~ Chapter 2 ~
Embarrassing Encounters
"Did you see the way Romilda Vane was looking at you during lunch?" Hermione asked. She, Harry, and Ron made their way through the crowded corridors toward their next class.
"I didn't notice, actually," replied Harry. He flipped through the tattered pages of the old, used textbook he'd gotten from the cupboard in their Potions class.
Hermione frowned and tried to grab the book from Harry's hands. He quickly pulled it aside and tucked it into his pocket.
"You really should give that book back to Professor Slughorn," Hermione snapped. "I don't trust this 'Half-Blood Prince'. You have no idea what kind of Dark magic he or she could have written in there."
"Give it a rest, Hermione," Ron mumbled. "It probably belonged to someone like you who's just naturally good in Potions." Hermione couldn't help but blush as she tried to remain angry with Harry.
"And what if it belonged to someone like Voldemort?" she snapped. "He's a half-blood wizard, too, remember." Harry frowned and quickened his pace towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. He wasn't keen on being early to Snape's class, but he also didn't want to discuss the book any further with Hermione. He'd considered that it could have been Voldemort's book, but refused to believe it.
"Voldemort's not likely to be boasting about his blood status, Hermione," he argued.
The trio walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and chose a table to sit at that was close enough to the front of the class for Hermione, yet still far enough away that Harry and Ron felt comfortable. Normally Hermione would insist on having them all sit at the front of the class where learning was optimal, but because it was Snape's class she was willing to let it go.
The once bright and inviting classroom now seemed dank and depressing, just as the Potions class had been when Snape taught the subject. All of the window shades were now pulled over the windows to prevent any natural light from entering the room. A few torches and candles were lit around the room to provide the students with enough light to work within the classroom.
Snape strode purposefully into the room, his greasy, black hair sticking to the sides of his face, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed off the stone walls making Ron cringe in his seat.
Snape instructed the class in a dull monotone, causing Dean Thomas to fall asleep, which caused quite a scene as his head dropped onto the table with a loud crack. Snape glared at Dean as he sat straight in his chair and rubbed his forehead. His inability to pay attention ended up costing the Gryffindor House five points.
Normally, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class involved more hands-on activities, but Snape immediately had the class copying out a tedious amount of information. As Harry began copying the notes Snape had assigned them, he was reminded of Professor Umbridge's class. He had assumed that because Snape had been trying to get his greasy hands on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job for as long as he had, he'd be a bit better at teaching the subject.
Snape circulated through the classroom, ensuring each of his students remained on task as they copied the notes written on the board. Hermione worked diligently to get her work done as Harry, with his head propped with one hand, slowly copied out the notes. Ron sat slightly hunched over with his quill to his paper, but his hand wasn't moving, although he was trying with a great deal of determination to move his hand to copy his notes.
He could sense Snape coming up behind him and he didn't want to be found with nothing written down. Beads of sweat began to form along his hairline and his hand quivered slightly as he began to panic. He really didn't want to have a confrontation with Professor Snape, especially not on the first day of class.
Snape placed his hand on the table behind the trio. He looked down at Seamus' notes and grimaced. As he took a step toward the trio's table, Ron's hand began scribbling the notes furiously onto his parchment. The final product was barely legible, but he was able to catch up enough that Snape merely gave him a dirty look before moving on.
"Do you have a death wish?" Hermione whispered harshly. Ron grimaced and quickly finished his notes.
---
The first month of classes seemed to pass quickly as the students struggled to keep up with the massive number of assignments given by the professors. The tension within the school was palpable amongst the fifth and seventh year students as their futures now depended on the marks they would receive in their O.W.L.s and their N.E.W.T.s.
Mealtimes were the only times in which students could relax and forget about their assignments. Each meal was an hour of relaxation and socialization that did not take away from their busy study schedules.
Harry leaned over his plate and grabbed a biscuit from one of the overflowing serving trays. The house elves had prepared yet another elaborate feast for the students of Hogwarts. There were trays upon trays of spaghetti, meatballs, garlic biscuits, roasted chicken, cooked vegetables, and a number of salads. Harry's plate was completely filled with food. Once he'd procured his biscuit, he began digging into his heap of spaghetti.
"I'm really considering starting the DA again this year," Harry stated between mouthfuls of food. "The way Snape is teaching the class this year, no one will be able to take on Voldemort."
"I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking," Ron grumbled. "Assigning Snape to Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was a terrible decision if you ask me."
"I agree," Ginny complained. "There's only so much you can learn from copying out notes. How are you supposed to learn spells and counter curses if you can't even try them?"
Ron's body froze suddenly in his chair before he could start filling his plate with food. He stared longingly at the food set in front of him then at his empty plate. He willed his arm to start filling his plate so that he could eat, but his body refused to cooperate.
Hermione walked into the Great Hall and sat across from Ron and Harry. She placed her textbooks on the bench next to her and scooped a portion of spaghetti onto her plate.
"We had the most interesting lesson in Ancient Runes today," Hermione began. "It really is a shame you two didn't register this year."
Harry raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. Hermione rolled her eyes, unable to understand how both of her best friends could have no interest in the subjects Hogwarts had to offer. She sighed and looked over at Ron.
"You can't possibly have finished eating already!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron continued to stare at his plate. He'd regained control of his fingers and was working his way up to his arms.
"Ron?" Hermione inquired. She watched him for a moment, waiting for an answer. "Ron!"
Ron finally regained control of his body. He sat up and looked at Hermione.
"Honestly, Ron," Hermione sighed impatiently. "It's no wonder you grades are slipping this term. You really need to start paying more attention to the world around you."
Ron pursed his lips and frowned indignantly. He didn't know what to tell her or Harry about what was happening to him and was too embarrassed to explain. He grabbed a biscuit from one of the trays and angrily took a bite.
---
Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat on a sofa within the Room of Requirement as the members of the DA trickled into the room. Once the last registered member entered the room, the door within the corridor sunk back into the wall and disappeared, allowing the DA members the privacy they would need to practice their spells.
"Looks like we can get started," Hermione suggested. "I think that's everyone." Harry nodded and pushed himself to his feet. Hermione followed, leaving Ron sitting on the sofa alone, flipping through Harry's Potions textbook to prepare for their next class.
"Welcome back, everyone," Harry greeted. "It's nice to see some new faces as well as everyone back from last year." He looked over the crowd and smiled nervously. "Shall we begin?"
Harry began the meeting by explaining his intent for the DA and discussing the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters from the previous year. Neville's face turned crimson as his name was mentioned and he stared at the floor nervously. Luna on the other hand looked completely at ease next to him and took no notice of the awed stares from some of the other students.
As Harry introduced the first counter curse of the evening, Ron suddenly frowned and gripped Harry's textbook tightly. He gasped for breath as his lungs tightened painfully. His entire body began to tense and he found, once again, that he could not move.
The group around him was so immersed in Harry's lesson that they took no notice of Ron. Even Harry and Hermione hadn't noticed that Ron had yet to join them. He fought against his body, attempting to move any part of his body. He closed his eyes and tried focusing on one body part at a time, but every muscle in his body refuse to cooperate with him.
As the DA separated into two groups to practice their counter curses against one another, Ron's body began to relax and he was able to set Harry's book aside. He stared at the book questioningly, wondering if there was something about it that was causing his body to freeze. As far as he could remember, the bouts of paralysis had started when Harry had gotten the book.
He stood up from his chair, trembling slightly, and stood behind Harry to watch what he had taught the members of the DA. He avoided Hermione's gaze, not wanting her to figure out that anything was wrong. He especially didn't want to give her another reason to dislike the Half-Blood Prince's book. Harry loved that book.
---
The following afternoon, Harry, Hermione, and Ron rushed through the corridor towards Snape's classroom. Their Charms class had run a little over schedule, which put them in danger of being late for Defense Against the Dark Arts if they didn't hurry.
Just as Hermione reached for the door of the classroom, Colin called to them from a short distance back.
"Harry, Hermione," Colin panted. He'd had to run through the corridors in order to catch them before they went into Snape's classroom. "Professor Slughorn asked me to get you. He needs to ask a favor of you in his office."
"Can it wait, Nigel?" Harry asked hurriedly. "We have to get to class." Nigel shook his head and explained that Slughorn had already spoken with Snape about their absence in his class.
Harry and Hermione turned to Ron and apologized sheepishly as they headed for Slughorn's classroom, leaving him to go to Snape's class by himself.
Ron walked angrily into Snape's classroom and sat in his usual seat, next to the two empty seats usually occupied by Harry and Hermione. He dropped his textbook and parchment onto the table and glared at the blackboard at the front of the room.
"Open your books to page two hundred thirty six," Snape muttered as he slammed the classroom door. Ron grabbed his textbook and slowly flipped to the assigned page, avoiding Snape's judgmental gaze. He could feel Snape's eyes boring into him and could tell he was working out a malicious comment as to why Ron had been left behind.
Ron looked up suddenly, shocked that Snape had turned away without saying anything. Snape tapped the chalkboard and instructed the students to copy the notes from the board. There was an audible sigh from the entire class as they took out their quills and parchment.
"Professor Snape?" Seamus asked as he raised his hand. He waited for Professor Snape to acknowledge him, with much disdain, before proceeding with his question. "Is there any possibility of actually getting to try some of these spells and counter curses during the term? I'm not saying we're not learning anything this way, but wouldn't it be more beneficial to us if we had the chance to experience these spells first-hand?"
"Yeah," Dean added. "This is all well and good, but if we run into You-Know-Who, we're going to remember what we've actually practiced, not what we've written out."
Ron listened as Snape belittled Dean and Seamus in front of the class for even suggesting that they could take on Lord Voldemort. He copied out the notes that Snape had written on the board, trying his best to avoid any extra attention from Snape.
Once Seamus and Dean were completely humiliated, Snape turned away and began to circulate the classroom to ensure everyone got their work done. He stood behind Ron and stared down at his parchment. Ron's hand began to shake as he felt Snape standing behind him.
"I'm shocked, Mr. Weasley," Snape muttered. "I was beginning to wonder if you could even spell your own name." Ron grimaced and continued writing his notes. As Snape continued to make his way around the classroom, Ron's fingers tensed and froze. He rolled his eyes and waited for the episode to end. He had enough written down that he wasn't worried about Snape coming to check on him. He stared down at his quill with frustration as a large drop of black ink splattered onto his parchment over the last word he'd written.
"Put your books away," Snape demanded at the end of the class. "Anything left in my classroom will become mine." As everyone packed their things away and began leaving the room, Ron's body once again began to function properly. He quickly finished copying Snape's notes, ignoring the increasing pain in the pit of his stomach.
"I never would have expected you to stay late to finish your work, Mr. Weasley," taunted Snape. "But you have been acting very strange over the last few weeks… even for you." Ron swallowed, fighting back the nausea that was beginning to burn through his stomach and up into his throat.
Snape walked around to the front of Ron's table, placed both hands along the edge and bent to look down his nose at Ron.
"As your teacher, I'm obligated to inquire as to whether or not there are any problems that can be solved through any means that Hogwarts has to offer," Snape explained, uninterested. "Is there a source to your odd behaviour, Mr. Weasley?"
Ron swallowed again and cringed. "I think I'm going to be sick," Ron gasped. Snape frowned and pointed to an old cauldron near his desk. Ron leapt from his chair and just made it to the cauldron in time. He gagged into the cauldron, puking up the small amount of food he'd been able to eat during lunch in the Great Hall.
Snape cringed and watched Ron with a disgusted expression. Once he'd expelled everything from his stomach, Ron sat back and pushed the cauldron away.
"Normally I would expect to blame your brothers' Puking Pastilles, but they tend to create more… content," said Snape as he looked down at Ron and the cauldron with disgust. "I would suggest that you either head to your common room or go see Madame Pomfrey." Ron nodded and pulled himself off of the floor. He grabbed his things and, without making eye contact with Snape, moved quickly out of the classroom.
