AN: Okay, so it's been awhile since i've submitted a Fanfiction so I'm a bit rusty, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)

Some of the paragraphs may have been cut at the wrong place because of my attempt to fix it, sorry if that happened. Anyway, I think Chapter Two is much better because I actually had an idea of which way I wanted to take the story when writing it. However, I am not going to post Chapter Two yet. :) I'm hoping for some feedback on Chapter One first.

Please read and review! What you think of the story is always a pleasure! :) Also, I DO NOT own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. No copyright infrigment intended.

"Mr. Potter! If you can't mix your potion correctly, perhaps you'd like to attempt simple mathematics? Tell me, if I were to deduct five points from Gryffindor for every failure you manage to accomplish in the last twenty minutes of today's class, how many points do you think your house would suffer?"

Harry ducked down his head, partly to avoid any possible eye contact with his professor and partly to dodge the glares his fellow pupils were shooting him. The only people he wasn't receiving a fair amount of hostility from in the potions classroom were his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and then the Slytherins, whom wore broad grins, of course. It never ceased to amaze him how easily the bravery, friendship, courage and all around "all in this together" feel of his Gryffindor classmates could vanish at any threat to the House Cup. Especially when it came to their Potions Master, Severus Snape. After all, any student that wasn't a proud Slytherin had at some time experienced his bullying. Nevertheless, Harry kept his head down, "I don't know, Professor."

"Try ninety." Much to the Gryffindor's relief, and the Slytherins disappointment, Snape continued in his rather monotonous voice, "Of course I'm not going to do that," His eyes cut to Potter, "yet. My house is very capable of attaining the House Cup without any interjection from me."

Snape returned to the lesson and Ron leaned over to whisper, "Strange how they never demonstrate that capability eh, mate? That bloody git is their main hope, and that's just sad." Harry worked hard not to crack a smile at his friend's comment for fear Snape would sense it and turn back to badgering him, The "dungeon bat" had been rather relentless towards Harry for the past two weeks, not that he was ever really subdued, but ever since his occlumency lessons had began, and ended, fourteen days ago, Snape had grown a Harry Potter sized thorn in his side. Which only made Potter regret his thinking Severus was hard on him before. From the corner of his eye, he caught Neville sending him a small, sympathetic smile. Of course Neville would understand, he was often a first choice for Snape's torturing. His lack of real Potion skills being both a pleasure and a pain to the professor. Harry's targeting by Snape was definitely Neville's reprieve. At least one of them was getting a break, he just wished it was him.

What had caused Snape's sudden jump in animosity? Harry didn't know. Ever since he accidentally saw his Professor's worst memory of his very own father bullying him, Severus had been going above and beyond. An A bloody plus in tormenting. Maybe this was just how Snape reacted to kindness? Right after the incident, Harry had tried to apologize but his Professor would have none of it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Enough Potter," Snape cut him off, "Out. Do not return, your lessons are over. Permanently." With that he whipped around and headed for his desk, obviously expecting Harry to take his leave. But Harry, who had just been lamenting on about his father having been a great man, felt the need to get his apology out. Falling in step behind him, though the office wasn't that big, Harry cornered Snape in his desk,

"Really. I had no idea, and I didn't mean to. It's just so difficult to learn. I have no idea how to do this." He was panting still, sweat beaded on his forehead and drenched some of his shirt. It was indeed challenging. He'd never done something this mentally demanding and just reacted in defense. Obviously the wrong thing to do, he'd never dreamed his father to do something like that and he felt terrible for witnessing a scene that must have not only been horribly embarrassing but definitely not his business.

Snape however, was struck by the proximity of Potter. No one dared to edge this close to him. He had what you could call a buffer zone about him to keep people at bay. Not that anyone would ever have a reason to want to get near the smelly old bat, but still. Harry had trespassed into one of his worst memories just to follow up by disrupting his personal space. He was so unnerved by the closeness his hand automatically twitched to his wand. He breathed in Potter's face.

"Leave. Now."

Harry paused then, taking in the older man's expression; Shock, hurt, disbelief, embarrassment, regret, anger… and a sliver of something he couldn't quite place, and had no time to. Because no sooner had he noticed there was less than a foot of space between him and his Potions Professor, Snape yelled, "OUT!" In a voice that was not to be challenged. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, spun on his heel and got the hell out.

Harry summed Snape's abhorrence up to what had happened, paired with the fact Severus had never even liked him in the first place. Or maybe he was still bitter about not getting Defense Against The Dark Arts yet again this year when he had been supposed to. Whatever the reason, Harry didn't appreciate it. A hand shot up in his peripheral vision and as predicted it belonged to the slender arm of his other best friend Hermione Granger. She obviously had the answer to whatever question the Potions Master had asked but his eyes skirted right over her and he called on Harry, whose hands were glued to the desk. For about probably the fifth time this class Harry delivered the same exact sentence, "I don't know, Professor."

"Pity, twenty points from Gryffindor." Harry cringed inwardly at the gasps of horror, none of them coming from smug Slytherin. Hermione had put her hand down by now but chose to speak up anyway.

"Twenty? Don't you think that's a bit much sir? We have been skipping to the more advanced chapters, you couldn't possibly expect everyone to know the answers." Thanks Hermione, that'll do a lot of good. Still, he admired her courage, no matter how ill placed.

"I can expect you to speak out of turn, as you're doing it yet again. Keep it up Miss Granger and we'll make Potter's twenty a thirty." Hermione shrank down in her seat and when Snape had turned away Ron leaned past Harry to pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry 'Mione, miserable old bat just can't stand when other people are right." During their little exchange however, Harry had been watching Snape and saw him turn his head, clearly listening in to the redheads words. But before he could say anything to warn his friend, the potions master ended class.

"Thirty five points from Gryffindor, your essays are due tomorrow. Leave." The three friends stifled their groans and sulked out of the classroom, though it felt more like a dungeon. Come to think of it though, it was a bloody dungeon.