Slytherin's Rising Star

"An apothecary, sir?" the boy replied confusedly.

He narrowed his eyes into a glare, and the boy smiled at him sheepishly.

"Or the stomach of a goat, if the apothecary ran out."

"And what is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Clearly, the boy was gaining confidence, because he answered this time without hesitation. "They're different species from the same genus, sir."

He quirked an eyebrow. So the boy had done the reading, and had successfully risen to his challenge. But the child wasn't gloating; no, he was just looking at him.

He felt something stir inside him as the boy stared up at him hopefully, with shimmering green eyes that were so unmistakably Lily's.

"That is correct. 3 points to Slytherin."

He looked at the sheet in front of him, and then back up at Miss Rowland. "This is all...from this week?"

She grimaced a bit, but nodded curtly.

Eyes trailing down the list, he stopped at:

Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter – 5 points each

He raised an eyebrow. "The Potter brat is already causing trouble, then?"

Hortense looked surprised at the question. "No sir, it was actually Malfoy who started it. From what I've gathered, Potter lied about his name when they first met and implied that he was a...muggleborn student."

Oh? What was Potter playing at?

"Ever since the welcoming feast, Malfoy's been baiting him quite avidly. Yesterday, he tossed a hex at Potter on their way back to the Common Room, but Potter dodged and disarmed him quickly, so it could have been a lot worse...to be honest, I expected him to retaliate but..."

"...but?"

"Well, sir, he just...smiled at Malfoy, and gave his wand back to him."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. So...the Potter brat was arrogant...so arrogant that he did not see Draco Malfoy as any kind of threat. And apparently, that arrogance wasn't completely unfounded.

"Anyway, they both cast spells at each other in front of students from other houses, so I had to dock points, but given the choice, I wouldn't have taken any from Potter."

Severus nodded slowly, taking the information in.

Draco was no doubt humiliated, and there was no way Lucius had raised a humble son; while he'd no doubt bide his time, he'd surely retaliate, and probably in a more public way. The Malfoy boy wouldn't stop, of course, until he managed to get the better of Potter, but given how quick Potter's reflexes apparently were, that might take some time. Until then...

"Honestly, Potter doesn't cause trouble at all. Just the opposite, really. He apologized on Malfoy's behalf, you know? Was exceptionally graceful and polite about it."

"Is that so?"

"It is, sir. Although..."

"Yes?"

"He's...very quiet."

He quirked an eyebrow. "And?"

"Well, for a boy his age he's really...withdrawn. He doesn't talk much, and when he thinks no one is looking...there's nothing. Just nothing on his face. He...sort of reminds me of Avery, in his first year, but worse."

Jordan Avery, the son of Julian Avery...a man with a violent temper and a love for for creative punishments. The former Death Eater had never outright abused his son, to the best of his knowledge, but he'd certainly terrified him quite thoroughly, and that was evident during Avery Jr.'s first year at Hogwarts. The boy had been abnormally detached and introverted...and for Miss Rowland (who had keen observational skills and impeccable instincts) to compare anyone to him...well, that was concerning.

And yet...Petunia Evans was a lot of things, but she certainly wasn't terrifying. So apparently something else was making the boy uneasy.

"Worse, you say?"

"Well sir, I wouldn't say he's any quieter than Avery was, and not quite as cautious either, it's just...he always seems fine. Too fine. Too...together for a boy his age. There's something not quite right."

So, he had a potentially psychologically troubled Potter and an angry Malfoy on his hands. Splendid.

"Keep an eye on them."

"Of course, sir."

Merlin help him. He did not want to deal with this.

"Oh, Severus!"

He turned around to find Poppy Pomfrey hurrying up to him, a worried look on her face.

"Yes, Poppy?"

"It completely slipped my mind the other day, but I had meant to tell you...young Mister Potter was in the hospital wing on Wednesday."

He frowned at her. "Did Draco Malfoy hex him?"

The woman quirked an eyebrow. "No. Is this something I have to look forward to?"

"For both our sakes, let's hope not."

She smiled a bit, but then the worried look returned to her face. "He nearly collapsed in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class."

Severus could not help the surprise that came over his face. "Collapsed? May I ask why?"

 ....

Want to read ahead by 30+ chapters then join my patreon right now.

Free members an get up to 6 free chapters if you join my pa*treon as a free member right now.

Join now before it's too late.

Link: pa*treon.com/GalaxyWonder (Remove the *)