The Cupboard Series 3: Potter Haven

Chapter 11

Severus Snape ... was torn.

The objects of his disconcertion were sitting in front of him – three large trunks. They'd been delivered to his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry a half an hour ago. And, apart from throwing the lids of them open, he'd done nothing but fall back into his seat and stare at them.

Inside, neatly lined up and packed with cushioning spells, were dozens and dozens of boxes, jars and containers. Each one was labelled in a neat clear handwriting: basilisk venom, heartstring of basilisk, powdered basilisk fang, basilisk blood, cornea of a basilisk's eye ... On and on they went. Each and every container was worth its weight in gold, especially to a potioneer. These sorts of ingredients were all incredibly rare and used in some of the more obscure potions imaginable.

And the three trunks full of ingredients had simply been given to him. No payment necessary, only the simple note that asked him to use them wisely for the betterment of the students in the school, a task that he was eager to do.

Unfortunately, the main thrust of Potion Master Severus Snape's unease was directed at who had given him such a gift.

Potter.

Oh, certainly, he recalled the moment down in the Chamber of Secrets when he'd approached the boy and asked for access to the slain beast to harvest it for potion ingredients and, while his rendering skills were politely declined, the boy had indicated that he'd be willing to share a portion of the carcass. But never had he actually believed that Potter would follow through.

There was simply far too much animosity between the two.

Thinking back over the past two years since the boy had come to Hogwarts, Severus was forced to admit that most of that animosity had been on his part. But how could there not be, the boy being the spitting image of his father. Except for his eyes, of course. Eyes that Severus could never look at without a stab of guilt and pain slamming into his chest.

No, if he was brutally honest, then he was the main instigator of the ill-will between the two.

In his first year, the boy had shown a complete lack of skill, just like his father, so unlike his mother. Every potion class there had been something that demonstrated that the boy had no skill. Grudgingly, he admitted that by the end of the year, he showed ... promise. But that hadn't stopped him from reminding the boy as much as possible just how mediocre and talentless he was. It was a way to put Potter in his place and to keep those damned eyes of his pointed at the ground and away from him.

And then had come Quirrell and his infernal battle to stop the thief from leaving the castle with the Philosopher's Stone. Severus had caught him coming out of the third floor corridor with a triumphant grin plastered on his face, one hand clasped around a bulge in a pocket of his robe. He'd instantly realised what had happened and had challenged the man with his wand.

The stuttering fool though had been more talented than anyone ever realised. It was all that Severus had been able to do to simply hold his own. Their battle in the Entrance Hall had drawn unwanted attention, forcing Severus even more onto the defensive as he tried to keep the students from harm.

And then, just when he thought that he was going to be killed, help had arrived from Potter of all people. He'd tried to distract Quirrell. For an instant, he'd thought it'd worked. But the man had been too good, recovering far too quickly and putting Severus out of the fight.

When he'd awoken two days later and learnt of the aftermath of his battle with Quirrell – that Potter had saved two Slytherins from serious harm or possibly even death, before killing Quirrell with his bare hands, not to mention the fact that Quirrell had apparently been possessed by The Dark Lord at the time – he'd been stunned.