4 – School Days
The first few days of class weren't too bad. Charms, Transfiguration and History of Magic were with the Gryffindors. Potions, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts were with the Slytherins, and Arithmancy and Astronomy were with the Hufflepuffs, so I pretty much got to meet everyone in my year.
Alexandra had been right. The Marauders were pains in the backsides. Sirius was anything but his name. He couldn't take anything seriously and loved being the centre of attention. James was okay, if a little arrogant. He seemed very smart and could manage to keep himself under control…sometimes. Peter reminded me of a little weasel. He was small, not too bright, and, I don't know, whiny, I guess you'd call it. He was always simpering after the others as a dog would if looking for scraps. I liked Remus the best. He was quiet and studious and kept very much to himself, almost shy.
About a week after my arrival, in Transfiguration class, we were learning how to turn a rat into a water goblet. I couldn't understand why. Who would want to drink out of that? It would make more sense to turn the rat into a horse. That would be more practical, but apparently we wouldn't be doing animal-to-animal transfigurations until next year. Darn, I always wanted a pony. Gggrrr, and if Sirius doesn't stop shooting spitballs into my hair, I'm going to turn him into a rat! I angrily turned to glare at the offending creature only to find a black, scruffy, little rat with a straw dangling from its mouth, staring up at me.
"Who did that?" barked a startled Professor McGonagall as she ran to where Sirius the Rat scrambled about the desktop. "I want to know now! We don't do this to each other!"
No one claimed responsibility, and the whole class was given a two-foot parchment to write on the "Responsible Use of Animal Transfiguration and Their Consequences", due next class. We were dismissed early so that Sirius could be returned to his natural state. Hmm, and here I thought he was in his natural state, the rat! Well, I guess that was just my opinion.
As we filed out of class, I heard James trying to convince Lily to join him in the Astronomy Tower that evening. Peter scurried along behind them until James rudely brushed him off.
Remus silently sauntered up behind me. "Sorry about your hair," he said as he picked several wads of paper from it. "He's just trying to get your attention, with you being the new girl and all."
"I don't want his attention," I replied as I looked up into his light grey eyes. Staring for a moment and then shaking myself back to reality, I stated, "I'm going to the library to get to work on this paper. Might as well get a head start."
Still a bit uneasy about being in a new school, I wasn't about to admit that I thought changing Sirius into a rat was my fault, and I wasn't about to invite company to join me in the library. Remembering another one of my parents' warnings, "Don't let people get too close", I sighed at the loss of companionship. I really could use a friend, and he was cute.
By lunchtime, news of Sirius had spread through most of the school, and by afternoon, it was all the teachers could do to settle the students down to work. Well, Sirius was definitely the centre of attention now and loving every minute of it.
~~~***~~~
Potions was one of my favourite subjects. Ever since I was able to sit on a laboratory stool, I had worked alongside my father on some of his less critical works. He had always believed in practical experience, and felt that I had great potential. But, then again, he was my father and was somewhat biased. My mother would often find the two of us hunched over some concoction that we were creating, and would simply roll her eyes and walk away with a smile. She was such a patient woman.
Professor Slughorn seemed to be a competent teacher and quite interesting, although somewhat simplistic, definitely not like my father. I could tell that he had favourites, and Alex had told me about his "Slug Club": a group of select students that he chose to "guide to greatness", and then would ride the coattails of that greatness, reaping the rewards and recognition that came with it. I wasn't sure I liked that part. It made me not trust him.
Today looked like an easy day. We were to create a simple Strengthening Potion; instructions on page 185 of the text. Retrieving the ingredients from the store cupboard, I began to work methodically, each ingredient being chopped, sliced and ground to perfection. The cauldron temperature was accurate, and I was among the first to begin adding the ingredients.
Re-reading the instructions, it read "stir constantly in a clock-wise direction". I stirred slowly, my mind beginning to drift around the room taking in the other students. The Ravenclaws were seriously focused on their task, reading and re-reading the instruction. While the Slytherins slyly looked over at each other's cauldrons, comparing the colour, consistency or texture of their potion with that of their neighbour's. Curiously enough, only one did not, Snape. He worked diligently on his own, ignoring those around him, his hair, as usual, curtaining his face. Still, I could see the concentration, the way he hunched over his cauldron, the deftness of his fingers as he sliced the ingredients. Suddenly, he looked up as if sensing someone watching, and our eyes met. Then, he shifted in his place to shield his cauldron from my view. Maybe he thought I was trying to cheat. Dismissing the thought, my mind drifted back to my task, stir clock-wise…this doesn't look right. It's the right colour, but it doesn't look…no…it doesn't feel right. By stirring in the same direction, I was creating a vortex in the centre. All the energy would funnel down through the vortex and not be evenly dispersed through the potion thus weakening it, not strengthening it. Think. I stopped stirring for a second, and the potion slowly stopped swirling. Stir one, two… at seven, the vortex began…counter-clockwise, one, two… the vortex stopped. Clock-wise again, one, two…
"Miss Lacosa, what do you think you are doing?" Professor Slughorn's voice carried over the silence of the class. "The instructions clearly read "clock-wise". Do you think you know more than the author of this text, whom was once a brilliant student of mine, still keeps in touch, too…" The professor drifted for a moment. "Five points from Ravenclaw, Miss Lacosa, for not following the instructions. Although, this does look interesting." He paused to examine my potion, humming and hawing, and then, turned to the class. "Please bottle and label your creations and put them on my desk. Once you have cleaned up, you may leave." The Potions professor kept studying me as I carefully bottled my mixture and handed it in.
Several Ravenclaws were not pleased by the loss of the points and voiced their displeasure on the way out of class.
"Sorry," I mumbled as they passed. Still, I had a feeling that I was right. I would have to research that later.
Snape watched as I left and walked three paces behind me on my way toward Greenhouse Six.
Was he following me? I slowed my pace and rounded on him. "What's your problem?" I confronted.
He backed up a step, his face pale and angry.
"You copied me," he hissed. "I don't like being copied."
"I didn't copy you. You had your back to me. Stirring clock-wise all the time didn't make sense. It created a vortex, and it didn't… feel…right." I paused, looking up through that curtain of hair into ebony eyes. "Did you get the same feeling?" I asked more gently.
Snape said nothing, just glared at me, and then, without a word, stalked off.
I shook my head and headed for my next class. Boys!