A/N: Yippee! Another long-ish chapter! Read, enjoy, and don't forget to leave me a review!

I have just realized that I have not given explanations for some the syntax I use. Please forgive me.

/insert word here/ private thoughts, text, or letters.

'insert word here' telepathy

"insert word here" normal speech

Parseltongue hasn't come into the picture yet, but I'll make a note when it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Go bug Rowling.

"Potter, Longbottom, you will be working together. You will be testing Granger and Weasley's potion. They will be testing yours, so try not to poison them."

Harry emitted the kind of noise a trapped, wounded animal makes when faced with its captor. Neville looked at him sidelong but held his peace. A part of him wanted to ask Harry what was wrong, but was also compassionate enough to understand that it wasn't his place. This part was why the Sorting Hat considered him for Hufflepuff. Another part of him wanted to ask Harry what was wrong and believed that the consequences could be damned, Harry shouldn't keep things bottled up. This part of him was the reason he was in Gryffindor.

It so happened that being in close proximity with an Anomalite for ten minutes was enough to rouse a part of Neville that happily pushed his Hufflepuff side off a cliff. Like an ant using its feelers to find another ant, Neville was subconsciously (for the most part) reaching out to Harry with his mind.

It was this light touch that made Harry stop what he was doing and pay attention to what his partner was doing. Harry realized that Neville always looked like he was in a cemetery when in Potions class. He put a hand out to stop Neville, his expression clearly saying, "Your little charade ends here." Neville sent back a defiant glare that said, "I don't know what you're talking about." Harry replied with a raised eyebrow and a look that clearly said, "I can see right through you."

Harry decided to make use of the traits that had landed him in Gryffindor. He said bluntly, "You can communicate with plants. Ergo, a Potions class, with lots of dead plants is like a cemetery for you."

Neville stared at Harry, gobsmacked. He became aware of that dormant part of his mind which was now actively seeking Harry's. He nodded.

"I couldn't stand it at all First Year. Scared the dickens out of me. It got better over the years, but by then I had a reputation as the bumbling Potions idiot. Who was I to disturb the status quo?"

Harry grinned, somewhat ferally. He said softly, "Hey Nev, what say we shake things up a little?"

Neville looked uncertainly into Harry's eyes. It was then that he hit a waterfall of zeros and ones, and having slipped through them, found a deluge of information filling his head. Harry chuckled, 'I should have done that with Theo.'

'Theo… Theodore Nott, a Senser… Like me? Ye gods, Harry, this is a lot to take in. But it make sense…'

'So what say? You with me?'

Harry's question had a hidden meaning. He wasn't just asking if Neville wanted to reveal his hidden talents at potion-brewing, he wanted to see if Neville would stand by him as a Senser.

'All the way, mate.'

Severus Snape kept an eye on Harry and his partner throughout the entire lesson. He felt sure he was developing a migraine when he saw the two boys stare at each other for five minutes straight. In fact, neither boy had said a word to the other all lesson. They seemed to be making do with gestures, yet, even those were no more than what accompanied a normal conversation. He got the feeling he was missing something. Something big.

"Time's up. Hand in your potions."

Harry and Neville's grins were only slightly perturbing. Snape glared at them and took their potion. He nearly faltered when he saw the clear green liquid. It was a bright vivid green, the color of his best friend's – now dead – eyes. It was the reason he loved brewing this particular sleeping draught. Even Granger and Weasley's was more than three shades too dark. But this… This simply wasn't possible.

"See me after class. Both of you."

It was all Harry could do not to laugh. Neville traded potions with Hermione, who was glaring at them evilly. Snape however, had other ideas.

"No, Potter, you will be testing the potion."

Harry stiffened. He was severely allergic to belix root, a key component of most sleeping potions. However, since he had taken sleeping potions before and not died of it, he had realized that he was only allergic to the root in its pure form. By the darker shade of the potion, he knew that Hermione and Ron had put too much in, which meant that was some pure root particles left over in the mix.

"Sir, I'm al-"

"Now, Potter."

Cursing his luck Harry gulped down the potion. He dropped the vial, his eyes rolling back in his head. There was complete and utter silence as Harry's convulsing body fell to the ground. Neville's eyes darted across the room, searching. A part of him was aware that Theodore Nott was beside him, holding Harry, but mostly, he was searching for an antidote – there! He grabbed three leaves from Hermione's potion kit, resisting the urge to slap her when she protested. Before Snape could move, Theo forced Harry's mouth open and Neville pressed the leaves onto his tongue. They dissolved instantly.

Harry stiffened, sat up, and vomited his breakfast, lunch, and the potion. When he was done, albeit with a world-class migraine, he said hoarsely to Hermione, "You put too much belix root in."

"Twenty points to Slytherin for cool thinking, Mr. Nott. Please see me after class. Granger, I believe you were about to test Potter and Longbottom's potion. Oh, and ten points from Gryffindor for trying to poison Mr. Potter. I did specifically tell you not to poison each other."

Hermione scowled and gulped down the potion. Her muscles relaxed. Her eyelids drooped and she fell into a light slumber, her head on Ron's shoulder. Harry smiled at the sight, carefully angling his cell phone (which had a camera on it) so that Snape couldn't see, and took a picture. Ron looked to Snape for the antidote, but he had already turned to the next two groups.

"Oi, aren't you going to give her an antidote?"

"The potion will wear off in twenty minutes, Weasley. I see no reason to waste my antidote."

Ron glared.

"I suggest you enjoy the moment while you can. It's unlikely that this will happen again before you're twenty."

Ron stared after him, embarrassed and slightly bewildered, while Harry, Neville, and Theo looked in other directions and coughed into their hands.