My first lesson was with Severus. Thank the gods, someone I knew.

The problem was that I didn't know where my class was and no one was around to guide me. I tried to summon the spirit of Hermes to help me out but sadly it didn't work like that. Finally after much wandering around I figured out that potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons.

It was much colder there than up in the main castle and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jar sall around the walls. Why were wizards so weird? Yeah Uncle Hades might have the souls of the damned woven into his underwear but at least he didn't have a mutilated row of frogs hanging from the ceiling like some Christmas decorations.

Severus started the class by taking attendance but like at the Sorting Ceremony, he skipped over my name until the end. Come on, don't tell me wizards messed up the alphabet too! J is in the middle not the end!

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "and of course Percy Jackson, our newest celebrity from America."

Some first years sniggered and pointed their fingers as if I couldn't see. Then again, I was a seventeen year old in a class of twelve year olds. What else could I have expected. They probably thought I got held back at that Ilvermorny place like eight times.

Severus was an ass but at Camp Half-Blood he was at least nice ass. He really was a good guy under all his assery. But not here. His eyes were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. I realized that the man who I considered my friend had transformed into a completely different person. Severus and Snape. Was that going to happen to me if I stayed here too long?

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, butI caught every word, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort, one Severus never possessed. At Camp he couldn't even keep the Apollo cabin quiet for more than ten minutes.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. You could see a few first years exchanged glances. The Ravenclaw, Morgan, was already on the edge of her seat, ready to prove herself.

"Jackson!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if i added a mixture of rhododendron, tansy, and crab blossom to an infusion of begonia?"

A what of what to who? I looked around the room. Thankfully everyone else looked stumped so I wasn't just stupid. Morgan's hand had shot into the air.

"Tartarus if I know. Only word I understood was crab." I said.Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut – the West clearly isn't everything. And refrain from using that language in my class again or else, detention." He ignored Morgans hand.

"Let's try again. Jackson, where would you look if I told you to find me an opah fish?"

Morgan stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but I was confident in this one. After all, I was the son of Poseidon.

"Obviously a body of water. It's a fish after all."

"Think you're so clever, eh, Jackson?" I forced myself to keep looking straight into those coldeyes. It was really hard to keep a straight face. I almost burst towards the end.

Snape was still ignoring Morgans quivering hand. "What is the difference, Jackson, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Morgan stood up, her hand stretching towards the dungeon ceiling.

"Is that a trick question? I feel like that's a trick question. They're the same aren't they?"

Snape sneered and looked down at me. "You got lucky on that one Jackson, let's hope luck can get you through my class. Remember, you're supposed to catch up to the fifth years. I doubt you could even pass this class in your whole Hogwarts... experience." He spoke in a slow monotone voice that made me think of the British male Siri voice.

Snape put us all into pairs and set us to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak like Dracula, watching us weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticising everyone. I got partnered up with some Slytherin first year who I didn't know.

"Be careful of him, my mom says he can be real nasty. She went to school with him so she knows."

"Oh trust me," I said crushing up snake fangs like some serial killer, "I know."

After the bell had rung and all the first years ran out of the dungeon, I stayed to talk to Snape.

"What do you want now, Jackson?" He was reading some book with a skull on the front. That was all I needed to know.

"You can stop pretending now." I pushed some scrolls off his desk and plopped down on top of it. He didn't even glance up.

"I have no idea what you mean Jackson. Now please get off my desk."

"Oh bullshit. You're being an ass and acting like you don't know me. Do you suffer from dementia or some other wizard crap?"

He sighed and put the book down. With a flick of his wand the stone door to the potions room slammed shut and he plopped down on the desk right next to me. "No one except for the Order and Potter know why you're really here. Do you really want him to know?"

"If by him you mean my grandfather, than I could give a rats ass. What's he going to do, smell me out? Isn't he scared to death of Dumbledore?"

"You don't know what he's capable of. To what measures he'll go to. Understand that I'm doing this to protect you."

At this I jumped off the table. "Protect me? You're being an ass to protect me? How does that make any sense?"

"Jackson..."

"No don't Jackson me! And Harry? I've heard how cruel you are to him! Are you just trying to protect him too?"

"Jackson."

"You know there are other ways right? Ways that don't include verbal abuse? Is Voldemort so scary that only your assery can scare him off and save us?"

"Jackson!"

"Oh go play with your chemistry set Severus! By the way, Bill Nye is a way better teacher than you! He would never treat his students like this!"

"Percy!" But I was already gone, and I was fuming.

Do you guys like Snape? Let me know! Here's another corona meme! (I didn't feel like cropping it so there you go, I'm a Redditor. You caught me.)