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Father Mine 05
Chapter 5: Dreaded potions class
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The sunrise woke her up before everyone else. She looked on to her sleeping bed mates and shrugged. She couldn't sleep anymore, so why bother? She dressed up and exited the Gryffindor common room silently, going outside to stretch a little. She needed some fresh air anyway.
A while later, the Gryffindor students joined in the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry was searching for a special someone but he didn't have much luck. "Hey Hermione? Have you seen Serena around?" The girl shrugged while Parvati answered for her. "She wasn't in her bed when we woke up. Thing is, we didn't even saw her go to bed!" Seamus laughed.
"There's your proof!" He made a goofy scary face, trying to scare the girls. He was failing spectacularly. "She's working for the Dark Lord!" The girls snorted and pushed him away. "You moron! Stop playing around!" Harry stayed impassive of their little play and gave off a wide smile when he finally spotted the rabbit. He waved, catching her attention.
"Hey Serena! Over here!" Hermione smiled to her and parted to make some place for the rabbit, who was now sitting in front of Harry. "Hello Harry. Slept well?" Harry only shrugged, ignoring the pity looks his friends were giving him. "Where were you this morning? We searched for you!" Serena turned to a blond girl with glasses. The girl excused herself and blushed slightly.
"Sorry! My name's Luna Lovegood. I'm in the same year as you." Serena shook the girl's hand. She looked in a daze and went back to her magazine the moment she let go of her hand. 'Luna Lovegood, yes. Strange one she is…' Serena raised an eyebrow but didn't comment aloud. She turned when she heard a plaintive sound and a thump. Harry grimaced at his red haired friend, Ron Weasley.
"By the reaction of Ron, I think we still have double potions with the Slytherins." The 7th year boys groaned. "Not again! Why does this always have to happen to us?" Ron complained.
"Maybe it's because Dumbledore likes to see you Gryffindorks suffer!" Ron tensed and turned on his bench, while other Gryffindors watched the display with awareness, as well as the teachers, who narrowed their eyes.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron all but spat at the pale haired boy, flanked at usual by his 2 stupid bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. "Oh nothing! I just wanted to tell you how much I've been waiting for this year! I've invented some new ways to get points off the Gryffindorks team, especially on Potter" he lowered himself so only Harry and the members of the DA could hear; "since he doesn't have that useless mutt to protect him anymore."
He laughed at the green eyed boy's face while Harry paled. Ron and Hermione were going to burst, while the others didn't know what 'the mutt' was. Ron got up hastily and the teachers tensed. The students from the other houses looked on with apprehension, obviously, this had happened before. "WHY YOU LITTLE-" But before Ron could utter another word and take out his wand, a loud crack resonated throughout the hall. Harry located the origin of the sound before anyone else. He got up quickly and bent over the rabbit worriedly.
"Serena?" The moment he tried to touch her, a shudder ran through her and she gripped the edge of the table even harder, making him back away, eyes wide. She was panting and trying to regain her breath, glaring at the table, as if she was trying to control something inside her. Seamus visibly paled. "She's actually breaking the damn table! What's going on?!"
Meanwhile, Usagi was fighting over her instincts. Malfoy's remark had struck a cord and she was fighting her need to beat him into a pulp. She gripped the table tighter as a tremor ran through her. It was Jupiter, she could feel it. She cursed her luck. 'Kuso! Am I going to loose control every time something like this happens?!'
With one last effort to control the power charge in her, she let go of the table and punched it in one swift motion, making the Gryffindors back away in surprise. The large wooden table cracked in the middle and the fissure spread into half of the table. The pressure stopped and she relaxed, taking a big breath. She was calm again. When she opened her eyes, she sweatdropped.
"Um…Hi? And that's a way to prevent fighting between the members of 2 houses?" She looked at Harry with a goofy smile. Harry stared. "What was that?" She laughed, a hand on the back of her head. "Power surge! Sorry!" Dumbledore came to them. "And I truly hope this will not happen again!" He waved his wand and the table went back to its previous form. She blushed, embarrassed to have caused such a ruckus.
"Sorry headmaster! It won't happen again!" She laughed nervously, but mentally, she was sooo grimacing. Lupin joined them. "Where did you acquire such strength, Miss Tsukino?" Serena stopped laughing and gazed at Lupin, who was almost fidgeting under the heavy stare. She smiled happily once again.
"Surely, professor Lupin, you are not the only one who has lived an…abnormal life." This surprised Lupin but he shrugged it off moments later. The classes were about to begin. The students didn't think anymore of this, and it was time for the dreaded double potions class. Harry wanted Serena to sit beside him. "He'll try to intimidate you on his first chance, so be careful." He had said. And Ron expressed himself more bluntly.
"He's a total git!" Which earned himself a slap and a lecture from Hermione. "Do you want Malfoy to get us into trouble? Shut up!" She hissed. But before Serena could sit down, Snape entered in his usual Snapish way.
"Miss Tsukino!" He drawled, "since I do not know you and therefore ignore your level of incompetence, I have prepared a test to see on what level you should be retrograded. Take a seat on the vacant desk. The potion you must brew is written on a piece of paper and I put an anti-cheating spell around the desk. You have until the end of the class to brew it, no more, no less. Now GO!"
Harry looked at her with pity and then glared at Snape with Ron. The Slytherins snickered. It was only the first class and the Gryffindors were already humiliated. Serena only shrugged at Snape and sat on the chair, reading the paper. Meanwhile, Snape glared at the class. "What are you waiting for? Begin your projects at once!" The students scrambled to get their stuff and began to brew their potion for today's class. Snape sat on his chair and glowered at them.
The rabbit, on her side, was mentally grinning. 'This is too easy! I hope this will get him off my back and make him shut up a little!' She began to pour her ingredients in the cauldron with ease, sometimes sniffing them to assure herself they were fresh. She mixed them with precision and waited a few minutes for the potion to get the good temperature. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
Halfway through the class, Snape glanced at the bunny and growled slightly. Was the kid sleeping?! Not in HIS class! He got up and the students watched with apprehension. Ron winced with sympathy for the bunny while Harry wanted to yell at her to wake up before the nasty teacher could degrade her even more. Snape was halfway to her when the shimmering potion started to emanate a clear blue smoke.
Usagi opened her eyes almost lazily, took one last ingredient, stirred 7 times clockwise and turned off the small fire. She put the spoon on the desk and gazed languidly and the potion master. "Finished."
Snape frowned. 'Nobody can finish this in only 30 minutes! She's having me on!' He stalked to her and looked at the potion. He stared, touched the potion with his fingers to see if it was thick enough, looked if the color was alright, and stared some more. Did I mention he was staring?
The Gryffindors were waiting the blasting with dread while Serena merely shook her head in amusement. "Well, professor? Is there something to reproach to my potion? Or is my incompetence a simple misunderstanding?" The Slytherins snickered with glee. Nobody ever dared to talk to the potions master like that! Snape looked at her directly in the eyes, and she stared right back, eyes wide and innocent.
He blushed (as much as Snape can blush anyway) and shuddered. "Miss Tsukino, as much as I hate to admit it, this potion has no flaws." Malfoy's mouth hung open with shock, while the Gryffindors gaped. Snape, of all people, complimenting a Gryffindor's potion?! Where was the world coming to? The teacher looked almost defeated and snapped back at the others, trying to hide his discomfiture. "What are you staring at?! Finish your potions or detention!"
That got them moving. Usagi closed her eyes again, waiting for the class to end, while Snape sat back at his desk. 'Hmm…She has potential. Problem is, she's a bloody Gryffindor.' When class was over, Usagi started to get up and join her friends when Snape called her.
"Miss Tsukino, a moment if you please?" Usagi nodded and glanced at Hermione. "I'll join you later". Hermione gave a suspicious look at Snape but Usagi swatted her away, already knowing what she was thinking. The rabbit gave her the 'I'll be alright' look and pressed Hermione to the door, almost closing it in Ron's face.
"Boy! Why was she in such a hurry to talk to the git? What does he want with her anyway?" Hermione scowled at Ron for saying that. "At least she got Snape off our backs for today!"
Harry's raised his eyebrows. "That's right! Snape didn't address me during all the class and no Gryffindors got detention! That's a first!"
"Hey! That's right!" Ron realized. They made their way for the next class, which was charms with professor Flitwick.
"You wanted to talk to me, professor?" Usagi asked the dark haired teacher.
"Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, you have great potential for potion making. I was wondering where you learned this." She sat on a chair to make herself comfortable and smiled. "I was home schooled. I learned the rest by reading, that's all." She knew she was lying. So what?
Snape debated on whether to ask her or not. He grunted. "I was wondering if you would like to have more advanced potions to do in class. You could become my apprentice, if you like." Usagi raised an eyebrow in surprise. 'Nasty, greasy potions master is actually asking me this? Hmm…Maybe there's a trace of humanity left in him after all! Father did seem to exaggerate about him. He's doesn't seem so bad.'
She got up and beamed at Snape, which caught him off guard. "I'll think about it! Thanks for the proposition, professor! I really have to go to my next class now, if you don't mind." She turned and got out, but was called back by Snape. "You better take this with you so you won't have points deducted."
He handed her a note to give to Flitwick. She smiled warmly at him. 'No. Not so bad after all.' She bowed her thanks and ran to her next class, leaving a slightly smiling potion's master behind. 'Maybe this Gryffindor won't be so bad.' Then the smiled disappeared as soon as it came when his second year arrived for their class with him.
"Sit down and do the potion on the blackboard! In silence! What did I just say? 10 points off Ravenclaw!"
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Another chapter done! ^_^
Next time, it's going to be Charms class and maybe Care of magical creatures or DADA. I don't know. She'll probably be tested in each of her first classes. With Trelawney and Firenze too. I can't wait! ^__^ *over reactive author*
I need lots of reviews to update, people! Reviews= faster updates and longer chapters! Keep that in mind!
No flames. Only constructive or encouraging reviews permitted! ^_^
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Eternal Cosmos ^.^