A/n: Okay, I wasn't sure whether or not to post this story (well, the first chapter anyway) but my friends encouraged me to so here it is. Lisa Turpin is sorted into Ravenclaw in the first Harry Potter book, but I can't find her mentioned elsewhere. Everything I write about her I made up. In other words, J.K. Rowling owns the character but I played with her a little bit, just like the other characters in the books. Mandy Brocklehurst was also sorted into Ravenclaw, but Lottie is mine; I didn't base her names on any in the books. This counts as the disclaimer too by the way, but if you can't work out that I'm not J. K. Rowling, I'm flattered and you're wrong. And I'm not getting paid for this.
I hate it here. I'm in the middle of Scotland, a land rich in history both magical and Muggle and I can only go as far as Hogsmeade, and then only on certain weekends. I wish Professor Binns would take us on an excursion like my primary school used to. It would be fascinating. Maybe it could be a combined excursion with Muggle Studies as well. That way we'd get to explore both sides of Scotland's history. I wonder
"Lisa?"
Lisa Turpin looked up, startled. She slammed her diary shut and slipped it into her shoulder bag. She had recently charmed the bag so that she could fit everything she needed for one day into it. She had learned the trick from Hermione Granger, who was in her Arithmancy class. Hermione had been the one who'd asked her to tutor Harry. Apparently he'd been getting some bad grades and Hermione had flat refused to tutor him, saying he'd learn better from somebody who wasn't as close a friend. Lisa had agreed reluctantly. She had no particular interest in helping Harry Potter. She didn't dislike him, but she didn't want to be thought of as one of his "groupies" like Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevey. She was rather fascinated by his history, as were most of her housemates, but was content to read about him in Modern Magical History, one of her favourite books.
"Please sit down Harry," she asked quietly, pushing a lock of her tangled auburn hair behind her ear. "Which subject did you want to start with first?"
"Potions," Harry replied, making a face. "It's the one I'm doing worst in."
Lisa nodded and fished out three books: Potions for Beginners, Advanced Potions and Moste Potente Potions. Off Harry's look she quickly explained that her grandfather had bought it for her for her seventeenth birthday.
"Not many people appreciate the similarities between art and science," Lisa continued in her quiet way. "But Potions is both science and art. My passion for Potions has led me to explore similar Muggle activities in my spare time. Chemistry has me intrigued while I'm surprised that so few Witches and Wizards are interested in Art."
Lisa noticed the awkward look on Harry's face and flushed slightly. She had forgotten that she'd been talking to a Gryffindor. It was all very well to have these discussions in the Ravenclaw common room, but surely the famous Harry Potter wouldn't be interested in her theories. "Shall we get started? Now, can you tell me the main ingredient in Veritaserum?"
"No."
"Very well, how about the main ingredient in a Forgetfulness Potion?"
"Uh. No, sorry."
"What about in an Invisibility Potion?"
"I don't know Lisa. That's what you're supposed to be helping me for."
Lisa pursed her lips. "I am trying to find out exactly where you stopped paying attention. Perhaps we should start from the First Year?"
It was probably the closest that Lisa had come to insulting anybody aloud. Usually she kept her opinions to herself and her diary. It was a quality she was quite proud of and she was angered at having almost broken it.
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Harry started, obviously aware of Lisa's irritation.
"No Harry. I'm sorry. Let's try this again. How about we go through the properties of the potions rather than the ingredients? Shall we look at the advantages and disadvantages of an Invisibility Potion compared to other methods?"
"Well," Harry began slowly. Could be worse Lisa thought briefly. I could be tutoring Gregory Goyle. "The potion has to be brewed perfectly. Like all potions do. Like you said before, it's a science and an art. There's no room for error. That's why I prefer my Cloak-"
Harry broke off, his cheeks burning red.
Lisa considered pursuing the subject for a moment, then decided to let it drop. "Exactly. Those are some disadvantages. How about we look at the advantages now."
Harry shot her a brief and grateful look. "Once you've taken the Potion you don't have to worry about it, provided you've brewed it right. The perfect potion will last five hours, though a potion lasting an hour or two is more common. It can't be lost like an Invisibility cloak, and it can't be broken like an Invisibility Charm."
"That's really good Harry. There are a few others. For example, a disadvantage of the Potion is that if you add a teaspoon more of one of the ingredients you'll end up with purple hair for a week. Remember last Halloween, when a girl from my House was wearing a hat for a while?"
Harry let out a laugh, causing Madam Pince to look at them in annoyance. "A Ravenclaw? Got something wrong?"
"Of course. How else would Hermione beat us all the time if we didn't get things wrong occasionally?"
Harry grinned.
"Who do you hang out with?" he asked, suddenly realizing he knew very little about Lisa Turpin. Lisa's smile faded. "Nobody you know," she said shortly, making it quite clear there was nothing left to discuss on the topic. Harry hadn't meant to pry or to offend her, so he persisted. "Well, would they mind terribly if we worked through lunch? Potions isn't the only thing troubling me. I'm having some trouble with Charms and Transfiguration as well. Well, actually I'm having trouble with all my subjects…"
Lisa relaxed slightly. "Sure," she replied. "I'm not that hungry anyway."
Harry looked at her for a moment, considering. Then he seemed to come to a decision. "Tell you what, at the end of lunch we'll pay a visit to the kitchens."
Lisa frowned. "Is that allowed?"
"I think Professor Dumbledore knows," he replied in a dismissive tone.
"Not that that answered my question at all, but alright."
"Um, Lisa? Could you do me a favour?"
"Maybe," she answered hesitantly.
"Could you- No, never mind."
Despite her curiousity, the seventh year Ravenclaw let it go, opening Advanced Potions to a book-marked page. "Okay, now let's get back to ingredients."
* * * *
Now I've forgotten what I was saying. Harry arrived for tutoring. He's next to hopeless at Potions. Mandy, one of the girls in my dorm room is hysterical and jealous that I'm tutoring Harry Potter. Big deal. He's just a guy.
"Writing in your diary again Lisa?" Charlotte asked, flopping onto her bed. Lisa looked up from her diary and nodded. "Was Mandy telling the truth? About you tutoring Harry Potter?"
Lisa nodded again, tucking her diary away and sitting up on her bed.
"Wonder why he asked you?" Lottie wondered aloud.
"He didn't," Lisa explained softly. "Hermione arranged it."
"Ah that makes a lot more sense. If it had been up to him he probably would have asked Cho." Cho Chang, like many past students of Hogwarts, had taken up residency in Hogsmeade in order to remain close to the school, still thought of as the safest place to be.
"Would she have agreed?"
Charlotte Chambers stared at Lisa like she'd lost her head. "Anybody would have leapt at the chance to tutor Boy Wonder. But nobody's as upset as Mandy is that you got the job."
Lisa shrugged and stood up, pulling the curtains around her bed. "Goodnight Charlotte."
"What? You're going to bed already? It's only seven-thirty!"
"I know. I'm tired. Goodnight."
When Lisa was convinced that Lottie had lost interest and returned to the common room, Lisa procured her wand and whispered, "Lumos". She rested her lit wand on her pillow and turned back to her diary. She had been interrupted so often lately, it was starting to annoy her.
* * * *
"So, Harry, how did it go with Lisa? I noticed you both skipped lunch…" Hermione's voice was unusually light with a slightly teasing tone to it.
"I thought while we were there we could get started on some other subjects. You were right 'Mione. I am really behind."
"Which one is Lisa again?" Ron asked, frowning. "Is she the one with the long brown hair and the even longer legs?"
"No, that's Lottie," Hermione snapped. "Lisa has auburn hair. It's shoulder-length and she has green eyes. She looks a bit like Ginny, only her hair isn't nearly as red. She hides her eyes behind these huge glasses though. It's a shame."
"She's lucky her hair isn't as red as mine," Ginny commented, looking up from the sketchpad in her lap. The page displayed a large charcoal drawing of the fireplace. Harry was amazed to see the flames in the picture moving. Ginny caught his stare and explained, "Living Charcoal. I got it for my birthday from Fred and George. They finally gave me something that doesn't turn me into an animal."
She glanced down at herself, wrinkling her nose. "Just a chimneysweep." Ginny's hands were as black as night. She also had some dark streaks on her face from where she'd wiped away her unruly hair. "I'd better go clean myself up. I'm getting charcoal all over me. The things I do for my art!" she added melodramatically, placing the back of her hand to her forehead the way heroines did in old black and white Muggle movies. When Ginny had gone, Harry picked up her sketchpad and began to flick through the pages. He remembered what Lisa had said about it being a shame that so few mages enjoyed art. He resolved to tell her about Ginny's passion for the subject next time he saw her.
"Harry, I don't think you should be looking at that," Hermione chided gently. "It belongs to Ginny." Harry was just about to comply and close the sketchpad when he froze, his cheeks reddening. He'd reached the first drawing in the pad and it was of him. Not only that, it really looked like him. It was a fantastic drawing. He glanced at the date and noticed with relief that it was dated '93. Ginny had finally started to relax around Harry, losing her awkwardness at the start of the year. Harry had figured she'd probably grown out of her crush, but to find a picture of him in her sketchpad had scared him for a moment. Harry turned the pad back to the latest drawing and turned back to his friends.
"Want to visit Dobby before we go to bed?" he suggested.