---Malfoy Manor---
Lucius was upstairs now. He saw Narcissa, who was dressed up in a blue robe, which covered her dress and blouse. "Narcissa..going somewhere?"
She turned. "Yes. I need to go to Diagon Alley for some supplies. We should restock on a few things."
"Very well. I just sent out a few letters. One was to Draco, the other to Professor Snape. Draco must study the material I've told him to view, his grades can be *better*. Also, he will need to study other things as well. And..our lord requires ingredients for a Soul-Body Restoration spell. I've sent a message to my contact in Durmstang..they are to send me two of their most advanced wizards, to help cast the spell."
She gasped, "What..sorry, I know not to question You-Know-Who. But I don't recall this being attempted. Successfully, at least."
"Well, then." He smiled slyly. "I suppose we'll just have to be extra careful, won't we? Before you Apparate to Diagon Alley, it will serve our purpose better if you accompanied me to Hogwarts." He handed her a piece of paper. "These are the potions I need. You will give this to Snape, then he will accommodate our request. Do not give the impression that it is urgent or scrupulous..I don't believe he trusts me. Put on a casual attitude..but we MUST have the concoction soon. Do what you must to get the potions."
"And you?"
"I will be speaking with Hagrid. I will also need a few ingredients from animals, in addition to Snape's potion."
She smirked. "Ahh.."
"What? What is it?"
"Well..it's just that you and the Ministry of Magic DID try to execute his pet Buckbeak. I don't suppose he'd be too delighted to see you so soon. After all, it was just last week."
"No matter. That is his problem, not mine. And he *will* comply."
"Of course he will."
"Now..let us go.." They joined hands and waved their wands. "Apparate!"
*********************************
---Hogwarts---
Hagrid was in his hut, sitting next to the fireplace. "There yer go, Fang.." He gave the dog a slab of meat, when he heard the door creak open. "What is it.."
It was Lucius Malfoy. He walked across the room, stopping a few feet in front of the giant.
Hagrid rose to his feet in a rage. "*You*! What in blazes are yer doin' here?!"
Lucius had a smug expression on his face, as he waved his hand. "Now, now..we'll have none of that. I'm here on business. Once I have what I need, I will leave. *Not* before."
He seemed to calm down a bit..but not by much. He gritted through clenched teeth, "Fine..what do ya want?"
"Feather from the a griffin's tail and a strand of unicorn hair, from the mane."
"Ahh..Griffin, huh? Isn't that ironic. Coming from a Slytherin, that is."
"Why, you insolent.." He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Nice try. I will not be tempted into a physical confrontation with the likes of you, as it is not worth my effort."
"And..what makes yer think I'll just give ya these things?"
"Oh, you will. If you fail to comply, the Ministry shall be notified. I'm sure you would not want to lose your home here at Hogwarts. I can think of several excuses for another trip to Azkaban..and all it would take is one letter from me. You wouldn't want that..would you?"
Hagrid sighed. "Fine..you will have yer damn ingredients. It will take some time, of course.."
"How long?"
"I can get it to you later today."
Lucius smiled. "There, now. I thought you'd see it my way. There may be hope for you yet, Hagrid. When you have what I requested, you will give them to my son. You teach a class today, correct?"
"Yes..I do.."
He clasped his hands together, appearing satisfied. "Excellent. You will give them to Draco at that time, then. Tell him that I will be waiting in the Slytherin tower. You would be advised to give it to him as soon as possible."
"I've just said I would!"
"Good. see that you do. If he feels that you are uncooperative..I'll know."
"Right. Well, since yer done..can you LEAVE?!"
"Of course!" He turned about and walked out of the hut.
Hagrid looked at Fang with a scowl. "Good riddance.."
*********************************
Snape addressed the class. "Alright. It's time for you to apply what you have learned..assuming you have learned *anything*, that is. You will pair up with a partner of my choosing. You will use the herbs in front of you. If even a fraction of your concoctions are off, it will cost you ten points. Now--here is the order. Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom. Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle. Seamus Finnegan, Ginny Weasley. Begin!"
The students made their way to their cauldrons, carrying the ingredients. Harry had cringed at the thought of having Neville for a partner. **Oh, great. Another accident..I bet Snape will blame me anyway.**
Malfoy laughed. "Uh-oh, Potter! Don't let the fat klutz blow your face up. Then again, that would be an improvement."
Harry shot him an angry glare.
"Potter!" Snape said, "Is there a..*problem*?"
Harry shook his head. "No, Professor. Just making sure me and Neville get started."
"So..start, then. Those pots aren't going to mix by themselves!"
"Yes, sir." He started adding them. "Ok..one piece of mandrake. Neville..add one drop of calspic juice."
"Ok!" He turned the jar over. "One drop!" It went in smoothly, the liquid bubbled. It rose a bit high, nearly spilling..then went back down.
"Whew..close one." As time went on, he started to think of his dreams. He inserted a frog foot into the pot. "Ok, two leaves of spicer grakan."
"Will do." Neville dropped two leaves in. "Oops!" Another one fell in by mistake.
Smoke billowed up into Harry's face. He coughed, he heard Snape's voice as if it were far away.
"Longbottom..ten points from Gryffindor. Do better.. if that is even possible for you. And you, Potter. You appear distracted..another ten points."
Harry's eyes felt a stinging sensation. When the smoke cleared, he could almost swear he saw something in the cauldron, movement of some sort. No..more like an image. He could see himself and Neville mixing herbs. It seemed to flow in reverse quickly, then play forward..as if he was being shown the past. It stopped at the beginning of the pairing.
*********************************
[Snape yelled, "Begin!"
Malfoy whispered, "Uh..Harry?"
Harry turned. "What?"
Malfoy smiled, "Good luck."
Harry and Neville mixed the potion stuff. No smoke. No over-pour of liquid, either. It was perfect, with no mistakes.]
*********************************
Harry shook his head in disbelief. **No! No..that is NOT what happened!** He saw more, farther back.
*********************************
[Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked to Potions class.
Malfoy yelled behind him, "Hey, Ron!" He pointed at a troll. "There's your mom!"
Ron turned around, nodded. "No..that beast is too pretty to be *MY* mother. Perhaps it's..Ginny? Or Pansy, perhaps?" He snickered mischievously.
Malfoy laughed, followed by his friends. "Ooh! Good one!"
Ron turned to Harry and Hermione. "Yeah, I thought it was."]
*********************************
Another wisp of smoke rose up. **I don't get it. It isn't right..why is it so distorted. Ron would NEVER say such a thing about his family!** He waved his hands, but it was of no use. The smoke continued to rise..
*********************************
[Farther into the past. Harry would recognize their
likenesses as Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Godric said, "So..what should we do?"
Salazar sighed. "We have no choice. Some wizards are bound to be descended from Muggles, we can't deny that. And Muggles will have magical parentage. I think it would be best if we allow *anyone* with magic abilities to attend here, regardless of their background."
Godric nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is best. So what now?"
"I believe I will stay and help train them." They shook hands..]
*********************************
Harry exclaimed, "Impossible! Lies!"
Hermione glanced over, as did Ron. In fact, the whole class halted in their tracks, even Malfoy. Ron said, "Harry! What's the matter?"
Harry said, "Salazar accepted..umm..Muggle-borns. And he stayed at Hogwarts. He LIKED training Muggle-born students! Why?!"
Snape yelled, "Silence, Potter! I will not have you tearing down the ancestry of the noble Slytherin!!"
Ron chuckled, "*Noble*! Since when?"
Snape said, "Weasley, ten points taken from Gryffindor. Potter, continue. Clean that mess."
Harry stood back at his cauldron. He dumped a pint of liquid. Some steam rose up, stinging his eyes. "Ahh!" He dropped the entire vial in it. "Dammit!"
Neville coughed. "What the Hell?" Smoke billowed forth once more..
*********************************
[It was much farther in the past than anyone would expect. Due to the architecture, Harry guessed it was Greece, sometime in ancient times. Probably before Rome conquered the world. Outside the city gates, all across the land, were countless corpses of enemy soldiers. Crucified on crosses, other bodies were piled up, some even had their heads on poles.
There was a group of armed guards surrounding a throne. The throne sat at the top of the steps. The guards were holding long spears. Some of them were Asian, adorned with dragon sigils on their shields.
A dark-haired woman walked to the throne and sat down. It looked like Xena, except the hair was shorter. And she wore a Greek crown, with an Oriental robe which seemed to be of an Imperial style.
A few guards dragged a young woman through the gate. They pushed her forward, as she fell to her knees.
She had long blond hair, it was unkempt and haggard. Other than that, she was fairly attractive, wearing a long dress. She rose her head in defiance, revealing her face..it was Gabrielle.
Xena asked with disdain, "What was her crime?"
The nearest guard, Darphus, snarled. "She incited a riot, Empress! Encouraged the people to revolt."
Xena rose from her throne, walking down the steps. she raised her hand. "Get up.."
Gabrielle slowly got on her feet. She stared at Xena with anger.
Xena touched her cheek, then asked with a kind smile, "Are you *guilty*?"
Gabrielle jerked her face away, causing Xena to retract her touch. "I gave voice to the people. I know about the starving, the hungry. The people who disappeared in the night, never to come back."
Xena appeared to be concerned, almost compassionate.
She turned around, addressing the villagers. "Have you no dignity? No *rights*?! The right to live..to be free from harm!!"
The people backed away cautiously, as if in terror. they looked away, avoiding Xena's cruel glare.
Xena said smugly, "I guess they don't hear your voice."
Gabrielle said with conviction, "I'm not the only one. You can't break our spirits."
She appeared satisfied. "But the cure for spirit..is *fear*." She said to the guard. "Put her on the cross." She added as she looked at the girl, "She will serve as an example. Put her on the cross!"
Two guards came behind her, grabbing her by the arms. They dragged her to a wooden cross, perfect size for her. They tied her arms and feet with ropes.
Xena walked up the steps, making her way to the throne. On her way, she turned back to Gabrielle and the guards. "Break her legs.."
A guard came in front of Gabrielle. He raised a gigantic mallet, sort of a huge hammer made of steel.
Gabrielle shook her head, in fear. She braced for the impact, dreading it with every ounce of her being. "No..."
The hammer came down hard, right on the girl's kneecaps.
"AAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!" On reflex, her head raised up, tears in her eyes. Her chilling scream of agony was heard for what seemed to be forever..]
*********************************
"Potter! *POTTER*!!!"
Harry opened his eyes. He found himself laying on the floor, The cauldron was tipped over, it's contents all over the cement.
The other students stood against the far wall now, staring at Harry as if he had grown another head. They whispered amongst themselves.
Snape pointed at them, while giving Harry a death-glare. "Enough!" If looks could kill..
The other classmates shut up very fast. The Slytherins, even they had stayed silent.
Harry slowly got up, prepared for the worst.
"Potter..this is the last time. I will not have my class disrupted by your childish antics-"
Suddenly angry, Harry exclaimed, "What?! *Childish*?!!"
"Silence! I will take 100 points from Gryffindor now. But that is nothing compared to what you *really* deserve. You are to be in Detention tonight. And *only* you. Come see me at bedtime, I will discuss the nature of your punishment then. "
"But..b-but Neville.."
"The blame lies with you, Potter. Enjoy your freedom. When you see me tonight, I will expect you to tell me what you saw exactly in that cauldron of yours."
"What.."
"Don't be so coy with *me*, young Potter. There's a reason why I am known as the Potions Master."
Suddenly, Narcissa walked into the room. "Professor Snape!"
Harry watched her go up to Snape. He saw her whisper something in his ear, then hand him a paper. He nodded, leading her to his office in the next room.
Snape turned around as he shut his door. He looked at the students. "Class dismissed!"
They all filed out, but not before Malfoy went past Harry. He said as he walked on, "Nice move, Potter. Beautiful. Really, I don't see how your day can get any worse.. you know, if you wanted to have a rotten day, all you had to do was ask! Me and my friends would have been MORE than happy to help you there.." He laughed, running for the door.
Harry shouted after him. "Yeah..but like I said before! I can tell who my friends are just fine on my own, I can learn for *myself* which kind of people I'd need help from. And you are certainly *not* one of them!!"
Malfoy halted in his tracks. He turned around fast, the smug and sarcastic expression he had moments before was now gone, replaced with quiet rage. His fists were clenched at his sides, his eyes narowed at Harry. "YOU.."
Harry grinned. **Oh, I hit a nerve.** He asked,
"Yeah? What NOW?" Then it came to him. He hit a nerve, alright. Something that happened between them before, on their first trip on the train to Hogwarts. He could tell by Draco's expression. Oh well, too late to take it back now.
He opened his mouth to say something..but no words came. "Nothing." He turned to his cronies. "Crabbe, Goyle! Let's go." He ran with them, leaving the room.
Harry shrugged. "Whatever. Good riddance."
Hermione stared at Harry. "Um..Harry? Are you okay?"
Harry replied, "Sure! Why wouldn't I be?"
Hermione said, "Well..you seem a bit more edgy. But that remark to Malfoy..and I do admit, I hate his guts as much as you do. But that last remark was a bit harsh, even for you."
"Oh..well, uh..it's been a very bad day for me. It's like nothing goes *right*, no matter how hard I try. It keeps getting worse as the day goes on."
Ron asked, "What did Snape mean, about 'what you saw in your cauldron'?"
Harry answered as they walked out of Potions, "I saw something. The past. But.strange thing, it's not the past that *I* remember."
Hermione asked with interest, "Really? How so?"
Harry explained, "Well..Neville and I were mixing potions..and it was perfect. not one mistake. Before that part, Malfoy actually wished me luck!"
Ron nearly choked. "Him?! You bloody serious?"
Harry said, "I saw it! And remember when he said that troll looked like your mother?"
Ron said darkly, "Yeah..unfortunately. I wanted to hurt him."
"You didn't. Instead, you laughed. You said it was too pretty to be your mom, and that it looked more like Ginny. Then we laughed along with Malfoy..as if we were all his pals or some crap."
Ron and Hermione stared in shock, their mouths open.
"And Slytherin didn't leave Hogwarts. He stayed. And he accepted Muggle-born students."
Hermione said, "Slytherin said that? No way!"
Harry replied, "Well..that's pretty much it. Oh, and Xena too. Only she was very evil. She apparently ruled the world. At least, that's what I saw. I don't know what's going on anymore..everything feels crazy lately."
Hermione smiled, "Aw, don't worry. I'll check the library, see what I can find out. I was headed there after lunch, anyway."
Ron sighed, "Oh..right. Lunch." They made their way into the Great Hall. They noticed the other houses were at their respective tables.
"Well, let's eat. I need something to take my mind off of that Detention tonight." He joined them, sitting with them at the Gryffindor table..
Lucius was upstairs now. He saw Narcissa, who was dressed up in a blue robe, which covered her dress and blouse. "Narcissa..going somewhere?"
She turned. "Yes. I need to go to Diagon Alley for some supplies. We should restock on a few things."
"Very well. I just sent out a few letters. One was to Draco, the other to Professor Snape. Draco must study the material I've told him to view, his grades can be *better*. Also, he will need to study other things as well. And..our lord requires ingredients for a Soul-Body Restoration spell. I've sent a message to my contact in Durmstang..they are to send me two of their most advanced wizards, to help cast the spell."
She gasped, "What..sorry, I know not to question You-Know-Who. But I don't recall this being attempted. Successfully, at least."
"Well, then." He smiled slyly. "I suppose we'll just have to be extra careful, won't we? Before you Apparate to Diagon Alley, it will serve our purpose better if you accompanied me to Hogwarts." He handed her a piece of paper. "These are the potions I need. You will give this to Snape, then he will accommodate our request. Do not give the impression that it is urgent or scrupulous..I don't believe he trusts me. Put on a casual attitude..but we MUST have the concoction soon. Do what you must to get the potions."
"And you?"
"I will be speaking with Hagrid. I will also need a few ingredients from animals, in addition to Snape's potion."
She smirked. "Ahh.."
"What? What is it?"
"Well..it's just that you and the Ministry of Magic DID try to execute his pet Buckbeak. I don't suppose he'd be too delighted to see you so soon. After all, it was just last week."
"No matter. That is his problem, not mine. And he *will* comply."
"Of course he will."
"Now..let us go.." They joined hands and waved their wands. "Apparate!"
*********************************
---Hogwarts---
Hagrid was in his hut, sitting next to the fireplace. "There yer go, Fang.." He gave the dog a slab of meat, when he heard the door creak open. "What is it.."
It was Lucius Malfoy. He walked across the room, stopping a few feet in front of the giant.
Hagrid rose to his feet in a rage. "*You*! What in blazes are yer doin' here?!"
Lucius had a smug expression on his face, as he waved his hand. "Now, now..we'll have none of that. I'm here on business. Once I have what I need, I will leave. *Not* before."
He seemed to calm down a bit..but not by much. He gritted through clenched teeth, "Fine..what do ya want?"
"Feather from the a griffin's tail and a strand of unicorn hair, from the mane."
"Ahh..Griffin, huh? Isn't that ironic. Coming from a Slytherin, that is."
"Why, you insolent.." He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Nice try. I will not be tempted into a physical confrontation with the likes of you, as it is not worth my effort."
"And..what makes yer think I'll just give ya these things?"
"Oh, you will. If you fail to comply, the Ministry shall be notified. I'm sure you would not want to lose your home here at Hogwarts. I can think of several excuses for another trip to Azkaban..and all it would take is one letter from me. You wouldn't want that..would you?"
Hagrid sighed. "Fine..you will have yer damn ingredients. It will take some time, of course.."
"How long?"
"I can get it to you later today."
Lucius smiled. "There, now. I thought you'd see it my way. There may be hope for you yet, Hagrid. When you have what I requested, you will give them to my son. You teach a class today, correct?"
"Yes..I do.."
He clasped his hands together, appearing satisfied. "Excellent. You will give them to Draco at that time, then. Tell him that I will be waiting in the Slytherin tower. You would be advised to give it to him as soon as possible."
"I've just said I would!"
"Good. see that you do. If he feels that you are uncooperative..I'll know."
"Right. Well, since yer done..can you LEAVE?!"
"Of course!" He turned about and walked out of the hut.
Hagrid looked at Fang with a scowl. "Good riddance.."
*********************************
Snape addressed the class. "Alright. It's time for you to apply what you have learned..assuming you have learned *anything*, that is. You will pair up with a partner of my choosing. You will use the herbs in front of you. If even a fraction of your concoctions are off, it will cost you ten points. Now--here is the order. Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom. Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle. Seamus Finnegan, Ginny Weasley. Begin!"
The students made their way to their cauldrons, carrying the ingredients. Harry had cringed at the thought of having Neville for a partner. **Oh, great. Another accident..I bet Snape will blame me anyway.**
Malfoy laughed. "Uh-oh, Potter! Don't let the fat klutz blow your face up. Then again, that would be an improvement."
Harry shot him an angry glare.
"Potter!" Snape said, "Is there a..*problem*?"
Harry shook his head. "No, Professor. Just making sure me and Neville get started."
"So..start, then. Those pots aren't going to mix by themselves!"
"Yes, sir." He started adding them. "Ok..one piece of mandrake. Neville..add one drop of calspic juice."
"Ok!" He turned the jar over. "One drop!" It went in smoothly, the liquid bubbled. It rose a bit high, nearly spilling..then went back down.
"Whew..close one." As time went on, he started to think of his dreams. He inserted a frog foot into the pot. "Ok, two leaves of spicer grakan."
"Will do." Neville dropped two leaves in. "Oops!" Another one fell in by mistake.
Smoke billowed up into Harry's face. He coughed, he heard Snape's voice as if it were far away.
"Longbottom..ten points from Gryffindor. Do better.. if that is even possible for you. And you, Potter. You appear distracted..another ten points."
Harry's eyes felt a stinging sensation. When the smoke cleared, he could almost swear he saw something in the cauldron, movement of some sort. No..more like an image. He could see himself and Neville mixing herbs. It seemed to flow in reverse quickly, then play forward..as if he was being shown the past. It stopped at the beginning of the pairing.
*********************************
[Snape yelled, "Begin!"
Malfoy whispered, "Uh..Harry?"
Harry turned. "What?"
Malfoy smiled, "Good luck."
Harry and Neville mixed the potion stuff. No smoke. No over-pour of liquid, either. It was perfect, with no mistakes.]
*********************************
Harry shook his head in disbelief. **No! No..that is NOT what happened!** He saw more, farther back.
*********************************
[Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked to Potions class.
Malfoy yelled behind him, "Hey, Ron!" He pointed at a troll. "There's your mom!"
Ron turned around, nodded. "No..that beast is too pretty to be *MY* mother. Perhaps it's..Ginny? Or Pansy, perhaps?" He snickered mischievously.
Malfoy laughed, followed by his friends. "Ooh! Good one!"
Ron turned to Harry and Hermione. "Yeah, I thought it was."]
*********************************
Another wisp of smoke rose up. **I don't get it. It isn't right..why is it so distorted. Ron would NEVER say such a thing about his family!** He waved his hands, but it was of no use. The smoke continued to rise..
*********************************
[Farther into the past. Harry would recognize their
likenesses as Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Godric said, "So..what should we do?"
Salazar sighed. "We have no choice. Some wizards are bound to be descended from Muggles, we can't deny that. And Muggles will have magical parentage. I think it would be best if we allow *anyone* with magic abilities to attend here, regardless of their background."
Godric nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is best. So what now?"
"I believe I will stay and help train them." They shook hands..]
*********************************
Harry exclaimed, "Impossible! Lies!"
Hermione glanced over, as did Ron. In fact, the whole class halted in their tracks, even Malfoy. Ron said, "Harry! What's the matter?"
Harry said, "Salazar accepted..umm..Muggle-borns. And he stayed at Hogwarts. He LIKED training Muggle-born students! Why?!"
Snape yelled, "Silence, Potter! I will not have you tearing down the ancestry of the noble Slytherin!!"
Ron chuckled, "*Noble*! Since when?"
Snape said, "Weasley, ten points taken from Gryffindor. Potter, continue. Clean that mess."
Harry stood back at his cauldron. He dumped a pint of liquid. Some steam rose up, stinging his eyes. "Ahh!" He dropped the entire vial in it. "Dammit!"
Neville coughed. "What the Hell?" Smoke billowed forth once more..
*********************************
[It was much farther in the past than anyone would expect. Due to the architecture, Harry guessed it was Greece, sometime in ancient times. Probably before Rome conquered the world. Outside the city gates, all across the land, were countless corpses of enemy soldiers. Crucified on crosses, other bodies were piled up, some even had their heads on poles.
There was a group of armed guards surrounding a throne. The throne sat at the top of the steps. The guards were holding long spears. Some of them were Asian, adorned with dragon sigils on their shields.
A dark-haired woman walked to the throne and sat down. It looked like Xena, except the hair was shorter. And she wore a Greek crown, with an Oriental robe which seemed to be of an Imperial style.
A few guards dragged a young woman through the gate. They pushed her forward, as she fell to her knees.
She had long blond hair, it was unkempt and haggard. Other than that, she was fairly attractive, wearing a long dress. She rose her head in defiance, revealing her face..it was Gabrielle.
Xena asked with disdain, "What was her crime?"
The nearest guard, Darphus, snarled. "She incited a riot, Empress! Encouraged the people to revolt."
Xena rose from her throne, walking down the steps. she raised her hand. "Get up.."
Gabrielle slowly got on her feet. She stared at Xena with anger.
Xena touched her cheek, then asked with a kind smile, "Are you *guilty*?"
Gabrielle jerked her face away, causing Xena to retract her touch. "I gave voice to the people. I know about the starving, the hungry. The people who disappeared in the night, never to come back."
Xena appeared to be concerned, almost compassionate.
She turned around, addressing the villagers. "Have you no dignity? No *rights*?! The right to live..to be free from harm!!"
The people backed away cautiously, as if in terror. they looked away, avoiding Xena's cruel glare.
Xena said smugly, "I guess they don't hear your voice."
Gabrielle said with conviction, "I'm not the only one. You can't break our spirits."
She appeared satisfied. "But the cure for spirit..is *fear*." She said to the guard. "Put her on the cross." She added as she looked at the girl, "She will serve as an example. Put her on the cross!"
Two guards came behind her, grabbing her by the arms. They dragged her to a wooden cross, perfect size for her. They tied her arms and feet with ropes.
Xena walked up the steps, making her way to the throne. On her way, she turned back to Gabrielle and the guards. "Break her legs.."
A guard came in front of Gabrielle. He raised a gigantic mallet, sort of a huge hammer made of steel.
Gabrielle shook her head, in fear. She braced for the impact, dreading it with every ounce of her being. "No..."
The hammer came down hard, right on the girl's kneecaps.
"AAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!" On reflex, her head raised up, tears in her eyes. Her chilling scream of agony was heard for what seemed to be forever..]
*********************************
"Potter! *POTTER*!!!"
Harry opened his eyes. He found himself laying on the floor, The cauldron was tipped over, it's contents all over the cement.
The other students stood against the far wall now, staring at Harry as if he had grown another head. They whispered amongst themselves.
Snape pointed at them, while giving Harry a death-glare. "Enough!" If looks could kill..
The other classmates shut up very fast. The Slytherins, even they had stayed silent.
Harry slowly got up, prepared for the worst.
"Potter..this is the last time. I will not have my class disrupted by your childish antics-"
Suddenly angry, Harry exclaimed, "What?! *Childish*?!!"
"Silence! I will take 100 points from Gryffindor now. But that is nothing compared to what you *really* deserve. You are to be in Detention tonight. And *only* you. Come see me at bedtime, I will discuss the nature of your punishment then. "
"But..b-but Neville.."
"The blame lies with you, Potter. Enjoy your freedom. When you see me tonight, I will expect you to tell me what you saw exactly in that cauldron of yours."
"What.."
"Don't be so coy with *me*, young Potter. There's a reason why I am known as the Potions Master."
Suddenly, Narcissa walked into the room. "Professor Snape!"
Harry watched her go up to Snape. He saw her whisper something in his ear, then hand him a paper. He nodded, leading her to his office in the next room.
Snape turned around as he shut his door. He looked at the students. "Class dismissed!"
They all filed out, but not before Malfoy went past Harry. He said as he walked on, "Nice move, Potter. Beautiful. Really, I don't see how your day can get any worse.. you know, if you wanted to have a rotten day, all you had to do was ask! Me and my friends would have been MORE than happy to help you there.." He laughed, running for the door.
Harry shouted after him. "Yeah..but like I said before! I can tell who my friends are just fine on my own, I can learn for *myself* which kind of people I'd need help from. And you are certainly *not* one of them!!"
Malfoy halted in his tracks. He turned around fast, the smug and sarcastic expression he had moments before was now gone, replaced with quiet rage. His fists were clenched at his sides, his eyes narowed at Harry. "YOU.."
Harry grinned. **Oh, I hit a nerve.** He asked,
"Yeah? What NOW?" Then it came to him. He hit a nerve, alright. Something that happened between them before, on their first trip on the train to Hogwarts. He could tell by Draco's expression. Oh well, too late to take it back now.
He opened his mouth to say something..but no words came. "Nothing." He turned to his cronies. "Crabbe, Goyle! Let's go." He ran with them, leaving the room.
Harry shrugged. "Whatever. Good riddance."
Hermione stared at Harry. "Um..Harry? Are you okay?"
Harry replied, "Sure! Why wouldn't I be?"
Hermione said, "Well..you seem a bit more edgy. But that remark to Malfoy..and I do admit, I hate his guts as much as you do. But that last remark was a bit harsh, even for you."
"Oh..well, uh..it's been a very bad day for me. It's like nothing goes *right*, no matter how hard I try. It keeps getting worse as the day goes on."
Ron asked, "What did Snape mean, about 'what you saw in your cauldron'?"
Harry answered as they walked out of Potions, "I saw something. The past. But.strange thing, it's not the past that *I* remember."
Hermione asked with interest, "Really? How so?"
Harry explained, "Well..Neville and I were mixing potions..and it was perfect. not one mistake. Before that part, Malfoy actually wished me luck!"
Ron nearly choked. "Him?! You bloody serious?"
Harry said, "I saw it! And remember when he said that troll looked like your mother?"
Ron said darkly, "Yeah..unfortunately. I wanted to hurt him."
"You didn't. Instead, you laughed. You said it was too pretty to be your mom, and that it looked more like Ginny. Then we laughed along with Malfoy..as if we were all his pals or some crap."
Ron and Hermione stared in shock, their mouths open.
"And Slytherin didn't leave Hogwarts. He stayed. And he accepted Muggle-born students."
Hermione said, "Slytherin said that? No way!"
Harry replied, "Well..that's pretty much it. Oh, and Xena too. Only she was very evil. She apparently ruled the world. At least, that's what I saw. I don't know what's going on anymore..everything feels crazy lately."
Hermione smiled, "Aw, don't worry. I'll check the library, see what I can find out. I was headed there after lunch, anyway."
Ron sighed, "Oh..right. Lunch." They made their way into the Great Hall. They noticed the other houses were at their respective tables.
"Well, let's eat. I need something to take my mind off of that Detention tonight." He joined them, sitting with them at the Gryffindor table..
