Chapter 10: Of Potions and Tryouts
To say Severus Snape was upset at the news his friend Regulus Black told him was the understatement of the century. When Regulus told him that Ron Weasley had his old potion book and made use of the notes he left behind, it seemed the former Potions Master turned Defence teacher couldn't be calmed down with anything except giving detentions to all Gryffindor students. In fact, Snape is heading to Gryffindor table to ask Ron for his book back until Professor Dumbledore calls him. "Professor Snape, I'd like to talk to you now if you'd please." Snape then leaves the Golden Trio alone.
"Harry," a seventh-year Gryffindor named Cormac McLaggen approaches and calls him. "when will the next tryouts be?"
"This Friday, Cormac." Harry answers. Satisfied, Cormac leaves. "Is he good?" Ron asks, worried about his position as a Keeper.
"I still haven't seen him in action, Ron." Harry answers. "And the way he's been bossy, I'm not sure about having him in the team even if he's good."
Later on, they go to their classes. On each of them, Ron gets all the help he can from Snape's old book. Then it comes to the next potion class. "Students, do any of you know Golpalott's Third Law?" Professor Horace Slughorn asks. Hermione, of course, is the only one to raise a hand. "The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components." Hermione explains.
"Exactly!" Slughorn happily exclaims. "Ten points for Gryffindor. Now, if we consider Golpalott's Third Law true…"
Harry and Ron would have to take Slughorn's word on it because they don't understand a bit of it. Nobody, except Hermione seemed to be following Slughorn.
"…which means, naturally, that, presuming we had correctly identified the potion's ingredients, with Scarpin's Revelaspell, our primary goal isn't a simple antidote selection for each ingredient but finding the additional component that, by an almost alchemical process, will turn those elements…"
Ron was sitting next Harry with a wide open mouth, drooling on Snape's old Advanced Potion Making book. He keeps forgetting he cannot depend any longer on Hermione to help him out of difficulties when he can't understand something.
"…and therefore," Slughorn concludes. "I want each one of you to come and pick one of the flasks on my desk. And you must create an antidote for the poison the flask contains before the end of class. Good luck and don't forget your gloves."
Harry, who decided to study with Hermione instead of relying on Snape's book, and Hermione left their seats and were halfway to Slughorn's desk before the rest of the class understood it was time to move; and when, finally, Ron and Ernest went back to their tables, Hermione and Harry had already dumped their flasks' contents and were starting firing their cauldrons.
"Too bad Snape won't help, Ron." She happily says. "This time it's necessary to understand the involved principles. There are no shortcuts or cheats."
Annoyed, Ron uncorks the loud pink poison he got from Slughorn's desk, poured it in the cauldron and lighted a fire under it. Looked at Ernest, who was now wondering what to do after repeating all Ron did. Ron then opens Snape's book and opened it on the antidote chapter. There's Golpalott's Third Law, word by word just like Hermione recited it, but no handwritten notes by Snape explaining its meaning. Apparently, Snape, like Hermione, had no difficulty understanding it.
It took Ron only five minutes to realize his reputation of best potion maker in class was coming to an end. Slughorn gave a hopeful peek on his cauldron, hoping to exclaim pleasure as he usually does but, instead, soon raises his head, coughing, because the smell of rotten eggs suffocated him. Hermione's expression couldn't be more presumptuous; she hated being second in potions class. Now, she decanted her poison's ingredients, mysteriously separated in ten crystal flasks. Mostly to avoid seeing it than any other reason, Ron focused on Snape's book and flipped some pages with unnecessary violence. Then he finds Snape's diagonally written instruction over a long list of antidotes. "Simply shove a bezoar down the victim's throat" Ron stares for a moment until he remembers from his first Potions class that Severus Snape said that a bezoar is a stone taken from a goat's stomach that protects people from most poisons. Without stopping to think, Ron quickly goes to the class' cupboard and picks a bezoar.
As the time finishes, Slughorn inspects the potions. Not even Hermione had finished hers and she keeps adding ingredients. Slughorn then notices Ron's bezoar and then starts laughing. "You have a nerve, boy. Well, I can't say it's wrong. A bezoar certainly would act as an antidote for all those potions. That's the individual spirit needed for a true potion maker. But, since bezoars don't work on everything, it's still worth it to know how to prepare antidotes. Class dismissed! And more ten points to Gryffindor for the sheer cheek."
"Professor, you still haven't looked at mine and Hermione's potions." Harry says.
Slughorn then looks at the potions. "Well, they're better than the others. Especially Ms. Granger's."
A few days later, the first Quidditch game begins. Ron is nervous. "Regretting having used up the Felix Felicis on that day you feared Professor Snape would confiscate the book?" Hermione asks.
"Yes." Ron answers. "I should have saved some for the game."
"Ron, you…" Hermione then notices Harry with a flask near Ron's cup. "Harry, how did you make another batch? And how dare you give it to Ron?"
Ron Weasley, understanding that Hermione caught him pouring Felix Felicis on his drink, has it all. "Harry, this is wrong." Hermione comments.
"Should I just confound an opponent?" Harry replies, reminding her of how she preventing Cormac McLaggen from taking Ron's position as the Gryffindor Keeper. After the game, Harry tells Hermione the potion was a mere placebo.
Please review. I know some canon events didn't happen in the same order I'm showing in this chapter. And I'm sorry I didn't show much of tryouts. I didn't find a way to make them different enough to describe them in detail.