This is AU, so Professor Snape is still teaching Potions in Harry's 6th year. Professor Slughorn has not come back. He will, however, be the Potions professor in Lucius Malfoy's time. Note: Some of the things here may not be 394% accurate, but it's 99.99% close enough. After all, I'm not J.K. Rowling who knows everything there is. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter."
Chapter Three:
"Get to work. Page 394. Draught of Living Death," said Professor Snape.
Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy glared at each other. "You're getting it," they said, simultaneously.
Hermione's glare hardened. "No, you are." Normally, she'd get it, but she was Hermione Granger and she would never back down from a fight with Malfoy.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Why, Granger, I wasn't aware you wanted a failing grade so badly," Malfoy drawled and took a moment to glance at Professor Snape.
"You wouldn't," said Hermione, her eyes wide. Her fists were clenched together, leaving moon-like shapes on her palm. She fully knew he would. Professor Snape was, honestly, a good Potions professor, but he was horribly biased. He'd take the Slytherins' side over any other houses anytime. She groaned mentally, knowing she lost this round.
"Well? You're still sitting here? Granger, now's not the time to grow old," sneered Malfoy.
Hermione huffed and got up to gather all the ingredients to create the Draught of Living Death. It was a complex and she hoped that Malfoy would not mess it up for her. She just couldn't have failing grade, especially in Potions. She took all the materials that was needed for the potion in her arms. Slowly, she walked back to a smirking Malfoy and scowled at him, careful not to let any of the materials fall.
"Finally. I thought a dementor came and got you. Oh wait, I forgot. Potter's the one that's chummy with those," smirked Malfoy.
Hermione ignored him and began to set down all the materials, carefully. She looked towards him and said, "Look, Malfoy, if you're planning to mess this up, just...I don't know, go away."
He scoffed at her. "As if, but I'd like to have a grade for this too. Don't you think you're being greedy? But then again, what else is expected from a little Mudblood like you?"
Hermione scowled once again. "Fine."
"Good," Malfoy said, satisfied and reached over to get the knife and the Sophophorus bean.
"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Hermione snapped, automatically assuming he was doing something wrong.
"Don't you read, Granger? The first step is to cut up the Sophophorus bean," Malfoy said, who began to roll his sleeves up.
Hermione looked down at her textbook and flushed when she realized he was right. But he wasn't going to get an apology out of her, yet. While he began to roll his sleeves up, Hermione expected to see a Dark Mark, just like Harry suspected. To her surprise, there was none. Nothing, but perfect, pale skin.
"Right. I'll just pour the water now," she said.
She took the jug of clear water and poured 250 fluid ounces of water into a beaker next to her. Then she added 5 oz. of African sea salt to the beaker. She took the beaker in her hands and set it aside on an empty space. The directions did say to be very careful to not shake or move the beaker now. She looked back down at her textbook and set the timer on, on her wand. Her wand would make a little tinkling noise that wouldn't really disrupt other students from their work once the 5 minutes were over.
The sound of a knife dropping made Hermione turn around. The Sophophorus bean was cut up in perfect pieces. Malfoy gathered them up in a pile and pushed them away. With no words to exchange, they sat in silence waiting for the 5 minutes to be over. Pretty soon, a tinkling sound was to be heard and Hermione grabbed her wand to stop the sound.
Meanwhile, Malfoy took the beaker and poured all the water into a cauldron that was next to his elbow. Hermione sat in her chair and watched Malfoy in silence. With his left hand, he used a graduated cylinder to obtain 40 fluid ounces of essence of wormwood. Then with his right hand, he held the cauldron at a slight angle and poured ten drops of essence of wormwood.
Hermione began to chop three Valerian roots into small squared pieces and placed it in the beaker full of water. It settled for 5 minutes and it began to turn into a smoot blackcurrant-colored liquid. She then, grabbed the cut up Sophophorus beans and began to squeeze the juice when something bumped into her. The beans flew out of her hands and fell into the potion, un-squeezed. Something else fell inside too, but she didn't know what. She worried what Neville was holding. Most likely, it wasn't going to be good news.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry, Hermione. Really, I am! I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry!" cried Neville Longbottom, frantically.
"It's okay," smiled Hermione, politely. In the inside, she was as frantic as Neville. What if the thing that fell inside was dangerous? She knew that any wrong ingredient, even just one wrong ingredient, can cause a whole potion to be ruined! Completely ruined. She'd never hear the end of this if she got a failing grade.
"Hate to break it to you, Granger, but it isn't okay," drawled Malfoy, sarcastically.
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy!" Hermione snapped when she saw Neville's face. But she soon forgot about Neville when the potion began to make a strange bubbling noise. The color began to turn the color of disgusting puke. A stinky smell began to float up to their nostrils. "Oh," she squeaked. That's not supposed to happen.
"I messed up Hermione Granger's potion!" Neville said, voicing his thoughts out loud. A look of horror was on his face.
"Yes, Longbottom, you did," snarled Malfoy, who was towering above Neville now. "You-"
"What is going on here? Mr. Malfoy?" asked a voice behind them.
"I...I...I d-didn't m-m-mean to!" said Neville, fearfully. His face was beet red and his eyes were wide of fright. His hands were trembling and he looked as if he was about to pee on himself. Poor boy.
Professor Snape raised a dark eyebrow and looked towards Malfoy as if expecting an explanation.
"Longbottom, here, decided it would be funny to mess up my potion," sneered Malfoy.
"Really," said Professor Snape, slowly. "30 points from Gryffindor."
"Y-yes, Professor," said Neville and scurried away.
The puke-colored potion bubbled faster and faster. The stench got more unbearable and it reached the noses of other students. Sounds of disgust were to be heard and Pansy Parkinson's whining got louder. Suddenly, Professor Snape raised his voice and shouted, "Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, out of the way!"
Unfortunately, only Professor Snape got out of the way. Draco and Hermione were a bit too slow. There was once a saying that time is precious and things could happen. Like Professor Snape predicted, the potion exploded and it spilled all over Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. Another second later, they disappeared into thin air. Only their bags which was full of old textbooks were left behind, looking quite small. The two best academical students of Hogwarts had vanished.
"Hermione!" shouted Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"
"Why would you pair her up with Malfoy?"
"That prat did that purpose! Oh, I'll get him!"
"HERMIONE, COME BACK!"
"MALFOY, YOU BLOODY GIT. WHAT DID YOU DO TO HERMIONE?!"
"Yeah, what did you do to her, you...you Death Eater!"
"Bet you planned this all along!"
"That," Snape thundered, "is enough. Potter, Weasley, out. Now. 150 points from Gryffindor."
"What? But yo-" started Ron.
"You ca-" interrupted Harry.
"Eager to lose more points, are we? Have to say, your housemates aren't looking so pleased. Now, come along, you two, I trust we will be making a very pleasant trip to the Headmaster."
Lucius Malfoy stalked through the halls to the Great Hall, his stomach rumbling with starvation. He had skipped dinner last night and breakfast this morning. I'm a Malfoy, I do not get speechless, he kept telling himself. Especially not by Narcissa Black and her blue eyes.
He strolled through the doors to the Great Hall that was alive with chatter. A big roar of laughter came from the Gryffindors. Potter and his little friends were surrounded with Mudbloods and blood traitors. Before he walked to the Slytherins, he sneered at the Gryffindors. The way they talk, dress, and eat disgusts him. Do they have no manners? But then again, that house is made up of those filthy Mudbloods, so probably not.
His gray eyes scanned the Slytherin table, but Rodolphus Lestrange was nowhere to be found. Bellatrix Black was gone as well. Chances were that he was dueling with Bellatrix or they were both snogging somewhere in a broom closet. Or somewhere public. Somewhere very, very public.
Not interested in talking to the other Slytherins, he took a seat at the corner of the Slytherin table, closest to Professor Slughorn. Nobody liked to sit there, it was too close to the Professors, so Lucius took up the spot. Normally he'd sit in the middle, the center, of course, but with the marriage arrangement, he preferred to speak to nobody. He would speak to Rodolphus; let his anger out on someone, but he wasn't there, so silence would do for now. Plus, letting his anger out on a first year would not be good, seeing as that old coot, Dumbledore, was watching everybody. He grabbed a plate and grabbed a chicken sandwich and took a bite. He swallowed it slowly, but it left a dry, sour taste in his mouth. He quickly drank some pumpkin juice to wash away the taste. It wouldn't be good if he had stinky breath. Especially if he was talking to a girl.
Lucius began to get up, not feeling very hungry, anymore. All the noise and chatter was getting to him. He might need to pay a trip to Madam Promfrey soon for some pills. The Great Hall was spinning and he shut his eyes for a moment. Bright yellow and green colors exploded in his eyes, but his eyes were still glued shut.
As if everybody was reading his mind, all the talking stopped. It soon followed by a loud thump. And another thump. What was going on? It's not everyday the Great Hall becomes quiet. That would be a moment to remember. Like now. He cracked open his eyes and his eyes widened. Emotion showed on his face for half a minute. For Lucius Malfoy, that's impressive. But nobody noticed the emotion on his face.
Two students were lying on the floor of the Great Hall in front of everybody. They were scrawled upon each other, their position clearly awkward. He looked closer and it looked as if a boy was on top of a bushy haired girl. A sneer was on the boy's face, but neither of them budged. Until a millisecond later.
"MALFOY!" screamed the bushy haired girl who was beneath the boy. Everybody jumped slightly in their seats with their mouths opened.
All eyes turned to Lucius even the Professors. He was completely bewildered, but nothing on his face gave it away. It was pale, cold, and emotionless as ever. "Yes?" he said, his voice syncing with another. All heads turned away from Lucius and back to the two people who was still lying on the floor. The boy who had pale-blond hair had said the same thing. A few whispers were to be heard, but were quickly shushed by other people.
The boy began to rise with a disgusted sneer still on his face and began to brush his robes. Anybody could tell that it was made of the finest pure silk. He was a Slytherin with a Prefect badge shining proudly pinned on his robes and as he turned, Lucius saw him clearly. Lucius Malfoy choked and the chicken almost came out of his throat. All eyes slid back to him, watching the fearful, flawless Lucius Malfoy choke on a piece of chicken. But he didn't feel the stares on him. No, his attention was completely focused to somewhere else. Like the blond-boy. There, standing in the middle of the Great Hall, stood an exact replica of Lucius Malfoy. Everything to the hair and to the feet. Everything.
I hope you all liked it. Read & review! Like I said, I would really love to hear some feedback from you wonderful readers!
