Hidden Reality
Well, nothing you recognize belongs to me, and most of the concepts belong to JK Rowling (awesome writer that she is).
Anyways, this takes Place about mid-fifth year, at the point where Harry's siding with Hermione is the Ron/ Hermione/ Lavlav affair. This is not a pro-Ronnikins story, so if that's what you're looking for, I appologize but this is not what you should be reading. This is a manipulative Dumbles tale as well, so.. You have been warned! Dolores is here, and up to now everything's been like in the original books, and if some previous event was different, it will be specificlly mentioned. Mr Weasly hasn't been attacked yet either, and Dolores is starting to make her move!
Hope you enjoy!
Severus Tobias Snape was not in a good mood. That much was obvious to Harry the moment he set foot in the dungeons, heading towards a gloomy morning of double potions.
At least, if the loud curses coming from the potions classroom at the end of the hall were anything to go by.
Harry glanced sideways, catching Hermione's eye, and they sighed. She paused for a second, readjusted her bag on her shoulder, and boldly continued marching towards the door like a true Gryffindor, as though she hadn't a fear in the world. Harry smiled slightly as he watched her, glad to have rekindled a spark of the old Hermione; the one who wasn't broken because of witnessing too many scenes where Ron would go at it with Lavender.
No, this Hermione had double potions, and was going to learn enough to pass her OWLs regardless of the teacher's mood, or so help any poor soul who happened across her path.
Gathering his own courage, Harry followed her in.
He sighed softly as he dropped his bag onto the cold marble slab besides a large silver cauldron, and rummaged through his bag in search of his potions kit and textbooks. Besides him, Mione was contemplating the rather unusual presence of the silver cauldrons - usually Snape only put out steel or iron ones. There were very few potions that required being brewed inside pure silver, and very few of those were taught before NEWTs for fear that some dunderheaded student would cause the rather rare cauldron's to melt or explode.
He exchanged a glance with Hermione as the door that led to Snape's private quarters was viciously flung open, slamming into the wall with enough force to rattle the carefully arranged potions stacked neatly on the shelves. That would explain his foul mood. There was a rather realistic chance that poor Neville would indeed manage to ruin one of the precious cauldron's this class.
"Wonder what we're brewing," Hermione muttered softly, still eying the cauldron besides them with curiosity.
After a few awkward moments where they shifted uneasily in the seats while Snape glowered at the clock, glanced at them briefly, and then continued glaring at the clock. Snape had most recently taken to ignoring Harry completely, and honestly it was the best arrangement for the class they'd reached to date. Harry's potions were significantly improving without having to endure a constant string of disapproval while he tried to work, and without Ron's sloppy habits to mess them up, although not quite on par with Hermione's, they were close. This seemed to prolong his respite from Snape's torment, and thus they'd reached an unspoken agreement.
Harry avoided Ron and applied himself, and Snape left him alone.
Eventually the chatter of approaching students drifted down the hall, breaking the awkward silence that floated around the room. The two friends stiffened, eying Snape's stony face cautiously.
This would be ... Interesting.
'Genetic tree revelototum' appeared on the board with a flick of Snape's wand, and Hermione's shoulders sagged slightly. Deciding it would be prudent to avoid speaking at the moment, Harry took a couple deep breaths and focused on calming his thoughts, entering the mind realm. Hermione had been doing some extra reading in the library at the start of the year, and had stumbled across the concepts of occlumency and legitemency. Needing someone to practice with, she and Harry had both taughto themselves the basics, and took it in turns to attack each other's mind - strengthening simultaneously their legitemency and the other's defensive walls.
But it had the added advantage of them being able to communicate with each other non-verbally, and to have learned to recognize when someone endeavored to enter their head.
Harry gathered himself and sent a tendril of thought to bush against the shields of his sister in all but blood. Recognizing his magical signature, Hermione lowered her walls to accept the wispy thought.
"Mione? What's wrong?"
Harry heard the small mental chuckle she released, having left his mind open a he awaited her reply.
"'Genetic tree revelototum' does exactly what you'd expect; reveals your entire magical ancestry."
"Right." Harry felt slightly guilty for being excited about learning more about his family, knowing that of course, being muggleborn, for Hermione such a potion would be a rather pointless waste of time and ingredients.
"Harry James Potter!" Whoops, he'd left his shields down.
"Alright, alright." he thought back cutting her off before she could really get started. "But Mione, I mean who knows? You could be a decedent from a very long line of squibs of something!"
There was a slight pause, and Harry cut the connection as Snape began to stand. Hermione's eyes now held a glint of excitement that had been previously lacking.
Ron stumbled in the door just before it slammed shut behind him, tearing his robe slightly in the process. Harry reflected briefly that Hermione sneering in contempt was not exactly a comforting sight.
"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape snarled.
Harry struggled to hide a grin. After all, he didn't want the other Gryffindors to tear him apart - but at this point anything that made Ron unhappy pleased Harry's less public vindictive side to no end. Not being on speaking terms with the red head since he'd purposefully crushed his Mione had given them both a bit of distance and a chance to observe that he really was a complete idiot, not to mention git.
Hermione rolled her eyes slightly at Harry, and he didn't need legitemency to read that phrase. 'Wonder why were ever friends' indeed! And a tinge of 'Oh my God, I really don't know what I ever saw in him!'
Harry grinned.
The old Hermione was back.
"One powdered unicorn hair... Turn thrice clockwise, and we're done!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry quickly dowsed the flames under their joint simmering cauldron.
They grinned at each other; the potion was perfect and they knew it. It was impossible not to feel pleased - the silver liquid almost indistinguishable from the delicate cauldron that surrounded it.
"Well, well." Snape's voice startled the two, his quiet approach from behind had gone unnoticed. They turned around nervously, waiting for the snide remarks to start. It was the first time this year Snape had actually acknowledged either of their presence's in the room.
But Snape merely nodded and moved on, leaving Harry and Hermione to stare after him in slight surprise. "Did he really just.."
Hermione blinked owlishly. "I think he did."
"Equivalent of three hearty cheers, huh?" Harry mused, completely thrown.
They sat back, observing their classmates' efforts as they had a bit of time to spare. Harry carefully drew and set aside two flasks of the silver liquid for use, and picked up the pins Snape had handed out at the beginning of the lesson.
Poor Neville's cauldron now resembled an indistinct pile of ashen mush, and Snape's shoulders seemed to sag in defeat as he made his way over to the mess, banishing it all without a word.
"Ready?" Harry asked, pulling Hermione back to the task at hand. Snape had stressed that it was a Hogwarts requirement that everyone complete this potion and discover their family trees, and muggleborns were expected to participate as well. After all, you never knew.
Snape had said some rather interesting discoveries had been made in this fifth year class in the past.
"Yep," she replied, popping the 'p' slightly. Together, they opened their pins and pressed it gently into the tip of their index finger until three drops of ruby red blood fell into the vials they'd placed on the desk.
Immediately, both vials turned crystal clear, and teens sighed in relief.
"Episky" Harry muttered at both their fingers, healing the torn tissues.
"Stop." Snape's voice rang through the air, and everyone obediently put their wands down as he surveyed the damage. "Since everyone is required to go through the inheritance test, you must each try your own potions. You will then be required to take the test a second time using a flask of this potion," Hermione fell off her seat in surprise as their cauldron drifted up to professor Snape's desk. "Your success will be rated depending on the similarities between the results."
With a flick of his wand, all the other cauldron's were banished away for him to sort out later, and two rolls of ivory colored parchment appeared before each child.
"Begin," he droned.
As students around them began to add drops of blood to the sample vials of their potions or, like Neville who's potion was now nonexistent, moved forward for a vial of the potion on Snape's desk, Hermione picked herself trying to recover from shock. Harry was still staring slightly slack-jawed at the beautiful silver cauldron simmering on Snape's desk. Their cauldron!
Hermione's gentle hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
"Remember," professor Snape reminded the class, "brewed correctly, the results can not lie."
Hidden Reality