The Potions Master

(book: people pointing Siria out everywhere she goes, there are 142 staircases in Hogwarts, many of which are magical, doors which are no better, ghosts give poor directions, Peeves will intentionally give you bad ones, the caretaker Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris love catching troublemakers (even if you didn't mean to cause a problem), and then there were the classes and teachers)

In Siria's first History of Magic class, she thought she would die of boredom. Professor Binns had a boring, wheezing voice that was too easy to tune out. Though he said a lot, she couldn't remember any of it. This was one class she would definitely have to read the book for. Unable to take the voice of Professor Binns, Siria took to writing to Sirius.

Dear Sirius,

Are you well? You didn't tell me Hogwarts was huge! Or about how many trick staircases there are. We were on our way down for breakfast and took a wrong turn, which lead us to a moving staircase— with a false step! It was a nightmare. I'd been headed down with the other girls in my year, and Lavender nearly died of fright. Parvati and I barely caught her in time. It's rather dangerous here.

Did you do magic in the halls? I'd bet you did. So far I haven't, but there's plenty of time once I can do more subtle magic, right?

History of Magic is so boring. We've barely been here a half hour, and, even though it's the first week, people have already fallen asleep. Though, it might be because it's our first week.

Herbology has been cool. We've already had two lessons, and I look forward to learning more. Professor Sprout seems really nice. I can see why she's Head of Hufflepuff. They're known for being friendly, I hear. People are kind of weird about the Houses, you know.

Malfoy says he'd rather leave than have been sorted into Hufflepuff, but Ron says the same thing about Slytherin. Parvati's sister is in Ravenclaw and Parvati said she said one of the girls in her dorm couldn't believe Parvati stayed after being put in Gryffindor! No one in Hufflepuff has said a word like that to the other Houses, that I've heard. There's so much gossip around about all the Houses though.

Professor McGonagall told us that our House will be like our family, but I had expected that Hogwarts would be like my extended family. Instead, three of the Houses argue that they're the best there is.

How's Chloe? How's work? Are you ever going to tell me what you do?

Although Siria felt she had much more to say, it was just her first letter. She looked around the classroom. Most people were asleep or half asleep. Only Hermione Granger seemed actually be taking notes. Hermione had single-handedly answered every question they'd been asked in every class so far. She hadn't been kidding about knowing the textbooks by heart. Siria sighed, signed off her letter, and flipped her textbook open to the first page. This was going to be a long class.

(book: Defense Against the Dark Arts class is a bit of a joke. Friday morning rolls around)

"We've got Double Potions today." Lavender noted.

"With the Slytherin's." Ron added. He, Dean and Seamus all groaned in unison.

"Hey," Siria chimed in, hoping to change the subject. "Hagrid, the Gamekeeper, has asked me down for tea. Does anyone want to come?"

"Sure!" Ron said. He seemed rather excited.

"Can't" Lavender told Siria.

"Yeah." Parvati agreed. Siria could tell from their voices that they very well could, but didn't want to.

Siria sprinkled some sugar onto her porridge and felt eyes watching her. She looked across the Great Hall to see yet another smug expression on Draco Malfoy's face. His grey eyes were smiling at her, and he raised up another gift box from his parents. "Jealous?" He mouthed. So far, they hadn't taken to kicking each other, but he was pushing it.

Sure, Siria wanted to be civil, but every conversation consisted of him being rude. "Decided to hang around better wizards?" He asked her whenever they passed each other in the hall, and when they agreed to meet in the library Wednesday night. They had agreed to meet to start their first History of Magic essay because Binns wasn't just boring, he was awful and had already assigned half a roll of parchment, due next class, on Uric the Oddball. Malfoy spent more time asking "When are you going to wise up and stop hanging around that Weasley?" than writing his essay. Moreover, it was difficult to try and be friends with someone she didn't have any common interests with, and wouldn't hang out with her other friends.

Crabbe and Goyle were worse company than Malfoy. They didn't seem to know a thing about anything. About all they did was crack their knuckles and poke each other with their wands. As they didn't seem interested in reading, Madam Pince, the librarian, ultimately kicked the two out. Like lackeys they were, Crabbe and Goyle waited outside, until Malfoy and Siria finished.

At this moment, Siria wanted to Ebublio Jinx Malfoy, but that didn't seem like "friendly behaviour." She returned to eating her porridge. Lavender and Parvati had taken to gossiping in little whispers, as they'd taken to the very first morning, and Ron complained to Siria about how Snape favors the Slytherins.

"Shame McGonagall doesn't favor us." Siria told him.

(book: Potions class sucked, right off the bat. Siria doesn't know what powdered root of asphodel with wormwood makes, where a bezoar would be, and is cheeky. Neville and Seamus fail at their potion (and ruin Seamus's cauldron), and it goes all over the floor. Ron and Siria go down to Hagrid's. They learn Gringotts was broken into, and vault 713 was the target, but Hagrid had emptied it.)

When Siria and Ron returned to the castle, she burst forward in a spirit. "Siria!" Sirius exclaimed and she leapt into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. He laughed and smiled down at her. "It's good to see you."

"Were you that worried about me?" She laughed.

"Not at all." He beamed.

"Right then…" Ron murmured, starting to step away.

"Oh, sorry!" Siria told him.

Though Siria broke their hug, she held onto the Sirius's sleeve. "Sirius, this is Ron. He's in Gryffindor— with me!"

"Arthur and Molly's son, one of them." Sirius noted and extended his hand to shake Ron's.

"Sirius is my Godfather." Siria explained. "Is it normal for parents to visit Hogwarts?"

"About that." Sirius's smile suddenly became very worried, like he was being brave.

"Ron, I'll be taking Siria for a bit. We've got some business with Dumbledore." Sirius waved to Ron, and Siria followed his lead. She told Sirius that she wouldn't have sent her letter earlier this week, if he had told her he was coming. He apologized and confessed his trip was rather sudden. Siria looked to her watch and saw the wand was pointing to 4 o'clock.

"So are you always at Hogwarts at four, or is that any school?" Siria asked.

"Just Hogwarts." He assured her.

They walked to a corridor on the third floor, where Professor Snape was waiting in front of the statue of a large and ugly gargoyle. Siria's heart fell into her stomach.

"Is— is because I didn't know what the powdered root of the thing with wormwood makes?" Siria asked in a hurried voice. "Or because of the— the bezoar thing? I can't be expected to know the whole book!" She exclaimed. It had only been a week since she arrived and she was being expelled, she was certain. Hermione was the only person in that whole class that knew, aside from Snape.

"Honestly" Sirius glared at Snape. He knelt down beside Siria, in front of Snape. "Siria," he placed a warm, thin hand on her head. "It's alright. You aren't in trouble at all." Snape didn't pay them any mind, and instead said what sounded like "Chocolate Frog" to the gargoyle statue, which jumped to the side.

"Try not to cause trouble." Snape told Siria, or maybe it was Sirius, with how their eyes met. Siria and Sirius stepped onto the raising staircase and watched Snape fall from sight. Finally, they came to wooden door with griffen door knocker. Sirius knocked. Professor Dumbledore's voice came from the other side, "Enter!" Siria didn't move. His voice wasn't the only thing on the other side of the door. Though faint, she could hear the distinct hissing that had called her before. It told her to come in, pulled at her, but she would not. Siria would not listen again.

"No!" Siria whispered, and pulled on Sirius's sleeve to tell him to stay. "Sirius, it's in there!" Try as she might, something she couldn't explained terrified her about that locket. More so than the way it called to her, it scared her now. There was more to it than her fainting. More to it than her wanting to put it back on, or, maybe that was it. She didn't know. She couldn't be certain. All she knew, was that even with Sirius and the greatest wizard of all time with her, she didn't want to be anywhere near that locket.

Sirius pulled her grip from his sleeve to his hand. He gripped her hand in a firm and comforting manner. His kind, worried grey eyes peered into hers. "Siria, I know you're scared, but we need you to be brave. This will only take a moment." He tried to assure her. "Do you remember all those times you stood up to Dudley and his gang? No matter how many times they knocked you down, you stood right back up and pushed them down, didn't you?" He reminded her. Despite his words, Siria felt standing up to Dudley and his gang of big, stupid bullies was a lot easier than a magic locket that wanted her to wear it so it could knock her out.

"Okay." She whispered. Even though she didn't know what was going to happen, she could feel that she had to do it. Sometimes you get asked to do things that make you scared, and sometimes you have to do those scary things. If she just knew why she was scared, or what was going to happen, she felt she could be much more brave. Dudley's gang were all bigger than her, and very good at hurting people, but she was smarter than they were and used to getting hurt. The locket was scary because she didn't understand it, anything about it, and it made her do things, like find it and put it on, which she didn't want to do.

(book 2's description of Dumbledore's office)

Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk, with the large oval locket sitting before him. Sirius stood behind Siria, halfway between the locket and the door. Smiling brightly, Professor Dumbledore offered them some tea, which Siria politely declined. Loftily, Professor Dumbledore waved his hand and the inhabitants of the portraits on the wall left them. "Very well," he said. "Siria, what can you tell me about this locket?"

Siria took a large, deep breath, and then explained. She told them how she heard it hissing when Sirius went to bed. Then how she had walked, without knowing where she was going, to the cupboard. Siria explained that she ended up in the cupboard, and found the locket there. Taking another large, deep breath, she confessed feeling like the locket wanted her to find it, and wear it, so she did.

"When I put it on…" her voice trailed off, and she tried to remember the first feeling when she put the chain around her neck. "When I put it on, for just a moment, I felt— I felt like I did a really great job, and was really proud, but…" her eyes fell to the floor. "But everything felt really cold and dark, all of a sudden. I got out of the cupboard, but it didn't feel right. I felt really sick and thought that I must just be tired, but I was scared. My voice wasn't working right. I couldn't call out. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Everything looked like it was closing up around me." Siria was done. The bright and beautiful office suddenly felt as cold and dark as the kitchen had when she wore the locket.

"Thank you." Professor Dumbledore smiled at her. "Could you please explain how it 'hisses'?"

"Don't you hear it?" She asked, and looked around the room. The hissing filled the room and tried to call her closer. She kept herself firmly rooted to the spot, and looked to Sirius.

"Do you remember, when you talked to the boa constrictor at the zoo?" Sirius asked. She nodded and looked hesitantly at the locket. It felt like the green jeweled "S" was slithering in the locket. "Siria," he continued, "could you talk to the locket?" He asked, "Like you talked to the boa?"

"Why?" She asked.

"We need to see what's inside." Sirius answered.

"But why can't someone else do it?" She asked.

"Your gift" Dumbledore began, "is a very rare one." He informed her.

Siria's bright green eyes flickered from the locket to Dumbledore's kind eyes. As she was in the habit of doing when she needed to summon courage, Siria took a deep, long breath. "Okay." She nodded. "Open!" she told the locket, it stayed closed. "Open!" She commanded from it. Siria focused on the locket, on the glittering of the green jeweled "S". The way it flickered and sent shivers down her spine, it seemed so real. "Open!" she demanded.

Too soon for it all to register, Siria was being carried out of the room by Sirius. The locket on Dumbledore's desk had opened. A black mist burst from the locket. All of them had drawn their wands. In a blink, she was standing outside of Dumbledore's office, Sirius had dropped her off and returned to the office. She wiggled the doorknob, pounded on the knocker, then the door.

"Sirius!" She shouted, while she banged on the door. Siria pointed her wand at the door knob. There was a spell to open doors. "What was it?" She asked. "A— Ah" She knew was something, something with an "A". Siria opened her mouth to have another go, but the door opened.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, and knocked the door open. Siria only noticed one thing: there was no hissing. Metal and magical twinklings and clickings and tickings rang in the room, but not a single hiss. The locket was not hidden. It was gone.

In the absence of the hissing, she started to notice more. There were spots of black scorch marks on Professor Dumbledore's desk. All of the portraits were still empty of their occupants, and most of the portraits were untouched. Singe marks spotted the previously immaculate floor. "How'd you do it?" Siria asked, still taking in the room without the hissing.

"Some day, Ms. Potter, I'll teach you." Dumbledore promised. "Today, however, is not that day."

"I'll hold you to that." She grinned, then looked to Sirius, "Can you stay for dinner?"

"Not today, but I do have some time before I have to go…" He trailed off to look at Dumbledore, who smiled and nodded. "If you'd like to show me around, or tell me about your first week."

"You know what's around!" She laughed. Sirius headed for the door, with Siria behind him. She spared a last look at Professor Dumbledore.

"Thank you." Siria smiled. "I'll bring anything else that hisses straight to you." Though Professor Dumbledore smiled, there was something fainter about the twinkle in his eye. It almost felt like he expected more things to hiss, but she had been at Hogwarts almost a whole week and hadn't heard a thing. Besides, now she had seen Hogwarts was the safest place to be. Professor Dumbledore could surely take care of anything.

They strolled back out of the castle and onto the grounds. Not much time had past since she and Ron had returned from Hagrid's. There was a nice wind whisping around them, and the air was a little cool. Sirius was an even better listener as himself than as Snuffles. He was perfectly animated and engaged. When she told him about how she had mixed feeling about Herbology because there were so many useful things to learn, but some of it was really gross and tedious, he told her "But it's all the tedious stuff that's worth learning. You're hard working enough, you'll be sure to get it figured out and find a better way." She pretended to be very interested in the spot of the Forbidden Forest closest to them, so he wouldn't notice her blushing with pride.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is joke though." Siria finally fell onto the topic when they turned back toward the castle. "Professor Quirrell seems terrified of everything, but says he's really got the subject down. Doesn't much help us for him to be good at it, if he can't teach us." She had taken to practicing the motions of the spells her and Sirius had done in summer.

"It's really annoying because apparently most of the Slytherins come to school knowing more than we're going to be taught in it, according to Malfoy anyway."

"Malfoy?" Sirius asked. He tried to keep a calm tone, but she could tell he was surprised.

"Yeah. We're friends… kinda. He says he wants to be friends, and I didn't want to write anyone off right away." She sighed, "but won't hang out with Lavender or Parvati, and talks trash about Ron's family… he kinda reminds me of Dudley." She admitted. Siria stopped walking, and Sirius stopped after a few more steps.

"Sirius, all throughout school I didn't have a single friend. Anyone that was the least bit nice to me ended up picked on and bullied by Dudley and his group of idiots until they actively ignored me or joined in. I…" Siria placed her hand over her aching heart. "I hated it, so much." Her hand clenched tightly around her robes. "It made me want to beat them all into the ground. Talking with Snuffles helped me let the anger out, but I still think about it sometimes and it still makes me so mad." White broke out along her knuckles as her grip got tighter. She bit her teeth down for a breath, and confessed, "and I don't want to make anyone feel that way."

His warm hand patted her messy, black hair. A comforting smile crossed his face and Sirius told her "I'm glad you feel that way. It shows that you care about other people, and that's good." She could feel the "but" coming, and he leaned down until his eyes were level with hers. "Siria, you have to do what's going to make you happy, even if it sometimes makes someone else mad. You have to do what's right for you; sometimes that means doing something someone doesn't like. You don't have to be mean to be right or happy. If you don't want to be friends with Malfoy, don't be. If you want to give it the old fashion try, then do, but don't work like house elf for it. He better be meeting you halfway."

Sirius lifted his warm hand from her head. His kind grey eyes had a light in them that rivaled Dumbledore's. He looked across the grounds, toward Hagrid's cabin. As tall and proud as he could stand, he stood. To Siria, he looked like royalty with his elegance and confidence. She was a little envious and became embarrassed as she felt the warm blush color her face. With her head held higher than his, she looked the opposite way.

"You sound like a parenting book." Siria told him, almost announcing to the rather vacant grounds he was trying to hard. He flinched a little, clearly caught in the act, but laughed. Sirius bent down in a flash, grabbed her around the waist, and threw her over his shoulder. Immediately, he tickeld her side. She gasped for air, pounded on his back, and let out cries for mercy.

"So what if I've been reading a few books?" He asked, the laughter rang in his voice. "Do you know how much you read? You little nerd!" There was nothing in his voice but the deepest affection. It made the act of being tickled slightly less worse for her. "I've just taken a page out of your book." He confessed and ended his attack on her side. Sirius placed her on the ground and she punched him in the arm. Though he told her "Ouch!" and rubbed his arm, Sirius had the biggest dorkiest smile on his face. Siria shook her head and continued walking toward the castle. Sirius smiled and followed.

"You know," he told her. "I'm sure there's a place in the castle to practice. You should explore."

"Where would I even start?" She asked.

"The top floor. Close to the tower and branch out from there" Sirius looked up at the castle and sighed.

"Alright," he patted her messy black hair. "Siria, don't do anything I wouldn't." and he winked at her.

"So break all the rules?" She laughed.

"I didn't break all of them," he grinned. "Really though, enjoy it while you're here."

Siria knocked his hand from her head and wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed him in the tightest hug she could manage. There wasn't as much warmth as when she hugged Snuffles, but it was the same loving warmth. Sirius glowed and hugged her.

"Don't be reckless." He told her.

"Don't be late." She told him. Sirius watched her until the doors of the castle closed behind her. Then headed away toward the distant Hogsmeade station. Siria, however, did not return to the Gryffindor common room. There was still a good hour before dinner and she was going to take advantage of it.

Without a shred of air in her lungs, Siria panted when she finally stepped on the seventh floor. She had run into three trick stairs and a moving staircase that seemed to change direction every time she reached the top step. "HA!" She laughed to herself. Forget a place to practice, what she really needed was a place to sit down. Siria placed on a hand on the wall and tried to catch her breath. Why did she have to run everywhere like her destination was going to disappear before she got there? She wasn't going to be late for finding a practice room. She didn't even know if there was one here. If she'd been going back to the common room, she would have taken her time and wouldn't be so winded.

Siria wondered what she wouldn't give for a comfy chair. She wandered down the hall and came upon a painting of a miserable looking man trying to dodge what were very clearly troll feet. "What are you doing?" Siria asked him.

"What are you doing?" He asked her back. The miserable looking man looked as if she'd insulted him.

"Looking for something."

"A place to hide something, no doubt." He grumbled at her. She noticed one of the giant troll's feet had what was unmistakably a pink ribbon, crossed and tied around the foot closest to the man. The miserable man tried to push the leg away from him, but wasn't at all strong enough. He glared at Siria,

"If you must know, I'm trying to teach ballet." He told her. He stuck his large, fat nose into the air.

"To trolls?" She asked.

"Yes!" He shouted as if that was a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to do.

"Right…" Siria took a step to the side then remembered.

"Did you ask if I was here to hide something?" She asked the miserable man.

"Students always come here to hide things." He pouted. The miserable man took hold of one of the various clubs in the painting and chucked it out of the frame. It didn't seem to improve his mood, but the trolls' feet trampled out after it. Siria supposed that, if the hiding spot was large enough, it could be a good place to practice. He groaned and looked back at Siria. "What's wrong? Don't know how to use it?"

"Is it behind your portrait?" She asked. Siria reached toward him, but the miserable man shouted.

"Merlin's Beard, no! Look behind you!"

A very solid looking wall stood behind her. Siria inched toward it, continuing to watch the miserable man. He nodded and she touched the wall. She expected her hand to go through it. It did not. Her outstretched fingers felt the cool stone of the castle wall. She knocked on the wall. The miserable looking man let out a dry laugh.

"What?" She asked.

"You must not want to hide whatever it is that bad." He told her. Siria didn't understand because there wasn't anything to hide.

"Well, I'll be back tomorrow, and everyday until it opens!" She told him. With her head held as high as she could, Siria stomped down the corridor. While dragging her feet toward the Great Hall, she saw Lavender and Pavarti.

"Hey!" Siria called. She ran up to them with the largest smile she could muster. "Heading to dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah. Hey, did you hear about Hannah Abbott?" Lavender asked. Apparently the Hufflepuff first years had about as terrible an experience as the Gryffindor's because Hannah had knocked her cauldron over. Siria laughed with them, but hoped it passed. She couldn't even imagine how embarrassed she'd be if she had dumped her cauldron. Ron was already sitting with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Lavender and Pavarti sat across from them.

Almost all the Gryffindor first years were complaining about their first Potions lesson. Outrage chorused through them, as when they had first left the lesson. Snape didn't seem to notice, which, in Siria's opinion, was a good thing. As with every meal, poor Professor Quirrell was next to Snape. His eyes were so wide and he was so nervous that he dropped his fork twice.

"Poor Quirrell." Siria noted.

"Don't mind him." George Weasley told her as he took the seat next to her.

"Afraid of his own shadow, that one." Fred added and sat next to George.

"Hi." waved their friend Lee Jordan who sat next to Fred.

"Hello." Siria nodded.

"Haven't you been introduced?" Fred asked.

"Lee, Siria." George gestured from Lee to Siria.

"Siria, Lee. Done." Fred gestured from Siria to Lee. She couldn't help but smile.

"You know, that's how you introduced me to Ron." She told them.

"Wha'?" Ron asked through a mouthful of potato. Parvati looked at Ron like he'd just spat on her. Though, with how full his mouth was, he might have. She and Lavender slid down the table a bit, two spots worth. Siria, too slow, reached out to them, but withdrew her hand. She didn't want to ruin the mood. Even if it was a little gross, they didn't have to act to disgusted by it. Ron wasn't ill and contagious, just hungry.

"I said that's how Fred and George introduced us." Siria told him.

"Ohf." Ron nodded grunted through his bite of shepard's pie.

"Don't mind him." George told her as he filled his own plate.

"No manners." Fred shook his head.

"Just like you." Lee grinned at Fred. Fred rolled his eyes, but grinned back.

"D— do you mind if I sit here?" a quiet voice murmured behind Siria. The voice was so miserable it reminded her of the man trying to teach trolls ballet. It was the round faced toadless boy. He looked just as sad as when he lost his toad on the train.

"Go ahead, Neville." Siria patted the bench next to her.

"Thanks!" Neville told her as if she'd just given him her most prised possession and he sat down. "I got stuck in a trick stair and Hermione had to find someone to help pull me out." He confessed.

"Oh…" Siria commented, not really knowing what to say.

"You're best off jumping over them." Fred instructed him.

"Yeah." George nodded. "Some of 'em will squeeze until they break your leg— "

"Unless you're pulled out quick." Fred added.

"Until they break?" Neville cried. His brow furrowed and his eyes seemed to water with fear from the very thought.

"Madam Pomfrey can fix you up in a jif though." George reached around Siria to pat Neville on the shoulder.

Hermione Granger, looking rather pleased with herself, sat next to Neville. Her very bushy brown hair was in a loose braid. Siria smiled when she saw the scrunchy; it was the one she'd used on the train. Hermione had kept it. Lavender's jaw dropped when Hermione just sat down next to her, as it Hermione had insulted her. Siria distinctly heard Lavender tell Parvati that is was "Unbelievable."

A prickle on the back of Siria's neck broke her attention. She looked across the hall and saw, at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy glaring at her. "What?" She mouthed. His cold grey eyes were slits of rage, but he mouthed back "nothing," and turned away.

"He's been glaring at you since we sat down." George whispered.

"Thought he was gonna pop a vein." Fred confessed.

"Weird." Siria thought.

"Bet he likes you." Fred quipped. Siria missed her mouth and her spoonful of potatoes plopped onto the table. Her face flushed and, rather forcefully, she laughed.

"Yeah right." She shook her head.

"Naw, I reckon he's right." George added.

"Then he's crazy." Siria told them.

"He might be." Fred grinned.

"He watches you like an eleven-year-old with a crush deeper than the vaults of Gringotts." George exaggerated to her. Siria rolled her eyes.

"Sounds like you watch him like a thirteen-year-old with a crush bigger than Everest." She noted.

"Caught on to me then," he joked and elbowed her playfully in the side. They dropped it though, and she was thankful.

The rest of dinner she spent rather quietly. She gave a laugh at the twins' other jokes, and chorused with Ron about how terrible Snape had been. Siria even patted Neville on the shoulder because he still looked horrified over it. When she finished, she hung around and talked with them until the food had been cleared. Hermione looked appalled that she hadn't noticed the time and lead the way back toward to the tower.