"Sir, I need help." Harry turned and walked right back into the classroom and dropped his books onto a desk.

The edges of the Professor's lips curled up in a strange grimace, almost like a smile. "The amount of help you need Potter is astronomical. However, you're better off talking to Madame Pomfrey about such things. I don't care."

"Snape, I need help with Potions." Harry called out as the man turned away. He continued in a rush of words. "I've studied and studied and none of it seems to help. I rewrite my essays until Hermione and I both think they're good and I do all the extra reading on top of whatever else you assign. I don't know what to do."

Snape was tempted to throw the boy out or send him to Dumbledore for begin such a brat. But his words seemed familiar to Severus. He remembered Lily ranting about Defence Against the Dark Arts in the same way. Her Charms work was amazing and she didn't see why there was a reason to learn a pile of new spells when charms would work just as well, if not better.

"Fine." He spat out, interrupting the Potter boy's flow of words.

Harry took a step backwards. He hadn't been expecting that answer and was ready to go to anyone else in the school for help. Going to his professor first just seemed like the right thing to do. "Whu, what? Snape, you can't be serious."

"That's Professor Snape to you and I assure you, I am completely serious. I trust that you are not returning home for the holidays?"

Harry hesitated, he could see Snape staring at him. The man obviously knew that he was planning to spend Christmas with Sirius, his first Christmas with a real family. "I- I don't know sir. I hadn't spoken to anyone yet."

"I will be holding lessons in fifth year remedial Potions everyday except for Christmas. Whether you are here or not is your businesses. Classes start at 9 o'clock and let out at 4 o'clock. Lunch will be held within the classroom."

Harry gulped and nodded. "Thank you sir."

Snape snorted as Potter ran from the room. He didn't expect that the boy would ever do anything that actually required work. The first day of holidays would be like all the others, empty. It seemed, to him at least, that the people who needed help were the least likely to seek it.

He closed the door to his classroom and sat at his desk, opening his mark book and pulling a stack of atrocious second year essays to mark. That helped release his stress better than any potion could have.

Dear Harry,

You want to do what? I understand how important becoming an Auror is to you, but there are other choices. Do you really want to spend Christmas with Snivellus?

Come home soon,

Snuffles.

Harry tossed Sirius's letter into the fire. He didn't want to read the immature words that Sirius had written out in his messy chicken scratch. That's it. I don't care what Sirus said. I'm getting that NEWT in Potions and I'll do whatever it takes to get it.

The morning after everyone had left for the Christmas holidays Harry got out of bed, stretching slowly. He'd been up very late the night before. Having a vision of Mr. Weasley getting bitten and then with standing Sirius raging at him.

But he'd stuck by his decision and now it was 8 o'clock and the first remedial Potions class started in one hour. Harry rolled out of bed and got dressed. He pulled a warm Weasley sweater on underneath his robes, it was awfully cold in the dungeons before heading down to breakfast.

Snape was surprised when someone knocked on his classroom door at 8:55 on the first day of Christmas holidays. He was relaxing in his chambers in front of a warm fire when the bell went off. Dumbledore had told him about Arthur Weasley's attack and he wasn't expecting Harry to show up at all, let alone on time.

He hurriedly pulled on his teaching robes, covering up a pair of insulated muggle jogging pants and a sweater. It was too cold to wear anything else in the dungeons. In the classroom, he cast a spell to unlock the supply cupboard and get out two cauldrons, then he opened the door.

Potter stood there, carrying all of his Potions books and plenty of supplies. At least the boy came prepared. Snape thought to himself. "Finally decided to arrive Potter? I thought you would lie abed all morning." He ignored the fact that Harry was early and he hadn't been expecting him at all.

Harry nodded. "I'm here sir. Ready to learn and work." He was grateful when Snape let him into the classroom and he could put his things down.

The morning consisted of a lecture. Harry took frantic notes and every time he tried to yawn or take a moment's rest, Snape was glaring at him. With a class of one, Snape always had his eye on him. Of course it meant that the professor was able to explain things that he missed or didn't understand. When he dared ask a question.

By noon Snape was ready for a break. He'd been talking for hours and wanted something to drink and something warm. Maybe even a warm drink. But he was impressed. Potter had stayed awake and on task. He'd even bothered to ask a few questions and even through Severus had glowered at him, the questions pleased him. Potter actually wanted to learn.

"That will be all." Snape finished up his last topic. "Lunch, then brewing." He waved his wand and the house elves in the kitchen sent down the food he'd ordered that morning. There was more than enough for two. Probably even enough to feed five or six adults. Or one Ron Weasley.

Harry's stomach growled as he loaded up a plate. Snape seemed content to eat in silence and he followed suit, wishing that he dared to talk and engage the man in a conversation. He wanted to get more information, mostly about Potions, but about the Order too. It's hard to believe he's a member at all! Harry thought while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Severus noticed Potter pouring himself a cup of coffee. Both of them knew that students at Hogwarts weren't allowed to have coffee, but neither said anything or did anything about it. They ate their soup and sandwiches in silence, drinking the coffee and finishing off the food with shortbread cookies.

"Brewing now." Snape flicked his wand at the board and made a recipe, one for a basic potion come into focus. The potion itself was simple enough but it required precision and close attention to the details and ingredients.

Harry took out his Potions kit and took out the ingredients and tools he needed before getting started. His hand had barely left the flame before Snape had something negative to say.

"You can't even turn on the cauldron Potter?"

Harry looked up. "I turned it on."

Snape sighed. "Fill the cauldron, then light the fire. Then the contents are heated more evenly, you're less likely to spill anything and no toxic fumes are produced from your potion base reacting with the fire. It's basic Potter."

Harry could have sworn that everything single time he did something the man complained. His cutting technique was wrong. His chopping made things diced and his crushed ingredients ended up pulped. It was aggravating.

But by the time the potion, a simple burn slave, was finished, Harry was amazed. It had taken them hours to finish one potion, but it was right. The colour, the consistency. He had a burn on his hand from all the splashing water and it soothed that. The potion even worked. Harry's face burst into a huge smile, but he felt like collapsing to the floor and falling asleep right then and there.

"Not bad. I'll see you tomorrow." Snape cleaned the room with a flick of his wand and left with another, leaving Harry alone in the classroom.

Harry sighed. It was going to be a very long two weeks. One Snape free day in the middle, but he expected that his devil of a Potions Professor would simply give him homework to do over the day-long holiday.

The next week was both a nightmare and a blessing. Harry worked harder than he ever had in his entire life, he fell exhausted into bed everything night. But at the same time he'd learned so much. More concepts and basic principals he'd skipped over from other years that were still hurting him.

And Snape went over all of his notes with him and criticized and complained, but Harry's notebook was organized now. He could find things based on unit. There was a table of contents and his notes were readable. Snape had even shown him a charm that acted as white out so he didn't have to rewrite his essay for every little spelling mistake.

Despite his original reluctance, Severus found himself enjoying the classes. Harry proved to be an interested and attentive student. He didn't fool around or space off. He paid attention and worked, a lot harder than Snape thought he was capable of working.

So he gave Harry Christmas day. No homework, no assignments, no reading, nothing. Just a, "Enjoy yourself. Sunday at 9." Before stalking out of the classroom and back to his chambers. The rooms seemed cold and empty compared to his classroom, even with the roaring fire in the grate.

Snape downed a warming potion and wrapped himself in a blanket before selecting a book and settling himself in front of the fire. It was a photo album. Severus let his tears fall onto the pages as he turned them carefully.

His eyes drank in images of Lily and himself, as children at home, then at Hogwarts and finally a picture he'd managed to steal and copy for himself. One of her and James at their wedding. The photo was carefully cut in half, so only the side with Lily was left. She smiled and waved out of the picture, filling his heart with both joy and sadness.

Once again, Severus wished that wizarding photos came in colour. He missed her eyes.

The last week of remedial potions was the same as the first, only faster. Harry seemed to get things now. He could answer sudden, unexpected questions correctly within seconds. Not as fast as Snape could have answered as a fifth year, but he was gifted with Potions.

They covered the rest of the material that would be on the OWL. But Snape didn't say that. He didn't tell Harry that after taking third years Potions, most of his students would be able to pass the OWL exam. He worked them hard and most could get into the Auror academy by writing then entrance Potions exam. It wasn't as hard as it looked.

When the last day finally arrived, Harry couldn't believe it was already over. He'd enjoyed himself at times, learned constantly and even though he missed Sirius, he knew that he could spend all summer with him. Plus, this was important to him and Sirius understood that.

His friends arrived and they hung out, not worrying about homework or classes or exams. There were still a few months before OWLs and even Hermione hadn't started to prepare yet. Harry didn't tell them much about his break.

Ron moaned and told Harry he understood. "It must have been awful mate. I can't imagine, spending all day alone with Snape. It'd be enough to drive anyone mad."

Harry had just shrugged and ignored Ron. He did that lot now and it hurt. Ron had been his friend for a long time, now all they did was play Chess and talk about school every once and awhile.

Hermione understood. She looked at his notebook and whistled before remodelling all of her notebooks in that format and copying all the extra notes he'd taken. There was an understanding that existed between them now, one that hadn't been there before.

"Good night Harry." Hermione got up, taking her books and papers, it was time for bed.

"Good night Hermione." Harry got up, but he didn't get his books. He leaned over and kissed her, quickly and on the cheek. But it was still a kiss. Then his face turned flaming red and he ran up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

Hermione just giggled quietly and put a hand to her cheek.