The week term started again was joyfull, and Hermione found it obvious that Tom was one of the most popular in his year perhaps she hadn't fully noticed the extent of it before Christmas. But in the new year she sure did. He wasn't just popular with people in his own house, he was popular with everyone, studedents and teachers alike. He had second years, Minerva had told her, and sensible second years too falling for him. One had even given him a Christmas card with a piece of her hair attatched. But the teacher Tom was most popular with was Professor Slughorn, he always loved to watch Tom's work. He actually found himself practically ignoring the other students at some points. But it had to be admitted. If there was someone with talent then that person needed pushing.
Tom sat with his comrades, and discussed the issue of a name. His group, for it was unmistakably his was growing large. He felt almost proud, for the first time in his lifetime he had a group of people who obeyed him. Who listened to him. Tom sat on one of the many sofas and discussed this with a boy called Rosier. He found it much easier to remember last names than firsts. A last name made them no individual, and if Tom didn't have the right to be an individual then neither did they.
"We should have a name." Rosier mused, his blonde hair was the opposite of Tom's dark. It had looked quite good long but Tom had convinced him to cut it.
"Perhaps." Tom murmured.
"I said he wouldn't like that." Avery snapped, he looked scared of Tom now. Tom smiled, that was good.
"I think we deserve a well thought out name." Tom told him. Avery mumbled an apology.
"What do you think Tom?" Asked Avery. "Something really good? Like the Serepents?"
"I don't think anyone would like to be called a 'Serpent' Avery." Tom smirked. There came a slightly forced laugh, from the fellow Slytherins. A girl in the year above blushed.
"What about something majestic? Something really good."
"I wouldn't want us to be called something bad." He informed her.
She blushed. "I'm so sorry!" She said. "I just meant, something like..something that says we are the best. Something that says we win."
"Don't listen to her. She's just a girl." Avery smirked.
Tom frowned. "But she could be right." He informed the boy with a nod of his head. "One day we will be strong. But that's not today and that's not yet. I have an idea, but I am unsure." He looked around, and turned to a fifth year who was writing up his homework. He was a prefect, the prefect who'd escorted them from the main hall at the start of the year. "What is humanity's weakness?" He asked.
The fifth year shrugged. "We fight too much." He finally said. He didn't seem scared of Tom, that was not good. "We can't live with war, we can't live without it."
Tom shook his head slowly. "Not that." He told the boy. "Humanity's weakness is death. Grindelwald and Flamel, we can become them. But they can not be what we will be." He spoke softly, but each child in the common room listened.
"Insperational much?" The Fifth Year commented. "You should run for Minister of Magic."
"One day." Tom answered. "But I think he's right, we need a name."
"So what are we then?" Avery asked.
Tom shrugged. "Destroying death is the last thing we shall do. We will be the Death Eaters."
Avery raised an eyebrow. "I don't know." He looked at Tom. Then smiled a small smile. "Yeah, it sounds ok."
"Personally I don't think it'll catch on." The Fifth Year warned them.
Tom shrugged. "Maybe it won't. Maybe it will. We'll see." He glared at the Fifth Year, they'd show him."
The bell rang, indicating that lunch was over. They'd had to talk in the common room as it was still cold outside and the librarian didn't like too many people hanging around the books at once. Silly old fool, thought Tom as he headed for his lesson. Potions with Slughorn, it was one of his favourites. It wasn't that he enjoyed it as such, he just really didn't have to try. Today they were studying and making hair raising potions, but when Tom heard the name he doubted there was much point to it. Slughorn copied out the instructions onto the board, just in case someone was stupid enough to forget their book. Then he clapped his hands together. "Most of you will have supplies left of the basic ingridients." He called across the chatter, he coughed loudly. "Right listen up! Rat tails are in the cupboard! Just be careful not to get one with a rat attatched!"
"Ew!" Shrieked one girl, this started all the girls shrieking. Apart from Granger, Tom noted. Her bushy hair seemed to sag today, perhaps she was depressed. Good for her, he thought to himself, he stood up making his way to the cupboard to fetch a rat tail.
"Oh goodness! They're dead, honestly." He sighed. "When I was younger we'd use live rats." He told them.
Tom sighed. "Will you get mine for me?" Asked a Slytherin girl from behind him. "I don't like rats!"
"Squeak." He muttered to her. He smiled. "Of course." He said. He knew what to put in her bed if she upset him. He fetched her a rats tail, and delicately dropped it onto her desk.
"Thank you Tom!" She smiled. "My hero!"
He flicked to the right page, then put his hand up. "Excuse me Sir!" He called the teacher over.
Slughorn beamed. "What is it Tom?" He asked, stepping to the students desk.
Tom faked innocence. "I was wondering if I could try making a different potion today." He said. "I've made this one before." He told Slughorn. "I know I'm only a first year, but perhaps, could I try making-" He gestured to the title.
Slughorn shook his head. "That potion is dangerous." He told the boy. "I don't think you should be making it alone."
"If I had a partner I could make it?" Tom raised an eyebrow.
Slughorn shook his head. "I didn't say that Tom." He tried.
"Oh but please Sir, you were saying I might be able to take my Owls a year early. Please sir?" He asked.
"Well I suppose..." Slughorn put a hand to his forehead. "But-Granger!" He called over to where the girl was slowly stirring the potion. She seemed to be daydreaming as if thinking about a thousand other things, potion making only one of them. "I need you to partner with Tom." He told her.
"But sir-" She started. "I've only just started my potion, besides this potion doesn't need two people."
Slughorn shook his head. "Give it to Avery. I dare say he could use the head start." He smiled. "It seems that you two will be working together. We have a double lesson, any ingridients you need will be found in the store cupboard. Please don't use any of my personal supply. Please remember this is a third year potion, and it may be too complicated. Do you both understand?" He asked.
Hermione looked confused but nodded. Tom smiled at her, like a snake about to eat a mouse. "Granger I need a rose thorn." He paused. "I do suppose you know what that looks like?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Of course I do." She frowned. "But what are we making?" She asked. She tried to look at the page. "A love potion?" She raised her eyebrows, they were fine and perfectly framed her eyes.
This was his turn to roll his eyes. "Of course not." He told her. He pulled crumpled piece of parchment from inside his book. It had frantic scribbles on it. "We're experimenting." He told her. "But I doubt we'll get it right today. It should take a while to make in fact. But these are the basics."
"I gathered that." She told him. "But what exactly is it? Where did you find that-?"
"I found it in a potion's book." He told her.
She paused. "What do you mean a potion's book?"
"Oh come now, you're not stupid." He smirked.
"Then what are we making?" She repeated.
"Oh nothing yet, but hopefully progress." He told her. "I will call it, the drink of despair."
She frowned. "That's horrible."
"Oh believe me it's not." He looked at her from where he started to slice his rat's tail. "Well are you getting that rose thorn or not? Ask yourself this, don't you want to help make history? Don't you want to make the world a better place? Now be a dear, and run along like a good girl and get that rose thorn." She sighed and turned away. "Oh by the way, can you fetch some ink while you're at it? Red!" He called.
"Harry!" Ginny called, she ran to him, and threw her arms around him. "Oh Harry!" She started to cry, large tears running down her face staining her pretty cheeks and wetting the shoulder of his robes. "I-I've been s-so worried."
Harry felt his head throb, he had made her cry. He felt so stupid, look at what he'd done. He had made this pretty, pretty girl cry. His friend, he'd made her cry. "Harry." Neville said slowly. He didn't sound upset or angry, just lost. "What happened?" His voice shook slightly. "What the hell happened?"
"I-it was an accident." He lied. "I-I couldn't sleep. I'm so sorry for upsetting you Ginny."
"It's ok silly." She smiled through the tears.
"I fell-I didn't try to-"
"Of course you wouldn't!" Ginny said. "You're ok aren't you Harry?" She asked. "You're ok right? You'd tell me if you weren't wouldn't you?"'
"Harry?" Neville interupted trying to catch up with the boy, he was already walking fast away. "Snape asked if you did it to yourself-"
"Yeah and I fell. It was my fault. I'm clumsy." He pushed past them. "I'm fine Ginny. I need to get to Dumbledore's office. He wants me there. Ok? I'm fine."
"As he walked away Neville turned to Ginny. "I told you he'd be fine." She smiled.
"Youngest seeker ever, clumsy?" Neville raised an eyebrow.
Harry hurried toward the headmaster's office. McGonagall was waiting outside, she didn't look at him as she took him up. "How are you today?" She asked.
He shrugged. "Ok?" He replied.
She nodded. "Very good." She said, her voice was tense. Not harsh as usual, but incredibly strained. "In you go." She gestured him in. She faked a smile, and then she was gone.
"Please take a seat." Dumbledore waved a hand at one of the chairs sitting in front of his desk. "You may sit in it, just don't take it home." He smiled at the joke. Harry did what the teacher had just done to him, refusing to look the man in the eye. "How do you feel today?" Dumbledore asked, he peered over his desk at him through his half moon glasses.
"Fine." Harry muttered. He'd only been in the hospital wing a day and a night. He was honestly fine. "Can-can I just have my detention date and go to my lesson?" He asked. Dumbledore sighed. "I accept it, ok I'm in trouble. I shouldn't have been out of bed. I shouldn't have shouted at Luna."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I did not hear that you shouted at Miss Lovegood. It must have missed me. But you must understand, you are not in trouble Harry. Contrary, we want to help you. Could you tell me why you hurt yourself last night?"
The potion Tom had been brewing simmered nicely. The leson was over, but the pair had stayed behind to finish it. In fact this was the third day they had stayed behind for the potion. Tom smiled slightly, he looked perfect as always, Hermione's hair was stuck to her forehead. You could see the sweat glistening from her forehead. "I think it's almost finished." She murmured.
"No it's not." He told her. "It needs to be left for at least three months."
She pulled her hand over her forehead. "The instructions don't say so." She said waving to them.
He shrugged. "I'm not following them." He paused. "It won't go back far enough if you were to drink it now. It would only go to recent memories."
"Why on earth would you want to dig up memories?" Hermione asked. She sipped her water from her cup. They weren't meant to drink in there, but Slughorn wasn't strict on rules.
Slughorn looked up from marking his papers, he gave them a small smile. "I need to go to Professor Dumbledore's office for a moment." He told them. "He owes me a pot of red ink." He informed them. "I shouldn't leave you two in here alone, but-"
"You can trust us." Tom told him, nodding. He finished the sentence perfectly.
Slughorn almost blushed, but he coughed. "Yes, well, very well then." He nodded. "Behave, if any of the other Professor's come along.." He tapped his nose.
Tom beamed when he left the room. "Perfect!" He said.
"What is?" Hermione asked.
"Oh don't ask questions. Stand by the door."
Hermione did as he said. "Why?" She asked.
"You'll see." He told her. He retreated to the storage cupboard. To Slughorn's personal one. Hermione breathed in too quickly.
"You're not allowed!" She hissed.
"Who said?" He asked. "Oh yes, our stupid old fool over there? Mhm. Right." He nodded to her. "Just watch the door ok?" He asked.
She kept her back to him, standing with the door ajar looking out into the corridor. "Fine." She muttered.
He spoke to her as he searched. Finally he found what he had been looking for. "Got it." He told her. "So, you never did tell me, who's Ron?"
She shook her head as she returned to the potion. "He's someone I used to know." She informed him.
He dropped a powdered substance into the potion. "Dittany." He told her.
"Isn't that for healing?" She asked.
"It's pure." He told her. "And yes it is for healing."
"It's for making things better-"
"Oh I know." He smiled. He gave the potion a stir. Then counter clockwise.
"So..why?"
"Does it matter to you?" He smiled.
"I guess not." She agreed. She paused. "Clockwise next?" She asked taking the spoon to stir the potion. It was metal and long. He nodded and she took over stirring. The thing he did next surprised her. He knelt down on the floor, and started to scramble about on all fours.
"You know, I'm sure they have something for nightmares." He told her as he searched the floor.
She tried not to look down at him. "Your point is?" She asked.
He shrugged, scuttling about looking underneath the tables. "You scream in your sleep apparently." He told her. "Did you ever know your parents?" He asked.
She thought it best not to lie. "Yes, I did." She told him as she stirred, once clockwise twice anti. "Did you?"
He shook his head from underneath a table. "Nope." He said. "My mother died before I was born." He informed her. "Were they magic?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Muggles." He said.
"So you're a mudblood?"
"That's offensive!" She told him.
He shrugged. As if to ask 'and?' she shook her head. "Did they treat you like a freak?" He finally said. "I always wondered. Did they treat you like an outcast? Did they act as if they were scared of you?"
Hermione took her mind to her childhood. She remembered how they had reacted, when she got her letter, they'd been proud but also so very afraid. She remembered this now, they treated her like a bomb waiting to go off. "I guess." She said.
He smiled at her standing up. "Look!" He showed her a spider he had caught. It was of a medium size, with it's long legs scrambling about trying to escape his clutch. He dropped it into the potion, and Hermione shuddered. It seemed to melt into the potion, disolving slowly. Finally Tom gave the potion a light flick. "It's too thick." He muttered. "Ah well." He smiled at her, then passed her his potion knife. "Go on then." He said.
"What?" She asked.
"It says add blood." He told her as if she were stupid. "Go on then."
"I thought we weren't following the instructions." She told him eyes wide.
He rolled his eyes and stared at her. He took the knife back, then grabbing her robe sleeve he swiped the knife across her arm. It wasn't a deep cut, but it hurt, and she let out a small yelp like a frightened animal. Perhaps that was what she was, an animal. After all, she was as she had told him herself, a mudblood. He grabbed her arm and held it across the potion. "You didn't expect me to do it did you?" He asked. She shook her head. "Would Ronnie have done it?" He asked. "Or what about Harry? Tell me about Harry Hermione. And Ronnie. Did you love them? You want him to take you instead, who's he Hermione? Does he scare you? Do I scare you?" He asked.
A tiny tear formed in her eye. "Please.." She murmured.
"Am I upsetting you Hermione? Am I making you cry?" He asked. A tear rolled down her face, followed by another. Quickly he undid a tiny glass bottle he had, and caught the tears in them. He let a drop of her blood mix with it. Then, throwing back his head he took a sip. He drank half of the tiny amount of liquid swallowing it and licking his lips. "Oh it tastes just like you Hermione." He whispered, using his own robes he dried her eyes. Then poured the other half into the potion.
She blinked at him. "What did you do?" She asked. "What have you done?"
He shook his head, stirring the potion with one hand. "Not me Hermione. It's you. What have you done?"
Severus Snape walked down the corridor, he almost turned toward the Potion's Classroom. Then he remembered, he didn't teach Potion's any more. But now more than ever he wished he did. He'd taught if for so many years, and now, he taught the lesson he'd longed to teach. It made no sense, but he wished he taught Potion making. It was so stupid he felt like an idiot. It wasn't as if he was unhappy teaching Deffence Against the Dark Arts. He'd wanted to for so long, but now, it just wasn't satisfying.
"You a cutter Lovegood? Or just a nutter?" The laugh belonged to a male, that was all Snape knew.
"You going to go slit your wrists like Potter?" Asked another voice. Slightly higher, probably a girl.
"Is this your book Lovegood?" He recognised this voice, a prefect. "Oh, I didn't know you liked baby stories." Patil smirked
"Oh dear." Smirked a girl who Snape knew as Li. Her first name was something like Sue, he thought he corrected himself Su. The girl giggled. "I dropped it." She picked up the book, and tossed it to Patil again.
"Please give it back." Luna said. "It's not mine. I borrowed it from a friend!"
"I should take points from Ravenclaw for that." Patil's smirk broadened. "You're not meant to tell lies."
Anthony Goldstein laughed. "Yeah, Lovegood you don't have mates." He gave her a small shove. She didn't move or blink, so he pushed her a little harder.
Li laughed. "What you going to do? Slit your wrists? Or cry to Mummy? Or how about write to Daddy to tell him how nasty de big kids at Hogwarts are?" She spoke in a baby voice, a stupid mimick that teenage girls seemed to find popular. "What're you going to do Lovegood?" They asked.
Snape turned the corner, striding into them. He had listened for a minute, just to be aware of what exactly they were saying. "What do you think you are doing?" He demanded. He snatched the book and handed it back to the blonde.
"That's what I was going to ask Professor." Patil told him, she turned to the two others. "I just got here and saw them throwing the book around."
"Your behaviour is disgraceful to your house." Snape told them. He turned to Patil. "And as for you Patil, you are meant to keep order."
She nodded, widening her eyes. "That's exactly what I was trying to do Sir. I've never been more ashamed of my house members, being so cruel to poor Luna." She smiled at him as did he back, but then his smile turned to a frown.
"Never, have I heard a student your age lie so idiotically." He hissed. "Fifty points from Ravenclaw." He told her. "Twenty each for the two of you!"
"Sir that's ninety points." Patil told him. She looked upset now. She should be. "Just for a little name calling."
"If you don't want to make it two hundred then don't complain." He told her. "Here at Hogwarts we will not stand for bullying of anysort."
"Then how come you don't punish Slytherins?" She asked.
"Patil don't answer back!" He told her. "And if I..if I saw any of my house behaving in such a way then I would..I would punish them accordingly." He spoke uncertainly, trying to keep it from his voice.
"Yeah-right." She scowled, the other two students had hurried away like dogs with their tails betwen their legs.
"Patil I'm warning you another word out of place and you'll be in detention for a week." He told her.
"Fine." Then as an after thought. "Sir." She spat the word out like an insult, then turned on her sole and walked away. Unlike the other two her head was held high.
He turned to the girl, handing her the book back. "Miss Lovegood?" He asked.
She nodded, sniffing slightly. "Thank you Sir." She smiled. "But you didn't need to tell them off."
"It was my duty." He told her stiffly. "Miss Lovegood, perhaps you and I need a word?" He didn't want to talk to her, hell he didn't really want to deal with any child's problems. But what he meant was, perhaps you and one of the other more capable teacher's need a word.
She shook her head. "I have many words in my mind. None of them involve you Professor."
"Miss Lovegood it was more than a suggestion." He told her. He felt like he was reliving this moment so many times, why did she have to be so awkward?
"Sir can you experience deja-vu and amnesia at the same time?" She asked suddenly, she turned away from him.
"What? Why?" He tried to hide his confusion without major success.
"Oh. It's just I feel like I've forgotten this before." She told him.
"Miss Lovegood, are you sure you're ok?" He asked.
"Oh no. I'm not sure. But I think I am." She smiled. "I know you think I'm crazy Sir. Please don't hide it. They all think I am. That's me you see, stupid, freaky Loony Lovegood. I'm sure they had nicknames for you when you were at school too though, you know how it is." Her tone had less care in it than a muddy pool of water.
"Miss Lovegood, I don't think that's the case." He told her. "You look shaken, perhaps you should talk to Professor Flitwick, or Professor McGonagall?" He asked.
She smiled but shook her head. "I'm not crazy you know. I hear what they say about me. I know what they whisper behind my back. Please don't go along with me for the fear of upsetting me. Be honest."
"Miss Lovegood I don't think you're crazy-"
She paused, before handing him the book. "It's very good." She smiled.
"It doesn't belong to you-" He started.
She shook her head. "Harry gave it to me on my Birthday. It has talking bears in it, and a wolf, and a beautiful girl who awakes when she's kissed. It's all quite nice. But I feel sorry for them. It seems that in each story the freak is the bad guy. I guess that means I'm bad." She told him. He tried to hand it back to her, but she shook her head pushing it into his hand. "Oh no Sir. You need it more than me."
She turned and started to walk away. He called out to her. "Miss Lovegood!" He sounded stern. "I couldn't help but overhear the comments made."
"I know." She turned on the spot. "Sir, Stories have power. Just like blood does, just like tears do. But stories are important. Don't you think so?" She asked.
"I don't know-"
"The bad guy's always the freak. Always ugly, always stupid, always very lonely."
"Life isn't a story Miss Lovegood." He paused, he couldn't believe himself. Was he getting emotional over this? "Miss Lovegood I need to talk to you."
"And I need to grow wings!" Snape gaped at her, she was speaking nonesense. "Neither are going to happen!" She called over her shoulder.