The noises came so regularly Severus could time his potions by them. Six slivers of wormwood, stir clockwise thrice, and then came two thumps against the cupboard door. Add a drop of bullsap, mix in crushed spider legs, and wait for the moan. By then, the potion would have changed color.
Severus hated when Potter and his latest conquest abused the potions cupboard. The ingredients were delicate and didn’t deserve to be exposed to that cad’s arse.
But Severus wasn’t going to grass, and he watched under hooded eyes as James Potter escorted the Hufflepuff girl past him with a wink and a rakish grin.
Severus went back to his potion, as he did every night, and repeated his pledge to himself: don’t ask, don’t tell, and maybe Potter would take him into the cupboard next time.
End