Disclaimers: Anything or anyone you don't recognise belongs to me, especially Eltala Riddle, and Lily Snape

Disclaimers: Anything or anyone you don't recognise belongs to me, especially Eltala Riddle, and Lily Snape. Everything else belongs to J K Rowlings. I haven't, and I won't make any money out of this!

Please R/R if you want me to continue!!! Even if you don't!

A new teacher - Part five

"Well, alright then." Hermione blushed. "I was hoping you would ask…"

"You were?"

Harry lost his patience with Hermione and Ron, and he went ahead, to set up his Cauldron, which he and Ron always shared. His feet slowed as he reached the dreaded dungeons. The old wooden door opened as he approached, but there was no one there. Harry was surprised, it hadn't done that the year before. Had the castle changed much in other ways?

But as he entered the dungeon, his hopes dimmed a little. It seemed that the professor had tried interior decorating, and had decided on a slytherin theme. There were many improvements however. The walls were no longer similar to the other dungeons, with the damp walls, green with algae. They seemed to have been magically straightened, to look like normal walls, except they were painted, a strange greenish colour, with silver snakes. Definitely a slytherin dungeon.

Instead of the usual half rotten benches, there were some stools made of something silvery. Harry recognised this, as starlight caught inside a magical metal called Mithril. On the sides of the desks - which were made of the same material as the benches – were cupboards and drawers, in which some potion ingredients were stored. Also, some extra lamps had been set up and hung from the roof, and they sent a silvery light across the room. It was as bright as daylight!

While Harry was looking around at the new and improved dungeon, Lily entered, her face red. She walked in, closely followed by Eltala, and they took a place near the back of the room, and started to unpack for potions. Lily's Cauldron looked old and well used, but definitely well cared for. The silver of the Cauldron was scoured until it shone like brand new. Harry looked down at his own battered Cauldron. On the outside, you could see the silver in just a few places, but on the inside, burnt remnants of old potions, made the Cauldron black.

Harry reached inside his bag, and pulled out his Cauldron cleaner. It looked brand new, although it was a full four years old. Harry glanced over at Lily who was scrubbing away at invisible marks, with a tattered cloth, although Harry suspected it was not old at all. Harry started scrubbing his own Cauldron, but was surprised at the little difference he made, despite all his efforts. Harry supposed that Lily's pride in her cauldron, was what had come from her having a potions master as a father.

Gradually the rest of the class came in, gasping at the newly renovated dungeon. Ron walked in with Hermione, both blushing, and sat down together at one of the other benches. Harry moved to be near them, and found himself coming up to Lily and Eltala's desk.

"May I sit there?" Harry indicated the third stool.

"I suppose. I gather you hadn't told your friends. I presume you just have?" Lily still wouldn't look up at him. Eltala looked very curious, but she obviously thought better of asking. Still, she didn't stop eavesdropping.

"Well, yes I have, now. They wanted to know why you left."

Harry sat down slowly.

"Look Lily, I'm sorry I told them, but they don't care. Will you go to the ball with me?"

Lily was about to answer, when the door opened, and the potions master walked briskly in through the door. He looked at Lily, Eltala and Harry in a puzzled way, but then walked straight past them to his bench at the front of the room. Harry could just imagine what Snape was thinking. His child, You Know Who's child, and him, his archenemy's child being friendly.

"Welcome to a new year of potions. I trust you all appreciate the change of décor?" he said sarcastically in his usual cold drawl, although he sounded nervous, which surprised everyone.

Snape looked around the room, his eyes resting a moment on Ron and Hermione, whose hands were joined very visibly underneath the table, but then once again looking at Harry in a strange calculating way – without the hatred, which made it all the stranger.

"This year, we will be doing experimental potions. You will learn the ingredients that go well together, and those that don't. For your exams, you will each make a potion, of your own invention. You will be marked on the creativity, and the usefulness of your potion."

Without saying anything else he waved his wand, and some green text started appearing in the air in front of him. With a rummage for quills, they started copying down the rapidly scrolling text, that was shooting out of the Professor's wand. Harry noticed that Lily was writing it all down, with just the occasional glance up to check on what was there. It looked like she had seen this lecture many times before, which, as Harry reminded himself, she probably had.

The bell went eventually, as bells always do, and a very tired class forwarded out of the green dungeon, their hands aching from all the writing they had to do. Harry, and his two friends had been going to visit Hagrid, in his hut, but Ron and Hermione changed their minds at the last minute.

Harry was heading out the big doors, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" it was Lily.

"I'm visiting Hagrid, you can come too, meet Hagrid, he's really nice."

Together the two of them walked slowly down to Hagrid's hut. Just as Harry was about to knock, Lily said quietly,

"To your question before, I'd love to!"

A/N Please Review