A/N: Sorry, this one is not my best chapter, but I thought I'd better update. I just can't write filler chapters :( I would really appreciate feedback!
Anyway, thanks to Moon Lantern, Angelique Collins and SJ Iolanthe for reviewing/favouriting! :D

When Ariella woke up the next day, her hand was throbbing painfully. Reluctantly, she cast a glance down at it, only to see it swollen and sore and the words nearly gone. She knew she was going to have to keep it a secret. It would do her no good for anyone to know and she certainly didn't want any fuss.

"Ella, how was your detention?" Lottie asked, coming up to the side of the bed and making Ariella shift to hide her hand.

"As good as detentions go, I suppose."

"What did she make you do?"

"Lines."

"That's not too bad, I mean, she could have made you do worse, right? I thought she would make you do something like scrubbing the floors until your hands bled or something."

Ariella tried to laugh, but Lottie's prediction had been too close to the truth for her to let her guard down.

"Come on, you'd better get up, the others have already gone down to breakfast, I said I'd wait for you." It was then Ariella noticed that her friend was fully dressed.

"Oh, you could have woken me up sooner; I didn't want to be the last again!"

"Oh, sorry," Lottie apologised as Ariella jumped up from the bed and rushed around, tugging a brush through her curls and disappearing into the bathroom to throw on her clothes. "We stayed up until nearly midnight for you, but you hadn't returned so we decided to let you sleep in a bit. We won't do it tomorrow if you don't want to."

"Thank you, I really don't like being late," she called from the bathroom.

A few minutes later she reappeared, washed and dressed and so the two girls went down to join the others.

The Gryffindors' first lesson of the day was Potions with the Sytherins, something Ariella and her friends weren't looking forward to, knowing that Professor Snape was Head of Slytherin and had a particular dislike for Gryffindors. Arcturus particularly wasn't looking forward to it and only Ariella knew why. She could sense his nerves already and so changed the conversation topic to help take his mind off it as they walked down to the dungeons.

However, as they entered, Snape was already there, his greasy hair hanging just above his shoulders, his mouth pulled up into an ugly smirk.

"Avery," he said before Arcturus even had the chance to walk into the classroom. "At Hogwarts, we do not dress like animals. Five points from Gryffindor, and tuck your shirt in before I take off another five," he added as Arcturus walked past, clearly trying to ignore him.

Ariella looked around and saw that most of the Slytherins had their shirts untucked but had not had any points taken away. She wanted to complain and stick up her friend, who was furiously doing what Snape had asked, yet she knew better than to protest and draw attention to herself. It seemed Snape's favouritism was already kicking in.

Sitting down at a bench in between Lottie and Arcturus, Ariella got out her copy of Magical Drafts and Potions and set it out on the desk as Snape strode to the front of the classroom and addressed the class.

"In this lesson, you will be brewing potions and tomorrow, we will start with a simple draft. However, today, I will introduce you to the most popular ingredients used in potions," he started, and then smiled. "But first, who can tell me what a bezoar is used for?"

Nobody raised their hands. Not even Ariella. She knew she had read it somewhere, it was on the tip of her tongue. Something to do with healing maybe? Or maybe it was a poison? No, it certainly wasn't that.

"Miss Granger? If you are like your know-it-all sister, then you should know."

Ariella felt a blush creep up her cheeks. She should know, but she wasn't as good as Hermione, she couldn't remember everything off the top of her head from reading it once. She could recognise the name, she could even picture the page, but not what it was used for.

"No? A Granger doesn't know the answer to a simple question such as that? Perhaps you need a little help from a friend. Do you know what a bezoar is used for, Avery?"

Ariella felt Arcturus tense beside her from the attention, yet he stayed silent.

"Your parents won't be too pleased, will they, Avery? That you don't know the answer to such a simple question," he drawled, making the Slytherins snicker quietly.

"Leave him alone! No one knows the answer; you can't just pick on us!" Ariella snapped, sick of seeing her friend so humiliated.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger. You will not shout out in my class."

Ariella curled her hands into fists, ready to argue back when Lottie put a hand on her arm.

"He only wants you to reply, Ella. Don't give him the satisfaction," she whispered.

The young witch realised she was right and swallowed her anger, instead settling for glaring at him intensely as he smirked at her.

"A bezoar is used as a cure for poisons. I would have expected that if any of you had a chance of doing well at this subject, you would have already known that. Potions is a complex subject, not for silly wand waving, but for ensnaring the senses, brewing glory, even putting a stopper on death. However, there will be only a select few who master this art, and those I will allow onto NEWT level. They may seem far in the distance of your insignificant lives, but if you don't show me now, there is next to no chance of seeing if you have a talent."

And on he drawled, in the same low tone for the rest of the lesson. At one point, Ariella felt Lottie start to lean heavily on her and nudged her, causing her to jump in her seat.

The end of the lesson wasn't any better as Snape decided he wanted a foot long essay on the uses of bezoars for the next day, at which point, everyone groaned, including the Slytherins, and ended up leaving the classroom with a warning that if it wasn't done then they would be in detention with him for a week, no excuses.

However, after a reasonably boring History of Magic lesson and lunch, they had their first flying lesson with the Ravenclaws which everyone was looking forward to. Ariella didn't find a new talent in it, that was for sure, but she was happy when Madam Hooch told her that with practice, she wouldn't be a bad flier at all. She was especially pleased when she was told she was a better flier than Hermione was. It took her mind off the fact she still had another detention with Professor Umbridge that evening and a foot long essay to write for Professor Snape after that.