A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters. Professor Allie Chase is my own creation.
Draco stepped into the new potions' lab. Allie had chosen a room on the first floor, not the dungeons. It was a good room for the subject. The walls were windowless, although someone, possibly Allie had enchanted them to look like windows. Windows in a potions' lab were a horrible idea. The sunlight itself could affect a potion, and Merlin forbid if someone opened one and something from the outside managed to contaminate something.
"Good, you're on time," Allie stated, giving him a smile. She closed the book she'd been studying. Draco couldn't see the title on the tome, but it was bound in black leather with golden gilding on the pages.
Draco felt a chill run down his spine. There was something about the woman, something he couldn't quite place his finger on, that gave him the creeps. He pushed those thoughts aside. He needed this chance. Besides, he was probably reading too much into nothing. Besides, she had been nothing but friendly to him so far.
"I make it a point," Draco replied. "What would you like me to start on?" he asked. He wasn't sure what being her assistant would entail exactly. He knew he'd be involved in some of the lower year classes, freeing Allie up to handle the upper years and the N.E.W.T level students.
"Lesson plans for the first years. I've got the upper ones done already, but I left the first years for you. I want to see what you can do in that aspect. I've also got a few potions that need to be brewed for Hannah in the infirmary. Think you can manage to get both things done at the same time?" she asked. Draco nodded. He'd brewed more than a few fever potions and a couple Pepper-Ups in his time.
"Good, I'm going to go make sure everything is labeled in the student cabinet, call me if you need me," she said, walking out of the room. Draco frowned. He still couldn't share the idea that something was amiss.
"Just my imagination," he muttered, summoning a few sheets of parchment, a quill and the first year potion book. He remembered a fair amount of his first year work. He started scribbling notes while collecting the ingredients he would need for the basic hospital potions. He realized he was missing powdered unicorn horn.
Knowing there was some in the student cabinet, he rose, and walked over to the room where the ingredients were kept. He'd expected to see Allie there organizing them, but she was no where in sight. He shrugged, grabbed the unicorn horn and headed back to the lab. If he could get all these done, his lesson plans completed, he might have a chance to write Hermione back again before lunch. He didn't even notice Allie watching him from behind a tapestry. He didn't see the frown on her face as he went back to his work.