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Of course, it didn't help matters any that they had yet to have a proper Potions lesson.

After the first, disastrous one and the three lost during Snape's trial and then dealing with its immediate consequences, there had been a week suspension due to an O.W.L. class blowing up the room on the first Monday of October. Details on the matter were still rather sketchy, but the Weasley Twins were determined to ferret out every information to be had, 'for research purposes'. Read, to recreate the effect in a controlled prank- ehm, environment.

So it was only on the second Friday of October that the Gryffindor first years had actually returned to the chilly dungeons.

By then, even the most clueless students were aware of the barely veiled hostility between Snape and Supervisor Norland; Leia had enjoyed watching covertly the forced, mockingly overdone politeness between the two.

Judging by the seething glares from Snape and the gleeful maliciousness with which the Supervisor insisted on formalities like being greeted with respect, it was easy to guess the bad blood between the two was of long standing.

Leia could only snort. That bastard had probably made enemies everywhere. With such a charming personality…

It was when Snape, after a snarled roll-call, had waved his hand at the blackboard and grunted his standard 'Instructions are on the board. Begin!' that the troubles had started.

"Excuse me, Master Snape", had interjected the Supervisor, with a poisoning sweet tone utterly belied by her vicious sneer. "I was under the impression that this was the class' first Potions lesson, yes? Wasn't the previous one interrupted, after all?"

"So?" had bit out Snape from clenched teeth.

"Are you sure the children are sufficiently prepped on lab safety?"

Leia and Sky had shared a wide-eyed look: lab safety? What was she talking about?

"I don't know what you mean", had said Snape in dangerously bland tones.

The other's face was a study in incredulity. "Are you setting the children up with dangerous tools, fires and potentially lethal cauldrons without so much as a speech on lab safety?"

Snape had sneered: "If the dunderheads can't even figure out how to not cut their fingers off they don't belong here!"

"They're eleven!"

"And considered old enough to brew!"

"No, they're considered old enough to brew under careful supervision! Are you trying to kill them, Professor?"

"How dare you!"

Leia had recognized the murderous look on Snape's face as the same one he'd had facing Lockhart at the Duelling Club, and had promptly and quietly packed up everything on her desk, absently noticing that Sky was doing the same with as much alacrity and, thankfully, everyone around them was following their lead.

They'd made it all the way to the corridor before the first hex had exploded behind them.

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, the next Tuesday, had been luckier and had managed to sit through a whole class on lab safety procedures, despite Susan reporting to the Club that Snape had been 'utterly bored and even nastier than usual'.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6685668/11/