Potions

I raced through the halls; dodging the bloody baron as I made my way to the dungeon. Snape had to be in his office, he just had to be. I didn't know where I would look if I was wrong. I came to an abrupt halt outside the potions classroom and knocked once before entering. I didn't announce my presence and looked around the classroom. His office; I ran to the back of the room and banged on the almost invisible door. I put my ear to the door and heard rustling and a long groan before the mellow and dangerous tone of Snape's voice came.

"What?"

Said with such malice, I was sure Snape already knew it was me. The door opened slowly and then as I got a look at the professor I realized why the voice had sounded so heated. Snape was flush and had red spots on his cheeks, his robes were skewed and he was breathing deeply not to mention the dilated pupils. I had an idea of what Snape had been doing in his office with the door locked.

"I-Oh, I missed a number in my calculations, and the solfeeks root made the solution stronger than it was supposed to be, my mistake was the adding of the Knar's tongue and Fwooper's eye. It was the wrong order I was supposed to get the Fwooper's eye and then the Knarl's tongue. I was unfocused when he just came in, it well, we need to go!"

I grabbed his wrist, my mind only going to the red head in my dorm. Snape would be the only one to know what to do. I only was able to drag him a few feet before he dug his heels in. I tugged a few times and he wrenched his wrist away from me. I watched as he moved away quickly. Ron is going to die and Snape doesn't even care. Of course he doesn't care, Snape hates Gryffindor, and what the hell was I thinking. I need his help.

"Knarl's tongue and Fwooper's eye you say? Obviously you were attempting a pathetic focus potion. What for Potter? Selling drugs in school now, you must realize that focus potions are extremely addictive-"

He moved around the room collecting this and that, here and there. I recognized pixie wing dust and Peruvian Vipertooth tear drops, but the combined materials made for a potion out of my league by leagues. A feeling similar to admiration bubbled in my stomach even as he dribbled on about how pathetic and unorthodox and illegal and revolting everything I did or had done was wrong in some abnormal way.

"Not to mention illegal it takes great skill to brew one properly. Was he convulsing when you left?"

I blinked and focused on the greasy haired professor. He had stopped talking so abruptly that it took my mind a moment to catch up to his words

"No. His eyes had turned purple and his nose was smoking…."

It sounds comical but the actuality of the situation made it unbelievably terrifying. Ron hadn't known I was brewing a potion. If I was just able to focus maybe his interruption wouldn't have distracted me.

"Well perhaps you aren't as ignorant as I had previously implicated. A bit more toad wart and you may have even succeeded in creating a passable focus brew."

The contempt aside, I'm quite certain that Snape of all people complimented me. Unused to the attention I faltered and blushed. He was right of course. As I considered the effects of toad wart I came to that conclusion. I had originally thought that less may create a less powerful brew, but with the misuse of ingredients it would take down the potency.

"Toad wart? That's fantastic! You're brilliant!"

The words unassuming in nature took a life of their own and burst forth. I could hardly conceal my glee. Snape added a dusting of grinded unicorn horn and poured the concoction into a phial and capped it. He turned to me and just looked at me I don't know what he was trying to convey but it made me stop breathing for a moment. I then looked back to his hands and watched the phial; the liquid seemed to be amber. I shudder to think of what I'll be going back to find. Ron jerking on the floor, or foaming at the mouth, or worse…

"He's in the dorm, let's go!"

I once more was without thought as I grabbed Snape, I'm holding onto his free hand as we race through the corridor and up the shifting stair well to the Fat Lady Portrait. I can't even remember running to the dungeons in the first place, or why that was my first instinct. Obviously I was correct in my assumption that Snape would help. After the war I had noticed a marked difference in his eyes. They looked less guarded; almost like he wasn't waiting for the other foot to drop now.

"Vivacitas"

Snape just watches as the portrait opens and I drag him through the hole and up to the boys' dormitories. I don't take notice of the silence that follows me bringing Snape into the Gryffindor common room. Of course as we get closer and closer to the closed door that leads to where I had been brewing my potion my dread worsens and I break out into a sweat. I could always blame it on the adrenaline or the fact that we had run from the dungeons but the truth would always be that I was absolutely terrified. My best friend was in there, his life threatened by my need to prove to myself that I could do something right. Of course keeping my passion for potions a secret probably has caused more problems than it's solved.

When the door is opened I see that Ron is now still as death on the floor, his ears are still smoking and I'm unsure whether he's dead or knocked out. The fluttering of now orange eyes makes my heart jump into my throat. He's still conscious, thank Bloody freaking Merlin!

"Ah, just in time, quickly Potter; tilt his head back."

I rush to my best friends' side eyes glued to his not yet convulsing form. My hand slides under his neck to prop him as Snape uncaps the phial and kneels down next to Ron. He slowly pours the concoction down Ron's throat and I hold my breath. I look to Snape; he studies Ron's body and pulls his eyelids open. The color slowly changes back to normal and I breathe a sigh in relief. Snape's eyes snap to mine and he swiftly stands walking to the door.

I'm not quite sure what he plans to do. Ron still needs to recover and Snape is always up to putting Gryffindor on the chopping block. Why pass up the opportunity? I underestimate the greasy git as he snatches one of the passing first years Finley I think and tells him to get the Headmistress and Madame Pomphrey. I gaze back to my friend and smile as he opens his eyes to look at me.

"Harry? What happened?"

I shook my head, eyes wide. I felt so relieved I couldn't put any of my rushing thoughts into physical form. Speechless; I looked to Snape for guidance. He silently nodded and looked at Ron; still pale as a ghost.

"You seemed to have ingested some of Mister Potter's brew. Had he not rushed for my aid he may have well have killed you."

Snape smirked at me and I looked at Ron's expression. His face looked shocked as he tried to recall what exactly had happened. I myself wasn't quite sure. The potion exploded when Ron walked in and I guess I was just lucky enough to have been far enough away to not get it on me.

"I'm just glad you're alright"

Ron just shook his head and tried to sit up. He without delay fell backwards and my hand stopped the shock of the fall. Hitting you're head right after receiving an antidote to a potion that almost sent you to the grave. Not good. Ron would need rest no doubt to aid in his recovery.

"RON! You need to just lay still!"

I hushed him and cushioned his head in my lap and pushed his matted and sweat soaked hair out of his face. He needed to just relax. It's not every day that you go through an ordeal of this nature. Ron's a stubborn fellow though and now that he was out of immediate danger he would refused to go to the hospital wing. Madame Pomphrey would insist and…

"Oh my god! Ron!"

Hermione is standing the doorway; she glances over to Snape who is standing still with his hands clasped in front. Her eyes dart between the three of us before settling on the Professor. Hermione was always one to know who she had to speak to first in a room.

"Sir, pardon my intrusion, but may I ask what has happened?"

Professor Snape lowered his gaze to the frazzle haired girl. He sighed and shifted slightly to the left; away from her. He briefly glanced at me and sneered as he once more explained, in the same manner he had to Ron; what had happened. Paying attention that is my problem. I just need to read the instructions more carefully. Maybe if I tried again I'd be able to pay attention in class long enough to pick up some of the technique that Professor Snape had used in saving Ron. I slowly shifted Ron from myself and stood making my way to Hermione. She looked at me, confused. Of course she would be confused. Why of all people was I brewing a potion. Why in all places a dorm where anyone could walk in at anytime.

"Harry?"

"I know. I'm so sorry."

She furrows her brow but then smiles. I'm at least forgiven by her. I look back to Ron who is now rubbing his head while trying to move it as little as possible. Why am I so stupid? What is wrong with me? I thought that maybe, but no, that was wrong. I looked to Snape as he sighed and stuck his head out of the door. He was obviously anxious to be out of the Gryffindor commons. I smirked at him before remembering that I had dragged him in here. This reminded me what he had been doing before I had needed his expertise, and I felt the burn of my cheeks as I thought of it. I averted my eyes quickly and instead decided to focus on Ron; he rolled his eyes and grinned at me.

He made me smile. I really don't deserve friends like this. What does a guy have to do to have people doubt him? Not that I want doubt, or for them to hate me. No, that would be horrid. No Hermione to tell me that I needed to enunciate, no Ron to make me laugh after a lecturing on said enunciating. As much as keeping this from them had been difficult it will be even harder to admit it to someone other than myself. The truth as to why I even decided to brew the luppiter potion was to test my skill. It is of course a high level potion that few masters are able to brew, it much like the polyjuice potion takes quite a while to brew and I had just reached one of the final stages before the potion would be ready. That's the main reason I moved it to the dorm. It has to be watched overnight and stirred anticlockwise twice and clockwise fifteen times when it turns emerald. If it after that turns to a more sky blue color the maker has succeeded. I was so close.

"Mister Potter,"

I looked up to see Snape looking at me. His eyes held both a level of confusion and admiration. That must be wrong. Snape would never consider anything that I've done to be admirable on any level. The only thing I've ever done that was great was the defeat of Voldemort.

"I would like to speak with you in my office on Friday, shall we say 7' o clock?"

It wasn't a question and I acquiesced with ease. Of course he would want to discipline me for my reckless behavior. Heck, I want to discipline myself. Maybe the throwing of my body off of the astronomy tower would suffice? It's not like it would kill me. Just injure. I probably shouldn't think like that. I have to be whole so I can pass my NEWTs and do something with my life. Ron mentioned one that I don't need a job; that with my name and money I could just live off of that. Hermione and Ron got into a bit of an argument over the importance of education. I kind of sided with Hermione. I don't like being famous for the two-time defeat of Voldemort. I know I did what I had to but that doesn't mean that it didn't change me.

I looked up from the bottom of Snape robes; where my eyes had wondered as my mind did. Madame Pomphrey and McGonagall rushed through the room past Hermione and Professor Snape. McGonagall's eyes wide as she stopped, her sharp gaze swooped the room and landed on the Potions Professor.

"Severus, what in the world is going on?"

He bowed his head and his gaze met hers. I can't imagine that he won't tell the truth. He despises me, I know that there hasn't been any confrontation this year but I just think that's his way of thanking me for almost dying. Potions Class has been relatively quiet, the Slytherin's have lost quite a few friends and the Gryffindor's are still in mourning.

"Mister Potter has been practicing his potion making. He, like an utter idiot, didn't follow the instructions and put the ingredients in, in the wrong order. Mister Weasley came in as it exploded."

McGonagall nodded her eyes narrowing. She opened her mouth and just gave a large and frustrated sigh. I know that I've disappointed her. I do that often enough with everyone. They expect so much from me and I just can't live up to that. Not anymore.

"I've already decided on a punishment and Potter will be in my office to discuss it tomorrow night."

As headmistress McGonagall could make this either much worse or much better. But she has a streak of being as strict as she is devoted to Hogwarts.

"25 points from Gryffindor for the misuse of the boys' dormitory"

She gave a firm nod to reassure herself and walked over to Pomphrey and Ron. I snapped my eyes to Snape's and couldn't help but want to question why he had yet to take any points. He took a deep breath before excusing himself and leaving the room. Back to the dungeons I suppose. I looked back to Ron who was now standing and arguing with Pomphrey.

"I feel fine now!"

"You need to be watched over night, you've had quite the scare."

"But I feel FINE!"

"Someone has to make sure that your recovery goes smoothly."

"Why can't Harry just do it?"

She looked over to me as if sizing me up.

"I suppose, if he watched you…"

I nodded vigorously of course; I would do anything for Ron. She pursued her lips and nodded stiffly. She wanted to mother Ron back to health of course and was unhappy with the fact that he would have none of it. He got enough of that at home. McGonagall just watched making sure that Ron was in fact fit enough to stay in the Tower.

"I see that you have it covered here and I have a faculty meeting in ten minutes. Pomphrey will you be joining us?"

They left shortly and Hermione stopped fussing over Ron long enough to give me a confused gaze. I shrugged, knowing why I did it but not wanting to discuss it quite yet.

"We will be talking about this."

I nodded slowly and sat on my bed. Ron gave me an amused look before following Hermione out of the dorm. He had mentioned something about an essay for Herbology earlier today. I stared down at my hands. If I had just practiced more or even just read the instructions more than once. I wanted to be talented in something other than Quiddich. I can toss a spell around here and there but potion making takes more than just magic.

I've always wanted to be good at potions but with Snape constantly breathing down my neck during class the wonder of it was lost and replaced with a dread of seeing the Professor. But Snape was fine this year, and sixth year made him really appreciate the fine art of potion making. Snape knew he had used his book but hadn't mentioned it since the incident with Draco. I winced as I thought of cutting spell. That had been horrible a spell doing something like that to someone. It was just wrong. I shouldn't have used a spell that I didn't understand. I know that now.

Sighing I leaned back in the bed my head hanging off the side now. I stared at the ceiling and remembered that a lot of good could come out of magic and Draco had been patched up and was fine because of Snape and his potions. It always came back to that, never really left it in the first place. Closing my eyes I tried to remember what ingredients Professor Snape had used to fix Ron. I couldn't practice my potion making any longer of course. Hermione knew something was up and Ron wouldn't be able to keep her distracted for very long. I sat back up and gathered my PJs, I would need to quit. No more potion making. No more long hours of brewing and no more cutting the ingredients with my precise blade and no more stirring anti and regular clockwise. I'm done.