Chapter Four: Potions
The late bell rung through out the endless halls of Hogwarts, the dreaded first class period of the day had begun. Harry and Ron took their seats in the familiar Potions classroom. They had made the bell before Professor Snape arrived.
The Potions classroom was the only classroom in the school with no windows and dark, rough brick covering the walls; talk about inviting. The candles allowed some light for the students to see their textbooks and cauldrons.
"Score, we made it before Snapey and that gives me …eleven seconds exactly to start my homework," exclaimed Ron, pulling out a tattered quill and scribbling on a napkin from breakfast.
"Ronald, you really must make it a habit to finish your homework before class is in session, and a parchment is always better than a …napkin," sneered Hermione, turning her chair to face the two.
"I like napkins; if I get hungry I just smell my homework," Ron told her not looking up from his writing. Harry, on the other hand, was completely zoned out of the conversation; he couldn't stop thinking about the suave girl he saw in the Great Hall.
"What the hell? What's wrong with Potter?" asked Malfoy, turning his chair as well to face Hermione and Ron with Goyle on his right and Crabbe on his left.
"Why the sudden concern for Harry, Malfoy?" questioned Hermione raising an eyebrow. Draco Malfoy was Harry's second worst enemy in the world; first was the Dark Lord himself.
"He looks confused, I only like seeing him confused when I cause the confusion," confessed Malfoy, shrugging his shoulders and smirking. Hermione snickered and Malfoy turned back around, a full 180 degrees while pushing his fingers through this hair.
The chamber door flung open and the reaction knocked a skull off of Snape's shelf. Snape strutted across the aisle while his black cloak floated behind him and his leather boats clicked across the stone floor.
"Good morning class, I hope all of you have completed your assignment and behaved yourselves last night, but I won't get my hopes up," drawled Professor Snape seating at his desk and opening Advanced Potions.
"Which part Professor? Finishing our homework or not horse-playing on Valentine's Day?" asked John, a very stupid Irish kid.
"I sure make Snape happy, I didn't do anything but pretend my pillow was a horseplayer," thought Harry, sighing. Hermione turned back around at the sigh, watching him carefully.
"I don't have to answer that question. Ten points away from Gryffindor," Snape drawled. Suddenly, the door opened. "And we have a new student who starts today… despite the fact she was late," Snape announced, glowering at the new arrival. "Great, another student I have to keep from dying," he muttered.
The girl from the dining hall swept her way into the Potion class; she swept in and swept away Harry's heart. The lassies in the class looked away, while the lads in the class stopped and drooled. Her blue dress this time was covered up by a Gryffindor robe and her straight honey hair was sprayed up in a bun. The robe was extremely new and she sported a Beauxbatons class button on her pocket.
"Class, this is Melrose McArthur, our new classmate…she will be joining the Gryffindor side of the classroom," Snape sneered, pointing to the empty seat next to Hermione. Melrose glided into the desk and took out a fuzzy quill and pink parchment. Harry could not help but stare.
"Hey babe, the name's Malfoy, but you can call me Draco," whispered Malfoy, turning around again to introduce himself to Harry's crush. Snape began lecturing but the students ignored his voice.
Melrose looked up at him and rolled her eyes. She hated it when people assumed she was flirty like her younger sister, Jenny. Boys who are blonde always end up being very arrogant, pish posh.
"May I switch seats with you? Malfoy is irritating the hell out of me?" whispered Melrose to Ron whose seat was next to Harry's and behind hers. Hermione shushed Melrose because she was the only student who seemed to be paying any attention. Malfoy had his mouth open in shock and he couldn't believe the girl rejected his charm, his sex appeal and, most importantly, his charm.
Ron looked up from doodling on his napkin to nod. He figured he got to sit next to Hermione-the-Smart who would probably do the potion for him and Harry could thank him later for his hormone rush. Ron and Melrose quickly switched seats before Snape could look up from reading off today's lesson in the Potions' text.
Harry peeked at the girl from the corner of his eye. His glasses started to fog up and he couldn't breath through his nose, he hoped his breathe didn't smell. Melrose was taking notes on her parchment and flicking her brown sandals on and off from under the desk. Harry noticed she had pink nails.
"Hopefully you bloody boogers paid some attention, you and your partner will mix the ingredients found in your Potions' books. Good luck and leave me alone," shouted Snape over the sleeping students. He handed out the potions and removed himself to the second floor closet.
Harry picked up the first bottle and kept looking at the ooze so he didn't have to look at his partner. He saw Ron splatting the ooze onto the table and all over Hermione's papers; she yelled at him but he didn't seem to care. She threatened her wand on him and he still didn't care.
"Beg my pardon, but aren't you Harry Potter?" Melrose embarrassedly asked, facing Harry and looking at his scar. Harry gulped and looked at her hazel eyes; he dug his thumb nail into his left hand. He dazedly poured the ooze into the cauldron.
"Why yes, I am Harry Potter," responded Harry, noticing Malfoy giving him the death stare along with many others in the class. Harry didn't always want his first impression to be the Boy-Who-Lived; he was just plain Harry.
"I have always heard stories about you but I never expected to attend school with the amazing Harry Potter," confessed Melrose, batting her eyelashes. Harry shrugged and smiled a very big grin.
"Um…we should get started," ordered Harry taking a handful of dead beetles and adding it to the oozy concoctions. She frowned and scooted away from him.
"Drat, why does this always happen to me," thought Harry, hitting his head with his hand. She looked at the beetle stuck to his forehead, disgusted, but managing to show off a fake smile.
"Um, you have something… right there," she said, brushing a finger across his forehead. He looked down at the dislodged dead beetle and flushed.
"So…what did they call Potions at Beauxbatons?" Harry questioned trying to make conversation after grossing her out. "You spoke German there, right?"
"Er, it's French, and we still call it Potions," Melrose told him.
Harry gave a nervous chuckle. She added the next ingredient, lucky for her it wasn't beetles.
"Stop laughing like an idiot, Harry," Ron interrupted, watching him.
"Be quiet Ron," he muttered, turning red. "Turn back around. Don't you have a potion to work on?"
"Ours is done," Ron bragged, gesturing to their cauldron, which was the perfect color and texture. Hermione, who had obviously done all the work, was studying for her next class. Ron raised an eyebrow and returned to coloring on his napkin.
"Is that idiot one of your friends?" asked Melrose pointing at Ron.
"Um…never seen him in my life," lied Harry, smiling.
Melrose bit her lip. "Mmmhmm," she said disbelievingly.
Flustered now, Harry threw a handful of daisy petals into the cauldron. The potion exploded over them both, covering them in chunks of beetle legs and green ooze.
"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Melrose, standing up.
"…Sorry?" Harry said as she ran out of the room.
"Smooth," said the redhead in front of him. Ron handed him the napkin with a poorly drawn picture of Hermione on it. "You're gonna need this."