Disclaimer: All rights to JKR

Chapter Four

The Potions Master

"There, look."

"Where?"

"In the middle of the tall kid with red hair -"

"- and the short girl with brown hair."

"Oh, wearing glasses?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

Amara, once finding Harry and Ron in the common room the next morning, got increasingly irritated by the whispers and points Harry received the whole day. She knew he didn't like it, it was obvious – especially when they were trying to find their classrooms in the ever-changing castle.

They had got lost four times on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were so many staircases, wide and sweeping ones, narrow and rickety ones; ones that led to different places when they felt like it, one with a vanishing step that Amara always forgot to jump. There were doors too that didn't open unless tickled in the right spot or they weren't actually ones at all, just pretending. Sometimes they moved too, so that the places they had been were wall behind the door. The portraits and suits of armour didn't help – they kept moving about and the people in the paintings kept visiting each other. Amara tried to stay well clear of the ghosts – except Nick, who was good at directing them to classes – and ran when she heard Peeves coming. He would drop everything on your head, trip you up and sneak up on you.

Argus Filch, the caretaker, was even worse. Amara, Harry and Ron got on the wrong side of him the very first day. They were accidently trying to get through a locked door that turned out to be the forbidden one on the third floor corridor. He wouldn't believe that they didn't know where they were, let alone knowing it was the forbidden one, but they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, who stuttered and wore a turban.

Mrs Norris, Filch's cat, was just as bad. A scrawny, dust-coloured pest, with popping lamp-like eyes like her owner's. Any rule broken in front of her (which she weirdly knew) and in a matter of seconds, Filch would come running. He knew the castle's secret passage ways better than anyone (except the Weasley Twins, as Amara found out, as they were pranksters)

Amara never thought classes could be so interesting. You didn't just have to wave you wand and spout nonsense – there was a lot more to it than that.

Every Wednesday night, they studied the night skies with their telescopes for Astronomy and plot the stars and planet movements. This always made Amara tired the next day, after an hour at midnight of watching stars. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses in the grounds. Professor Sprout taught them Herbology – a subject that Amara liked, for it was about magical plants and they found out what different things did.

History of Magic, taught by the ghost, Professor Binns, was so dull, it sent Amara to sleep. This was the only lesson she didn't like – learning about Goblin Rebellions and dates. Amara would've enjoyed it, if it weren't for the fact that Binns droned on for hours in the same, monotone voice.

Charms was one of Amara's favourite subjects, Professor Flitwick, the tiny, sweet wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to reach his desk, was lovely. Amara loved the charms he explained and couldn't wait to practice them. She had laughed the first lesson, when he called Harry's name, for he gave an excited squeak and toppled off his books. Another favourite was Transfiguration, taught by Professor McGonagall.

She gave them a stern and firm talk the moment the entered her classroom.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Then, to everyone's amazement, she turned her desk into a pig and back again. Amara had been excited to get started, but was disappointed when she said they wouldn't be doing that for a long time. They began the lesson by taking lots of notes and then were given a match to turn into a needle. Besides Hermione, Amara was the only other one to make a change to her match, which turned silver and pointy. She awarded Amara her first ever house points and smiled a rare smile. Ron and Harry warned her not to become like Hermione, who was intent on being top at every lesson, and, irritatingly, she was.

Amara had been looking forwards to Defence Against the Dark Arts, she was interested at Defending herself. But Professor Quirrell's lessons were a bit of a joke. The room smelled very strongly of garlic, which made Amara gag, and apparently it was to ward off vampires. The turban was also apparently a thank-you gift from an African village he helped save from an annoying zombie, but none of them believed it, for when Seamus (who liked interesting stories) asked how he got rid of it, Professor Quirrell immediately changed the subject.

Amara, along with Harry, found out that they weren't miles behind everyone, and that even Ron, who was from a magical family, didn't know much either.

Amara hung around with Harry and Ron in lessons and in the common room, as the girls in her dorm weren't right for her. Firstly, Hermione Granger, was very annoying in Amara's point of view. Whenever she was in the dormitory, she would constantly nag her in everything about work – like studying and homework. Also she was a know-it-all who didn't know when to stop spouting information to everyone and making herself the best in everything. Personally, Amara thought that she should let other people have the chance to shine, instead of just moving the spotlight onto her.

The three other girls weren't the best either. She liked Sophie Roper the best, but she was very quiet and shy and hung around with the Hufflepuffs and her sister in the year above. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were nice too, but there was a limited amount of words to say to them before she had nothing else to say. They were more interested in getting Amara to brush her hair more as "It would shine more!" as Lavender put it.

Amara found that she was getting good friends with Dean Thomas too, they had a lot of the same interests and talked for a while about muggle life. Seamus Finnigan was nice too – he cracked jokes about his time back home in Ireland.

Friday started a good day for Amara, Harry and Ron. They managed (amazingly) to get to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.

"What have we got today?" asked Harry as Amara spooned some honey onto her porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin, they say he favours them – we'll be able to see if that's true."

"Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Harry as Amara sighed wistfully.

Professor McGonagall was head of their house and Amara was slightly peeved when she set a whole load of homework the day before.

The mail arrived then, hundreds of owls swooping across the ceiling, dropping their parcels and letters onto their laps. Amara had nearly screamed the first morning –much to the amusement of Ron, Fred and George, who were sitting close by.

Amara looked up hopefully, she had sent a letter to her family a couple of days ago by a school owl, and was hoping for a reply.

A brown tawny owl swooped over the table and gave Amara a letter before flying off again.

She opened it eagerly and scanned the contents.

Dear Amara,

Thank you for your letter, it was great to hear from you! It's so nice to hear you're doing well already – it sounds rather hard! We did get a shock yesterday when an owl was pecking at our window! We didn't know what to do until Tessie, who got very excited, saw a letter tied to its leg. She said it must be from you – and she was right! We're all missing you loads of course – Ethan too, even if he tries not to admit it. Tessie hasn't got used to the fact you're gone, but School is keeping her occupied, luckily,

Hope to speak soon!

Love from

Mum & Dad

xxx

Amara smiled at the letter before shoving it in her satchel. Looking up, she saw that Harry had gotten a letter too – from Hagrid.

"He wants me to have tea with him," Harry informed her, after he had borrowed Ron's quill to write a reply.

Potions turned out worse than expected. Amara, who was looking forwards to it, was disappointed at how Snape taught the lesson.

Firstly, they had the lessons in the dungeons, which was very cold and drafty. The only heat was from their fires under their cauldrons. There were also pickled animals lined up on the walls in jars, which looked very creepy.

Amara found out from Harry that he thought Snape didn't like him and it was true – he hated him.

Snape started with the register, and paused at Harry's name.

"Ah, yes," he said softly "Harry Potter. Our new – celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and his cronies laughed nastily. Snape didn't bat an eyelid, in fact, this made him look creepier.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began after the register. He spoke very quietly, but Amara was able to catch every word said, like Professor McGonagall did. He was able to keep the class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even stopped death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed these words. Amara shared a look with Dean and rolled her eyes when she saw Hermione sitting on the edge of her seat, with a look that she wasn't a dunderhead.

"Potter!" Snape said suddenly "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Amara frowned, she had read the textbook on Potions now what the answer was…. Hermione had already put up her had when Amara tentatively raised hers too.

"I don't know sir," said a baffled Harry.

Snape's lip curled.

"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything."

Amara had a boil of anger bubbling in her, Harry didn't know he was famous since a month ago!

He ignored Hermione's hand. Amara had already put hers down.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, Amara had a thought in her head, but couldn't be bothered to think of it. She tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.

"I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

Amara and a few others laughed. Snape, though, was not pleased at all.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.

"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Amara thought this was too unfair – Harry had been preoccupied with his own potion!

"Don't push it," Amara heard Ron muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Amara wondered why Snape hated Harry so much when he hadn't done anything.

"Don't worry Harry," Amara said as they walked to lunch, seeing Harry's expression.

"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can me and Amara come and meet Hagrid with you?"

At five to three that afternoon they left the castle and went into the grounds to Hagrid's house. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. As they came nearer, they saw a crossbow and a pair of galoshes outside the front door.

Harry knocked on the door. Behind it there came a frantic scrabbling and a few booming barks. Hagrid's voice cut through them: "Back Fang – back."

The door opened a crack and Hagrid's face peered through as the door opened wider.

"Hang on," he said "Back Fang."

He was talking to the enormous boarhound that he was holding onto by the collar. They stepped inside the one-roomed hut. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the fire and there was a massive bed in one corner with a patchwork quilt. Amara thought it was very cosy.

They sat down at the table while Hagrid poured boiling water in the teapot. He had released Fang, who was actually rather sweet, as he was now licking Ron's ears.

"This is Ron," Harry said "And Amara."

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, after greeting Amara "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the Forest."

Amara wished she hadn't eaten her rock cake, which nearly broke her teeth, but pretended to like it as they told Hagrid about their lessons. Amara stroked Fang on the head as they talked and he drooled all over her robes.

Amara, Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch 'that old git.'

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Fitch puts her up to it."

Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron and Amara, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

"But he seemed to really hate me."

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"

Amara saw Harry looking at Hagrid oddly.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot - great with animals."

Amara wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. He didn't seem to give Harry any proper explanation. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Amara saw Harry pick up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cosy. She leaned over to read it too. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Amara remembered that Ron had told them about it on the train ride, but she hadn't paid it much notice.

"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"

Amara looked at the news cutting again and saw Hagrid look away from Harry. He grunted and offered another rock cake. Harry frowned at the cutting – Amara wanted to ask him about it later.

They walked up to the castle a while later, their pockets filled with the lumpy rock cakes that they had been too polite to refuse. Amara saw that Harry looked very preoccupied as they walked back, so she talked to Ron instead.