A Cat's Life
Chapter 4: Incompetent Teachers
Author's note: First off, I AM SOOOO SORRY THAT IT'S BEEN SO LONG! I feel the need to inform you that since the last time I've posted a chapter I've gotten a job. I'm now working as a cashier at Lowe's! Yeah, not so glamorous. That's the kind of job you get when you don't live on Disney channel. My point is that my chapters may not be as frequent as anyone would like. I am however writing every day during my breaks and lunches. I apologize for any future wait. The chapters will continue to come.
Announcement: Well, you all voted and it looks like Draco's going to end up with (Drum roll please) Charlie! He won by a landslide. Only two little votes for poor little Blaise. But, to be honest, when I put up the poll I was thinking 'I hope they choose Charlie!' My reason? Charlie loves dragons, Draco's name means dragon. It's fate! Anyways, onwards!
Deby Magid: Yes, Severus could be a nicer cat…but then he wouldn't be the Severus we all know and love! And think about it. Would you want to eat cat food?
Anonymous Bird: Thank you!
CSHgrl09: Heh heh. Yes I like the friend-like enemies' relationship. It suits Harry and Draco, no?
Aliengirlguy: Hehehe. Yes, Ron's not going to be so happy, is he?
Avid Anon: I looked into the problem with the dialogue and I have no idea how to fix it. It's so FRUSTRATING! But thank you for informing me. I'll keep trying to fix it. As for all of your very nice ideas, some of them I already have planned. There will be plenty of scenes with Mrs. Norris, McGonagall, Luna, and pretty much everyone else before this story is done.
HpFanficFan: Well I couldn't leave darling Draco out! I love that spoiled brat for some reason.
Shadow: Oh, trust me. There will be plenty of good stuff with McGonagall very soon.
Sunscorona: I vow to update as often as possible. Unfortunately it may be a few weeks between each chapter. My apologize. I hope I can make up for it with this long chapter. Also, I hope you enjoy the action at the end.
Nitrea: Many thanks.
Seto K4iba1: I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Smile-Evily: Yes, Charlie it has to be!
Reenan Lefey: Thank you much!
Xoambxo: I'm super glad you like it! I'll see you at work!
Untold: Thank you so much for the complement. I hope this chapter pleases you.
Mandy the Oddball: Sev purring is quite a nice thought, isn't it?
Emily Redbird: I'm happy to hear that I seem to be keeping dear Severus in character! It can be difficult.
Jens2: Thank you for the complement. I know it's been a while but I will most certainly not be abandoning this story. The only thing that could make me stop is if I died…which I don't plan on doing…for a while at least.
XoxoxoxoX
"So, what were you doing in the hall anyways?" Harry asked Draco.
"Well it's not like everyone was dying to invite me into their compartments." Draco scowled.
"Oh…right. Well come to my compartment then." Harry smiled brightly.
Draco looked at him skeptically. "Yes, I'm sure Weasley and Granger would be delighted to have me there. Maybe we can all sit around and reminisce about fond memories over our school career between the four of us." Sarcasm dripped from his words.
"Like the time Hermione punched you in the face?" Harry grinned.
Draco's face went slightly pink. "That was not funny! She nearly broke my nose!"
Harry laughed at Draco's indignant look. "She didn't hit you that hard!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know that you were actually the one to feel it. I must have just been imagining the pain." Draco scowled at him.
Harry just laughed as they stopped outside his compartment. Draco looked suddenly nervous. Harry turned to look at him with a trace of concern. "They won't, like, jinx you or anything." he smiled.
Draco gave him an almost pleading look that said very plainly, "Are you sure?" he knew that Granger would probably be all for maturity and forgiveness but Weasley wouldn't be that forgiving. In fact it wasn't hard to imagine him throwing a few jinxes.
"Look, it's obviously going to be a bit awkward at first but we'll all just have to get passed it. I'll make sure nothing goes wrong." Harry grinned.
Draco scowled at him. "I don't need you to protect me, Potter. Open the stupid bloody door."
Harry grinned a bit wider and slid the compartment door open. Hermione, Ron, and Neville looked up as the door opened. The smiles that had been on their faces slid off rather quickly at the sight of Draco.
The awkward silence lasted a couple of minutes before Hermione decided to break it. "Um…is…is everything alright, Harry?" Her eyes darted back and forth between him and Draco.
"Yeah. Everything's fine. I asked Draco if he wanted to share our compartment." Harry beamed.
The other three looked at Harry as though he had just expressed his desire to do the conga on the back of an enraged Hippogriff while announcing his love for all things that had to do with Voldemort. "You what?" Ron exclaimed.
"I think it's time to put petty rivalries in the past. Draco agrees with me. The war is over and I'm sick of fighting for no reason. Draco and I have made a truce." Harry looked at them sternly.
Ron looked as though he had been struck with a Beater's bat over the head. Neville looked nervous while Hermione simply looked thoughtful. Prince had awakened at some point and was staring at Harry. Hermione was, once again, the one to break the silence. "Well I think that this is very mature of both of you. I think you'll both be setting a good example for everyone." she smiled.
"What? No way! Are you two joking? It's Malfoy! He's been nothing but a right arse ever since we met him! Have you guys forgotten everything he did?" Ron's face was red with absolute fury. Draco had bitten his bottom lip and was staring at the floor.
"Ron, I'm not saying that you two have to be the best of friends. But Draco said that he wants to put all of this behind him and I want that too." Harry explained with a pleading expression.
"Well I'm not hearing any of this from him! Let's hear him explain how much he regrets being a total prick!" Ron pointed to Draco.
Everyone else looked at the blonde as well, waiting. Draco's cheeks were flushed pink and his eyes had yet to be lifted from looking at the floor. "I've realized that me and my family were on the wrong side. I don't regret what I did though. I did all of that to save my family. What I do regret is that I was forced to do it. I'm sorry for calling you a mudblood, Granger. And I'm also sorry for insulting your family, Weasley. I don't want to fight anymore. All I want is to clean the Malfoy family's tarnished name."
Ron stared at Draco for a few minutes, glaring, before letting out a huff and plopping ungracefully back into his seat. "Yeah well it's not like I can do anything to change Harry or Hermione's minds. But I don't want you to ever consider me on of your damn friends Malfoy."
Draco let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, sitting down gracefully. "Likewise, Weasley." he smirked.
XoxoxoxoX
Severus was surprised. He never would have suspected a truce between Draco and Potter would ever come into being. He never thought that the two would ever even have a non-hostile conversation. Not only had Potter agreed to a truce he had also defended Draco to his friends.
Severus ignored the voice in his mind that was whispering things about how Harry Potter was indeed nothing like his bastard father. This voice happened to sound horribly like Dumbledore. 'Managing to be a better person than James Potter wouldn't exactly be a difficult feat anyways.' He reasoned with a sneer.
At the very least this development would make it easier for Severus to get to Draco in order to convince him of his true identity. He had dreaded the thought of running around the entire castle in order to secure some time with Draco.
Severus yawned and curled back up in his seat. Ever since he had become a cat he had needed more and more sleep. It was actually quite annoying but there wasn't exactly anything to be done about it. It didn't help that Potter reached over and started scratching him right there. It wasn't long before he was asleep once more.
XoxoxoxoX
Harry really, really, wanted the awkward silence that loomed over the compartment to come to an end. It just continued to get more and more uncomfortable until he thought he would burst. So, he said the first thing that popped into his head. "So me and Draco were talking about the time Hermione punched him in the face."
Draco sputtered while Hermione went pink and Ron chuckled with Neville. "I was kidding when I suggested we reminisce earlier, Potter!" Draco glared.
"Ah, I remember that day. Hermione, that was awesome!" Ron beamed to his girlfriend.
"It wasn't funny, Weasley! That punch really hurt! Has she ever punched you in the face?" Draco's cheeks flushed pink.
"She set a flock of birds on me once." Ron said thoughtfully.
Draco snickered. "What exactly had you done to deserve that?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Ron exclaimed with a look to Hermione.
"Oh really Ron! You were being a complete arse." Hermione defended herself with a warning glare.
"Speaking of being hit in the face, didn't Harry punch Malfoy on the Quidditch field before?" Neville asked.
"Yes he did!" Draco glared at Harry, outraged. "And you had that bloody snitch in your hand too! You cracked my jaw, you know!"
"You were talking about my mum." Harry reminded.
"Yes well…you've talked about my mother before and I didn't punch you in the face!" Draco scowled.
"Ron punched you in the face too!" Harry pointed accusingly at Ron.
"What? When?" Ron asked, eyes wide.
"During the last battle against Voldemort. He was about to be attacked by a Death Eater but I stunned him before he could do anything to Draco. After that you punched him from under the invisibility cloak." Harry grinned. Draco's glare turned to Ron.
Surprisingly enough, after that the five human occupants of the compartment continued to reminisce until there were only a few minutes until they reached Hogsmead. Severus (Once he had awoken) listened in while nearly rolling his eyes at the absurdity of it all. If there was ever a less likely group to sit around and share bad memories he'd like to know who they were. Thoughts of himself and the Marauders popped into his mind. "Hm…that is less likely." he meowed to himself, his meow catching Draco's attention.
"Whose cat?" said blonde asked.
"Mine. His name's Prince." Harry reached to pet the cat and was met with a glare. Draco reached over to stroke the feline and received only half the glare that Harry had gotten.
"Wow. I think he actually likes you." Ron said with amazement. "I didn't think that bloody cat liked anyone. But I guess it makes sense what with both of you being gits."
"Oh, haha, Weasley. You're wit never fails to astound me." Draco mockingly applauded him.
"What do you guys know about the new Headmaster?" Hermione asked, pulling on her robes.
"He's some old bloke named Galloway from what dad said." Ron answered, his voice muffled because of the robes over his head.
"There's a new Potions Professor too. A woman named Chambers. She's the new head of Slytherin since Slughorn went back into retirement. And I heard they gave Professor Lupin his Defense Against the Dark Arts job back." Draco informed, straitening his robes.
"What? Really?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise.
"Well yeah, Harry. Don't you remember hearing about it this summer? That law that Umbridge passed against werewolves was taken away after she was sent to Azkaban. What did you think we were celebrating about at the end of June?" Hermione asked with a role of her eyes.
"Oh, I don't know, the end of the bloody war?" Harry shot back sarcastically. He did remember that Remus and Sirius had seemed a lot happier, but he had assumed that their reason was the same as everyone else's. Now he felt like an idiot who didn't pay proper attention. "But that's great! Is Sirius coming with him?"
"I think so. It's not like he has to stay locked up anymore." Hermione answered, all of them gathering up their possessions.
"So Umbridge landed in Azkaban, huh?" Neville grinned.
"Yeah. Harry testified against her. She's there for the next thirty years without parole." Ron beamed as they all clambered off the train and onto a carriage. "So any other info on this new Potion Professor?"
"She's a pureblood from an old family. Apparently they made their fortune in dragon breeding. My family has never had much to do with them. I've heard her parents brag about her potion making abilities at parties but other than that I couldn't say." Draco shrugged.
"Really? My Gran is friends with her grandparents and they were always talking about how she used to get in trouble for doing a bunch of experiments that ended in explosions." Neville frowned as they approached the school.
"Well it's no use to listen to rumors. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Hermione stated. The group walked into the castle with the hundreds of others. As they approached the Great Hall Harry looked to Draco.
"Are you going to sit with the Slytherins?"
The blonde scoffed. "No, I'm going to sit with a bunch of bloody Gryffindors. Who do you think you're talking to, Potter?" he sneered.
"Right, right. Sorry." Harry smiled as the group entered the Great Hall.
XoxoxoxoX
Severus was not amused at being left in his cage to wait for the house elves to come and take him to Potter's quarters. So he did the only thing that seemed appropriate, he studied the lock of the bloody cage in hopes of being able to open it. The lock wasn't exactly complex, a simple sliding bar. If he managed to hook his claw onto it just right he could probably get it opened.
It turned out not to be as easy as Severus had first thought it would be. 'Damn that stupid boy.' he thought as the lock once again slipped from his claw.
"Would you like some help, Professor Snape?" A slightly misty voice asked.
"What?" Severus' eyes snapped to the young woman whom was now standing over his cage. Luna Lovegood smiled back at him. "You know who I am?"
"Well yes. If you don't mind me saying, it was pretty easy to figure out." Luna replied airily.
"You can hear me as well?" Severus was sure that his eyes were widened comically in shock.
"Oh yes. I can hear your voice in my head. I was just coming out here to look for some Albino Clippies, they like to stay near cats you see, and that's when I saw you trying to get out of your cage." Luna explained, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.
"Yes, but how is it that you could tell that it was me?" Out of all the people who could have realized it was him why did it have to be this odd girl?
"Well you just look a lot like your human self, I guess. It's probably the eyes." She nodded to herself.
Severus simply blinked at her. He had always heard that the Lovegood girl was a bit strange but apparently he hadn't put nearly enough stock in those rumors. Then again, if this girl could recognize him with one glance then surely the others would realize it was him eventually. And, thinking of the others, "Miss Lovegood I need you to keep quiet about this. I would prefer if you told no one but most importantly not Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, or Miss Granger. Do you understand?"
"Alright then. To be perfectly honest I doubt that anyone would believe me anyways. People usually don't believe me for some reason. Which is completely odd since I don't usually lie." Luna said in an almost sing song voice.
Severus wondered for a moment if she had just guessed it was him by sheer chance but decided that it was of very little importance. "Would you please open this cage?"
"Oh yes." Luna bent down and opened the latch. "Enjoy the feast. I saw the new Potions Master and she doesn't really seem like she'll be as good at potions as you were. But she might be a better teacher. It never really seemed like you enjoyed it much." She continued to muse mistily.
Severus decided to ignore her rambling, not to mention he felt the intense need to shake the odd incident from his mind, and headed for the Great Hall. He had heard Draco talking about the new Potions Professor. Her name was Chambers. Surely it wasn't Clarice Chambers. He had taught her in his second year of teaching. Usually she was an adequate student but she had the awful tendency to experiment with ingredients that usually weren't mixed. He couldn't count the number of times he had to send an entire class to the infirmary while Miss Chambers graced his class.
No, it couldn't be Clarice Chambers. Surely the other teachers remembered her and had warned the new Headmaster against hiring her. However, as Severus entered the Great Hall there sat Clarice Chambers. Long mousy hair framed her plump face the same way it had in her Hogwarts days and her dark eyes roamed the hall shining with excitement.
'Fantastic. The children who are responsible for retuning me to humanity are all going to die in an explosion.' Severus thought with a glare to the new "Potions Master".
Severus managed to find Potter at the Gryffindor table and proceeded to climb onto the boys lap. Harry jumped at the feeling of claws but then looked down amusedly at the cat. "Hello Prince." Harry smiled, petting Prince's ears.
Severus batted his hand away with a hiss. "Just give me some food, boy."
Harry grinned at Severus' meow. "I guess you're hungry." He grabbed some turkey from his plate and gave it to the ravenous cat.
"How did Prince get here?" Hermione asked, frowning at the feline.
"How in Merlin's name would I know that? He must have figured a way out of his cage." Harry fed Severus another bit of meat. Prince accepted his offering and then leaned on the table with his front paws, lapping pumpkin juice out of Harry's goblet.
"You know, I've been thinking that he's awfully smart for a common house cat. Maybe he's part kneazle or something like that." Hermione mused. Severus looked at her. Maybe he should start trying to convince Granger first.
Severus finished eating and began surveying the room. McGonagall was shooting cold glances to the new Headmaster. Galloway, however, didn't seem to notice the looks. Instead he looked out at the Great Hall with a slightly smug look on his bearded face.
Severus wondered what he had done to get on Minerva's bad side. Surely he realized that being the Headmaster would be immensely easier with the Transfiguration Professor with him than against him. She had done her best to make Severus' life hell for the short time he had been Headmaster. Not to mention the fact that all the other teachers would follow her example. If Galloway wasn't careful he wouldn't be Headmaster much longer.
It wasn't long before the feast had been eaten and Galloway got to his feet. "I welcome all of you to Hogwarts. My name is Aelfric Galloway and I have been given the privilege of being the new Headmaster at this rather outstanding school. My only hope is that I might provide half as much guidance and wisdom as my predecessors.
"As many of you are aware, we have another new addition to the staff this year. Please welcome Professor Chambers who will be taking over as Potions Master. Also, I would like to welcome back Professor Lupin who will be reclaiming his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." There was loud applause for Lupin's return which he acknowledged with a pleased smile, Sirius grinning next to him. "Many of you will also be aware that this year there are a few students that were unable to attend their last year because of the war. For those of you that have returned, I have had special Chambers set up since there is no longer any room in your old dormitories. The heads of your houses will be the ones to show you the rooms. You will be having classes with the currant seventh years." He nodded to the room. "It is my greatest hope that this year we can all move on from the horror of war and move on into a new era of peace and togetherness, a new era of hope and learning. For now, I bid you goodnight."
Severus frowned. Throughout Galloway's entire speech the smug look had remained on his face. McGonagall was still shooting him cold looks as the student body clamored to their feet. Harry tightened his hold on Severus as he stood up. The cat shot his a half-hearted glare.
McGonagall came over to where Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were standing. "If you will all follow me I will lead you to your new rooms." She gave them a slight smile. They followed her to a corridor not far from where Gryffindor tower was located. She stopped in front of a picture of a young man standing underneath a cherry blossom tree. The boy turned to look at them with smiling eyes. "Ferocitas." McGonagall said, making him swing forward with a smile.
The room that the door opened to was rather large and quite homey. There was a two-person sofa and two comfy looking arm chairs in front of a large fire place. The walls were lined partially by bookshelves as well as four desks for them to do their homework at. There were also four doors that Harry guessed led to their bedrooms. "I'm sure you find your rooms satisfactory. Off the record, I'd like to warn you three since Mr. Longbottom is no longer in Potions, please be careful around Professor Chambers. Goodnight." And with that she left.
"I guess she does like to cause explosions if even McGonagall is warning us against her." Ron mused.
"And to think they let someone like that become a teacher!" Hermione looked scandalized.
"We'll just have to be careful." Harry put Prince down, going over to get the cat food and water dish from his trunk. He set them up near the fire place and filled them.
Severus walked slowly around the room. The color scheme was, predictably, in Gryffindor colors. Thought they were considerably toned down compared to the clashing mess of the Gryffindor common room. Deciding that this might not be completely awful he leapt up onto the armchair closest to the fire.
He needed to think about what he was going to do. With the four people he needed in Miss Chamber's class something was sure to go horribly wrong. With his luck one or more of them would die in a fiery blast. He was beginning to think that it wasn't so important to think about it right not as the warmth of the fire began to wrap him in its arms and pull him into sleep.
XoxoxoxoX
Harry tossed and turned that night. Having one of the many dreams that had haunted him since the war. He was in what looked like an abandoned building. Was it the Shrieking Shack? "Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" A girl's voice spoke from behind him. He twirled around to find no one. The words were familiar though and he wondered who he had heard say them.
"No…it doesn't make any difference." This time it was a boy's voice from behind him. He turned again, half expecting no one to be there again. Instead there stood Snape. The wound from Nagini was still bleeding and Harry was terrified. Snape took a step forward and gazed deep into Harry's eyes. "Look…at…me…"
All Harry could see was those black eyes. Pain filled, suffering, and then dead. He awoke with a gasp to see those same obsidian eyes glaring down at him. "AUGH!" Prince hissed as Harry tumbled off his bed. Harry trying to catch himself and not crush the cat that had been sitting on his chest.
"Harry what's wrong?" Ron burst into the room. "What are you doing?"
Harry glared up from where he was tangled in the blankets on the floor. "Prince scared me." he huffed.
"You're finally catching on then? That cat's been scaring me since you got it." Ron smirked as Harry untangled himself. Severus hissed at him and then looked back to Harry.
"You didn't put out anywhere for me to use the bathroom you useless idiot of a boy!" He hissed loudly, pacing back and forth.
"What's wrong with him?" Harry asked, staring at Prince as he paced around the room meowing.
"He's a nutter?" Ron raised an eyebrow at the cat.
Severus turned back to them with a glare and stalked up to Harry. "Get me a litter box, you dolt!" He yowled as he clawed Potter's exposed feet.
"Ow!" Harry jumped away from the furious cat.
"Harry? Ron? What are you two doing?" Hermione asked as she came into the room.
"Prince has gone even more crazy and clawed Harry." Ron laughed.
"Oh Harry, don't bleed on the carpet!" Hermione scolded.
"Oh yes! Well I'll just stop my blood flow, shall I?" Harry snapped.
Severus was sure that he would find all of this a lot more amusing if his bladder wasn't about to burst. He meowed again, loudly, and Hermione turned to look at him. "Harry, he probably needs to use the bathroom." She said matter-of-factly. "You don't have a litter box for him, do you?"
"No." Harry mumbled. "I guess he just went outside to use the bathroom at the Burrow."
Hermione rolled her eyes and went over to Harry's bed. She transfigured one of the pillows into a litter bow with a cover. Then she whispered a spell that filled it with sand. Prince rushed into it as soon as she had placed it in a corner of Harry's room.
"Guys, we need to get to breakfast." Neville informed, peaking into the room.
"We're coming." Hermione said. "Harry put your foot onto your trunk and I'll heal it."
Severus came out of the litter box as Granger was healing Potter. She finished up and she and Weasley left to let Potter get dressed. "You didn't have to claw me, you crazy cat." Harry glared at Prince.
"I'll claw you whenever I feel you're being unforgivably stupid." Severus quipped.
"Don't you meow at me." Harry smirked, shoving the cat with his foot. Prince hissed at him and then stalked out of the room, his tail held high.
Severus slipped out of the entrance as the four Gryffindors left for breakfast. "Harry, you let Prince out." Hermione pointed out.
"He doesn't need to stay locked up in there all day. Crookshanks doesn't stay locked up." Harry looked to Prince, who was leading the way to the great hall.
"He's going to get sick if you keep feeding his human food." Hermione scowled at him.
"He's fine, Hermione. I don't tell you how to take care of your cat." Harry glared at her and Hermione pursed her lips angrily.
Severus, as usual, ate off Harry's plate. Lapping tea out of his cup. Hermione scrunched her nose up but didn't say anything. "What's our first class?" Ron asked, trying to get his girlfriend's attention off the cat.
"Potions. We have it with the-"
"Slytherins?" Harry guessed with a smirk.
"Well…yes." Hermione allowed herself a small smile as well.
"I'm shocked!" Ron gasped sarcastically.
"Ron, what's Charlie doing here?" Harry asked, spotting Ron's second oldest brother at the staff table.
"Oh, didn't I tell you guys? Mum asked him to stay here for a bit instead of rushing back to Romania. Since the war ended and with Fred…not being around she wanted him to stay close for a bit. He offered to help Hagrid out with Care of Magical Creatures." Ron explained.
"With both him and Hagrid here how long do you wanna bet it is before they have a dragon living in the forest?" Harry grinned.
"Two weeks at the most." Ron grinned back.
Over at the Slytherin table Draco was noticing the new addition as well. "Hey Blaise. Who is that?"
"Who?" Blaise looked up from his oatmeal to the staff table.
"The redhead. The one sitting next to Hagrid." Draco pointed out.
"Isn't he a Weasley?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you serious?" The blonde exclaimed, looking back at the man. His hair was a darker red than that of his siblings and his skin was much tanner. Draco felt his cheeks heat up as the Weasley's blue eyes focused on him. He looked away quickly. "Just what this school needs. More Weasleys." He hoped his voice was steady enough to convince Blaise that nothing was wrong.
"So that's the kind of guy you go for, huh?" Blaise deadpanned with a smirk.
Draco sputtered in embarrassed anger. "I don't know what you're talking about! What would make you even think that I like guys?"
"Draco…Pansy used to practically bend over and beg you to fuck her. You never even looked twice at her. The only thing you would ever let her get away with was stroking your hair…and you'll let anyone do that." Blaise pointed out smugly.
"I most certainly would not!" Draco's cheeks turned a lovely pink color.
"Try telling me, truthfully, that you didn't order Goyle to pet your hair in first year." Blaise raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
"We have to get to Potions." Draco feigned a straight face. Blaise just laughed.
"You mean you have to get to Potions. I'm not taking it." Blaise grinned.
"Oh. Right then. See you in a bit." Draco grabbed his bag and headed for the dungeons. The Golden Trio was already there when he entered. Draco glanced around and spotted three Slytherins sitting at a back table. They looked back, sending him cold looks before turning to ignore him completely. Draco barely held back a sneer and headed for the table that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at. "Good morning." he said stiffly.
"Morning!" Harry smiled at him.
"You're adapting to this a bit too well." Draco sneered half-heartedly.
"I could punch you in the face to make you feel batter." Ron offered. Draco shot him a glare.
"Everyone please take your seats." Professor Chambers ordered as she entered the classroom. She was grinning happily as she surveyed the class. It was a major difference from Snape (Who had never smiled at any class.) and even Slughorn (Who had only smiled at certain people in each class.) "Welcome to your N.E.W.T.S potion class. Today I've chosen a potion that should be enough to test your skills even if you are quite talented in Potions. We will be brewing a potion called Nex Subsisto. Can anyone tell me what this potion does?"
Hermione's hand, predictably, was the first in the air. Chambers had barely motioned to her before she started answering. "Nex Subsisto is a potion that can stop you from dying from any illness. If a healer can't find out what's wrong with you and you're dying from a magical sickness they will administer Nex Subsisto and it will stop you from dying." Hermione smiled.
"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. Now, can anyone tell me what the main ingredient is?"
Once again Hermione's hand was thrust into the air. Professor Chambers' smirk was enough to launch Hermione into another explanation. "There are two main ingredients. Freshly picked hellebore blossoms and blood willingly given from a unicorn."
"Exactly. Take another five points. In this potion it is essential that the unicorn blood is given willingly. This is because if you slay a unicorn for its blood you will be cursed forever. This, of course, makes unicorns blood a very rare and valuable ingredient. Luckily, Professor Hagrid has the unicorns in the forest used enough to him that they'll allow him to take some of their blood. The directions are on the board. As this is also my first time with this potion I will be brewing it as well." Her eyes had lit up in unmistakable excitement.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco gave each other looks that clearly said, "Let's be really careful."
XoxoxoxoX
Severus was leisurely strolling the halls. He had been planning on following Potter and company to their first class but in the end he had lost them in a sea of legs. So he had decided to head down at a more relaxed pace.
That wasn't mentioning that navigating the halls in the form of a cat was much different than doing so as a human. However, he was sure that he was going the right way to the dungeons. "You lost?" Asked a darkly feminine voice. Severus turned quickly to see Mrs. Norris watching him.
"No." Severus answered, edging away from the other cat. Something about the way she was looking at him was putting him on edge. Her tail swooshed back and forth excitedly. "Can I help you?"
"You're new here this year, right? I could show you around." She offered, stepping closer to him.
He took a step back. "No thank you. I know where I'm going."
"Oh come on. It'll be more fun with the two of us. I could show you quite the good time." She rubbed herself against Severus with a purr.
Severus jumped back with a hiss. Surely this couldn't be happening. Surely he wasn't being hit on by a cat. "I'm leaving." he growled at her.
As he stalked away she followed with a small laugh. "You can't get away. I know this castle like the end of my tail." she purred.
Severus growled at her. "Why are you so interested in me? There are plenty of others who I'm sure would share your company."
"I've already been with most of them. You're new but sort of…familiar. Have we met before?" She gave him a scrutinizing look.
"No." Severus snapped.
"What's your name then?"
"Prince."
"Well, you may not know it yet, but you're going to be mine." With a meow she leapt onto Severus.
Severus hissed loudly as she attempted to pin him down. He should have known that Filch's cat would be just as crazy as the man who owned her. He clawed at her, yowling furiously. He was just about to land a good swipe across her face when he was grabbed roughly by the scruff of his neck and hauled into the air.
"Get away from my cat you putrid creature!" Filch growled, his disgusting breath in Severus' face. Severus hissed at the man and clawed at his face, causing him to drop Severus. Filch aimed a kick at him, which narrowly missed, as he streaked away. Mrs. Norris stayed behind, pouting.
Severus was going to kill Dumbledore. He knew that Albus was currently dead, and that he had already killed the man once, but he'd be damned if he didn't find a way to kill the man again. He growled to himself as he finally managed to make it to the dungeons.
He walked into the potion's classroom hesitantly. Clarice Chambers was telling the class about the potion that they would be brewing that day. Miss Granger's hand was, of course, the first in the air to answer any questions. That's when Severus heard it. The name Nex Subsisto. No…surely Chambers wouldn't have them attempt that potion.
Severus himself had only brewed Nex Subsisto four times in his life. Only three of which were successful. The beginning of the brewing process was deceptively easy. It took a hard turn for the worst right after you added the dried Fimbriata. If you didn't stir in a figure eight exactly as the Fimbriata hit the potion it would explode. Horribly. Severus still had scars on his arms from his disastrous first attempt. Or…he would still have them if he weren't in a cat's body.
Severus glanced quickly around the classroom. Students were in pairs of four, which was the best number of people to have when working this potion. Potter, Granger, Weasley, and Draco were all working diligently over their cauldron. Severus slunk over to Potter, clawing his way onto his lap.
Harry jumped slightly and looked down. "Prince? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make sure that none of you kill yourselves." Severus meowed.
"Harry, please add four dragon scales." Hermione ordered, stirring the cauldron.
Harry jumped up, putting Prince on his seat. "You know, for a potion that has such amazing results it's not that hard to make." Ron mused, dropping ground daisy roots into the potion as Draco cut a frog spleen into fourths.
"I know. I mean, as long as you have a few people all working on it together it's really not that difficult." Hermione smiled.
Severus hissed at them, attracting their attention. "What's your cat doing here, Potter?" Draco asked.
"He must have snuck into the classroom. Maybe he's a fan of potions." Harry smiled.
"Well just make sure he doesn't come near the potion." Hermione frowned. "Draco would you add the dried Fimbriata?" Severus' eyes widened. He meowed and leapt onto the table. "Shoo Prince. Go!" Hermione gently shoved the cat. Severus hissed at her and tried again to get over to Draco.
"Get out of my way you foolish girl!" he hissed just as Draco dropped the plant.
Harry, who was standing next to Draco in order to start stirring, was the first to notice something was wrong. The potion, which should have been royal purple, was an angry orange. It was only an instant before the potion began bubbling dangerously. Prince hissed and leapt off the table. "Get down!" Harry shoved Draco out of the way just as the potion exploded.
There were screams as Harry was drenched in the boiling potion. Hermione and Ron were calling his name. Prince was hissing loudly as Draco sputtered in shock. There were yells and screams and orders being barked out. The shouts and screams seemed to just get louder and louder as Harry lost consciousness.
XoxoxoxoX
Harry woke up to the sound of someone yelling. He could only open one eye and it felt like his skull had been broken into numerous pieces and then clumsily taped back together. Just from looking at the ceiling he knew; he was in the hospital wing.
Blearily, he tried to focus on the voices. "-completely irresponsible! He could have been killed! Anyone in there could have been killed! Having the children brew Nex Subsisto? Have you even glanced at the approved potions to teach in this school? Even Severus barely brewed that potion. He said himself that it was a very challenging potion to brew! But you had no second thoughts about putting all of those children in danger!" That was McGonagall's voice.
"None of that is true! None of the other groups' potions blew up! That group obviously must have done something wrong!" Chambers screamed back.
"According to Miss Granger they were ahead of the other groups! I don't doubt this, seeing as they had Miss Granger who has always been at the top of her class as well as Mr. Malfoy whose best subject is potions!"
"Ladies! I have sleeping patients! Please be quiet or take this elsewhere." Madame Pomfrey ordered in a carrying whisper.
"I'll be taking this up with Galloway, Clarice. You can count on that." With that McGonagall stormed out of the Hospital Wing, not noticing the lanky black cat that slipped in.
Severus walked up to Potter's bed quietly. Nearly his entire head was wrapped in bandages as well as his arms. Severus shook his head and leapt onto the bed. "Hey Prince. Come to keep me company?"
"No. I've come because you're an idiot and I dearly wish that I could speak in order to remind you of that fact every few minutes. Not to mention the fact that Granger shut me out of your rooms." Severus meowed.
It amazed Severus how stupid Potter could be sometimes. He hadn't hesitated in the slightest to jump in front of Draco. Just like a bloody Gryffindor. It reminded Severus, rather forcibly, of Lily. She would have done the same thing. 'Stupid boy.' Harry was gently petting Severus with his one undamaged hand. Severus was purring unknowingly as both he and Potter drifted off to sleep.
XoxoxoxoX End Chapter
Author Note: Whew! That was a long one. I'm really nervous about a few things in this chapter. First, Luna. Was she in character? I feel like she's really hard to do. Really. Second, I really hope you guys don't feel like there are too many OC's. I know that there are a few but please don't worry. None of them will be becoming main characters in any way. And it's hard not to have a few OC's with a story like this. As always I worry over all the other characters. So, if you think I did a good job (Or a not so good job.) please tell me. As always, please review but no flames. Flames make me just pretty sad. I love all of you!