"I hate you," Angelina announced as she entered the Great Hall. I knew she was talking to me even though I didn't look up from my book because she made Fred slide over to sandwich me between the twins, and she sat on the other side of him. Apparently she was so filled with hatred that she couldn't eat in my general vicinity.
"That's awfully rude. What has Mel ever done to you?" George asked.
"Besides light your hair on fire," Fred added.
"And hit your cat in the head."
"And steal your broom."
"And write your mum that you shouted at her."
"And hide your homework under the couch cushions."
"And-"
I shoved my arm, sleeve and all, into George's mouth to shut him up, which made Fred nearly spew his pumpkin juice onto Alicia. Thankfully, he managed to contain himself, or else we would have had the eruption of Mount Spinnet on our hands.
Turns out, my dear friend was none-too-pleased about my outburst in DADA, especially since a similar performance from Harry and his friends had put Umbridge in the bitterest of moods for the seventh year Gryffindor class after lunch. Angie wasn't upset because of the effect it had on herself, of course. Oh no, she was unhappy because Fred and George had to run lines for Umbridge on the day she wanted to have Gryffindor's first quidditch practice.
"So reschedule. It's not like you have anything to worry about, anyway," I rolled my eyes.
"Nothing to worry about?" Angelina gaped as if I'd just told her she had green hair. "Do you even go to this school? We have loads to worry about! Ravenclaw is dangerous…well, you knew that, but let me remind you that Cho's only gotten better as Seeker and if she's got a new broom, she's even more dangerous. Slytherin is, well, is Slytherin. And Hufflepuff has to prove they can do it without Diggory."
"Angie," I shook my head as George pushed my arm out of his face since I'd forgotten I'd put it there, "think realistically. Slytherin is your only opponent. Cho is a wreck. I'm fairly certain she'll cry the first time she gets on her broom, and I say that with love in my heart. Hufflepuff is in shambles. They're too busy trying to get over the loss of their friend and leader to even worry about you."
"You're wrong," Angie shook her head and stabbed her sausage forcefully. "Everyone's a threat. You hear that?" she pointed the sausage at the boys, who looked at her with such wide eyes that they couldn't possibly have been paying attention and were clearly shocked at suddenly being addressed. "Everyone."
"Am I a spy?" I challenged.
"Oh, especially you," George nodded.
"Yeah. First, you learn our eating habits. Then, you learn all our top-secret flight patterns," Fred agreed.
"Do you have top secret flight patterns?"
"No," Fred and George chorused. "But," George continued, "if we did, you would learn them quite easily by watching us eat. It's clearly evident in how Angelina cuts her sausage."
"Oy, it's not gentlemanly to talk about how a lady cuts her sausage," Fred scolded his brother.
FGFGFGFGFG
"Professor Snape?" I asked carefully, hovering in the doorway to his office. I would normally burst in, but Snape was standing over a cauldron, and I knew that if someone ever startled me as I was working, I wouldn't hesitate to severely maim them. I assumed he had the same level of concentration, although he was probably a bit less neurotic.
"Miss Harper, I believe I am free of your abundant personality until tomorrow morning, and I do rather enjoy our time apart. If you don't mind seeing yourself out," Snape murmured as he studied the liquid in his cauldron, barely giving me the contempt he normally did.
"I just have a few quick questions, I swear. I can wait if you're busy."
Snape closed his eyes momentarily, let out a deep breath, and added something I couldn't make out to his cauldron. "I am making a very delicate potion, and chose this moment because I had no distractions. The circumstances have changed, and I very much wish them to change back."
"I won't make a sound, I swear. What are you making?"
Snape rolled not only his eyes but his entire head. "If it will stop your pestering, I have been asked to make some veritaserum."
"Oh!" Now, this was exciting for me. Veritaserum was known to be particularly difficult to make, not to mention extremely powerful. Three drops and you would spill your deepest secrets to whoever asked. "Can I watch? Please, sir? I won't say a word, I swear."
"No."
"Professor Snape, pleeeeeeease," I begged in a most unlady like fashion. I clasped my hands together, careful not to break the two vials of potion I was carrying, and bounced on the balls of my feet.
Professor Snape sighed. "You really are incorrigibly maddening, Miss Harper."
"Thank you, sir!"
So, carefully positioned at the edge of the cauldron to see every ingredient he added without blocking his light, I watched. Occasionally, Snape would murmur a note like, "when you melt your cauldron, it will be because you added the jobberknoll feather before the goosegrass" or "if the potion turns green like this, add armadillo bile", but otherwise stayed silent. We had done this many times before, me watching intently as he made a potion I only dreamed to brew, him muttering about the various reasons why I would fail when I attempted in the future. I lived for these moments. He was really quite marvelous to watch work. He could cut a slug into perfectly equal pieces with the same speed and precision it would take someone to dice an onion. The man was a treasure-trove of knowledge that I fought daily to keep at my disposal, and moments like this reminded me why I did.
But, then, he did something odd.
He added ground scarab beetles.
Ground scarab beetles?
Those were used in the wit-sharpening potion we made fourth year. In fact, so was that armadillo bile. I looked at him sharply, and Professor Snape raised his eyebrows at the movement but did not look up from the potion.
"Is something wrong, Miss Harper?"
Yes. Yes, something is absolutely wrong. You took ingredients that, when combined, make the drinker think more clearly and added them to a potion that is supposed to make one think so unclearly that they blurt out everything. I want to know why. Why are you making a false veritaserum, and why did you let me watch when you knew I would notice? You did know I would notice, too, so don't try to deny that. Who are you even making this for? The production and usage of veritaserum is heavily monitored by the Ministry of Magic, which is why I haven't tried to make it. That and the thought that I could die seven different ways attempting to make it, but mostly the 'being arrested' thing. You, Professor Snape, are up to something.
"No, sir. Nothing's wrong."
"It takes the potion a full lunar cycle to mature. I suppose, in that time, I could deign to answer your questions. You did come down here for a reason, yes?"
"Yes!" I nodded as I followed him to his desk. "First off, do you have any of the potion that makes pictures move?" Snape narrowed his eyes. "Colin Creevey is…"
He waved his hand dismissively. "The potion is simple enough to make. Even someone of your skill could complete it."
"Yes, I know, but I just don't have the time with homework and quidditch and…"
"I fail to see how your failure to properly manage your time creates a crisis in my life."
"Professor Snaaaaaaape, he will not go away until he gets that potion. The more he hangs around me, the more I'll have to avoid him." I bit my bottom lip and hoped my acting skills were up to snuff. "I supposed I could spend more time down here experimenting with new potions. I do have lots of ideas I want to try, and it would be more convenient to be tucked away down here so close to your office for if I needed help…"
Snape leveled his gaze on me and stared for a moment. I stared back. In a staring contest, I knew I could win. I was a master at freezing my face in one position for long periods of time; Snape would not be the first to test my stare, and he would certainly not be the last to lose to my prowess. "I will see what I can do, but it is not at the top of my priority list."
"Nor should it be," I nodded. He'd have it to me in two classes, and we both knew it. Next class, he would realize that, in fact, I was more annoying that he remembered from past years and attribute it to Colin. The class after, he would present me with my request. "Also, I made a new potion. But I don't know what it is."
Snape raised his eyebrows. A new potion always intrigued him. "Do you have a list of ingredients?"
"Yeah," I nodded, pulling the folded parchment out of my pocket. He took both vials of royal blue liquid from me, flattened the parchment onto his desk, and studied both carefully. His gaze flicked between the ingredient list and the vial as he tried to discern what exactly I had created.
He unplugged a vial and sniffed it cautiously. "Odorless." He looked at the list. "No harmful combinations, nothing poisonous…"
"So, in theory, I could just drink a bit and find out what it does?"
"I wouldn't recommend that," Snape shook his head. "Knowing the potionmaker, that could turn out quite badly for you."
"Well, how else am I supposed to test it? I can't exactly go around asking first years if they want to drink a mysterious blue liquid that may or might not make them grow feathers."
"I highly doubt that would be the result," he murmured, holding the liquid up to the dim lights. "Fairly translucent. Congratulations, Miss Harper, you have thoroughly mystified me with this. If you could bring another vial with you next class, I would like to run some experiments. You might have actually produced something worth my time."
Unlike the last time I brought him an experimental potion. That one turned out to be a cross between a love potion antidote and the dreamless sleep potion. If anyone ever wanted to simultaneously get over their uncharacteristic infatuation and their insomnia, I was the girl to find. He belittled me for six straight classes for wasting his time with that one.
Hopefully, this one would prove more worthwhile.
Of course, I have the same disclaimer as always. Thank you so much for your reviews! Your input means a lot to me.
Next chapter: Zebras and Nightmares
