I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
New Year
Alex glanced around the room. Curtains drawn, candles to light the room, pictures of curse victims mid-effect adorning the walls. Very Dark Arts.
"I have not asked you to take out your books," Snape said, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk.
Hermione hastily dropped her copy of Confronting the Faceless back into her bag and stowed it under her chair.
"I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention," Snape continued, eyes trailing over the room, lingering on Harry for a brief moment, then Alex a little longer. "You have had five teachers so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own 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 more advanced.
"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."
Alex watched Snape carefully. He was sure he'd hate Snape, but Snape also knew the Dark Arts better than almost any of their previous teachers, so it would be a very worthwhile year.
"Your defenses," Snape said, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures," he indicated a few of them as he swept past, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse" he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony, "feel the Dementor's Kiss" a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall, "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius." He waved his wand at a painting of a bloody mass upon ground.
"Has an Inferius been seen, then?" Parvati Patil asked in a high pitched voice. "Is it definite? Is he using them?"
"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape said, "which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now..." He set off again around the other side of the classroom toward his desk, and again, they watched him as he walked, his dark robes billowing behind him. "You are, I believe, complete novices in the use of non-verbal spells, with one exception. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell? Anyone except Pruitt."
Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape took his time looking around at everybody else, making sure he had no choice, before saying curtly, "Very well. Miss Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," said Hermione, "which gives you a split-second advantage."
"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six," said Snape dismissively, ignoring Malfoy sniggering in the corner, "but correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress in using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course. It is a question of concentration and mind power which some," his gaze lingered maliciously upon Harry once more, "lack."
"Pruitt, you and I will demonstrate what it should look like," Snape said, Alex standing instantly, drawing his wand. "Incapacitation spells only, such as the Stunning Spell or Full-Body Bind Curse or Impediment Jinx. And I will not be taking points from Gryffindor if you perform admirably."
Alex nodded just as Snape's wand snapped up, unleashing a jet of red light with a loud crack. Alex's own wand snapped up, blocking the spell with a Shield Charm before he fired his own Stunner back. Snape likewise blocked it before minor jinxes and charms began to flash back and forth, all of them blocked flawlessly on both sides. Alex blocked a spell and leaned aside from another, sending a spell at Snape from an angle, but Snape sidestepped it and sent a Levicorpus into Alex. Alex's ankles snapped together and jerked to the side, slamming his head into a desk on the way up. However, when Snape sent an Impediment Jinx at Alex, Alex blocked it, sent a quick barrage of stunners wildly back, then freed himself, flipping as he fell to land on his feet, facing away from Snape, then spun baround, only for a Stunner to slam into his chest. A moment later, he stirred as Snape was using a Mending Charm to repair the minor damage the spells they'd both avoided had done to the room.
"Can anyone tell me what Pruitt's mistake was?" Snape asked.
"Thinking he was a match for a teacher," Malfoy sniggered.
"Not quite," Snape said. "Had we both decided to stop holding back, the duel would likely still have been a questionable outcome, from what I've heard of Pruitt's skill at dueling. Incidentally, Pruitt, your Shield Charm is quite impressive. A few of those spells would have slipped through the average wizard's Shield Charm. Now, perhaps you could tell me your mistake?"
"I should have used a spell to stop you from aiming while I freed myself from your Dangling Jinx," Alex said. "I got over-confident and thought I could free myself and continue dueling faster."
"Correct," Snape nodded, then turned to the rest of the class. "You will now divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Pruitt, you will be working with Longbottom. At least then, no one will have to be sent to the Hospital Wing from his group. Carry on."
Alex nodded and the class dispersed. Alex explained as best he could to Neville, who nodded, the same fiery determination as he'd had in D.A. lessons after the mass breakout filling his face. For a while, there was no success, only a mass of cheating in the form of whispered incantations. Only Hermione managed to pull off a non-verbal Shield Charm. Finally, Neville managed a non-verbal spell, but instead of a Stunning Spell, it was just a jet of red sparks. Finally, they glanced around to check on the others in the class. Ron, who was supposed to be jinxing Harry, was purple in the face, his lips tightly compressed to save himself from the temptation of muttering the incantation. Harry had his wand raised, waiting on tenterhooks to repel a jinx that seemed unlikely ever to come.
"Pathetic, Weasley," Snape said finally. "Here, let me show you." He turned his wand on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively.
All thought of non-verbal spells apparently forgotten, he yelled, "Protego!" His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance and hit a desk. The whole class had looked around and now watched as Snape righted himself, scowling.
"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing non-verbal spells, Potter?" Snape snarled.
"Yes," said Harry stiffly.
"Yes, sir."
"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor." Harry quipped, unthinking.
Several people gasped, including Hermione. Behind Snape, however, Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned appreciatively.
"Detention, Saturday night, my office," Snape said. "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter...not even the Chosen One."
Harry was fuming, but the rest of the class hastily resumed their practice before Snape could say anything to them all.
"That was brilliant, Harry!" Ron chortled, once they were safely on their way to break a short while later.
"You really shouldn't have said it," Hermione said, frowning at Ron. "What made you?"
"He tried to jinx me, in case you didn't notice!" Harry fumed. "I had enough of that during those Occlumency lessons! Why doesn't he use another guinea pig for a change? What's Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defense? Did you hear him talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that unfixed, indestructible stuff."
"Well," said Hermione, "I thought he sounded a bit like you."
"Like me?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Yes, when you were telling us what it's like to face Voldemort," Hermione explained. "You said it wasn't just memorizing a bunch of spells, you said it was just you and your brains and your guts. Well, wasn't that what Snape was saying? That it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking?"
"And he's right," Alex said. "On all counts. If we're going to learn anything useful in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I think Snape's one of the best to teach it."
"You're just happy you got to try to Hex him," Harry grumbled.
"Bet that felt good," Ron said.
"Amazing," Alex grinned.
Just then, Kirke ran over, handing Harry a roll of parchment and asking when the Quidditch tryouts would be. However, Harry left him mid-sentence as he hurriedly unrolled the parchment, Alex and the others catching up quickly. The note was from Dumbledore, asking Harry to come to his office Saturday for their private lessons, the added a seemingly pointless note about enjoying Acid Pops. They spent all of their break discussing what Dumbledore might teach Harry, then went to lunch, where Ginny and Luna all but ambushed Alex instantly.
"Is it true!?" Ginny grinned. "Did you really get to try to Hex Snape?"
"Did you win?" Luna asked more calmly.
"Yes," Alex nodded at Ginny, then turned to Luna, "and no. And before you ask, it was therapeutic."
Ginny grinned. "I bet it was!"
They all enjoyed lunch together before Alex left for Care of Magical Creatures, where Alex covered for Harry and the others by saying they just couldn't handle too much homework, like Hermione had had the year before and her third year. Hagrid accepted the explanation and began to teach his class of six, including Neville. From there, Alex headed back into the castle for double Potions with Slughorn. Only thirteen people had continued on to N.E.W.T. level Potions.
Alex found a seat at an empty table and the other three joined him once they'd made it past Ernie Macmillon, who'd taken a moment to talk to them, though Alex had ignored him. He had more pressing concerns. His pets wanted out of his pockets. Not ten seconds after he'd set his things down, Snow, Blue, and Mouse were soaring around the room excitedly, greeting any familiar faces they found excitedly, causing several people to laugh just as Slughorn entered. All three went to greet him excitedly as well, and he beamed cheerfully before they all returned to Alex.
"I should warn you, I don't typically allow pets in my classes," Slughorn said.
"They're for my anxiety," Alex said. "Normally I'd smoke, but I'm trying to quit, so I was hoping they could stay."
"Oh, very well," Slughorn nodded. "Only so long as they don't disrupt the class. Yes, Dumbledore did warn me I'd have a student with rapid onset anxiety attacks. Are you quite sure you're going to be able to handle this Class?"
"I'll be fine," Alex said dryly.
"Very well," Slughorn nodded. "Now then, now then, now then. Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making."
"Sir?" Harry spoke up raising his hand.
"Harry, m'boy?"
"I haven't got a book or scales or anything, nor's Ron. We didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see."
"Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention..." Slughorn nodded. "Not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts."
Slughorn strode over to a corner cupboard and, after a moment's foraging, emerged with two very battered-looking copies of Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage, which he gave to Harry and Ron along with two sets of tarnished scales.
"Now then," Slughorn said, 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. Anyone tell me what this one is?"
He indicated the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table. Alex raised himself slighty in his seat and saw what looked like plain water boiling away inside it.
Hermione's well-practiced hand hit the air before anybody else's. Slughorn pointed at her.
"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion thar forces the drinker to tell the truth," Hermione said.
"Very good, very good!" Slughorn said happily. "Now," he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table, "this one here is pretty well known. Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too. Who can-"
Hermione's hand was fastest once more.
"lt's Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said.
Alex stared at the slow-bubbling, mudlike substance the second cauldron. He wasn't surprised she'd recognized it, considering she had made a cauldron of it in her second year.
"Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here...yes, my dear?" Slughorn asked, now looking slightly bemused, as Hermione's hand punched the air again.
"It's Amortentia!"
"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," Slughorn said, looking mightily impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"
"It's the most powerful love porion in the world!" Hermione said, sounding almost in awe of the potion while Alex fought back a grin as he recalled his conversation with Fred and George and the contents of the Love Room in the Department of Mysteries.
"Quite right!" Slughorn almost cheered. "You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"
"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," Hermione said enthusiastically, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of 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.
"May I ask your name, my dear?" Slughorn asked, ignoring Hermione's embarrassment.
"Hermione Granger, sir."
"Granger?" Slughorn repeated. "Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"
"No. I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."
Harry saw Malfoy lean close to Nott and whisper something. both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay. On the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to Harry, who was sitting next to her.
"Oho!" Slughorn said in understanding. "'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," Harry nodded.
"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," Slughorn sais genially.
Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face.
Hermione turned to Harry with a radiant expression and whispered, "Did you really tell him I'm the best in the year? Oh, Harry!"
"Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course," Slughorn said. "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, it is time for us to start work."
"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," Ernie Macmillan said, pointing at a small black cauldron standing on Slughorn's desk.
The potion within was splashing about merrily; it was the color of molten gold, and large drops were leaping like goldfish above the surface, though not a particle had spilled.
"Oho," Slughorn said again.
Alex 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. I take it," he turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp, "that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"
"It's liquid luck," said Hermione excitedly. "It makes you lucky!"
The whole class seemed to sit up a little straighter. Now all Alex could see of Malfoy was the back of his sleek blond head, because he was at last giving Slughorn his full and undivided attention.
"Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis," Slughorn said. "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 asked eagerly.
"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," Slughorn said. "Too much of a good thing, you know...highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally..."
"Have you ever taken it, sir?" Michael Corner asked with great interest.
"Twice in my life," Slughorn said. "Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days." He gazed dreamily into the distance. Whether he was playacting or not, the effect was good. "And that is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."
There was silence in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.
"One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis," Slughorn said, 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 competition...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!"
Alex hummed interestedly.
"So," Slughorn said, 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!"
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. The concentration within the room was almost tangible. Alex saw Malfoy riffling feverishly through his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. It could not have been clearer that Malfoy really wanted that lucky day. Alex dropped his eyes to his book, turning to the appropriate page before beginning to brew. He frowned as he read the instructions, following to the letter, more or less. However, he made slight adjustments. For example, when it said to cut a sopophorous bean, he instead used a claw to put a hole in the side, then squeezed it over the cauldron, earning more juice than if the bean had been simply been cut. Harry likewise deviated from the instructions by crushing his with a knife. Alex smirked to himself as Malfoy tried to garner favor with Slughorn through use of Slughorn having known his grandfather, only to strike out. Alex returned his full attention to his potion as he began to stir. However, since the instructions said the potion needed to be mixed thoroughly, he stirred more quickly than he normally would. By the time they were done stirring, Alex's potion was hot pink, Hermione's was a dark magenta, Ron's looked like tar, and Harry's was a pale pink. After taking a moment to inspect all of the potions, and to let Alex know he was pleasantly surprised he'd managed to brew a potion even better than Hermione's, he saw Harry's potion and instantly declared him the winner, handing over the Felix Felicis. Alex frowned, staring at Harry's potion. He was terrible at potions, so how had he done so well?
"How'd you get your potion better than mine?" Hermione asked.
"Sopophorous beans release more juice when you crush them than when you cut them," Alex said. "But what did you do, Harry?"
"Added a clockwise stir for every seven counterclockwise ones," Harry said under his breath as they gathered their things and left the dungeon, then went silent as they neared Malfoy. He didn't speak again until they'd reached the Gryffindor Common Room, with Alex having explained how their class went to Luna on the way using his hearing aid. "That book I borrowed was full of notes. Like, insane amounts. I was mad at first, but when I followed the notes...well, you saw how it turned out."
Hermione was stony-faced.
"I s'pose you think I cheated?" Harry asked, finally irritated by her expression.
"Well, it wasn't exactly your own work, was it?" she said stiffly.
"He only followed different instructions to ours," Ron said. "Could've been a catastrophe, couldn't it? But he took a risk and it paid off." He heaved a sigh. "Slughorn could've handed me that book, but no, I get the one no one's ever written on. Puked on, by the look of page fifty-two, but-"
"Hang on," Ginny said suddenly, sitting beside Harry with an alarmed and angry look on her face. "Did I hear right? You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?"
"It's nothing," he said reassuringly, lowering his voice. "It's not like, you know, Riddle's diary. It's just an old textbook someone's scribbled on."
"But you're doing what it says?" Ginny pressed.
"I just tried a few of the tips written in the margins, honestly, Ginny," Harry reassured her. "There's nothing funny-"
"Ginny's got a point," Hermione said, perking up at once. "We ought to check that there's nothing odd about it. I mean, all these funny instructions, who knows?"
Alex sighed, holding his hand out to Harry. "Fork it over, Harry. I'll check it."
"How?" Harry asked.
"Firstly, I'll use the Revealing Charm," Alex said. "Then I'll try and copy it. If there's any kind of spell on it, it won't be able to be copied."
Ginny looked hesitant, but nodded. Alex did as he said he would, and when he was holding a successful copy of the book's contents, notes included, Harry took the original back instantly.
"Satisfied?" Harry asked Hermione.
"No," Hermione said.
"I'm not either," Ginny said. "I'm worried, Harry."
"I'll be careful, Ginny," Harry promised. "I promise. And you'll notice before anyone if I start acting weird."
Ginny hesitated, then sighed, nodding. Harry smiled, kissing her, then headed up to bed with his book as Alex began to skim through his replica of it. The notes were detailed, tiny, cramped into any and every space of every page, and would probably be worthwhile.
"You're going to keep that, aren't you?" Hermione asked, disapprovingly.
"Yep," Alex said. "Whoever wrote this knew their shit."
Hermione shook her head disapprovingly, but Alex ignored her, perusing the book quickly for a few minutes before also heading up to bed.
Leave a review.