potions with a base of Kelpie weed Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked calmly, setting the book down. Of course he'd read the chapter quickly last night before he went to bed, just in case.

Draco sneered at him. "As if Potter, get real."

"No? Didn't read the chapter last night? Better be five points from Slytherin then," Harry said. The Slytherins burst out in laughter until the little mini hourglass above the chalkboard deducted points from Slytherin. Snape had put them up as a reminder that he was in charge, but now it seemed that Harry was in charge.

"What!?" Malfoy shouted. "That's ridiculous! You're not even a Prefect!"

Harry shrugged with a thin smile on his lips. "No, but apparently the school has taken me for a substitute in Snape's absence. Better find an answer to my question or I'll take more."

Suddenly Draco stood up, his chair skidding back into the desk behind him.

"You better get down from there if you know what's good for you Potter," he spat, pointing his finger at Harry.

"Oops, better be another ten from Slytherin for insulting the substitute." Now more Slytherins stood, pulling out their wands, but with a sly thought and a wave of his own wand their chairs all shot forward hitting them in the back of their legs and forcing them to sit down again.

"Seriously Mr. Malfoy," Harry drawled like Draco usually did. "It's not that hard. What are the four uses of potions with a base of Kelpie weed?"

He noticed then the appreciative looks of his fellow Gryffindors as Hermione's hand shot up and he pointed at her. She listed off the uses correctly and he added five points to Gryffindor.

"Looks like Ms. Granger saved Slytherin from another round of points being lost Mr. Malfoy. Can you earn any points back today or did you fail to read the assigned chapter at all?"

Draco turned red, a stark contrast to his usually pale face and white blond hair. "No? Well then I'll just skip you for the rest of class. How about you Mr. Crabbe? What about the two uses of potions with a base of lacewing flies?"

Crabbe glared up at him, fists clenched tightly. "You don't even know a question from first year readings? Better be ten points from Slytherin then, and perhaps you should speak to your head of house when he gets back about signing up for Remedial Potions during the weekends."

Ron couldn't hold his laughter in anymore and hit the table in front of him with glee. Harry glanced at him but tried not to grin.

"Ms. Parkinson, did you read the chapters assigned?"

She looked haughty. "As a matter of fact I did." She crossed her arms, trying to look bored but failing.

"Well then, what is the fifth more uncommon use of potions with a Kelpie root base?"

She uncrossed her arms and her eyes went wide. Harry could tell she was thinking quickly, trying to remember where that was in the text.

"I... uh... healing lotions?" she guessed.

Harry waved his wands and a handful of points stones disappeared from the Slytherin hourglass.

"Wrong again Slytherins... its pepperup potion." The rest of the Slytherins groaned and glared at both Pansy and Harry.

Harry tapped his wand on the board knowing that Snape always wrote his potions out the night before, and it appeared there.

"This will be the potion for Wednesday. You must gather all the supplies from the grounds. None will be provided to you from the Potion's cupboard. If you don't come to class prepared, then you will fail for the day."

Draco stood up again, but the back of his legs being bruised, he thought better and sat down, saying angrily, "How do you know Potter?"

Harry shook his head and almost snorted. "There's a note on his desk Mr. Malfoy," he said, holding up the small note that Harry had only just a moment ago spied taped down to Snape's desk. "Any more questions?"

Draco glared but kept his mouth shut. "I say that class be dismissed early then so that the Slytherins can all go and study. Maybe they can earn some points back when he gets back. In the mean time, ten points for Gryffindor for never once interrupting me."

With that Harry strode out of the room and into the Potion's closet where Snape still lay on the floor, glaring up at him in shock and anger. He struggled and Harry knew he was trying to say something, but Harry only held up a hand to his ear. "Sorry, what's that Professor? Somebody seems to have placed a spell on you so that nobody can hear what you say."

Harry grinned and suddenly turned and ran from the closet shouting, "Help! Somebody quick! I found him and I think he's hurt!"

Gryffindors and Slytherins alike dropped their bags and books and ran to the closet where Snape lay squirming and looking deadly.

"Professor," Draco said, kneeling down beside the man. Snape's relieved look displayed across his face at the sight of Draco, who would surely untie him, but disappeared when Draco did no such thing and only started to complain. "Did you hear what Potter did? We're going to lose the house cup! He took nearly fifty points from us!"

Snape glared and Draco seemed to realize his mistake as he turned his wand into a knife and started to cut away at the ropes. When Snape was free and standing he used his own wand to counter the silencing charm and grabbed Harry's arm roughly, dragging him away from his peers.

"Professor, what's wrong?" Harry asked, displaying almost genuine concern on his face. Of course it had to seem that way to the rest of the class, but Snape knew better. He dragged Harry all the way up to the Headmaster's office where he forced Harry through the door and where Harry ‘tripped' and fell flat on his face on the stone floor. He bit his lip on purpose so that it started to bleed and gave a little whimper. It worked.

"Severus, what on earth is going on here?" Dumbledore stood up and moved around the desk to see Harry trying to get up off the floor, lip bleeding profusely.

"This... WRETCH, cursed me and locked me in a potion's cupboard all night! Then he had the GALL to teach my seventh year class!"

Harry looked up at Snape, clearly horrified. "Sir? I didn't even know you were in there until after the class... Hermione tried to teach but Draco-"

"ENOUGH!" Snape roared, looking like he was going to kill Harry on the spot. Dumbledore straightened and cocked his head to the side ever so slightly. "Severus, let the boy speak, please. If I am to get to the bottom of this, then I must hear both sides."

Snape threw his arms up in the air, and not breaking his facade Harry looked up from his spot on the floor to Dumbledore and said, "We all went to Potion's class and Professor Snape wasn't there sir. Hermione tried to get up and teach, because she's always ahead of us in readings but Draco wouldn't let her... he told her to sit back down. So I got up there because I read the chapter from the night before, and all I did was ask questions from the chapter and tell them the instructions professor Snape had written down on his desk for the next day. I went into the Potions closet to see if he'd left any more instructions and he was lying there on the floor all tied up and angry."

"Is this true Severus?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling proudly of Harry's initiative to teach the class.

"It most certainly IS NOT!" Severus spat.

"Harry didn't teach the class?"

"NO! I mean YES! He did, but not like that. He's the one responsible for tying me up. I gave him a potion last night that made him act opposite of what he normally does."

"You gave a student Ostendo Ingenium Severus?"

"Yes! I caught him trying to steal from my private stores in the middle of the night. I was trying to teach him a lesson about stealing. He could have taken the wrong potion and nobody would have known. I intended to give him the antidote this morning after he'd embarrassed himself."

"Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No sir, I was sleeping in my room all night. I don't even know what that tendo ignium thing is." To corroborate his story half a dozen Gryffindors suddenly burst into the office, making it seem smaller than it really was.

"Sir," Hermione said, "Harry's telling the truth. He was just as surprised as we were to find Professor Snape in the cupboard and then when Draco had removed the ropes the Professor grabbed Harry and dragged him off." There were nods from the rest of the Gryffindors there and Severus rolled his eyes, thinking ‘well played Potter.'

"Please Professor, can we go?" Harry asked quietly, shooting a fearful glance at Snape. "I'm behind in Charms and I don't want to be late."

"Yes of course Harry," he said kindly, and Harry hurried out with his friends feeling happier than he ever had. With any luck, the man would get fired, and it would be Harry's doing.

Just before the door closed behind him he heard the Headmaster saying, "Severus, do not think I have not noticed how stressed and overworked you've been these last weeks..."

Harry allowed himself a chuckle. That would show him to force potions on him.

What Harry had done was all over the school by the time Harry reached the hallway, and students from every house were congratulating him for taking over a class and not getting into any trouble. Harry waved them away. "It was nothing," he said over and over. But it was something, and soon the entire school would be eating out of his hand.