Chapter 55
After breakfast, Snape came around to check all the Slytherin's NEWT applications.
"Mmmm….you can take whatever you want Calypso," Snape said stiffly, "You've achieved the required grades for all the classes you've applied for"
"Oh! Well thank you then" she said as he handed her a schedule.
"Very well, and Miss Calypso, Malfoy is passing the Quidditch captain title to you so I shall have to hold tryouts very soon. And I do expect you to win this year, yes?"
Calypso nodded, "Thank you, sir" and headed off to her first class, Ancient Runes...where she was unpleasantly lonely since THEO decided to doodle on a scrap of parchment the entire class, and Daphne kept sending her glared.
Either way, she wasn't sure which of their actions caused Professor Babbling to assign them all a 15-inch essay and two translations by Wednesday. Gits.
Next was Defense with Snape. Now here new favorite subject since Snape was her favorite professor. No surprise there.
As they entered the classroom, it was nowhere as pink as Umbridge's (what happened to her anyway) and all the kittens were replaced with dark curtains. New pictures adorned the walls, many of them showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting grisly injuries or strangely contorted body parts.
Wow, Snape was going all out with the whole 'The Dark Lord is back' nonsense. Those pictures, added with the curtains and lanterns set the 'vibe'.
Heck, they even matched the black french tips Pansy had done for her this morning.
"I have not asked you to take out your books," said Snape, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk; "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."
Geez, dramatic much?
"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe." Naturally, these teachers will all have had their methods and priorities. Given this confusion, I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."
After that, Calypso completely zoned out and began shooting hair ties back and forth with Pansy, something Snape thankfully ignored...that was until he snapped in her face.
"Miss Calypso and Miss Parkinson! Have you finished practicing nonverbal spells?"
"Well yes, actually," Calypso said. Snape ought to remember to have given her book on them in her second year.
"Let's see it then"
Calypso shrugged and concentrated on Potter's glasses from across the room. "Accio Potter's glasses," she thought, compressing all her magic into her new wand. One that she and Theo had demanded Ollivander to make at night- but that was a story for another time.
Her new 9 ½ inch Cypress and dragon heartstring wand, complied, summoning the glasses from an oblivious-and now mad- Potter into her hand.
"10 points to Slytherin. And now, Potter, you try"
Potter glared at her, but nothing happened. Hah, pathetic.
"Detention, Potter"
"Fine"
"Sir"
"No need to call me sir professor"
Snape glared at him, "50 points from Gryffindor and a week of detention Potter"
Calypso grinned and threw another hair tie and Pansy.
Half an hour later, they all sat in the common room together, laughing about how Potter was assigned at least 3 hours' worth of homework while they got none.
Then after lunch was time for Potions.
When she reached the classroom with Draco, Theo, and Blaise, there was a shockingly low number of students present. They were the only Slytherins, but there were four Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff, and the Boy-who-lived with his side-kicks. How he managed to achieve an 'O', she would never know.
Perhaps Slughorn let him off easy? Probably...considering the way he'd practically begged for Potter's autograph at the lunch date.
There were four seats per table, so they all sat together since why not? Theo's whole plan would have to wait…
"Now then, now then, now then," said Slughorn, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering vapors. "Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making. . . .Well, I've prepared a very fun lesson for us all today! Everyone pair up first though"
Blaise grabbed her hand instantly, not that she had much of a choice though. The last thing she wanted to do was pair up with her REAL boyfriend and make Slughorn think she was a whore.
But either way, Theo paired up with Granger which left Draco to go with the Hufflepuff. Hahaha.
"Everyone's got a pair? Good. Now, who can tell me what this potion is?"
He pointed to a bubbly brown potion- polyjuice.
And Calypso said that aloud.
"Jolly good Miss Lestrange! This is what we'll be making today! And to make things a little more exciting, we're going to play a little game. You will take on the appearance of your partner and throughout the day, work your hardest to not be found. By our next potions class, whoever has not been discovered will receive full marks! But remember, no telling anyone outside this class or you'll fail!" he warned.
Calypso groaned. She had no clue how many girls Blaise slept with regularly, or anything else about him to be honest. Calypso really should have just insisted on being with Theo...or better yet, Draco. Oh, all the things she could do to fuck up his life.
"So now, everyone understands the assignment?"
There was a general murmur of assent.
"Good, good. Now, this class period will be dedicated to something else! Can anyone tell me what this potion is?"
As expected, Granger's hand punched into the air. "Amortentia," she said automatically.
"Indeed it is! And what does it do?"
Calypso grimaced, she couldn't see where this was going but she hoped they weren't going to be using Amortentia on themselves as another 'fun' assignment.
"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" Granger shouted.
Calypso saw Theo lean away discreetly from her and shift onto the edge of his seat, farthest away from Granger. Then he looked up to Calypso's gaze and blew a kiss in her direction.
Slughorn didn't notice though, thankfully, and he asked another question. "Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"
"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," said Hermione enthusiastically, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and —" But she turned slightly pink and did not complete the sentence.
Calypso narrowed her eyes and smelled the potion herself. Apples, Beech trees, and… ooo Strawberries. I like strawberries. And apples...Narcissa used to make apple pie every morning when she and Draco were little, instead of ordering the house elves to do it.
"May I ask your name, my dear?" said Slughorn, shaking Calypso out of her thoughts.
"Hermione Granger, sir."
"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector DagworthGranger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"
"No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."
Theo made leaned over across the aisle way and whispered, "Legend says purebloods are best and it's not even a myth"
Calypso made a shushing sound at him. "Later, I wanna see Slughorn's reaction"
Turns out, Slughorn had nowhere the dramatic flair Snape had.
"Oho! 'One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"
"Yes, sir," said Potter.
"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said Slughorn genially.
Calypso rolled her eyes, "Are you kidding me?" she hissed. "All she did was name a potion"
"Amortentia doesn't 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," Slughorn said, nodding gravely at Draco and Theo, who were laughing at something the Ravenclaw girl said.
How did she end up switching spots with Ernie, Calypso would never know.
"When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love. . . . "And now," said Slughorn, "it is time for us to start work."
"But sir said Ernie, you haven't told us what's in that one"
Calypso glanced over a bright pink potion in a bubbling black bowl. She couldn't recognize it, surprisingly, so it must've been newly discovered or useless.
"Oho," said Slughorn again. "Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion that I've discovered in my own time! It's yet to have a name yet but… it's going to by the end of class! Additionally, the winner will get to keep it."
"But what does it do sir?", asked Granger.
"It will give you one more chance with the Polyjuice of course! So if you mess up once, simply pour this into the curious person's mouth and they will be obliged to never speak on it. But as we're here now, I might as well go over the rules of this special batch of polyjuice"
Slughorn tapped the board and a list of rules appeared.
The 6 Wills of Slughorn's Polyjuice:
Will wear off every hour
Will wear off if anyone questions your identity and figure out who you are
Will not be able to be applied after wearing off from rule 2
Will wear off if you tell anyone of the polyjuice outside the students in our class.
Will not wear off if a Professor miscalls you as they already know and have approved of this assignment
Will wear off if you miscall someone from this classes name
Will look different to Professor Slughorn so any change to the concoction will fail you
Humph. Couldn't Slughorn have used his Slytherin cunning for something else and left a few loopholes for his fellow snakes?
"Right!" Slughorn clapped his hands. "Now we've dawdled much too long! Time to get to work on your first potion, the draught of living death! Turn to page ten of Advanced Potions Making and get to work!'
There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons toward them and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke.
Not even Draco, though he was continuously poking Theo in the back at every step.
Calypso rolled her eyes and swiftly flipped to page 10.
Within less than 10 minutes of class, the entire classroom was filled with bluish steam, making it rather hard to see her previous notes that she'd written on the page in BLUE ink.
She really couldn't remember if the bean was supposed to be cut up or pressed to better release the juice. And she only had one.
Calypso was about to ask Draco but then Slughorn walked by and Draco said, "Sir, I think you know my grandfather Abraxas Malfoy?"
Oh great, so Theo and Draco didn't know either since they were now resorting to bribing Slughorn.
So instead, she glanced over at Potter, who was crushing the bean. So she ought to cut then, since when had Potter been right?
As she dropped the chopped-up pieces in, her potion sizzled to a deep purple color, unlike the lilac it ought to be.
Shoot, shoot, shoot. Why the fuck was Potter doing the right thing? She would have to ask Theo if he ever became friends with Potter.
Well whatever, she could still fix it and began stirring the potion clockwise, then counterclockwise if she remembered correctly. She was going to trust her instincts this time, never mind what Potter was doing.
"And time's . . . up!" called Slughorn. "Stop stirring, please!" Slughorn moved slowly among the tables, peering into cauldrons. He did not comment, but occasionally gave the potions a stir or a sniff. At Calypso's, he looked impressed but out of his will so, then moved onto Potter's.
"The clear winner!" he cried to the dungeon. "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are — one bottle of my special concoction, as promised. Now, what would you like to name it?"
"Oh uhh, I don't know sir."
"None the matter! Whatever you wish. Perhaps Lily's blessing?"
Potter turned pink. "Sure"
"Wonderful! Now everyone here is the polyjuice as promised!"
Slughorn handed out 12 boxes, each filled to the brim with vials of polyjuice.
"Everyone gives me a piece of their hair now! And not to worry, I've specifically made it so as long as I have the hair, the potions will continue to work. If you cheat in any way, your partner's piece of hair will evaporate, causing your potion to fail."
"But sir, how will we change our voices?"
"I'm so glad you asked! I have a very special voice potion here for you, will work for 24 hours of speaking time, so please make sure not to talk excessively. I'm going to need each of you to spit into it now and pass it to your partners…"
Slughorn walked around the room once more, handing everyone a light grey/silver potion.
She looked at it warily and let a bit of saliva drip into it. The effect was instantaneous. The potion sizzled lightly and became a minty green color.
Calypso then traded it with Blaises navy blue potion and took a sip. "Oh my god!" she shrieked, only to hear Blaise's voice repeated back to her.
Slughorn smiled. "Yes, yes, I'm very glad to see it works! Now everyone take your polyjuice and off you go!"