Chapter 4's finally here! I'm sorry you had to wait so long! I'm trying to
make this chapter a little longer than the others!
The next morning the Great Hall erupted into whispers as Scarlett entered with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Although Ron's cheeks flushed and Harry felt a little self conscious, this seemed to have no effect on Hermione or Scarlett. As the four sat down at the Gryffindor table there was a flash of light.
"Colin!" Parvati screeched from beside Scarlett. "We're eating! Stop taking pictures!"
Colin continued to click until Fred grabbed his camera, and he and George engaged in a friendly game of monkey in the middle, Colin being the monkey.
"So what'd Dumbledore say to you last night, Scarlett?" Harry asked with interest.
"He told me that he had a bet with one of the professors on how long it would be before the school found out," Scarlett said, a small grin on her face.
"You mean he didn't trust you?" Hermione asked, a look of horror on her face.
"It's not that at all," Scarlett explained. "It's just that he trusted others to find out, without me saying a word. Like you did, Hermione. There's a resemblance between us." Hermione blushed and Ron tilted his head to the side, looking confused.
"Come again?" he said.
"Using words outside your vocabulary, eh Ron?" Harry asked, punching him on the arm. Ron gave him an angry look.
There was a silence as the four watched Colin struggling to get his camera back. Lavender suddenly broke the silence, making all four of them jump.
"How Ido/I you do your makeup, Scarlett?" she asked with a look of deep interest.
"Er-I don't exactly wear makeup, Lavender," Scarlett replied.
"None at all?" Parvati asked, shocked.
"Well, just a bit of mascara lip gloss," Scarlett answered. Lavender's eyes were wide and Parvati's jaw was dropped.
"What's so shocking about not wearing makeup?" Hermione asked. "I don't."
"You don't look like Iher/I," Lavender said matter-of-factly. Scarlett blushed slightly, but continued to eat. Hermione shrugged.
"Will you Iplease/I talk about something else?" Ron asked, looking anxious. "You're boring me." Harry nodded in agreement. Lavender and Parvati engaged in their own conversation. McGonagall came by passing out schedules. Ron groaned.
"Potions with the Slytherins first," he pointed out. Harry had suddenly lost his appetite, but Hermione and Scarlett kept on eating. Ron shoved his plate forward.
"Hey Harry," Ron said, trying to find something to keep his mind off of potions. "Who's going to be Gryffindor's keeper this year? You need a new one, don't you?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "I'm not sure when we'll be holding tryouts, though." Scarlett nearly choked on her juice.
"You need a keeper?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Yeah," Harry said. Ron was giving her an odd look. "Why, are you interested?"
"Of course!" Scarlett breathed. "Even though I didn't seem magical, I could always beat anyone on a broomstick."
"You play Quidditch?" Ron asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Sure, why not?" Scarlett said. "Girls do play you know."
"I know," Ron said.
"We'd better get going," Hermione said suddenly, looking at her watch. "We don't want to be late."
The four left the emptying Great Hall for the dungeons. They didn't want to lose any points for Gyffindor the first day back.
They reached the classroom just in time. Snape entered just as they took their seats, dressed in his usual black.
"Today we'll be working on a very complex potion," he said sternly, his cold eyes unblinking. "I do not expect everyone to get it right. It requires complete concentration," he continued, eyeing Harry and Ron, before turning his eyes to Hermione, "and it is to be done on your own." Ron frowned. Neville was shaking.
"The potion we are making today is called an Entrustis Potion," Snape said. "This potion, when drank, shows how trustworthy the drinker is. Turn to page 642 and begin working immediately."
Ron watched Scarlett flip open her book and run her finger down the list of ingredients. She quickly had all of her ingredients ready, before Hermione, he noticed. He watched her scan the first set of instructions, then carry them out quickly, with precision he'd never seen before.
"Weasley!" Snape called. Ron jumped. "Get to work!" Ron immediately started pulling out his ingredients. After a few minutes of working, all Scarlett had left to do was stir her potion until it thickened. Hermione was only on the third step, Harry and Ron even farther behind. Ron nudged Harry in the ribs. Harry glanced over at Scarlett's cauldron and dropped his knife.
"Watch it Potter!" Snape bellowed. Harry quickly grabbed his knife and continued to work. Snape paced the room, and when he reached the four, he stopped.
"Miss Dumbledore what Iare/I you doing?" Snape asked, glaring at her.
"I'm stirring my potion sir," Scarlett stated, without looking up. Harry heard Malfoy give a snigger.
"And just why are you-" Snape started, but he broke off. "You're potion's almost complete! How did you manage this! Was it Granger?"
"No sir," Scarlett said, finally looking up. "I did it on my own, like you told us to." She pulled the spoon out of her cauldron and shut her book. "What am I to do now, sir?"
"Come with me," Snape snarled. Harry didn't think he could get that mad.
The whole class watched in silence as Snape led Scarlett out of the room. As soon as the door shut, Ron let out his breath. It seemed that almost everyone else did the same.
"Is she really finished?" Dean called from across the room.
"She can't be finished," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. "Let me see her potion." Malfoy swaggered over to Scarlett's cauldron, which was set up in between Hermione's and Harry's. He stopped abruptly when he saw the complete Entrustis Potion. "Ridiculous!" he cried. Fuming he walked back over to his cauldron and continued adding ingredients to his bubbling mixture.
Scarlett immediately knew where she was being taken. She'd been up here before, during the summer, when she began her private tutoring. She was being taken to her grandfather's office. Headmaster Dumbledore's office. She hadn't the faintest idea why Snape was taking her to the Headmaster when she should be in potions. They reached the top of the escalator and Snape rapped on the door three times. Scarlett heard a muffled "come in". She followed Snape into the office, and sat down.
"Professor Dumbledore, this girl managed to complete an Entrustis Potion within a quarter of a class period," Snape said, gesturing toward Scarlett. Dumbledore didn't seem even mildly surprised.
"That is quite fast for a student of her level," Dumbledore said. "But surely this shouldn't be such a shock, after all, you tutored her this summer."
"It was a brief period of time, Professor," Snape said. "Just until she learned the basics. She worked on her own after that."
"I am aware of this," Dumbledore said, twiddling his thumbs. "That was the routine with all of her teachers."
"But how could she have advanced so quickly in a few weeks?" Snape asked almost angrily.
"Severus, surely you have taken into consideration the fact that Scarlett is a diuturnity?"
"An abnormally strong one," Snape muttered.
"So what is the problem?" Dumbledore asked.
"Er-what exactly should she do?" Snape asked timidly. "That potion should have taken the whole class period."
"She may use the time as a study hall, as long as she stays in the room," Dumbledore said. "For today, the class period is almost over, so I suggest you get back to class." Dumbledore winked at Scarlett.
Snape stormed back down to the dungeons, Scarlett trying very hard to keep up.
The next morning the Great Hall erupted into whispers as Scarlett entered with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Although Ron's cheeks flushed and Harry felt a little self conscious, this seemed to have no effect on Hermione or Scarlett. As the four sat down at the Gryffindor table there was a flash of light.
"Colin!" Parvati screeched from beside Scarlett. "We're eating! Stop taking pictures!"
Colin continued to click until Fred grabbed his camera, and he and George engaged in a friendly game of monkey in the middle, Colin being the monkey.
"So what'd Dumbledore say to you last night, Scarlett?" Harry asked with interest.
"He told me that he had a bet with one of the professors on how long it would be before the school found out," Scarlett said, a small grin on her face.
"You mean he didn't trust you?" Hermione asked, a look of horror on her face.
"It's not that at all," Scarlett explained. "It's just that he trusted others to find out, without me saying a word. Like you did, Hermione. There's a resemblance between us." Hermione blushed and Ron tilted his head to the side, looking confused.
"Come again?" he said.
"Using words outside your vocabulary, eh Ron?" Harry asked, punching him on the arm. Ron gave him an angry look.
There was a silence as the four watched Colin struggling to get his camera back. Lavender suddenly broke the silence, making all four of them jump.
"How Ido/I you do your makeup, Scarlett?" she asked with a look of deep interest.
"Er-I don't exactly wear makeup, Lavender," Scarlett replied.
"None at all?" Parvati asked, shocked.
"Well, just a bit of mascara lip gloss," Scarlett answered. Lavender's eyes were wide and Parvati's jaw was dropped.
"What's so shocking about not wearing makeup?" Hermione asked. "I don't."
"You don't look like Iher/I," Lavender said matter-of-factly. Scarlett blushed slightly, but continued to eat. Hermione shrugged.
"Will you Iplease/I talk about something else?" Ron asked, looking anxious. "You're boring me." Harry nodded in agreement. Lavender and Parvati engaged in their own conversation. McGonagall came by passing out schedules. Ron groaned.
"Potions with the Slytherins first," he pointed out. Harry had suddenly lost his appetite, but Hermione and Scarlett kept on eating. Ron shoved his plate forward.
"Hey Harry," Ron said, trying to find something to keep his mind off of potions. "Who's going to be Gryffindor's keeper this year? You need a new one, don't you?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "I'm not sure when we'll be holding tryouts, though." Scarlett nearly choked on her juice.
"You need a keeper?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Yeah," Harry said. Ron was giving her an odd look. "Why, are you interested?"
"Of course!" Scarlett breathed. "Even though I didn't seem magical, I could always beat anyone on a broomstick."
"You play Quidditch?" Ron asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Sure, why not?" Scarlett said. "Girls do play you know."
"I know," Ron said.
"We'd better get going," Hermione said suddenly, looking at her watch. "We don't want to be late."
The four left the emptying Great Hall for the dungeons. They didn't want to lose any points for Gyffindor the first day back.
They reached the classroom just in time. Snape entered just as they took their seats, dressed in his usual black.
"Today we'll be working on a very complex potion," he said sternly, his cold eyes unblinking. "I do not expect everyone to get it right. It requires complete concentration," he continued, eyeing Harry and Ron, before turning his eyes to Hermione, "and it is to be done on your own." Ron frowned. Neville was shaking.
"The potion we are making today is called an Entrustis Potion," Snape said. "This potion, when drank, shows how trustworthy the drinker is. Turn to page 642 and begin working immediately."
Ron watched Scarlett flip open her book and run her finger down the list of ingredients. She quickly had all of her ingredients ready, before Hermione, he noticed. He watched her scan the first set of instructions, then carry them out quickly, with precision he'd never seen before.
"Weasley!" Snape called. Ron jumped. "Get to work!" Ron immediately started pulling out his ingredients. After a few minutes of working, all Scarlett had left to do was stir her potion until it thickened. Hermione was only on the third step, Harry and Ron even farther behind. Ron nudged Harry in the ribs. Harry glanced over at Scarlett's cauldron and dropped his knife.
"Watch it Potter!" Snape bellowed. Harry quickly grabbed his knife and continued to work. Snape paced the room, and when he reached the four, he stopped.
"Miss Dumbledore what Iare/I you doing?" Snape asked, glaring at her.
"I'm stirring my potion sir," Scarlett stated, without looking up. Harry heard Malfoy give a snigger.
"And just why are you-" Snape started, but he broke off. "You're potion's almost complete! How did you manage this! Was it Granger?"
"No sir," Scarlett said, finally looking up. "I did it on my own, like you told us to." She pulled the spoon out of her cauldron and shut her book. "What am I to do now, sir?"
"Come with me," Snape snarled. Harry didn't think he could get that mad.
The whole class watched in silence as Snape led Scarlett out of the room. As soon as the door shut, Ron let out his breath. It seemed that almost everyone else did the same.
"Is she really finished?" Dean called from across the room.
"She can't be finished," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. "Let me see her potion." Malfoy swaggered over to Scarlett's cauldron, which was set up in between Hermione's and Harry's. He stopped abruptly when he saw the complete Entrustis Potion. "Ridiculous!" he cried. Fuming he walked back over to his cauldron and continued adding ingredients to his bubbling mixture.
Scarlett immediately knew where she was being taken. She'd been up here before, during the summer, when she began her private tutoring. She was being taken to her grandfather's office. Headmaster Dumbledore's office. She hadn't the faintest idea why Snape was taking her to the Headmaster when she should be in potions. They reached the top of the escalator and Snape rapped on the door three times. Scarlett heard a muffled "come in". She followed Snape into the office, and sat down.
"Professor Dumbledore, this girl managed to complete an Entrustis Potion within a quarter of a class period," Snape said, gesturing toward Scarlett. Dumbledore didn't seem even mildly surprised.
"That is quite fast for a student of her level," Dumbledore said. "But surely this shouldn't be such a shock, after all, you tutored her this summer."
"It was a brief period of time, Professor," Snape said. "Just until she learned the basics. She worked on her own after that."
"I am aware of this," Dumbledore said, twiddling his thumbs. "That was the routine with all of her teachers."
"But how could she have advanced so quickly in a few weeks?" Snape asked almost angrily.
"Severus, surely you have taken into consideration the fact that Scarlett is a diuturnity?"
"An abnormally strong one," Snape muttered.
"So what is the problem?" Dumbledore asked.
"Er-what exactly should she do?" Snape asked timidly. "That potion should have taken the whole class period."
"She may use the time as a study hall, as long as she stays in the room," Dumbledore said. "For today, the class period is almost over, so I suggest you get back to class." Dumbledore winked at Scarlett.
Snape stormed back down to the dungeons, Scarlett trying very hard to keep up.