That did it for Severus. He saw red. From day one, she had been trying to get him to admit Harry needed close supervision and should be regarded with utmost suspicion. Any time things went sideways and Albus found Dark Magic,(which for Albus was a catch-all phrase meant for any and all strong magic he himself hadn't cast), had been used in the Castle, her first thought was that Harry did it. Simply because his scar granted him a clear connection to the Dark Lord who used dark magic as regularly as he breathed.
She even tried to say because Severus had been selected as his Guardian/Protector and he was dark magic inclined that was further proof Potter had to be carefully watched for using dark magic spells.
She claimed the only reason Severus was selected for the position was because he was dark magic inclined and Harry's scar made it necessary he be guarded by someone who'd recognize when he did dark magic under it's influence. That was after the rejection of her petition to become Potter's Guardian/Protector. Almost no one believed her claims though his fellow staff members didn't disbelieve it either.
She'd always been the first person amongst the staff to assume Potter was behind whatever was going wrong in the school and she'd always try to convince the rest of them the danger was only because he was a student at the school.
The students might believe it was Severus trying to get Potter expelled but the truth was Minerva tried a lot harder than he ever had. She didn't trust Potter simply because she didn't like him and saw him as a disappoint to his deceased Father's memory.
His ability to speak parceltongue had only cemented her belief that he had access to dark magic they couldn't in any manner control or curtail. Because she truly believed those who could and did speak to the lowly snake were evil incarnate and could only grow up to become a danger to society.
But she'd even tried to pin the troll getting into the school back in his first year on him. Because he was the one to find it, fight it and defeat it. Yes, that redheaded garbage disposal had been with the boy at the time but even Severus had known that was only because Potter had forced the issue.
But her claim at the time had been just plain stupid. There was no way he could have done that just because of his scar connection. The child hadn't even known trolls existed at that point in time. Let alone where to find one.
She definitely saw his actions in rectifying those yearly bad situations as just him cleaning up after himself so as to be able to return to the school the following September. She often drew unfavorable comparisons between Mr. Potter and her former classmate, Tom Riddle, to support her view.
And while Severus would admit they were some surface resemblances, that's all they were. Surface resemblances. Inside, where it counted, Potter was nothing like Tom Riddle and anyone with eyes could see it. Potter was the day to Tom's night. He was good while Tom was definitely bad.
Potter wanted to be left alone to live his life as best he could. Tom wanted everyone to bow down before him and declare him God and King while he made all their choices for them. Potter didn't care what choice you made so long as your choice didn't involve him or other innocent people. No Potter and Tom were nothing alike.
Severus narrowed his eyes in disgust. Even now she was still trying to paint the boy as something less than noble. Coldly, he said, "Mr. Potter may be a lot of things, Minerva, but he isn't evil and never once has he ever done anything that even came close to showing him to be evil. He's spent every single year here trying to save lives. Often by risking his own to do so. Those two girls you're so very fond of are prime examples of that. And it's far more than I can say for you. Hasn't his yearly trips to the infirmary proven that much at least to you?"
"He saved their lives. He defeated whatever peril was in the castle or on the grounds each year. In his second year, he fought and defeated a monster we couldn't even find in a room we also couldn't find. How did you thank him for that? You blamed him for not doing it sooner. Because we did lose a student that year. You claimed it was his fault Colin Creevey died because clearly, as he did find and kill the beast at the end of the year, he could have done so at any time."
"Therefore, Mr. Creevey's demise was his fault. We know differently though, don't we? We know it wasn't him turning that monster loose on the school, don't we? It was that redheaded girl you're so fond of who did that, wasn't it? She was the one flirting with danger all that year, wasn't she? Killing animals and petrifying students. Keeping secrets that was putting the school in grave danger. Yet you feel sorry for her. Claimed it wasn't her fault because she didn't know the book was bad. She certainly should have realized waking up covered in blood was bad though, shouldn't she? Yet she never said a word to anyone about it, did she? Kept it a secret, didn't she."
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