Chapter Seven
A/N: Thanks to everyone who's sticking to the story! I'm so grateful for reviews and PMs you post/send! Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: In my school there is a system of Up Stairs and Down Stairs. There's a legend that if you go down the upstairs, a magical physics teacher will appear and grant you one wish. I did this, planning my wish to be to own Harry Potter. However, the magical physics teacher was on his lunch break, so I didn't get my wish. Therefore, I still do not own Harry Potter.
A loud bell rang and woke Ophelia up, her drapes were still shut. Well, she couldn't expect anyone to have looked in on her, although Donatella always had done. She got changed without opening the curtains, because her uniform had laid itself out on her bed neatly last night. She opened the curtains and saw that everyone else was hurrying to pull on their clothes, except Hermione who was dressed like her, just about to go downstairs. Ophelia scowled at her and turned to go down, her black hair flying fiercely behind her.
She got downstairs and saw that she one of the first ones there, guessing that the others were having a lie in. She couldn't do that, she had to be organised and ready. McGonagall came round and handed her a timetable, looking at her knowingly. Double potions first, that should be easy, just put in a wrong ingredient or two. Surely Professor Snape shouldn't be too bothered, he knew the situation. Then a break, then transfiguration, history of magic, lunch and then Herbology. She had no problem with any of that, but she may have a problem trying to have a problem with it.
Hermione came and sat a few seats away from her, looking at her own timetable that was handed out. Ophelia just hoped that she would never have to work with her. She grabbed a piece of toast and went to fetch her potion book and cauldron, then walked off to wait in the dungeons for her first lesson. About half an hour later Professor Snape came and narrowed his eyes at her. Ophelia looked at him uncertainly. Surely he wasn't as mean as people said? Deciding that he was just trying to sum her up, she smiled at him and hoped he would be friendly, even if she was in Gryffindor and he was the head of Slytherin. Snape looked confused and unlocked the door. She went and sat down at the back, deciding she might as well make the most of being early. Soon the others arrived. Harry sat next to her, Ron sat next to Harry and Hermione sat next to Ron. Soon the lesson had started and Snape had made a speech about what he was going to teach them, but Ophelia didn't really listen, she was too busy looking at her potions book. She couldn't find one potion that she hadn't made before. They all seem so easy.
"Can you tell me, where would I find a Bezeor, Miss Brown, seeing that you seem at liberty to not listen to a word I say?" asked Professor Snape. Ophelia just stared at him, what was he doing? He knew what a difficult position he was putting her in. What could she say?
"Erm, I'm sorry, I don't know sir," lied Ophelia, ignoring Hermione's waving hand three seats away from her. Why had he asked her? He knew what was happening, of course she knew where a bezeor came from: the stomach of goat. Who didn't know that?
"Well, maybe Mr. Potter would like to enlighten us?" asked Snape, looking to the seat next to her.
"Oh, I don't know either, sir," said Harry, Hermione's hand straining more and more. Ophelia looked at her in disgust, she was such a know it all. How she got in Gryffindor she would never know. She must be really brave, otherwise she would have been in Ravenclaw.
"Alright, well who knows what the difference is between monkshood and wolfsbane?" asked Snape, looking around the classroom. Once again Hermione's hand shot up, waving around like a jazz hand gone wrong. "Miss Brown, let's see if you know this one shall we?" Why was he doing this, she had even been listening this time, he didn't even need to pick on her for show. Also, Hermione actually stood up this time with her hand in the air, as if she didn't know that Snape could see her.
"Er, well," Ophelia started. Hermione was squealing slightly now, if only she could... But she shouldn't. Although, it couldn't hurt… "Well... They're the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite." She knew that she shouldn't have but she couldn't help it, that girl was just so annoying! She looked over at her and saw that she had sat down and was now glaring at Ophelia with anger and surprise. Oh well, it was worth it just to see the look on her face.
"Well, that is the exact description in your potions book, which you have just been reading. Five points from Gryffindor for cheating," said Snape. Ophelia stared at him again, her mouth falling open slightly, anger flaring in her eyes. That wasn't fair, he knew that she hadn't cheated! She couldn't just let him do this, it wasn't fair for her or her house!
"Excuse me, but, I didn't cheat," said Ophelia, standing up. Whereas most students would cower under the look Snape was now giving Ophelia, she had learnt that looks couldn't hurt her.
"Well, I'm afraid that the evidence points to the fact that you did. So I suggest that you sit down before you lose any more points from Gryffindor in your first lesson," Snape said, sounding bored.
"Like you would care," scoffed Ophelia, knowing that he would jump at a chance to take more points from Gryffindor. "Look, I can promise you that I didn't cheat. I wouldn't, I'm not a Slytherin." She knew she had done it now.
"Ten more points from Gryffindor, Miss Brown, see me at the end of the lesson," spat Snape. Ophelia sat down, she wouldn't let him get away with this.
The rest of the lesson went quickly. They had to make a potion to cure boils, and Ophelia was angry and wanted to show him that she could work well. Forget what Donatella had said, she was going to get this right. She did everything perfectly with just the wave of her wand, no one saw anyway. They were all too busy worrying over getting the potion right. Ophelia had soon finished her potion; it was perfect. She could tell because Snape kept avoiding her. If there was something wrong then he would have rushed over to criticise her. While she waited she watched Hermione panic over the weight of her ingredients.
"How did you finish it?" asked Harry, who wasn't even halfway through it yet.
"Well, I just followed the instructions and got this," said Ophelia calmly, trying not to make a big deal out of it. At the end of the lesson Snape gave them homework, to find out the answers to the unanswered questions and write an essay on bezeors. Ophelia stayed behind and when everyone had gone she walked up to Snape and said, "Look, Professor. I know I didn't cheat, so do you. I know that Dumbledore has told you about the situation."
"Well, you were also insulting and rude. Also, you still have to be treated like all the others. I don't believe in preferential treatment," smirked Snape.
"Are you sure? I heard you tell Malfoy that his horned slugs were stewed perfectly, when Harry's were just as good," argued Ophelia, a look that Voldemort would be proud of in her eyes.
"Alright, that's it. I have tried to show patience with you, but I am afraid to say that I will have to give you a detention. Come here Thursday night at seven o'clock," snapped Snape. Ophelia didn't say anything, she just looked him straight in the eye. He didn't frighten her, not much did. Sure, she was disappointed that she had a detention from her first lesson, but she didn't mind. Although it was school she wasn't there to learn, she could handle Snape.
She walked into the Gryffindor common room and sat opposite Harry and Ron, she could feel Hermione's eyes in the back of her head. "Well, that was fun," said Ophelia sarcastically.
"Wow, I can't believe you said that to Professor Snape!" said Ron in awe. "What did he say?"
"Oh, he was unexpectedly nice," grinned Ophelia. "He didn't take any more points from Gryffindor luckily, just gave me a detention on Thursday."
"Ooh, detentions with Snape are hard, good luck with that!" said Fred as he and George walked past.
"We heard what you did, that was pretty daring, especially for a first year. Ron here would never do it!" grinned George. "Can't believe you insulted Slytherin in front of him, you can bet he's going to hurt you on Thursday!"
"I don't care. I don't know if I'll go anyway," said Ophelia.
"No, you should go. He'll kill you if you miss it," said Fred. "See you around." Then he and George walked off to another part of the common room.
"He's right, you have to go," said Ron, slightly disbelieving of her free and easy manner.
"Why should I, I didn't do anything wrong. He's knows I didn't cheat," argued Ophelia.
"But still. It's better to do that than get into more trouble." said Harry. Ophelia looked at him and once again finding herself falling into the greenness of his eyes. Her locket burned uncomfortably and she looked away.
"Well, I suppose. I'll see," she said. Maybe she would go after all.
Soon it was time for transfiguration. They walked to the classroom together, getting stopped every so often by Gryffindors to congratulate Ophelia on insulting Snape. This time they had to sit at the front of the class, and Ophelia was next to Hermione. McGonagall showed them some impressive transfiguration, changing her desk into a pig, but Ophelia knew that she could do it just as well. Then they all had to make notes on things which Ophelia had done before. Then they were given match and had to try and turn it into a needle. Ophelia kept saying the wrong spell so all the match kept doing was lighting. When McGonagall passed her she had set the match alight for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I think it's safe to do it right now," whispered McGonagall, smiling at Ophelia who nodded back at her. She waved her wand and the match was a needle and McGonagall held it up to show the class. Once again, Hermione glared at her. Ophelia knew that she hated someone being better than her, but it was so entertaining to watch.
Next it was history of magic, something that Ophelia had never enjoyed. It seemed that the teacher made it even more boring. His name was Professor Binns, and he was the only ghost teacher in the school. It was said that one day he had died in his sleep and just got up, not knowing he was dead and went to teach his class. They had to make notes on Uric the Oddball. Ophelia found herself daydreaming about fighting dark wizards.
Then they had lunch, which seemed almost as short as breakfast had been. All Ophelia had time for was a cheese sandwich, one of her favourite foods, then they were walking across the grounds to the Herbology greenhouses. Professor Sprout was a small dumpy woman dressed in green. They were going over what fungi they would be learning about that month. Looking in their books and trying to name some different, what Ophelia could only describe as, types of mould gone furry.
Then there was some time before they had to go for dinner, so Ophelia went to write a letter to Donatella up in the dormitory. She got out her quill and began to write.
Dear Donatella,
The first day at Hogwarts has been interesting. I know everything, so I had to go wrong quite a lot in transfiguration. We were trying to turn a match into a needle: baby's work. I just kept setting the match alight. Although, I had to get it right eventually, and was the first one to do so. There is one girl, who somehow got into Gryffindor, that is such a know it all, but it's fun when I do better than her.
Today I had double potions with Snape. He asked me one question and I said I didn't know the answer. He asked me another one, and this girl was waving her hand about and actually stood up and started squealing! I had to say the right answer to shut her up. That part worked, but then Snape took five points from Gryffindor and told me I'd been cheating because I was reading my book before! Then I stood up and said I hadn't cheated, then he said it looked like I had and I should sit down before I lost anymore points. So I said like he would care and I promised I didn't cheat because I wasn't a Slytherin. He took another ten points and told me to meet him at the end of the lesson. I did, then I think I insulted him again so he gave a detention and people have been congratulating me ever since!
I hope you're not too mad. Oh, and another thing: I've made friends with Harry Potter! Also, with Arthur Weasley's son, Ron.
Please reply soon, I miss you.
Ophelia.
Ophelia sat up and read her letter through. Then she went and had her dinner. Then she went back to the dormitory and decided that she should have an early night and try not to get into anymore trouble tomorrow. Although, she didn't have another potions lesson until Wednesday. She would be fine.
A/N: Hope you liked! I know it seems like a lot of repeating stuff, and Ophelia probably sounds a little big-headed, but wouldn't you if you were cleverer than Hermione Granger?! Anyhoo, review! :D
