Chapter 7 – Humming, Potions and the art of sucking up
Olivia was about to head up to Gryffindor tower with Ron, Hermione, and Harry when Professor McGonagall stopped her.
"Ms. Stanton the Headmaster wishes to see you before you head to Gryffindor Tower."
"Yes Professor." Olivia responded wondering why Dumbledore wanted to talk to her again.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at Olivia but she just shrugged her shoulders. Olivia knew they wanted to know why Dumbledore wanted to see her but she was as clueless as they were. Olivia walked with them until they reached the floor that held Dumbledore's office. From there Olivia traveled alone to the stone gargoyle.
"Fawks" Olivia said remembering the password from the night before. Up the stairs she went, stopping only to knock on the door at the top.
"Come in."
Olivia walked into the office taking the time, this time, to notice how good the books were at describing Dumbledore's office.
"Ah Ms. Stanton have a seat this meeting will be brief. I have two things to alert you of. One, your school books have been taken to your room along with the rest of your stuff. Also since there are no extra dormitories in the girls tower we've had to place you in the empty dormitory in the boys tower. You will be the only one in there, is that alright?"
"Sure………privacy is always a good thing."
"Good well your dormitory will be directly below the fifth year boys. Now off you go you've got quite a day ahead of you tomorrow!" Dumbledore exclaimed ending the conversation.
* * *
"Why do you think Dumbledore wanted to talk to her again?" Harry asked. He, Ron, and Hermione were in the Gryffindor common room sitting off to the side so that others wouldn't be able to hear.
"I don't know, but don't you find it weird that Dumbledore's allowing her to stay even though she's a muggle?" Hermione retorted with a bit of spite in her voice.
"I suppose Dumbledore's got his reasons." Harry remarked.
"Either that or he's finally cracked and lost it." Ron offered.
Suddenly the portrait opened and in walked Olivia. She looked around the common room until she found Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Olivia slowly made her way over to them stopping every so often to introduce herself. When Olivia reached the trio she noticed that Hermione was looking at her with a disgusted look upon her face.
"Wow she really doesn't like me." Olivia thought to herself seeing Hermione's face but she wasn't the only one who'd seen it.
" 'Moine what's wrong? Looks like you've just eaten a slug." Ron remarked.
"Nothing Ron I was just thinking."
"About how much she hates me no doubt." Olivia thought while taking the open seat next to Harry resulting in another disgusted glance from Hermione. This times though Olivia was the only one who'd seen it.
"So Olivia what did Dumbledore want?" Harry asked, curious to know.
"Oh just to tell me my things had been moved and that I'm to get my own dormitory in the empty room in the boys' tower, since the girls' tower is full."
"That's cool that you get your own dorm." Ron replied
"Yea well I'd better head to bed I'm tired." Olivia stated with a yawn.
"Me too." Harry seconded as he stood.
A few minutes later Harry, Ron, and Olivia were walking up the stairs to their dorms while Hermione went the other way to her's. When they reached the second highest landing they saw a plaque that read 'Ms. Olivia Stanton.'
"Well this is my stop. Goodnight guys." Olivia said turning to her dorm.
"Wait!" Harry exclaimed. "You're right below us."
"I know Dumbledore told me."
"Oh………"
"Goodnight guys and please try no to be too loud." Olivia stated grinning.
"Goodnight." Harry and Ron chorused together before heading up to their own dorm.
* * *
Olivia was awoken the following morning by pounding on her door, and screaming to go along with it.
"Olivia get up! Get Up!" Harry and Ron yelled hoping that Olivia would wake up and they wouldn't have to barge into her room.
"I'm UP!" Olivia yelled back to stop the incessant pounding that was starting to give her a headache.
Twenty minutes later Olivia stepped out of her dorm room and went down to the common room to find Harry and Ron waiting for her. She noticed that they still wore their entire Hogwarts uniforms. Olivia had opted to take the chance to wear whatever she wanted under her robes, so she was wearing low rider jeans again and a maroon three quarter length shirt.
"Good morning boys………Where's Hermione?"
"She's already down in Great Hall." Ron replied
"Oh Ok………Well shall we go eat 'cause I'm starved."
"Yea let's go." Harry seconded
So Harry, Olivia, and Ron headed down to the Great Hall with Olivia humming a song she had stuck in her head the whole way down. The boy's were right for when the entered the Great Hall they found Hermione buried in a book. The three of them sat down and began to fill their plates. Even as they ate Olivia was humming her song without even noticing it.
"Could you please be quite I'm trying to read." Hermione demanded in an annoyed tone.
Olivia looked at Harry and Ron with a confused look upon her face for help. Harry mouthed to Olivia 'humming'. It took a few seconds for Olivia to realize that she was still humming.
"Oh I'm sorry Hermione I didn't realize I was humming. That tends to happen to me a lot." Olivia apologized.
Hermione didn't even so much as acknowledge Olivia's apology and just kept on reading. Harry and Ron both looked at Hermione in confusion waiting for her to apologize but when she didn't they shrugged their shoulders in apology to Olivia for Hermione. Olivia didn't much time to think about since McGonagall came up behind her and handed her, her timetable.
"Have you got all the same classes as us?" Ron asked.
"I think so………Double Potions first with the Slytherin's?" Olivia asked
"Bloody hell not again!" Ron complained
"I take that as yes." Olivia responded
"Yea." Harry agreed " To bad your first class has to be with Snape and he'll be worse cause not only are you new you're a Gryffindor."
"Don't worry about me I know how to handle Snape."
"Well we'd better be going don't want to be late and lose more points then we have to." Hermione stated shutting her book and leaving the table.
"I wonder what her problem is?" Ron thought aloud
"Me." Olivia replied nonchalantly.
"You!?"
"She doesn't like me I know she doesn't although I'm not a hundred percent sure why right now. But anyway we'd better get going."
With that Olivia left the Great Hall with Harry and Ron running after her.
* * *
"I see you've all returned to your fifth year of potions. I just hope some of you can improve but I highly doubt it." At this last statement Snape looked right at Neville Longbottom. "This year we will be covering harder and more dangerous potions that you will all need to know for your O.W.L.'s."
Snape looked around the classroom for a student to torture and he stopped when his eye's landed on Olivia. Olivia was once again humming but this time she was also mouthing the words to go along with the song.
"Ah I see our newest student doesn't feel that she needs to pay attention. Ms. Stanton would you mind telling the class what incantation you are mumbling?"
"Sorry Professor." Olivia responded
"No please do share with the class." Snape perused with a nasty grin upon his face waiting to take points away.
"Well I wasn't saying an incantation I was mouthing the words to a song that's stuck in my head, but if you really want me to share then ok." Olivia cleared her voice then opened her mouth and began to sing.
"Love is a many splendid thing
Love lifts us up where we belong
All you need is Love
Please don't start that again
All you need is love
A girl has got to eat
All you need is love
She'll end up on the street
All you need is lo-o—ve
Love is just a game
I was made for loving you baby
You were made for loving me
The only way of loving my baby
Is to pay a lovely fee
Just one night
Give me just one night
There's no way 'cause you can't pay
In the name of love
One night in the name of love
You crazy fool
I won't give into you
Don't………leave me this way
I can't survive with out you sweet love
Oh baby don't leave me this way
You'd think that people would've had enough
Of silly love songs
I look around me and I see
It isn't so………oh no
Some people wanna fill the world
With silly love songs
Well what's wrong with that I'd like to know
'Cause here I go again
Love lifts us up where we belong
Where eagles fly on a mountain high
Love makes us act like we are fools
Throw our lives away for one happy day
We could be heroes
Just for one day
You………you will be mean
No I won't
And I………I'll drink all the time
We should be lovers
We can't do that
We should be lovers
And that's a fact
Though nothing will keep us together
We could steal time just for one day
We could be heroes forever and ever
We could be heroes forever and ever
We could be heroes ………
Just because I-e-I will always love you
I-e-I can't help loving……… you
How wonderful life is now you're in the world!"
The class sat in awe as Olivia finished singing and then the whole classroom broke into applause. At this Olivia began to turn a light shade of magenta.
"Quite down!" Snape barked " Five points from Gryffindor for Ms. Stanton's showing off."
"Um Professor." Harry began
"Yes Potter."
"You asked Olivia to share with the class what she was saying so I don't believe it's fair if you take points off for her doing what you asked."
Snape glared at both Harry and Olivia before saying anything.
"Fine then if you can answer these questions correctly Ms. Stanton you can reclaim the points you've lost."
Olivia began to panic but relaxed when she was able to tap into Hermione's thoughts.
Five minutes later and twenty questions later Olivia had gained back her five points and answered every question correctly. This of course put Snape in a bad mood and he was even worse to poor Neville when they finally began to brew the day's potion. As Olivia was brewing her potion with Harry she was still humming only this time it was a new tune. As Snape walked by their cauldron he heard Olivia humming.
"Ms. Stanton I will not tolerate distractions in this classroom!"
"Distraction? What are you talking about Professor?"
"You're incessant humming is a distraction."
"I don't really see how since we're done already."
"Fine then we'll test your potion if it's correct you should tell us you're deepest and darkest secret."
Olivia took the potion and waited for its effects to occur. In a few minutes she heard herself talking as her mind searched for it's deepest secret.
"My deepest secret is that………I have to protect the world and find my family while I'm only 15………wait no I'll be 16 in two month's………Anyway back to the secret like I said I have to do all that and I don't even know it yet."
With that Olivia's eye's popped open like she was waking from a nap. The bell then rang signaling the end of class and everyone hurried to clean up their stuff and head to their next class. Olivia however hung back wanting to talk to Professor Snape.
"Come on Olivia we've got to get up the tower!" Harry exclaimed.
"Go on I've got to talk to Snape." Olivia replied
Harry and Ron made faces but said nothing more and left to go to Divination with Professor Trelawney.
"Um………Professor Snape, could I have a word with you?" Olivia questioned
"If you are here to cause trouble then I suggest you leave now Ms. Stanton." Snape replied
"No! Actually I wanted to ask for your help. You see my potions master at my old school was………well she sucked. She'd always tell us about you and great of a potions master you were in fact she said that you were the best in the world and now that you're my teacher I was hoping you could help me. You see compared to your students I'm on the level of a first year and I really like potions so I want to keep my grade up. Too bad I'm not in Slytherin like I wanted so then you could help me any old time, but would you please consider tutoring me after school sometime?"
Snape looked long and hard at Olivia to find fault somewhere in her story but after a minute or so of finding none a small smile cracked upon his face.
"You should've been in Slytherin but since you're not this makes it a little harder to schedule but I'll see when I can fit you in Ms. Stanton. I hope you excel in potions; as well it's very rare to have a student who cares and understands the art so much like you do. Now I suggest you head off to your next class. Oh and by the way your potion today was excellent!"
Olivia walked out of Snape's classroom and up three floors before letting out the giggles she had held in. She couldn't believe it Snape had actually fallen for her act. "I guess a little praise is all he needs to like you." Olivia thought as she neared Professor Trelawney's classroom.
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The song Olivia sings is the Elephant Love Medley from the movie Moulin Rouge.