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
