Chapter 06 – Potions and Brooms
Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews. It's nice to hear feedback regardless of it being good or bad. But there is one issue that has come up a couple times. That is the revelation of Harry's powers. I'm sorry to say that Harry will not be revealing his powers. Although this is a powerful!Harry fic, I decided that there needs to be some challenges Harry needs to face. He will use his powers, but not as Harry Potter. Nor will he ever use it to scare others into backing off. This is what Neville does. The point of Harry's return was so that he could spend his time with those he loved, not so show off his awesome power. Also, the power he was given was to allow him to save those he loved. If Harry uses his power recklessly, he may end up in a world where all those he loved is gone again.
The bell sounded loudly for their first class ten before nine. For Harry and Hermione, it happened to be Potions with Professor Snape. It took Harry a fair bit of convincing to get Hermione to go to class. Usually she wouldn't miss one even if the world was ending, but Harry knew Hermione was scared of Severus Snape. Harry admitted that he was intimidated by the man the first time they met, but Harry knew more about Severus than he let on.
"Come on, Hermione! Professor Snape isn't that bad," Harry coaxed as they were outside of the dungeons.
"Yes he is!" Hermione pouted. She had heard nasty rumors about how Severus treats Gryffindors and know-it-alls.
-A little help here would be nice!- Harry cried out to Silva.
-You had things perfectly under control.- the griffon laughed in return.
"If you don't go in, Professor Snape will take points away from Gryffindor," Harry said. It might have been more knowledge than he should know, but it was enough to get Hermione to walk through the doors. Harry saw the Slytherins busy chatting amongst themselves and not caring it was Harry that walked into the room. I'm glad I'm not The-Boy-Who-Lived. Damn staring was annoying! Harry said to himself.
Hermione was squirming around trying to get the back row seats, but they were all taken. Harry sighed and settled for a desk in the middle of the classroom. He actually wanted to sit in the front, but Harry could not leave Hermione alone. She was shaking at the thought of Severus Snape. The Potion Master had yet to make his appearance, but Harry knew the professor would arrive just as the class began.
Punctuality was something Severus prided himself on. He was there at the exact time, give and take a few seconds. Never early, never late. Harry watched the clock hit nine and in stormed Professor Snape with his cape flaring behind him.
"Good morning. I am Professor Severus Snape and am here to teach you the art of Potionmaking. You are to address me as Professor Snape or sir." Severus made a note to glare at the Gryffindors who looked back nervously. Only one boy sat comfortably in his seat. Harry Potter. Severus turned away and continued, "I expect you all to be here punctually-" His words were interrupted when four clumsy students wearing the Gryffindor colors burst through the dungeon doors. "Forty points from Gryffindor," Severus snarled naturally.
"But-" Ron began.
"Ten more points for standing there idly instead of getting into your seats! Another five points from each of you for not keeping your appearance clean!" Severus fired back with no mercy.
"I'd suggest your reverse those points," Neville spoke up. "Or my father will hear about this!"
"Sir," Harry spoke up noting that Severus was about to reverse the points. The Severus Harry knew would never give into threats like these.
"Yes, Potter?" Severus sneered as he paused for a moment.
"Just take seventy points from me for doing this," Harry jumped onto his desk, dashed across to the aisle and decked Neville to the ground. "I think this qualifies for detention as well, sir," Harry noted before Dean and Seamus grabbed him.
-Remind me, Harry, how is this keeping a low profile?- Silva asked. Harry wanted to kick himself again. Why is it that he couldn't stay out of trouble? Was it really that hard? –Yes it is.- Silva answered for Harry. –Because you are still a kid. Without the knowledge and wisdom you have given me, you cannot think maturely.-
Bloody hell! Harry cursed silently.
"You will release Potter at once," Severus commanded the two boys. "Get to your seats before I take off anymore points. And Potter, you have a week's detention."
Harry shrugged as he felt Neville glaring at his back. He wanted to sit down next to Hermione, but it seems all the Gryffindors were glaring daggers at him. So Harry decided to join the Slytherins who were still laughing from his earlier stunt. He found himself a seat next to a girl named Blaise Zabini. It was odd since Harry clearly remembered Blaise as a boy in his past. Stupid changes. Harry cursed.
"Before I was rudely interrupted," Severus continued, "I was stating that I expect you all to come to class punctually, well prepared and have a proper appearance." Severus turned his attention to Neville and his three friends as they looked as if they just got out of bed. Little did he know that that was the truth. "Now, who can tell me what Ashwinder eggs are used for?"
Harry's eyes dashed towards Hermione and noticed her hand was not up. So, she is that scared of Severus. Harry noted.
-You should have let the hat place her into Ravenclaw where she belongs.- Silva told Harry.
-Perhaps. But she does have a great amount of courage.-
-Just all tucked down deep inside of her. Yeah, yeah. I know. But look at her. She would probably be more comfortable in Ravenclaw.-
-No. Neville needs Hermione's help or he won't be able to get anywhere.-
"Mr. Longbottom. Would you care to answer?" Severus volunteered. He was met with a spiteful glare from Neville. "Don't know? Alright. Next question. What can I make with Wormwood, Asphodel, Sopophorus Bean and Valerian Roots?"
Neville stayed deafly quiet not wanting to admit that he did not know. Again, Hermione did not raise her hand, but Harry could see that the answer was at the back of her throat.
"No answer again? What potion would I make if I had Fluxweed, horn of bicorn, knotgrass, lacewing flies, leeches and skin of boomslang?" Harry almost laughed as how relentless Severus fired these questions upon Neville who was burning bright red in fury. "Well, this just proves fame is not everything. Did you think you could pass this class without any knowledge? Now, Mr. Potter. Would you care to answer these questions or will you just sit there and stare at me quietly?"
"I will answer the questions, sir. Ashwinder eggs are used for love potions. Wormwood, Ashodel, Sopopohorus Bean and Valerian Roots are ingredients of a potion called 'The Draught of the Living Dead'. That is the most powerful sleeping potion in existence. Fluxweed, horn of bicorn, knotgrass, lacewing flies, leeches and skin of boomslang can be used to make Polyjuice Potion. A potion that can change the drinker into another person as long as you can secure a strand of hair. Sir." Harry answered politely. He noted that everyone was staring at him shocked that he could answer all these questions.
Severus, however, was not done yet. "What would I make with Erumpent fluid?"
"Any type of exploding potion, sir."
"Mandrake?"
"A potion to restore the petrified, sir."
"Salamander blood."
"Fire-breathing potion, sir."
"Moonstone."
"Calming potions. And there have been studies that hypothesis the use of moonstones to help werewolves retain their human mind during transformation, sir."
Severus was about to throw a few more just to test if Harry's knowledge was genuine, but the last statement proved it. Few knew about the effects of moonstones on werewolves, but Harry knew it. "It seems that Mr. Longbottom was outdone by a boy who was thought to be a squib until a week ago."
-Again, I must ask you, how is this keeping a low profile?-
-Shut up, Silva!- Harry scowled as he heard his familiar laughing inside his mind.
-Hmm. Instead of keeping a low profile, you have successfully made yourself the Gryffindor outcast. I guess in some ways this is the same as keeping a low profile.-
"Blaise Zabini," the girl next to him greeted.
"Harry Potter," Harry replied as he took her hand. He noted that majority Slytherins was not impressed. Draco held an unreadable expression, but with Silva's help, Harry could tell the young Malfoy was deeply impressed by Harry's actions so far. Draco was contemplating whether to befriend Harry or leave him alone. It was a hard decision as Harry was once known as a squib. Not to mention the tabloids had made it clear to the wizarding world Harry had very little magical power.
"Not often we get a Gryffindor outcast," Blaise noted quietly as Severus continued on with his lesson. "How did you know all those answers anyways?"
"Well, with low magical power, I decided to work on potions as this is the only field of magic I can be successful in. Spellcasting is not my strong suit." Harry lied effortlessly. Silva had already come up with thousands of different excuses Harry could use. It was not hard picking one and memorizing it.
"You are an interesting person, Harry," Blaise noted as she jotted down some notes for the potion they were going to make later this week. "Most people swarm around Neville like he is God, but you openly fight against him."
Harry shrugged and replied, "He started it." Blaise nodded as the entire wizarding world knew the feud between the Longbottoms and the Potters. Harry looked over to Theodore Nott who was just as imposing as Draco Malfoy. In Harry's past, Draco was the pompous boy who controlled half of the Slytherins with his fortune. Nott was the boy who worked behind the scene undermining Draco which led to the Draco's downfall. Harry watched the two carefully, trying to determine which is more dangerous at the current moment.
-Nott. Hands down.- Silva answered for Harry.
-Why?-
-Already has two thirds of the Slytherins behind him. Actually, most don't know that. They think it's some seventh year.-
"Which would you follow: Malfoy or Nott?" Harry asked Blaise.
She looked at the odd Gryffindor and responded, "Neither. They're both prats." Harry let out a light chuckle as he started his own notes and recalling the instructions that was scratched into an Advance Potions book written by a certain Half Blood Prince.
Class ended with no further insults to Neville, but Harry was sure there will be plenty of insulting when it came to potionmaking. They were preparing potion ingredients for a potion Severus was asked to make for Madam Pomfrey and Neville's ingredients were unusable as Harry noticed Severus tossing them out just before he left.
Now that Harry was a complete outcast, even Hermione ignored him. She was never one to be weak under peer-pressure, but that was the past. Harry sighed as he made his way behind all the Gryffindors to the Quidditch Pitch. Majority of the Slytherins spat at Harry calling him a 'squib' as the tabloids had nicely put. However, Harry did not find the words insulting in any way.
-Careful, Harry Potter. As much as you want to be Seeker again, you still need to keep a low profile.- Silva warned.
Harry scowled silently as he walked into the pitch and lined up at the very end of the Gryffindor line.
"So, Longbottom, you think you can fly?" Draco shot out.
"Of course. I'll be the youngest seeker of the century!" Neville challenged.
"Sure, whatever. I bet you can't even lift off the ground!" Draco shot back.
"We'll see," Neville fired back.
Harry rolled his eyes. Apparently the two had been arguing long before Harry arrived.
"Alright, boys! Break it up!" Madam Hooch called out silencing the two rivals. "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Here you will learn to fly and it is better if you learn by experience as there are no words to describe flying. Everyone, stand to the side of the broom opposite of your orientation. So if you are left handed, stand to the right and vice versa. Raise your arm up above the broom and say 'up' to command it into your hand!" she instructed.
Harry did not bother to command the broom and just let the broom rise up into his hand. Luckily, no one noticed he had not used the command, but Hooch was impressed that Harry had done it in his first try. Neville and Draco were having trouble with theirs. Ron's broom had smacked him several times in the face. Dean and Seamus's brooms just rolled around on the ground. Hermione was able to get hers into her hand within three tries. Blaise got hers in four. Nott, Crabbe and Goyle never got their brooms to move.
Harry had to wait ten minutes before everyone was able to get their brooms up from the ground. During that time, Harry contemplated on mounting his broom, but Silva had convinced him otherwise. When he heard Hooch say, "Now, mount your brooms," Harry jumped eagerly onto his broom and was ready to kick off into the sky. At least mounting did not take as long as calling the brooms. "Alright everyone, ease your brooms up gently."
Harry sighed as he could do this in his sleep. He looked over to Hermione who still had both feet planted firmly on the ground. He couldn't blame her for being scare of heights. Some of the Slytherins were laughing at Hermione as she was the only Gryffindor who did not jump at the chance to fly. Hooch was able to stop the insults, but Harry was disappointed as none of the Gryffindors came to her aid.
Harry gently shifted across the pitch and stopped next to Hermione while Hooch was not looking. "Just hold on to your broom," Harry said to Hermione as he placed his hand on one end. "I'm going to pull you off the ground. Keep your balance." Harry raised his own broom a bit higher while pulling Hermione's broom along. She was trying hard not to shiver in fear, as it will knock her balance off; however, Harry could tell Hermione was not succeeding.
-Incoming.- Silva warned. Harry shifted to the side along with Hermione with ease as Dean, who was dared to crash into Harry, missed and slammed into the ground.
Harry turned and feigned surprise as Madam Hooch was screaming at Dean about what she had said earlier. "Mr. Finnegan," she cried out noticing that it was Seamus who made the dare, "Take Mr. Thomas to the infirmary." Seamus groaned as he flew down and picked Dean off the ground and led him back to Hogwarts. "Now, I expect you all to stay on the ground!" Hooch said as she turned around and followed the two boys to the infirmary. Although she did order them to stay on the ground, Hooch decided to let them practice flying a bit. So long as no one else was injured.
Harry was not paying attention as he was trying to get Hermione to kick off the ground. Another warning came from Silva, but this time they were aiming for Hermione. Harry was able to pull her away, but not before Nott snatched away a necklace from Hermione's neck.
"Give it back!" Hermione screamed as Nott flew away laughing. He tossed it to Draco who was up twenty feet off the ground.
"Give it here, Malfoy!" Neville commanded as he met Draco in the air. Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors were right behind him as Draco had all the Slytherins.
"Why should I? This is Granger's and she should be the one coming up her to retrieve it. Oh wait, she's too scared of heights to fly!" Draco shot back as all the Slytherins laughed.
"Well, yeah. She's a coward for a Gryffindor," Ron agreed. "Now give it before we beat you down!"
Harry raised his eyebrow to Ron's comment, which majority of the Gryffindors agreed on.
"Beat me down? I doubt it. I bet none of you can take it away from me in the air!" Draco goaded as he flew away. Neville chased after Draco, but not because this was for Hermione, but because he wanted to beat Draco at his game.
"Don't worry, Hermione, I'll get it back," Harry said to comfort her. Neville was having trouble keeping up with the smaller Slytherin in the air and Hermione was at the verge of tears. Harry did not know what the necklace meant to Hermione, as she did not have a necklace in the past, but all that mattered was that it was important to Hermione. That was enough reason for Harry to fly out and take it back. "Let's see if I inherited my father's flying talents," Harry said with a smile before blasting off into the air.
Harry weaved through the crowd of Gryffindors swiftly through the twist and turns Draco forced them to do. Harry was having fun flying past the Gryffindors. When he got to Ron, Harry gave a subtle kick knocking Ron off balance forcing him to crash into the ground. Harry zoomed past Neville and slapped the back of the boy's head as he passed before reaching Draco. "Mind giving the necklace back?" Harry asked as he mimicked every move Draco could perform.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins who stopped chasing watched in awe as Harry and Draco flew through the air. Neville was trying hard to catch up, but he was missing all the turns and humiliating himself. Finally realizing that he could not avoid Harry, Draco took out his wand and shot the necklace towards Hogwarts in desperation. "Go fetch!" Draco called out as the necklace flew towards the castle.
Harry wasted no time to dash off after the necklace. Once more, he found himself flying towards Professor McGonagall's office window, which he did not know the first time around. Harry caught the necklace while pushing the horrible breaks of the old broom and stopped right outside of the window. "Good day, Professor," Harry greeted politely as he held out the necklace. "I don't suppose you can fix this chain, can you?"
McGonagall was left speechless after watching Harry pull a professional Quidditch maneuver to catch the necklace. She repaired the chain quickly when she recovered and said, "Would you be interested in joining the Quidditch team?"
"Very much!" Harry beamed cheerfully. "But you will have to excuse me for a few moments. I need to return this necklace to Hermione."
"We will speak about this matter later, then," McGonagall said before Harry flew away.
-Oh, nice. You just made yourself seeker after I told you not to.- Silva's voice growled in Harry's mind.
-Shut up.- Harry shot back at his familiar.
When Harry touched back down on the Quidditch Pitch, he made his way over to Hermione and returned the necklace. She thanked him shyly as the rest of the Gryffindors glared at him. And most of the Slytherins. "So, Neville, what was it that you were saying at the beginning? You were good enough to become the youngest seeker?" Harry shot at Neville with a sly smile.
"Well I am Gryffindor's seeker! My father gave me that position for my birthday!" Neville shot back in anger. He did not like being humiliated. And the one who humiliated him was Harry Potter which made things worse.
Harry noticed that Draco was angry as well, but kept quite as Harry was battling his rival in popularity. "So you can't even earn a decent position, huh? Had to buy your way in?" Harry thought of saying something to Draco, but it might change the future too much. So Harry decided to keep quiet for the time being.
"Shut up!" Neville fumed as he was unable to come up with a response.
"Why should I?" Harry spat back. Now every Gryffindor was against him as the Slytherins were behind him. It was odd the way things worked out. Who would have thought that Harry's greatest allies were not Gryffindors, but Slytherins?
"I'm The-Boy-Who-Lived! The most powerful wizard and the person who defeated You-Know-Who!" Neville cried out. "You better listen to me and do as I say! Or I will personally make you life a living hell!"
"Bring it on, Neville. Oh wait. Why should I worry? There's nothing you can do to me without the help of your father! Trying to make me listen by putting fear into me? That's not going to work. Why? Because you can't even say Voldemort!" Everyone took a step back and gasped. "Now, if I'm not afraid to say that name, why would I be afraid of you?"
-Well done, Harry. Now you have successfully made yourself an outcast and a partial center of attention.- Silva noted which made Harry scowl.
Neville, whose face was redder than Ron's hair, charged at Harry who was ready for such an attack. Harry noticed McGonagall walking to the pitch and let Neville tackle him to the ground. Some of the Slytherins rushed to aid Harry, but Ron led the Gryffindors to cut off any chance the Slytherins had to help Harry. For Harry, he was not too worried. As much as each punch stung, Harry did not fight back. He was just waiting for McGonagall to come about.
"Mr. Longbottom!" the transfiguration professor shrieked. "Get off of Mr. Potter! Everyone stop fighting this instant!" Everyone stopped and looked over to McGonagall in shock that a professor had caught them fighting. McGonagall was shocked to find her students behaving this way and noticed that only the girls had not joined the brawl. Harry was on his back with a black eye and a cut lip.
As much as she hated to do what she was about to do, it was the rules. "Two hundred points from both houses," Professor McGonagall said without mercy. "All of you will be receiving detention for two weeks with the exception of the girls and Mr. Potter. He was the only one who was levelheaded enough not to punch back!"
All the boys groaned as they watched their points turn negative. The Slytherins blamed Gryffindors for the loss of points while the Gryffindors blamed Harry. Harry wasn't too disappointed and didn't care much. He had won his fair share of House Cups. Nor was it hard to make it up if he was the Gryffindor seeker. Catching the snitch was fairly easy for Harry as his eyes were well adjusted to keeping track of the golden snitch once it was set free.
Harry was smiling as McGonagall brought him to the infirmary to clean up his wounds. All in all, this day had started well.