Fic Rec: "Scratch" I stumbled across a marvellous fic I haven't seen recced yet, and thought I should hurry up and post it-- as soon, of course, as I manage to stop re-reading it.
Scratch, by Aucta Sinistra, is one of those Snape-tutors-Harry-in-Defence fics, but unlike the others which all too often feature bizarrely-out-of-character Snape or some sort of ridiculously obvious couple-forming gimmick, "Scratch" is wonderfully free of such things, relying on good storytelling and character interaction. As an added bonus, Harry does a bit of maturing; it is he who requests the lessons, rather than the more common "for your own good" pronouncement from Dumbledore.
Sample:
He said, "Teach me."
Snape blinked. "Why?"
"So I won't die," Harry said.
"I meant, why should I teach you?"
Harry held Snape's gaze. He'd long thought those eyes cold and full of hate; he'd never really compared them, before, to Voldemort's.
He repeated, "So I won't die."
See? HP/SS goodness. And Aucta Sinistra somehow manages that most delicate of balancing acts, that of using Harry's perspective while still subtly revealing Snape's as well. In addition, there's lots of magic, and I love Snape's version of a microwave. One warning: not Brit-picked.