What if

Shit hits the fan

Warning: Dursleys are not winning "Relatives of the Year" award, and Severus gets a bit darker than we are used to.

That being said, I'm rather happy how this chapter turned out, so I hope you will enjoy it too^^

#-&-HP-&-#

"Professor, I need help," Snape turned surprised at being called by Kathryn. He was ignoring her the whole lesson, never once addressing her. He didn't trust himself to act as a teacher and not like blushing schoolboy around her, so he simply avoided her. Kathryn, however, seemed to be discontented with the lack of attention and was boring a hole in him with her intense gaze. But Snape didn't need to be checking on her. She knew the topic for today's potion very well. Her essay was pretty much flawless, so Severus had no doubt, she will deliver a very good sample again.

"What is it, Miss Riley?" he asked calmly as he approached her desk. He could already tell, that she was doing everything correctly by the color and consistency of the potion.

"Uhm..." she fidgeted licking her lips, clearly searching for an excuse why she called him. Severus found himself mildly amused by her lack of composure.

"I'm not sure, whether I should add a little bit of extra Arnica for the potency," she glanced at him uncertainly, checking if he got the bait. He didn't. Snape raised an eyebrow at her and gave her his best "Seriously?" look.

"Miss Riley, I suggest you check your OWN essay to answer that question. You described quite well, what are the consequences of overindulging with Arnica," he replied shaking his head slightly at her poor excuse at playing dumb. Kathryn flushed, realizing her blunder.

"Five points from Gryffindor for wasting my time, Riley," he sneered victoriously, earning himself a glare from half of the classroom. Kathryn blushed a deeper crimson, from both embarrassment and anger.

Perfect! Snape smirked with satisfaction at his own power to get back at her. He was sure Riley had rarely points taken from her. The daring girl could certainly benefit from a bit of bullying.

She didn't call him again or really looked at him at all for the rest of the class, clearly smarting from the undeserved point loss. She delivered her sample, lifting her chin in defiance, her face a picture of a sulky teenager. Severus smirked, silently daring her to voice her argument. She didn't. She put the vial on Snape's desk with just enough attitude to show her displeasure, but not enough to earn any repercussions, and stormed out of the classroom. Her potion was of the best again.

Her next essay, however, was full of errors. Snape had to check several times, whether it was, in fact, Kathryn's essay. Why would she make so many stupid mistakes? From what he had seen so far, it was quite unlike her to write such sloppy work. Was this her way of showing defiance or did she actually struggle with this particular potion? It was not unlike even the very best students to make mistakes, they were there to learn after all. It was the amount and level of those mistakes, that made Severus question the legitimacy of the essay.

He decided not to correct it and pretend that her work was flawless as usual. If she follows her own instructions, her potion will be ruined already halfway through. If that happens he will explain her mistakes and let her redo the potion once more. But if she delivered sloppy work on purpose...

...

Severus gave out everyone's essays, stealthily checking Riley's reaction. Was there a tinge of surprise, or did he imagine it? Well, he will know by the end of the lesson for sure.

He walked among the students, correcting minor mistakes, questioning teenagers on various ingredients compatibility and giving subtle hints on how to make the potion better. He approached Kathryn's desk to see her progress. The girl was following her own recipe so far, which was correct. But now she lowered the heat of the cauldron to a simmer and according to her notes should add a teaspoon of Lobalug Venom, except that would ruin the potion, making the cauldron to boil over.