Chapter 10: CH 10 : Meeting and potions

Hi All, it's been A while...

Disclaimer: I own nothing I tell you. Nothing!

Warning: OOC for most. Slash here and there and a mad man on the loose ... still.

Chapter 10: Meeting and potions

He stood there. His head raised high. His red eyes gleaming in the light that only came from the two fires lit in the dining hall. He looked down upon the unseen figure that was probably on the floor, covered in blood or worse. He turned and looked at the table in front of him. It ran almost the length of the room, each chair filled with the closest members of his ranks. Those he trusted. Well, trusted more than others, to say that Lord Voldemort trusted anyone would be foolish.

"Tell me. What news does anyone have to add about the old fool?" His voice was a low hiss that took a bit of getting used to. Luckily for everyone there, they were used to it and understood. "Severus?" He asked, snapping his head to the left.

"He has no idea who Hellbroom's latest client is..." he paused in a manner that only Severus Snape was able to pull off. "It is causing both he and the Order much...stress."

"Should have found a way to get that bloody goblin on to him years ago." Greyback said with a chuckle. Several others joined him in agreement. The Dark Lord didn't say another word but silently agreed.

"Lucius, what do you know of this?" he asked, switching his head to the other side. Lucius Malfoy sat directly opposite in all his glory, his honour restored, his debt payed and back at the top of the food chain. He seemed to have sorely missed it in the last year. The Dark Lord also took note of the severe bruises and little wounds that were on his exposed flesh. His ear in particular was half healed. It was probably a bigger love-bite, so to speak, than normal. Maybe Lucius finally found someone that could keep up with him.

"My guess would be that it is the Heir of Gryffindor." Lord Voldemort raised a non existent eyebrow. The Gryffindor line had been well hidden if it even still existed.

"Your guess Lucius?" he said in a low threatening voice.

Lucius backtracked quickly, explaining his theory. "The goblin stated that some student had been excluded from paying fees and I don't see anyone but Dumbledore's favourite being exempt from fees."

"Potter." Someone spat further down the line.

Lucius opened his mouth to say something against it but Snape beat him to it.

"Unlikely." Everyone's attention was drawn to Severus. "The Potters are an old and rich blood line. He could have a hundred children and send them all to Hogwarts without ever making a dent in his vault." One of the Lestrange brothers, (the slightly saner one) Rabastan, nodded in agreement.

"Besides," Snape continued, "Potter and Dumbledore...are not seeing eye to eye at the moment. Potter refuses to apologise to the Weasleys." There were several more chuckles before Snape finished off with, "It's a battle of wills at the moment." Bellatrix let out a loud cackle, clapping her hands in a childish, yet insane way at the news.

"Would Dumbledore know who the heir is?" The Dark Lord hissed but his lips were quirked upwards in a slight smile, anyone who caused this much trouble for Dumbledore should be congratulated.

"Not that he is telling but even if he did know I doubt he would tell." Severus answered,

Someone a little way down the table asked "Why wouldn't he tell?" to which several death eaters wanted to know the answer to, well other seem to think it was obvious.

"Would you want to let your followers know that Slytherin turned against you?" William Firelock said from near the end of the table. To which there was a slight mutter around the table.

"True." Was all Voldemort said, causing the talk to stop. For Dumbledore to have the heir of Gryffindor do something like this would be very bad for his public image but then again, so was the wrath of Hellbroom.

"Lucius, keep an ear open. I want information and see if your son can find out anything from the Zabini child"

"Of course my Lord."

The little blond brat might be annoying but he picked things up that others didn't. Attention to detail, the Dark Lord thought. Even though he hated to admit it, when he was older, Draco would be a key member of his most trusted.

With that, he changed the subject and it was another hour before he dismissed them all. He turned to look at the mess to his left, which was the remains of someone that everyone said had information. Yet, she had little to say. Helen Jackson, a mud-blood ministry worker that was meant to know the inner workings of the Department of Records.

"Lucius." the Dark Lord said lowly. He sensed Lucius Malfoy stop before he continued. "Congratulations on your new lover."

(insert line here)

As I looked down in to the ceramic mug I held, the warmth from the hot black liquid seeped through, warming my fingers. It had been two days since I had seen Mr. Malfoy and I was feeling a bit better. Yesterday had been long, very long. I had been extremely tired and my body was feeling Mr. Malfoy's work but today I felt as though I could get from A to B without as much effort. Of course that didn't mean that this coffee that I was hanging on to, warming my fingers, was not a lifesaving liquid.

The owls had yet to arrive and I didn't wish to make my way to potions class until they had, just in case Sirius had written. Secretly, part of me hoped that Mr. Malfoy had written too but that thought I pushed deep into the back of my mind.

Although I was slowly admitting to myself that Mr. Malfoy was my lover, I still liked to live under the pretence that I didn't have one. "Get over yourself Potter." Draco Malfoy's voice floated into my head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe I did need to get over myself. Get over the fact that I had a kinky lover and the fact that I had a lover to begin with. I mean, many people had lovers. Why should the fact that I had a lover mean anything at all? Before I could dwell on that, the owls came in.

I looked up as the countless owls swooped around, looking for the one they had been assigned to.

Hedwig was easy to spot as she glided down and landed flawlessly in front of me. I took the letter off her as she began nipping at my bacon. I smiled and stroked her. Moments after Hedwig had attacked my bacon, another owl landed. It was bigger, taller, hawk-like even and I knew without a doubt that this was from Mr. Malfoy. I took the parcel that was attached to the leg pointing at my plate. The bird looked down its beak at the food as if it were below him, before looking at Hedwig, then back to the plate. He lowered his body and began picking at the rest of the bacon. Putting the package in my bag for later, I turned to the final owl that had landed. It was a plain brown owl that took off the moment I relieved it of the letter. Taking a look at the scroll, I saw a wax seal with the words "THE BANK OF GRINGOTTS" around the edge and a "G" in the middle with a Goblin head inside the "G".

"Who is all the mail from Harry?" Turning, I saw Ginny sitting next to me. Her hair was pulled back and her face was splashed with make-up. I noted that the make-up around her mouth seemed to have been disturbed.

"The bank, Sirius or Remus and something I ordered ages ago." I told her, picking my coffee back up. Hedwig seemed to be having a staring contest with Mr. Malfoy's owl. I wasn't sure who was winning.

"Harry." I turned back to Ginny. She had moved closer and puffed her chest out a little. Her breasts seemed to be pushed up, straining against her shirt, with several buttons open. There was also a white stain on her black robe.

I slid back a bit and I swear I heard someone laugh. She moved forward. "What are you doing later?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at me.

"Busy later." I slid back again but hit someone. "Very busy, lots to do you know." I climbed out of my seat, apologising to Seamus who was trying hard not to laugh at my attempt to get away. Ginny grabbed my arm.

"I'm sure you being that busy must be very stressful." She said with a smile. "Why don't you let me relieve some of that stress?" Both owls chose that moment to take a swipe at her, Hedwig out of loyalty and the other owl...I had no idea why he attacked Ginny. This caused her to remove her hand very quickly from mine, glaring at the owls. Especially the bigger one, whose beak was long and curved. It would have left a deep cut if it had caught her.

"I'm fine thank you Ginny." I said, before moving away. I saw both owls take flight to the sky as I did.

Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas quickly came after me. They were both laughing when we got out of the entrance hall.

"Harry." Dean said, still sniggering. "What's wrong with you?"

Seamus seemed to agree with him because he continued matter-of-factly. "Harry, I know that you have no experience as it were-"

"If only you knew" I thought. I knew that I was still new to everything but I wasn't that daft.

"-but mate when a-" they turned the corner to come face to face with three Slytherins. This wasn't the three that I was used to running into, this was Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. They all seemed to be laughing and smiling. Everyone stopped and looked at each other, waiting. I really didn't want to get into a fight. I had made it four whole days without incident so I slowly side-stepped the trio, pulling Seamus and Dean with me. I could feel the Slytherins watching us go and I knew that Seamus had his hand clasped tightly around his wand.

"Potter." I stopped and turned. Nott was the one who had spoken, which was kind of out of character for him. "You do realise that that Gryffindor whore of yours says something like that when she wants to have sex right?" I didn't say anything; I didn't get a chance.

"Take it back." said Dean. I don't think they would have made such a big deal out of it if Nott hadn't used the word Gryffindor before the word whore.

"Dean, drop it." I told him quietly.

He looked at me like I was mad. "No one calls a Gyffindor a whore." He said. Seamus stated his agreement. The Slytherin boys were watching with keen eyes.

"Use the word promiscuous then." I knew of Ginny's reputation and from the looks of her this morning, she had given someone head before coming down to breakfast.

"Harry." Seamus said. I looked at them both.

Dean sighed. "Okay, she's a whore but she's still part of our house and I know you're at odds with most of the Weasley's but you know." I simply shrugged.

"Back to the point." Nott said, smiling. "You're supposed to fuck them. You should try it some time."

"Not really interested." I said. I turned to leave before something was said to cause this to blow up in our faces.

"Got to lose that cherry of yours sometime Potter." Zabini said, leaning against the wall. His features were relaxed, looking amused.

"Even I've fucked over that one. Probably a bit loose by now but she gives good head." Nott spoke once again.

"Right. Well, we should be off." I said lightly.

"Potter," Draco Malfoy opened his mouth for the first time. Usually he was quick to jump right in with the insults. It was loud enough for us to hear but it wasn't directed at me. "prefers something with a cock rather than..." There was silence after Malfoy's statement. I felt both Gryffindor boys come to a complete standstill, me a step in front of them.

I turned and noted that Zabini had removed himself from the wall and was now flashing his white teeth as he looked at us.

"Is that right Potter?" Zabini asked. I wondered how Malfoy could possibly know.

Seamus, who I was glad was thinking along the same lines, turned and asked "How could you possibly know that Malfoy?"

He only smirked. "No one rejects that much pussy unless they prefer something a little different." I simply shrugged and turned to leave, no matter what was said next.

A few moments later I heard the hurried footsteps of Dean and Seamus catching up.

"Harry, wait up." One of them said. "Why didn't you say anything?" Dean asked.

Seamus' accented speech continued with "It's nothing to be ashamed of." I wasn't ashamed of being gay I just didn't want to broadcast my sex life, existent or not, to the entire population of Hogwarts.

"I'm not." I said to Seamus easily.

"Then why did you walk off like that?" he continued.

I gave a small smile to show that I wasn't upset. "Didn't fancy having that conversation with those Slytherins." They nodded in understanding. "Besides, things like that I prefer to keep to myself, which I then seem to get ridiculed for."

There was still a bit of time before Slughorn's class started, so I sat and pulled out the letter that Hedwig had brought me, while both Seamus and Dean talked about what they had planned for the weekend.

"Dear Bambi," I recognised Sirius' scrawl.

"If you're free. Meet me in the room behind the portrait of the Vampire with black hair. He's holding a red ball that glows. It's on the fourth floor, far East. The password is Green Stone. Come alone tonight after dinner.

Padfoot"

I read and re-read the letter, wondering what on earth Sirius was doing in Hogwarts. However I was unable to dwell on that, as everyone else began to show up for class. "Harry, I missed you at breakfast. How are you this morning? Yesterday you seemed buggered." Hermione said.

Sirius' voice popped into my head with the simple word of, "thoroughly."

Before I could say more than "fine." The dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly preceded him through. As they filed into the room, his great walrus moustache curved above his beaming mouth and he greeted Malfoy, Zabini and myself with particular enthusiasm.

Everyone took their seats, the Ravenclaws and Slytherins all choosing to sit together, leaving myself seated with Ron and Hermione (since they'd pretty much pushed Seamus and Dean out of the way). I could see the boy's burning desire to talk about what they learned in the hallway before. Seamus slept with both males and females and the looks that he was giving me gave the impression that he was contemplating his chances of getting into my pants. Dean, being Seamus' best friend, was also his wing man, though he didn't go my way at all. I focused on the class at hand as Slughorn handed me a worn looking book. I'd explained to him that I hadn't thought I would be continuing potions this year and therefore didn't have the required text.

After the book was handed to me I took a deep breath, only to breath in something very seductive. The scent that I had just inhaled was one of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle and what I was sure was apple. There was also a smell that I couldn't name. Something that was familiar to me though. I found myself breathing very slowly and deeply and the potion fumes seemed to be filling me up like a drink.

"Now then," said Slughorn, returning to the front of the class and inflating his already bulging chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off. "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Can anyone tell me what this one is?" He pointed to where the Slytherins were sitting. A substance which looked like clear water was boiling away there.

Hermione's well practised hand shot into the air before anyone else's.

"It's Veritaserum. A colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth." she said.

"Very good." He said happily, before moving to stand by the Ravenclaw's table. I recognized the grey mud-like mush that was slow-boiling in the cauldron.

Hermione raised her hand quickly once more, almost knocking me aside.

"It's Polyjuice potion sir." She said.

"Wonderful." he replied, moving to their table. "And this one...yes my dear?" As her hand punched the air yet again. Slughorn was wearing a bemused expression.

"It's Amortentia."

"Indeed it is and it feels almost foolish to ask but what does it do?" Slughorn asked, now looking impressed.

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world." She said in a rush, looking pleased with herself.

"Did you recognise it by the mother-of-pearl sheen?" he asked.

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals." Said Hermione enthusiastically. "It's supposed to smell differently to everyone according to what attracts us. I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and -"

She turned slightly pink and did not finish the sentence.

The Slytherins snickered at her embarrassment.

She threw them a dirty look and muttered, "filthy purebloods, nothing but cowards." I frowned at her but said nothing. Only myself and Ron heard this and Ron had nodded in agreement.

"May I ask your name?"

"Hermione Granger sir."

"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"I'm muggleborn sir." She said with a dry tone.

He gave her a tight smile before turning to the rest of the class.

"Amortentia doesn't really create love of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room - oh yes," he said, nodding gravely at Malfoy and Nott, both of whom were smirking skeptically. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love."

"And now," he continued, "Its time to begin work."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one." said Ernie Macmillan, pointing at a small black cauldron standing on their desk. The potion within was splashing about merrily; it was the colour of molten gold and large drops were leaping like goldfish above the surface, though not a drop had spilled.

"Oho," said Slughorn again. I was sure that Slughorn had not forgotten the potion at all but had waited to be asked for dramatic effect. "Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis." Hermione's eyes had glazed over with what was a cross between pure longing and excitement.

"It's liquid luck," said Hermione excitedly. "It makes you lucky!"

The whole class seemed to straighten up at her words, gazing at the potion as though the image of it alone would be enough.

"Quite right. Take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis." said Slughorn. "Desperately tricky to make and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed ... at least until the effects wear off."

"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" Terry Boot said eagerly. I could see ideas popping into his head as he continued to look upon the potion.

"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence." said Slughorn. "Too much of a good thing, you know. . . highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally . . ."

"And that," said Slughorn, apparently coming back to earth. "is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson." His statement caused an excited flurry of movement to sweep through the class room. Suddenly there was silence, in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.

"One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis." said Slughorn, taking a minuscule glass bottle with a cork in it out of his pocket and showing it to them all. "Enough for twelve hours luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt."

"Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions . . . sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only . . . and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!"

"So," said Slughorn, suddenly brisk. "how are you to win this fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"

(break a line here)

When the class was over, I couldn't help but smile as I walked back up out of the dungeons, clutching the small vial of Felix Felicis. My temporary text book had previously belonged to who I'm sure was the most amazing potion brewer ever. It told me how to improve the potion perfectly, to standards that even Hermione or Malfoy (who was probably one of the best brewers in our year) couldn't reach.

"How did you do that?" snapped Hermione. Rather annoyed that she had been beaten.

"Got lucky I suppose." She glowered and walked off to seat herself in Gryffindor tower.

"So Harry." I turned at hearing Seamus' thick accent. He stood with Dean, grinning stupidly. "I don't think you need that potion to get lucky tonight." I snorted and that snort turned into a laugh. Dean joined in as we took our seats at the Gryffindor table.

Hey Ho yeah I know, I'm alive and that's a chapter. So how you all been?

If you didn't notice, there's some chunks out of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince". Those words were not written by me. I know in the book it was only the golden trio from Gryffindor who took potions but I needed someone to walk with Harry and Ron and Hermione couldn't do it.

Also, someone has to cop it, so my apologies to Ginny fans but I have to make someone the bad person.

SF13