"You mean my old Potions book didn't teach you everything you needed to know?" Severus asked with a smirk. But then he shook his head. It wasn't as if he could take the book with him everywhere he went, after all, and especially not to his qualification exams.
He wasn't about to address not getting through the battle -- because in a way, here, he had -- but he couldn't help noticing the flush that rose into Harry's cheeks at that admission. Using his influence to get him a job in the Auror Department? He never thought he'd see the (hypothetical) day. Harry really had done an about-face with regard to his opinion. "Thank you," he said quietly, nodding once more, and much to his surprise, his own cheeks suddenly began to feel a bit warm.