52Chapter 14
Chapter 14:
Harry's POV
Later that day Harry entered Potions. It was his last class of the day and a double and shared of course with Slytherin. He wondered briefly if he would be better at this time around because Malfoy wasn't his enemy anymore and that hopefully meant the blond wasn't going to be sabotaging his potions this year. Plus, it wasn't taught by Snape.
He looked around the room. Sirius and Remus were partnered up, as were his parents. Pettigrew sat alone, but Harry knew there wasn't a chance in hell he would partner with the rat. So, instead he tried to find another empty seat. There was a table, behind Remus and Sirius that was unoccupied. He quickly rushed to take it, hoping that someone else would join him before the class started. He really didn't want the teacher to put him and Peter together if they ended up being the last two singles.
He put his wand into his pocket and grabbed his bag, pulling out his potions book. There was movement next to him and he looked up to see who his partner was. He choked on air when Snape sat down next to him.
'No…. no…. no…' his brain shouted.
It wasn't fair that he was finally in a potions class not taught by the greasy git only to end up with him as a partner. He quickly looked around the room trying to spot Malfoy. Of course the blonde was grinning at him.
Oh god, that arsehole, this was payback for the password.
He felt a small bit of satisfaction when Malfoy was joined at his table by the elder Malfoy. The younger floundering for a second before getting his face blank, pretending he wasn't freaking out.
Then the professor entered the classroom and Harry knew he was stuck. The Professor, Slughorn or something of the like, walked up to the board and started writing out instructions. The man turned once down, eyes roaming over the class. His gaze stopped on Harry and Snape and the man seemed confused but didn't say anything.
Harry quickly copied down the instructions. He could hear Snape moving next to him, but he didn't let his attention wander. He wanted to pass this class. He wanted for once to prove that he wasn't as horrible at potions as everyone said.
When the Professor instructed them to get their ingredients. Harry looked up at Snape, ready to ask the other man if he wanted to get them or if he wanted Harry to go but the Slytherin was already moving towards the small storage room.
Harry sighed.
He grabbed the cauldron and filled it halfway with water then placed it over the fire. The heat set to low, like the instructions said, and prayed he didn't mess this up. Snape returned placing the ingredients on their table. This time he looked at Harry.
Harry tried not to shift under the gaze.
"Cut the Nettle into thirds," the other student said handing him a plant and then a root. "Then slice the ginger into thin slivers." Deciding it was better to just go with it. Harry took the offered ingredients and did as he was told.
"Why aren't you sitting with Pettigrew?" The question came out of nowhere and he almost lost a finger when he started and looked at his lab partner.
"Does it matter?" he asked, pushing the last of the ginger towards Snape. The other student looked it over and nodded.
"Cut this in half and then add it to the cauldron," Snape said, then added, "and it matters when you would rather partner with a Slytherin then one of your own housemates."
"It's nothing," Harry said quietly cutting the thing in half. Then he dropped the strange berry thing into the cauldron. The potion inside bubbled and turned a bright red. He looked up at Snape hoping that was what was supposed to happen. The Slytherin didn't sneer or complain so Harry took it as a win.
"I think you underestimate how your housemates will see this," Snape muttered. Harry stopped and looked at the taller student.
"What do you mean?" Though he knew. Well he knew how his housemates in his time would have acted. If one of them had sat with a Slytherin. They would have assumed it was a prank at first but if nothing happened they might think it's strange and some would probably get offended. Dammit. He hadn't thought about that. Truth was he would take Snape over Pettigrew anyway, and wasn't that sad.
"Pettigrew will be insulted, and his friends will take his side."
He sighed. "I'll be fine."
He heard Snape snort. "You have not been on the other side of one of their pranks. It would be wise to apologize and plead ignorance."
He didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't.
Though his mind did wander over some of the things he knew about his father's pranks on Snape. He knew that James had endangered the other student a few times. It was probably why the man hated both of them so much. He hated it, that he wanted to confront his father about the way he treated the Slytherin but how he also wanted to ignore it and just get to know James.
The same James that might prank him now. They wouldn't really? He tried to reason. After all he was new, he shouldn't know about the hostilely among the different house. So, pranking him for not sitting next to Peter didn't seem fair. Though nothing in his life ever was.
He sighed, raising his hand to drop some strange leaves in the bubbling caldron but his wrist was seized by another strong firm grip.
"Stop," Snape hissed at him, pulling his arm away from their potion. A wave of something washed over him and he dropped the leaves on the floor. He took a step back from the Slytherin trying to resist the urge to lower his head and apologize.
"I…" he tried but when he looked up at Snape the man had a look in his eyes, they narrowed when Harry met them and the urge to cower or run slammed into him so hard that he actually felt his body start to move.
But then an arm wrapped around him and instead of running or fighting he relaxed a little. It was weird being so keyed up and freaked out and then the second the arm wrapped around him, he felt better. Calmer more relaxed, he leaned against the body and had a strange thought of being home.
"Evan, everything alright?" he heard Remus asked from behind him.
He looked back at the other Gryffindor surprised, he honestly expected it to be Malfoy. He just assumed that Malfoy being the only person he knew or well who knew him that it would have been the blonde coming to help him.
He nodded and looked away.
"You boys okay?" The professor asked coming over to see what was going on.
"Yeah. Sn…Severus saved me from adding the wrong thing," he said, smiling at the man. Not that he felt like smiling. In fact, he was sure if Remus wasn't holding him, he would have already darted out of the classroom because every time he looked at Snape the urge to drop his head grew and he just wanted to get away from it.
There was a brief moment where they all just stood there.
Then Remus removed his arm and Harry had to bite back a disappointed sound. Slughorn moved away next and it was just Harry and Snape. The other student tilted his head a little then shook it and looked away and it was like he could breathe again.
He stayed as far away from Snape as he could during the remainder of class and then bolted the second, he could.