No Longer

A Lesson on Potions

Harry Potter**

As he walked to his first potions class of the year, Harry couldn't stop thinking about last night. His mate had rejected him, flat out, without even speaking with him first. He hadn't gotten even the merest chance at a good impression, and he was determined that he would make a good impression on him as Harry Potter, at the very least. What he knew his father and godfather had done to the man would be hard to overcome, but surely he wouldn't hold that against Harry, would he?

Nibbling on his lower lip, he walked speedily down the halls, his shorter legs forcing him to exert real effort to get to his classes. This was just so stressful! The only reason he'd managed to enjoy any part of last night was Lucius. Cuddling him as he slept, making small plaits in his hair then brushing them out, he'd even made the blond veela breakfast in bed. Harry smiled, remembering how happy Lucius had been eating his food. It was so nice to feel appreciated, something he'd never gotten from the Dursleys.

As he reached the door to the dungeon classroom, he nervously peeked in, trying to ascertain if Severus was there yet. He couldn't see him though, so he hastily entered the room and sat at an empty seat. Neville was there too, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws both being together for Potion lessons, but he was in a dense group with no open seat for Harry to grab and talk to his friend. He didn't mind sitting alone though, and he took out a sheet of paper, ink and his quill so he could take notes. After all, Severus Snape was undoubtably a genius when it came to potions, and Harry wished to learn absolutely everything he could from the man.

It hurt him more than he could possibly express, how Severus had refused their bond, but Harry still yearned to see him. He was, after all, his mate, and at least he could garner surety that he was safe and well, seeing him on such a regular basis.

To pass the time, he began to identify the pickled animals Severus had in jars along his walls. To him, this seemed rather more like a scare tactic than just using the space, because putting common ingredients in easily accessible areas would be far more practical. Few potions called for pickled animals anyway, as there was more magic to be had in fresh ingredients.

There seemed to be predominately the parts of pigs, heart, liver, kidneys, eyes and some sealed intestines, along with samples from frogs, rats, and other smaller creatures. Harry was rather confused as to why his mate used such props in his teaching method, but he wasn't one to judge.

It was colder down here as well, which would make brewing somewhat easier. An overly warm space would likely cause ingredients to wilt or start decaying faster than they ought to for you to get the desired result. He'd already read the required potions textbooks for first years, had them memorized in fact, along with the rest of the lists through seventh year. He took his out anyway though, and arranged them neatly on his desk.

Taking the most interesting one out, Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, he began making notes in it on how to improve the recipes or make them less time consuming. While Mr. Jigger knew how to brew successfully, Harry didn't find him a particularly skillful brewer.

About three minutes later, Severus strode in, his robes billowing menacingly behind him. Harry felt carefully to see if his mate had used magic for the effect, but he hadn't, which made Harry wonder how long he'd been practicing it. He began the lesson by taking attendance, and he listened carefully to his mate's beautiful but somewhat disgusted voice as he continued to make alterations to his textbook. It was quite fun to do it, actually, and he'd improved twenty-six by the time his name was called.

There was a slight bitter tint to the man's voice when he called Harry's name though, and it hurt him to know that already his mate loathed him in both forms. He quietly said his name, feeling sorrowful, and perhaps it was too quiet, as he was called a second time, voice now harsh.