Et Anguis et vicit Leo by xmaeflowerx

“Professor Snape will be overseeing your club activities.”

Harry should have known there would be a catch. He prepared himself for the worst, but even this exceeded his expectations. It was a stupid idea to even try and get the DA back together this year -- pointless if you asked him. It served its purpose last year when Umbridge refused to teach them, so what more could Dumbledore want?

He glanced over at Snape and wasn’t all that thrilled to see his lips curling into a sneer. Clearly he hadn’t volunteered for this, which didn’t make this situation any better. He felt a tightness in his chest when it occurred to him that Snape would undoubtedly try and sabotage everything he’s worked so hard to teach. It was hard enough to get by in potions without him making some type of remark.

“Sir, are you sure it’s even a good idea to restart the DA?” Harry asked. “I mean, you were nearly arrested last year.”

Dumbledore smiled.

“And I would do it again if it meant keeping our students safe. What you did was a courageous thing, Harry. You rose to the occasion when Hogwarts needed you most. While I’m happy to say that you will be in good hands this year, I see no reason why we shouldn’t encourage extra defense classes for those wishing to protect themselves,” he replied simply. “You will lead the club much like Professor Snape will lead his class. You two will work together on lesson plans during your spare time --”

“What? This wasn’t part of the deal!” Snape exclaimed. “I refuse to spend what little free time I have with him.”

And Harry was in the same boat. It was bad enough most of his detentions were spent with Snape, now he actually had to run a club with him? If Voldemort didn’t get to Harry first, Snape certainly would.

“Come now, Severus. Harry excels in Defense Against the Dark Arts. You might learn a thing or two from him. A wise man learns more from the fool than the fool learns from the wise man after all.”

Did Dumbledore just call him a fool? He wasn’t sure how to perceive that statement, but decided it was best not to think about it.

“I don’t care,” Snape hissed. “He could be Merlin himself and I still wouldn’t give a damn. If you think Potter has anything remotely useful going on in that head of his -- “

“Severus.”

That’s all it took. Harry could have sworn the room had chilled. He’s never heard Professor Dumbledore say someone’s name so...dangerously before.

“We are in the middle of a war. Harry is not James and I hope you take that to heart this year. With that being said, I expect the two of you to work civilly together. I will not tolerate this foolish rivalry this year. Severus, you will treat Harry like you would any other professor, and Harry, you will give Severus the respect he deserves.”

It was easy to tell just how tired Dumbledore had grown these last few years since Voldemort’s uprising. It felt as if his patience had become limited, and it wasn’t the first time. Their meeting with Slughorn was anything but pleasant. The false sense ease trailed him like fleas to a dog. He couldn’t help but wonder if Dumbledore felt any sort of resentment towards his outburst since their last conversation. Harry noticed that he hadn’t replaced any of the trinkets that had been destroyed in his onslaught of rage.

He felt uneasy and found himself shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

Snape had grown red in the face. It was almost like watching a tea kettle getting ready to explode. There was something oddly satisfying about seeing the (former) Potions Master being put in his place.

“I look forward to seeing what you two have planned in the future.”

HPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSS

It came as no surprise to Harry when Ron and Hermione protested Snape’s involvement with the DA. Even Neville had made his discomfort clear, which was unusual for the usually soft spoken Gryffindor. Regardless, they accepted that there wasn’t much they could do and agreed to give Snape the benefit of the doubt. The coins they had used last year were distributed among the other members. Harry had to question whether they really needed them this year seeing as the whole school knew about their club. He figured they were handy to have around just in case something were to go wrong.

The first week back proved to be rather uneventful, unless massive amounts of homework was considered exciting. Even Hermione had found herself flustered by the sudden workload. The trio typically ended up in the library with their noses shoved in a book and black ink staining their white button down shirts.

“I don’t think I’ll survive the year,” Ron announced, slamming his textbook shut. “This has to be illegal. How do they expect us to maintain our grades and our Prefect duties? It’s like they want us to drop dead.”

“I think I’d rather be dead,” Harry groaned, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes.

“Don’t worry, mate. I’m sure Snape’ll finish you off by the end of the year. I hope he makes it qui -- OW! Bloody hell, ‘Mione, I was just messing around. Didn’t have to go off and hit me like that.”

“Then stop messing around! If you two didn’t come here to study then you might as well return to the common room!”

Harry glanced between his two friends and smiled. The world was going to shit, but at least he could count on them to keep things relatively normal.

However, that did bring him to his next thought. He wasn’t quite sure how to approach Snape about his lesson plan. He figured the first few weeks could be spent going over things they did last year. He really wanted to focus on the Patronus Charm seeing as Umbridge had interrupted them. Hermione had also suggested that it would be beneficial for them to learn how to brew healing potions. It wasn’t a bad idea; they might as well take advantage of Snape if he planned to be actively involved with the DA.

Where would any of this take place? The Room of Requirements was still an option, unless Snape wanted them using his classroom, which really wasn’t big enough to hold a good handful of students who were all actively casting spells. Maybe Dumbledore would let them use the Great Hall for dueling tournaments just like he did in their second year.

“ -- arry. Harry!”

He felt Hermione’s hand tug at his sleeve, drawing his attention back to his friends.

“How come you didn’t hit him,” Ron muttered, folding his arms over his chest much like a stubborn child would.

“Because he isn’t being loud and obnoxious,” she replied, shooting the red head a glare. “Harry, you were spacing out. Is everything okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, just thinking about this year.”

“Anything specific?”

He pursed his lips together before smiling.

“Only that we have a lot to figure out.”