CHAPTER 11
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'Pay attention.' Snape's voice rose above the noise of the class. The students were supposed to be preparing the Draught Of Living Death, and he was worried.He hadn't lost a student yet, but he was convinced that one day one of them would manage to poison themselves or, in this case, put themselves into a coma from which they would never wake. He had already banned Neville Longbottom from going anywhere near a cauldron. If anyone was going to make a fatal mistake, Snape thought, it would be Neville.
He surveyed the class. Malfoy seemed to be doing Crabbe and Goyle's potions for them, but he didn't say anything. Slytherin did badly enough without him taking points off. Then there was Potter and Weasley. If pressed, Snape would admit that they weren't bad students. What he wouldn't admit, however, was why he didn't like them. He could hardly even admit it to himself-he was jealous of them. He hated the fact that they were such good friends. Snape had never experienced a friendship like that. If the truth be told, he never really had any friends at all...
Then there was Miss Granger. How he wished she was a Slytherin! She was easily the most intelligent pupil he had ever taught. He also wished that she wasn't friends with Harry. If she wasn't, he might have been able to acknowledge her intellectual brilliance. As it was, he couldn't find it in himself to give her the recognition she deserved-a throwback, he supposed, to the days when he was hateful to James Potter and his cronies...
'I think it's time for a demonstration.' The class turned to face Snape, who was holding a rat in one hand and a bottle in the other. He had decided to scare them into working properly.
'I'm going to demonstrate exactly why you should be weary of Unreversable potions. Now...'
'Sir?' Hermione's hand was raised.
Snape raised his eyebrows. Her constant interruptions proved her intelligence, but also made her extremely annoying.
'Yes, Miss Granger?' He just knew that whatever she said was going to spoil his demonstration.
'Sir, I've been doing some reading, and I think that the Draught...'
Snape looked at the book Hermione was holding. 'Muggle Fairy Tales', indeed...
'Miss Granger, I suggest that you turn your attention to what we are doing and save your...children's stories for your bedtime.'
Hermione went red, and put the book down. Snape continued with the class. He poured some of the potion from the bottle onto a bowl of food on his desk. He then put the rat down in front of the bowl, where it began to eat. Then, without a sound, it fell onto its side, deeply asleep. Snape prodded it with a long, bony finger, but it remained motionless.
'Let that be a warning to you.' He said coldly 'Class dismissed.'
His students filed out, muttering about Snape's callousness towards an innocent animal. He waited until the last student had gone, then picked up the rat. He stroked it, smiled, and put it into a box behind his desk. It would wake up soon enough. What he hadn't told the class was that he had used a simple, temporary sleeping potion on the rat. He might be cruel to his students, but not to a defenceless animal.
He then proceeded to tidy up the classroom, carefully disposing of the contents of each cauldron. He was so busy concentrating on not spilling the Draught that he didn't notice that there was significantly less potion in Malfoy's cauldron than the others...
**********************************************
'Pay attention.' Snape's voice rose above the noise of the class. The students were supposed to be preparing the Draught Of Living Death, and he was worried.He hadn't lost a student yet, but he was convinced that one day one of them would manage to poison themselves or, in this case, put themselves into a coma from which they would never wake. He had already banned Neville Longbottom from going anywhere near a cauldron. If anyone was going to make a fatal mistake, Snape thought, it would be Neville.
He surveyed the class. Malfoy seemed to be doing Crabbe and Goyle's potions for them, but he didn't say anything. Slytherin did badly enough without him taking points off. Then there was Potter and Weasley. If pressed, Snape would admit that they weren't bad students. What he wouldn't admit, however, was why he didn't like them. He could hardly even admit it to himself-he was jealous of them. He hated the fact that they were such good friends. Snape had never experienced a friendship like that. If the truth be told, he never really had any friends at all...
Then there was Miss Granger. How he wished she was a Slytherin! She was easily the most intelligent pupil he had ever taught. He also wished that she wasn't friends with Harry. If she wasn't, he might have been able to acknowledge her intellectual brilliance. As it was, he couldn't find it in himself to give her the recognition she deserved-a throwback, he supposed, to the days when he was hateful to James Potter and his cronies...
'I think it's time for a demonstration.' The class turned to face Snape, who was holding a rat in one hand and a bottle in the other. He had decided to scare them into working properly.
'I'm going to demonstrate exactly why you should be weary of Unreversable potions. Now...'
'Sir?' Hermione's hand was raised.
Snape raised his eyebrows. Her constant interruptions proved her intelligence, but also made her extremely annoying.
'Yes, Miss Granger?' He just knew that whatever she said was going to spoil his demonstration.
'Sir, I've been doing some reading, and I think that the Draught...'
Snape looked at the book Hermione was holding. 'Muggle Fairy Tales', indeed...
'Miss Granger, I suggest that you turn your attention to what we are doing and save your...children's stories for your bedtime.'
Hermione went red, and put the book down. Snape continued with the class. He poured some of the potion from the bottle onto a bowl of food on his desk. He then put the rat down in front of the bowl, where it began to eat. Then, without a sound, it fell onto its side, deeply asleep. Snape prodded it with a long, bony finger, but it remained motionless.
'Let that be a warning to you.' He said coldly 'Class dismissed.'
His students filed out, muttering about Snape's callousness towards an innocent animal. He waited until the last student had gone, then picked up the rat. He stroked it, smiled, and put it into a box behind his desk. It would wake up soon enough. What he hadn't told the class was that he had used a simple, temporary sleeping potion on the rat. He might be cruel to his students, but not to a defenceless animal.
He then proceeded to tidy up the classroom, carefully disposing of the contents of each cauldron. He was so busy concentrating on not spilling the Draught that he didn't notice that there was significantly less potion in Malfoy's cauldron than the others...
