Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter only Leo and Fawn

"Chapter 8: The Potions Master," Andromeda read.

"Wait, this chapter is about Snivellus?" Sirius groaned as Snape glared at him.

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with red hair and Black."

"Wearing the glasses?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

"That is just rude," Lily huffed.

Whispered followed Harry from the moment he left the dormitory the next day.

People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring.

"You're not some animal in a zoo!" growled James.

Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.

"I can't remember how many times I got lost the first week at Hogwarts," Fawn chuckled.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or ticked them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armour could walk.

"They can," Sirius grimaced. "They make it hard to sneak around sometimes."

"What do you mean, sneak around?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly.

"Nothing, Minnie," said Sirius innocently.

The ghost didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, 'GOT YOUR CONK!'.

"I love Peeves," Leo sniggered.

Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning, Leo luckily not with them, because Harry was sure that Filch would hate him more than the rest of the students, because Leo seemed to be a very mischievous person by nature.

"Am I?" Leo asked with an innocent look.

"Yes," said all his friends making him laugh.

Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bound corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threating to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs Norris, a scrawny, dust-coloured creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's.

"Worse cat ever!" said Remus.

She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (expect perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it as the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs Norris a good kick.

"If only," said Peter.

And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

"Incantations, Harry," Lily informed her son.

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planet. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouse behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout,

"Professor Sprout is still here?" said Fawn, happy that her Head of House was still teaching.

-where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost.

"It's Professor Binns, isn't it?" James asked rhetorically.

"Who else would it be?" said Sirius.

Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.

"He's said the wrong name so many times that I ended up just giving up in his class and learnt everything from our textbooks," Leo admitted with Harry and Ron agreeing with him.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class, he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name, he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight, much to Leo's loud amusement.

"It was funny," Leo defended himself as the Marauders laughed.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they say down in her first class.

"Transfiguration was my favourite class in first and second year," Leo beamed at his favourite Professor who smiled softly at him.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

"One of the best kinds of magic though," said James. His favourite and best subject was Transfiguration.

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.

"We only started to learn that in our sixth year," said Remus.

"That is because it is very difficult magic to perform and everything you learn up until your sixth year is necessary to get you to the level to be able to perform such high-level magic," explained Professor McGonagall.

After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. Leo got his on the first try, but it wasn't that surprised to Harry, as Leo was able to transform his appearance at will, Transfiguration will probably be his best subject.

"It is," said Leo proudly. "Care of Magical Creatures is my other best subject."

"I'm proud of you!" said Fawn with Sirius nodding his agreement.

Leo blushed at his parents' praise, not used it at all.

By the end of the less, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match, apart from Leo; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile, before showing Leo's perfect needle and giving him five house points.

"Wow, I don't think anyone been given points in the first lesson by Minnie before," said Peter in awe.

"He earnt them," said Professor McGonagall proudly.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days.

"How is he the DADA teacher? He's pathetic," said Regulus not unkindly.

"Probably the only one who would take the job," said Narcissa.

His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story.

Harry and his friends shared a look, they knew all about that turban and it still unnerved them.

For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else, like Leo had said. Lots of people had come from muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.

"See, nothing to worry about," said Leo smugly.

"Shut up," said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

Friday was an important day for Harry, Ron and Leo. They finally managed to find their way to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.

The Marauders started to clap for the boys. Harry, Leo, and, Ron blushed but smirked at the four.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.

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

"Why am I not surprised?" James scoffed.

"Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before

"You won't learn if I coddle you," said Professor McGonagall.

"What are you talking about? Professor McGonagall loves me!" Leo declared slightly offended that they would ever think anything but the best of their head of house.

"Thank you, Mr Black," said Professor McGonagall, touched that her student liked her so much.

"Of course, Minne," Leo grinned at her.

"Professor McGonagall favours you, Leo, because you're the best at Transfiguration in our year level," said Ron.

"It's true, you've beaten me every year when it comes to Transfiguration," said Hermione proudly.

Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him 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 letter and packages onto their laps.

"It gave me a shock as well, I wasn't expecting it," said Lily.

Hedwig hasn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast 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 Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

"You've got a letter from someone?" said Lily, happy that someone was talking to her son.

Dear Harry,

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

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

Hagrid

"Hagrid, thank you," said James. He loved that Hagrid was looking out for his son, he needed someone in his corner.

"O' course," said Hagrid, happy to keep an eye on Harry.

Harry borrowed Leo's quill, scribbled 'Yes, please, see you later' on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.

It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.

"I wonder why," spat Sirius, glaring at Snape who glared back.

At the start of-term-banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry- he hated him. Harry wasn't alone with this though, because Snape hated Leo just as much as he hated Harry.

"Not only do you hate Harry but also Leo, why? Is it because their mine and James's sons?" asked Sirius sarcastically.

"You've never even met the boys yet and you already hate them?" said Fawn with a frown.

Snape just ignored the two. Of course, he would hate their children, why wouldn't he when their fathers bullied him throughout his years at Hogwarts.

"You can't hate Harry because of James, Severus, he's also my son," Lily scolded.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.

"Your classroom sounds horrible to be in," said Narcissa, she didn't like gross and creepy things.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new- celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"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.

"It's not the same though," said Ron, frowning, he never liked Snape, none of them did.

"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 sense… 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."

"That's a pretty good start to Potions," said Regulus ignoring the eye roll from his brother.

More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looked with raised eyebrows, Leo had a blank look in his eyes, Harry suspected that he was day-dreaming.

"I was," said Leo with a grin as every sniggered at him.

Hermione Granger 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 powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"How can you expect a first year to know that on their very first potions lesson?" said James, starting to get angry.

Powered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked at stumped as he was, Leo seemed to have snapped out of his daydream and was looking at Snape with furrowed brows; 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."

"That is completely unfair!" said Andromeda.

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"You can't just target one student!" fumed Lily.

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.

"I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursley's, but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?

"Exactly! All your doing is bullying him!" said Remus.

Snape scoffed, he wasn't bullying Potter's brat, he was just putting him in his place.

Snape was ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"What is wolfsbane?" asked Remus.

"It's another name for monkshood," said Hermione.

"Forget that! Snape, you need to leave my kid alone, you're asking him questions that he wouldn't learn until fourth year onwards, you're not teaching him, you're just bullying him!" James growled.

Snape just rolled his eyes and looked away from the fuming father. He didn't see how what he was doing was bullying in anyway. In his opinion Potter's brat should have done the reading before coming to his class.

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

"Good boy, Harry!" James praised his son for standing up for himself.

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

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione.

"Mr Snape, you can't ask your students questions and then not let them answer it," scolded Professor McGonagall.

"Wait till they find out what happens in third year," Leo whispered to Harry with a wicked grin.

"Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite." Leo spoke up from besides Harry.

"How did you know all that?" asked Fawn, proud that her son was so smart.

"I love to help Gramps with his creatures and we'd sometimes have to create potions to help the creatures," said Leo happily. "Sometimes he would let me help harvesting a few things like scales or hairs to sell. Nothing that would hurt the creature though."

"I do the same with dad," said Fawn.

A heavy, silence fell upon the classroom. Snape looked at Leo with a sneer, as if Leo was something slimy under his shoe.

"He is," Snape mumbled to himself.

"Ten points, Black, for speaking out of turn. And if you interrupt me again, you will be out of my class for good," Snape spat. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

"Why? Because he answered your questions? You're a horrible teacher!" said Narcissa.

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And another point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

"Wow, leave our kids alone already!" snapped Sirius.

Harry and Leo exchanged a secret smile between them, they loved seeing their parents stand up for them.

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continues. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Leo and Malfoy, whom he seemed to like, but Leo was just doing everything correctly so Snape couldn't critique him on anything, much his annoyance.

Leo gave Snape a smug grin making the future professor sneer at him.

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. 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 shows. Within seconds, the whole class 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.

"Poor boy," said Lily sympathetically.

"He's okay," said Hermione.

"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?"

"It's their first lesson, you can't expect them to be perfect!" said Peter.

Snape was starting to get on everyone nervous with his teaching methods.

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

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

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

"You can't blame them for that! It was a complete accident and it's the first lesson, you need to expect people to mess up!" said Lily, her face turning red in her anger.

Snape looked away, not wanting to face Lily's wrath.

This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron. Leo even shook his head at Harry from the table behind Snape.

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

James scoffed, Snape being nasty was an understatement.

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 first week- why did Snape hate him so much? And why didn't Leo look as down as him, he lost even more points than he did, but Leo didn't seem to really care about the points at all.

"I don't, I hate the idea of them," Leo admitted.

"I think the same, they just encourage animosity between houses," said Fawn.

"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

"At least you can go and see Hagrid now," said Regulus.

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

When Harry knocked, they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang- back."

"You still have Fang!" Fawn beamed, she was the one to his give Hagrid the dog when he was a puppy and was very happy to see that he was still around.

Hagrid beamed at the mention of his dog, he loved Fang and he was an amazing dog.

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

The screen turned on again and displayed the big dog for everyone to see. Hagrid beamed, a little teary eyed at the picture of Fang all grown up.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Your house always has a homey feeling," said Lily, smiling at Hagrid who beamed back at her.

"Make yerselves at home" said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Leo and started licking his face when he knelt down to ruffle up Fangs hackles. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

"I love that dog!" Leo laughed, remembering how Fang always greeted him whenever he saw the dog.

"This is Ron and Leo," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest. And Leo, you don't really look much like yer parents."

"I love those twins," James laughed.

"Leo, you don't have either mine or Fawns features?" Sirius asked a little hurt.

"I don't have any of your features at the time because I didn't like you," Leo admitted with a wince. "I don't have any of mum's features because it hurt to look like her. I'm sure it explains why later on."

"Oh, sorry, that's because I'm a metamorphous, I love my white hair and blue eyes," said Leo.

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to enjoy them, Leo having seen how hard they were said that he doesn't eat raisins so he didn't have any, as they told Hagrid all about their first-lessons.

"I always forget that people don't have my kind of teeth," Hagrid admitted embarrassingly.

"It's okay Hagrid," said Fawn kindly. "Why don't I teach you a few recipes that are a bit softer for your guests?"

"That woul' be grea'!" Hagrid said eagerly.

Fang resting his head on Leo's knee and drooled all over his robes, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

"I didn't, I love it!" Leo said happily.

Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call filch 'that old git.'

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her- Filch puts her up to it."

Professor McGonagall frowned, "I'll talk to Mr Filch to leave you alone, Hagrid."

"Thanks," said Hagrid.

Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

"But he seemed to really hate Leo and me."

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?'

"Because he hates us so he thinks that he can bully our kids," James scoffed, gesturing between Sirius and himself.

Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quiet meet his eyes when he said that.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot- great with animals."

Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose.

"He did," said Remus with a chuckle.

While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cosy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet, Leo put his chin on Harry's shoulder so he could read along with him:

"You were already draping yourself over Harry in first year?" asked Ginny a little shocked. She knew the two had always had a thing for the other but she didn't know that Leo was so bold.

"I love physical affection," said Leo. "I thought of Harry and Ron really good friends at the point so I would randomly do stuff like that."

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on the 31 July, widely believe to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon.

"The Goblins at Gringotts can be really nasty sometimes," said Regulus.

Harry remembered Ron and Leo telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron nor Leo had mentioned the date.

"I don't think we thought it was very important at the time," said Ron.

"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"

There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again, Leo's chin still on his shoulder, not that Harry minded.

"Of course, you didn't, you were pretty touch starved when we met," said Leo.

The vault that as searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?

As Harry, Ron and Leo walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected the package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?

"That Snape hates us," said Sirius.

"That's the chapter," said Andromeda. "Who wants to read next?"

"I would like the read," said Narcissa, taking the book from her sister. "Chapter 9 The Midnight Duel."

"Oooh, fun things happen this chapter," said Leo excited.

A/N: These chapters are completely unedited by the way, I'll go back later and fix everything up.