"Potter! Quit trying to teach my class!"
"Well someone should," Harry returned with another wink. "I mean, after all you're not bothering to. Hey, is that scowl permanent? I mean I'm only asking so I know what to look forward to when I stay with the Slytherins in a few weeks to test the atmosphere of that house, so to speak."
"Potter, you insufferable know-it-all! Don't try to sully my class with your idiotic teaching methods!"
"I have a hard time understanding you, Professor Snape. On one hand you claim that Potions is the hardest of all magical studies we will have here at Hogwarts and on the other hand you besmirch my character for making it interesting to your students. If it's hard, why shouldn't it be interesting? I mean, cooking is hard but I still make that interesting."
"Potions is not cooking !" Professor Snape retorted with his anger again on the rise.
"Sure it is. Different ingredients, but overall the process is much the same."
"Potions requires exact measurements and attention to detail, brat!"
"So does cooking, you greasy bat."
The two glared at each other for a full minute as the rest of the class got very uneasy and wondered if they were going to pull wands on one another any time soon. Draco still didn't understand the winking that had gone on earlier between Potter and his godfather. Was this some sort of friendship bonding that he was unaware of? He'd have to look up winking clarifications once he got back to his room and had a chance to pull out that muggle book, Winking for Dummies .
"In fact," Harry finally broke the glaring stalemate, "I bet you don't even understand the nuances of cooking. A great big potions master who couldn't make a sandwich to save his life. Some professor you are."
"I can cook, Potter. I choose not to," Professor Snape said haughtily.
"Prove it. Put your money where your mouth is. Put up or shut up as the muggles say."
Trapped by his own tongue, Snape narrowed his eyes and seethed in anger while muttering, "And just how do you suggest I prove it? You want me to make a baloney sandwich now?"
"Hardly, potions master. A man such as yourself should have more than just rudimentary skills in sandwiches. No, I was thinking we have a cooking competition. I choose something for you to make, you choose something for me to make. Each person supplies the other person's ingredients. Agreed?"
"If I do cooking, then you have to do potions since that is, what did you say? That it is just like cooking I believe you commented."
"Agreed," Harry replied instantly.
"Two weeks from today. After classes have ended for the day. Great Hall so everyone can see the great Potter fall on his face in disgrace."
"Agreed. I'm sure we can get together a panel of impartial judges to review our work. The one with the better product will be declared the winner."
"Agreed. I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore can be persuaded to head the panel," Professor Snape said silkily since he was sure the headmaster would back his favorite potions teacher.
"Agreed. Stakes?"
"This is your idea, what do you suggest?"
"If I win, you acknowledge my prowess as an upcoming potions master in public and accord me all rights as a full apprentice. That means unrestricted access to all potion ingredients at any time."
"And if I should win this little competition of yours?"
"I will foreswear my apprenticeship in potions for the remainder of my stay here at Hogwarts."
Professor Snape deliberated it around in his mind for a few seconds before saying, "Agreed. And to show you I mean to take this competition seriously, you are to brew without fail… Veritaserum. Unless of course you wish to capitulate now?"
"In your dreams, you greasy git. That's a hard potion to brew, but I'm sure I can muddle though. You however, are to cook one of the hardest things in all creation. Well, in your world anyway."
"And what would that be, Potter? Toast?"
"Not even close. You will cook… Snickerdoodles, from scratch."
Severus Snape's face went blank as one thing went through his head: What the hell were Snickerdoodles?
....
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