A/N: Of course, I don't own any of the HP characters, they belong to the brilliant JKRowling. I do, however, own the plot and any original characters...but I really doubt you'd want to steal those ;). This takes place after book four...which, *sigh* I haven't read because...well, c'mon $28 bucks in hardback is a bit much to spring for...espeically for a financially strapped sixteen year old, so excuse the inconsistencies. In other words, the 'rents don't want to support my HP obession...because, let's face it, you know you're obsessed if you're writing HP fan fiction. The reason I'm putting it after the 4th book, is because it would be really weird to write about the fourth year when it's already been written about (if that made any sense at all *sigh*). Anyway, enjoy...comments welcome, flames...uh...hey, if you hate it that much, just stop reading. Oh! And this is my first adventure in the wide realm of Harry Potter fan fiction, so be kind! *waves*
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CHAPTER ONE
With a sigh, Harry sat down, his plate flopping onto the table. Monday mornings never did agree with him. He looked at Ron, who was slumped over his muffin, a scowl on his face.
"Morning!" Hermione chirped, lightly sitting next to Ron.
"What are you so happy about?" Ron mumbled, sitting up a little. Hermione shrugged, a grin still on her face. Harry arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"I really don't feel like facing another Potions class today," Ron said, poking at tray. Harry nodded.
"I barely made it through last nights homework...I doubt any of it's right," he scowled. Hermione's grin faded.
"It wasn't that bad," she said, "If you two had paid more attention in class, it would have been a breeze."
"I do pay attention," Ron said sourly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ron, you barely managed to keep your eyes open...and sometimes, I swear you can sleep sitting up."
"Well, maybe if his class was more interesting..." Ron muttered.
"And we didn't have it with Slytherin," Harry added. Hermione had no response to that. Having potions with Slytherin was a strange sort of torture, espeically with Snape's pet in the class. Hermione was genearlly beloved by all her teachers. All, of course, excpet Snape, who seemed to loathe her very existence based simply on the fact she was a part of Gryfindor and friends with Harry Potter.
"Well, we've been in his class for four years, you'd think by now we could handle him," Harry sighed. Hermione started into an overview of the last two weeks in potions, her book and notes spread across the table. Harry noticed Ron get even more sleepy eyed and secretly hoped his friend didn't collapse on the table, snoring, because Hermione would more than likely clobber him to death.
Just as it was really starting to get good, and Hermione was about to reach the peak of her lecture, Pansy Parkinson walked by with another Slytherin. She was almost screaming as she walked by and stopped abruptly right next to the Gryffindors, watching them out of the corner of her eye.
"Did you hear about the Hufflepuff?" she asked slowly. The other girl shook her head.
"No...what happened?"
"Well, she's in our year, Philomena Bell, and her mother just married Fiona's father!" Pansy exclaimed. Harry looked to Ron who looked to Hermione. The point of the two girls conversation was basically lost on the three of them, until Hermione perked up a little.
"You mean Fiona Batterwall?" the other Slytherin asked.
"Yeah...can you believe it? A Hufflepuff mudblood and a Slytherin...related! It's an outrage! Draco nearly croaked when she annouced it last night," Pansy said absently. The two girls walked off. Harry looked at Ron.
"What was the point of that?" he asked.
"Who knows," Ron muttered. Hermione bit her lip.
"Philomena Bell is in my Arithamancy class," Hermione said.
"So?"
"So, she's smart, but a bit of a...well...a clutz. She broke her remembrall the second day she had it because she forgot she had it in her robes while riding her broom. I can't see her and a Slytherin getting along...at all!" Hermione said, frowning.
"Do you think her father's a...you know...a...a-"
"Probably," Hermione said. Fiona Batterwall was a pushy, tall, predatory girl that stalked around Hogwarts like a restless beast. Her father was rich, and it was well known that anyone in Slytherin was NOT of muggle decent. Also, Batterwall had been a part of the Voldemort following and no doubt, a Death Eater.
"Wow...why?" Ron stumbled.
"Why what?" Harry asked. Hermione blushed. She knew what Ron was getting at.
"I think her father was a muggle."
"Geez, talk about an evil step family," Ron breathed. Classes would soon start, so the three got up and headed for Potions. Harry couldn't help the sigh that escaped as they descended the steps, into the dungeon. He felt bad for Philomena, even if he didn't know her. But, he wondered why Pansy would make it a point to have their conversation right in front of the Gryffindor table. He rolled his eyes and figured it was just Pansy looking for more attention, negative or positive, it didn't really matter to her.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat towards the back of the classroom. Ron and Harry looked like they were about to fall asleep and Snape had only walked to the front of the classroom. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were nearby, smirks firmly in place, as usual.
Fiona walked in a few paces behind Harry and went to sit with Pansy. The trademark Slytherin smirk was somehow missing from her face and she almost looked awkward as she sat down next to Pansy. Nobody turned to say hello, in fact, the others were almost ignoring her. Hermione watched as she was shunned by her fellow peers, simply because her father had married a woman who had a daughter that was a mudblood. She shuddered at the word. Fiona's momentary discomfort, however, was soon covered by a smooth, dispassionate smirk as she shifted her robes in her seat and started looking for her parchment with last night's homework on it. Pansy finally turned towards the other girl and managed a small attempt at a smile.
"Is that Fiona?" Ron asked following Hermione's gaze. She nodded.
"Seems like the others aren't too happy about the new wedding arrangement," she said. "Oh, they'll get over it," Ron mumbled, fumbling around with his bag, looking for a quill.
Snape cleared his throat and the class became silent. Harry settled into his seat, preparing for another day of Potions, and silently hoping he didn't cost Gryffindor anymore than five points today, as Snape custumarly tried his hardest to find something wrong with Harry to deduct points.
Snape reached down and picked up a vile containing a strange green mixture. He looked at it and slowly turned to the class.
"This," he started, "is Verliv. A powerful potion used to cure numerous ailments. When mixed properly, it can do only good, when mixed improperly, it can be deadly."
The class watched with silent rapture as he produced another vile, this one with a darker shade of green, and bubbling slightly. He let a drop fall onto the table below him and, with a hiss, it started to eat through the parchment. He picked up the paper and disposed of it with a slight sigh. Turning back to the class, he looked directly toward Neville Longbottom.
"So, I suggest you use caution and pay special attention as I demonstrate."
Snape started listing ingrediants and rambling off instructions. Hermione was frantically taking down notes and Ron and Harry were each scrawling down bits and pieces, hoping that between the two of them, they could get it all down. With only a few minutes before the class was over, Snape gazed around at his classroom.
"And one more thing, this will take the entire year to make. This is only step one," he said with a sneer that must have been meant as a smile.
Harry and Ron let out a sigh and started gathering their things. The three filed out of the room, dejectedly muttering about how awful the rest of the year would be and how impossible the potion was.
"Let's see you bad you screw this one up, Potter," Draco said, sauntering by. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Probably not as bad as you," he said, then sighed. Of the hundreds of comebacks that had been rolling around in his head, he had picked the lamest one possible. Draco arched an eyebrow and sneared.
"We'll see."
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CHAPTER ONE
With a sigh, Harry sat down, his plate flopping onto the table. Monday mornings never did agree with him. He looked at Ron, who was slumped over his muffin, a scowl on his face.
"Morning!" Hermione chirped, lightly sitting next to Ron.
"What are you so happy about?" Ron mumbled, sitting up a little. Hermione shrugged, a grin still on her face. Harry arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"I really don't feel like facing another Potions class today," Ron said, poking at tray. Harry nodded.
"I barely made it through last nights homework...I doubt any of it's right," he scowled. Hermione's grin faded.
"It wasn't that bad," she said, "If you two had paid more attention in class, it would have been a breeze."
"I do pay attention," Ron said sourly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ron, you barely managed to keep your eyes open...and sometimes, I swear you can sleep sitting up."
"Well, maybe if his class was more interesting..." Ron muttered.
"And we didn't have it with Slytherin," Harry added. Hermione had no response to that. Having potions with Slytherin was a strange sort of torture, espeically with Snape's pet in the class. Hermione was genearlly beloved by all her teachers. All, of course, excpet Snape, who seemed to loathe her very existence based simply on the fact she was a part of Gryfindor and friends with Harry Potter.
"Well, we've been in his class for four years, you'd think by now we could handle him," Harry sighed. Hermione started into an overview of the last two weeks in potions, her book and notes spread across the table. Harry noticed Ron get even more sleepy eyed and secretly hoped his friend didn't collapse on the table, snoring, because Hermione would more than likely clobber him to death.
Just as it was really starting to get good, and Hermione was about to reach the peak of her lecture, Pansy Parkinson walked by with another Slytherin. She was almost screaming as she walked by and stopped abruptly right next to the Gryffindors, watching them out of the corner of her eye.
"Did you hear about the Hufflepuff?" she asked slowly. The other girl shook her head.
"No...what happened?"
"Well, she's in our year, Philomena Bell, and her mother just married Fiona's father!" Pansy exclaimed. Harry looked to Ron who looked to Hermione. The point of the two girls conversation was basically lost on the three of them, until Hermione perked up a little.
"You mean Fiona Batterwall?" the other Slytherin asked.
"Yeah...can you believe it? A Hufflepuff mudblood and a Slytherin...related! It's an outrage! Draco nearly croaked when she annouced it last night," Pansy said absently. The two girls walked off. Harry looked at Ron.
"What was the point of that?" he asked.
"Who knows," Ron muttered. Hermione bit her lip.
"Philomena Bell is in my Arithamancy class," Hermione said.
"So?"
"So, she's smart, but a bit of a...well...a clutz. She broke her remembrall the second day she had it because she forgot she had it in her robes while riding her broom. I can't see her and a Slytherin getting along...at all!" Hermione said, frowning.
"Do you think her father's a...you know...a...a-"
"Probably," Hermione said. Fiona Batterwall was a pushy, tall, predatory girl that stalked around Hogwarts like a restless beast. Her father was rich, and it was well known that anyone in Slytherin was NOT of muggle decent. Also, Batterwall had been a part of the Voldemort following and no doubt, a Death Eater.
"Wow...why?" Ron stumbled.
"Why what?" Harry asked. Hermione blushed. She knew what Ron was getting at.
"I think her father was a muggle."
"Geez, talk about an evil step family," Ron breathed. Classes would soon start, so the three got up and headed for Potions. Harry couldn't help the sigh that escaped as they descended the steps, into the dungeon. He felt bad for Philomena, even if he didn't know her. But, he wondered why Pansy would make it a point to have their conversation right in front of the Gryffindor table. He rolled his eyes and figured it was just Pansy looking for more attention, negative or positive, it didn't really matter to her.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat towards the back of the classroom. Ron and Harry looked like they were about to fall asleep and Snape had only walked to the front of the classroom. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were nearby, smirks firmly in place, as usual.
Fiona walked in a few paces behind Harry and went to sit with Pansy. The trademark Slytherin smirk was somehow missing from her face and she almost looked awkward as she sat down next to Pansy. Nobody turned to say hello, in fact, the others were almost ignoring her. Hermione watched as she was shunned by her fellow peers, simply because her father had married a woman who had a daughter that was a mudblood. She shuddered at the word. Fiona's momentary discomfort, however, was soon covered by a smooth, dispassionate smirk as she shifted her robes in her seat and started looking for her parchment with last night's homework on it. Pansy finally turned towards the other girl and managed a small attempt at a smile.
"Is that Fiona?" Ron asked following Hermione's gaze. She nodded.
"Seems like the others aren't too happy about the new wedding arrangement," she said. "Oh, they'll get over it," Ron mumbled, fumbling around with his bag, looking for a quill.
Snape cleared his throat and the class became silent. Harry settled into his seat, preparing for another day of Potions, and silently hoping he didn't cost Gryffindor anymore than five points today, as Snape custumarly tried his hardest to find something wrong with Harry to deduct points.
Snape reached down and picked up a vile containing a strange green mixture. He looked at it and slowly turned to the class.
"This," he started, "is Verliv. A powerful potion used to cure numerous ailments. When mixed properly, it can do only good, when mixed improperly, it can be deadly."
The class watched with silent rapture as he produced another vile, this one with a darker shade of green, and bubbling slightly. He let a drop fall onto the table below him and, with a hiss, it started to eat through the parchment. He picked up the paper and disposed of it with a slight sigh. Turning back to the class, he looked directly toward Neville Longbottom.
"So, I suggest you use caution and pay special attention as I demonstrate."
Snape started listing ingrediants and rambling off instructions. Hermione was frantically taking down notes and Ron and Harry were each scrawling down bits and pieces, hoping that between the two of them, they could get it all down. With only a few minutes before the class was over, Snape gazed around at his classroom.
"And one more thing, this will take the entire year to make. This is only step one," he said with a sneer that must have been meant as a smile.
Harry and Ron let out a sigh and started gathering their things. The three filed out of the room, dejectedly muttering about how awful the rest of the year would be and how impossible the potion was.
"Let's see you bad you screw this one up, Potter," Draco said, sauntering by. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Probably not as bad as you," he said, then sighed. Of the hundreds of comebacks that had been rolling around in his head, he had picked the lamest one possible. Draco arched an eyebrow and sneared.
"We'll see."