Chapter 24

jackdoyle541- Sorry it took so long. My sister is visiting.

Readingbeyondyourvocab- Please begging on my hands and knees do not die. You are like 200% amazing what would the world do without you?

ravenclawprincess238- I hope it wasn't to long of a wait and that it was worth it.

Iveya Jade's psycho mind 08- Well than thank you very much Sorry for not understanding.

. - I hope I didn't disappoint you, but if I did please do know its only part one. Also I am so sorry about your name hopefully it doesn't happen this time.

Harry's point of view

The first Slytherin to come in was a fifth year, I was pretty sure, and she was sporting fiery red hair with gold streaks and a lion was painted, I guess across her face, the lions tail started at the base of her neck where it looked as if it was melded into her gold necklace with a ruby stone. Her eye was the eye of the stationary lion.

"Seriously, that was the best you could do?" Ron asked.

"Well, I couldn't completely humiliate them, and besides that it gets better."

And it did at least in Ron's and mines eyes. The very next person who got thrown through the door was Draco or at least we thought it was. The Draco we were looking at had long curled hair, lush eyelashes, full red lips and had a pound of expertly applied makeup to boot. I have got to say he looked very pretty.

"Draco you are totally rocking that look." One of the twins yelled and the other one wolf whistled and cat called.

The rest of the Slytherins slowly crawled pitifully in, figuratively speaking of course. Fira had worked some magic on them, with genders being changed (one girl in particular who used to have knee length hair was now sporting a blue and yellow Mohawk), and others sporting the colors of other houses.

"Fira, are the um changes you made Erm permanent?" I asked curious.

"Not at all matter of fact they should all have worn off right before lunch."

"How did you manage to make it stick?" Ron asked.

Fira looked down like she didn't know what to say, "It was a gift from a friend who knows I play a lot of jokes."

Sapphire's point of view

I can't believe I drew a blank and now they're looking at me like they don't believe me. Stupid pauses. Now stupid head think of something to say that will make them believe it.

"The friend who gave it to me she... um... she died last year." I poked myself hard to make my eyes mist up. Silently berating myself, ya that's going to work stupid, just stupid. What am I going to say when they ask me who she was or were we meet. I don't even know anyone who's died recently. What the heck am I thinking, I must need sleep.

"Oh, I'm sorry Fira we didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Harry said. But that was Harry for you, even though he had gone through living death, he was still so sweet. Ron on the other hand I might have to teach him some manners between my lessons, detentions, lessons, and lying to my friends, and lessons, and oh ya more lessons.

What am I doing with my life, not that I have one. Heck it's not even what I'm doing with my life it's what are Minerva and Albus doing with my life. Apparently me hating on self was actually working in my favor at least if their faces were any clue.

"Fira are you ok?" Harry asked at the same time as Ron said, "You're not going to cry on us?

"I laughed, wiping at an imaginary tear." I promise I'm not going to cry on you Ron. But anyways what lesson do we have today?

Harry's point of view

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us," I said. I watched Fira shake her head a small smile on her face while I thought of the pile of homework, Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, had given them the day before.

Just then, the mail arrived. I'd gotten used to it by now; after all now that Fira didn't have to send me a letter to commutate, there wasn't really anyone to write. It had given me a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great

Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

Hedwig hadn't brought me anything so far. Sometimes she came to nibble on my ear ear steel Fira's toast, when she wasn't looking of course, before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto my plate. I tore it open at once curious to see who was writing me.

Dear Harry,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?

I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

P.S. You can bring the brat, and Ron if you so desire.

I borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and was about to send Hedwig off again, when Fira stole it added A brat really?:P, before she let hedwig take off with it.I was glad I had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because Potions was the worst thing that had happened to me since I got dropped off on the Dursleys doorstep.

It didn't help that he was in a horrible mode thanks to Fira's little prank.

At the start-of-term banquet, I'd gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, I knew I'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike me— he hated me.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. Which was colder and creepier than any other place in the castle, kinda like Snape's eyes cold, black, empty and made you think of dark tunnels. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at my name.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity." People turned to stare at me, some with awe on their faces and others with hatred.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. Ron and I exchanged looks with raised eyebrows, we went to look at Fira but found her with her head bent doodling in what was supposed to be her notebook for notes, I had a strong suspicion that wasn't what it would be used for. I glanced back at Hermione Granger who was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? I glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as me was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.

"I don't know, sir," said Harry. Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything." He cruelly ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but

I didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. I tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were smirking with content. Luckily for me by avoiding their gaze I glanced down at what Fira was drawing. It was a goat with an arrow to the stomach that said Bezoar.

"In the stomach of a goat"

Snape glared at me hating me it seemed mad for getting the answer right. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfs bane?" At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

Hating the fact that he was ignoring Hermoine I said "I think Hermione knows, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. As for monkshood and wolfs bane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite.

Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter." I glanced down at Fira's drawing in which Snape was now swinging back and forth over a chasm which at the bottom had a torturous looking lake and huge sharks. She added a lightning storm as I watched.

Regrettable Fira's doodles were the only good thing that happened during potions. Snape put us all into pairs and set us to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching us weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Poor, Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes.

Within seconds, everyone was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Fra. Then he rounded on me and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.

"You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

This was so unfair that I opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week —why did Snape hate him so much?

"I don't understand did he get meaner and well worse in general when Fira left or was it just me?"

"I thought so to mate, but it must have been are imagination."

I didn't think so; Fira had something about her that calmed Snape down, if only mildly.

Thanks for reading PLEASE review. I hope you have a great day. Also this is part 1 of the prank if you are to disappointed in it I'm sorry the next part is kinda lame as well.