Title: A War of Two Kinds
Author: Adrienne Wolter (catsncritters)
Disclaimer: Why on Earth would I be writing fan fiction if I owned Potter?
Warnings: Eventual SLASH. As in yaoi, or malexmale relationship. Don't like
it, scat. Major age difference in the pairing. Don't like it, scat.
Timeframe: Harry's 6th year.
Rating: PG, just to be safe.
Summary: In the midst of a war, Harry realizes that love can be found no matter
where you look for it.
I got three positive reviews! Yay!! Anywho, here's the next part. Got a minor cliffie in it. Still working on the plot.
.~*~.
Chapter 2
"Harry!" was the first thing the boy heard upon entering the common
room. He looked up to see Hermione and Ron at one of the low tables by the fireplace,
seated on the floor and doing homework.
"Hey Hermione, Ron."
"Where did you go? Ron looked up in the sixth year dorms and you weren't
in there." Hermione was talking extremely fast, like she wanted to say
something.
"Was going to visit Hedwig, but ended up getting caught by Snape again
at the hospital wing."
Ron blinked. "The hospital wing, mate? That's nowhere near the owlery...."
"I dunno, just ended up there. But guess what, Flitwick's...."
"Snape's going to be teaching Charms classes from now to the end
of the year! McGonagall came and told us," Hermione said in one breath.
"What?! Who's taking over Potions?"
"We don't know yet," Hermione told him, shrugging.
"Ugh, Charms is longer than Potions!"
"I know," Ron told him. "What were you saying about Flitwick?"
"He's in the hospital wing, white as a ghost," Harry told
them quietly. "No idea what happened to him."
"Huh," Hermione muttered, frowning.
"But gosh, argh! Snape's probably going to be as grumpy teaching
as he was today. I bet that's what got him, he found out he had to teach
Charms. I bet he wishes it had been...."
"Harry, has your scar hurt any lately?"
Ron's ranting fell silent, and he looked at Harry.
"No, hasn't," he answered.
"Because it might've been a Death Eater attack that they're
keeping quiet... maybe only one Death Eater?...."
"Dunno," Harry shrugged. The conversation was dropped and they worked
on homework.
At breakfast, Dumbledore stood and waited for the Hall to fall into silence,
which didn't take long.
"As most of you know, our Potions Master, Professor Snape has taken over
teaching Charms classes." A wave of murmurs were sent over the room and
it was again quiet. "I am going to be teaching Potions for the time being,
until we can find a suitable substitute."
He sat back down. Hermione frowned.
"He hasn't told us what happened to Flitwick."
"Potions without Snape?" Ron was saying. He was grinning.
"Charms is still a longer class," Harry reminded him.
"But why would Snape switch and then Dumbledore take over Snape's
teaching duties? That messes everything up...."
"And," Harry said, realizing something, "how did Snape teach
the fourth year Charms class and Potions for us at the same time?"
"No idea... maybe fourth years got a free period?"
"Dunno," Ron said, chewing on another piece of steak.
"Maybe he used a time-turner," Harry suggested jokingly. He glanced
up at the Staff table.
Snape was looking right at him.
He furrowed his brows, wondering why Snape was watching him and his friends.
They both watched each other, and the latter smirked and trailed his eyes over
to the Slytherins.
"Harry?"
Ron was waving a hand in front of Harry's eyes.
"What? Sorry," Harry looked back down. He silently wondered how
long he'd been looking up at the Staff table. Snape had looked away a
while ago.
"Never mind," Hermione shrugged.
"What were you looking at?" Ron asked him. "You were kind
of... staring off into space...."
"Oh, it was nothing, was just thinking."
"Kay," Hermione looked at Harry's plate. "Harry, eat
something, you're going to starve yourself."
Right on cue, Harry's stomach made a loud grumble. Ron laughed and sipped
on his orange juice.
After Herbology was Potions. The trio took seats near the front of the class,
anticipating Dumbledore's lessons. Since they had arrived a few minutes
early along with the rest of the Gryffindors, they waited noisily.
But it wasn't Dumbledore who entered the room two minutes late, it was
Snape. Ron choked mid-sentence, being the one facing the door.
"Get your books out," Snape snapped crossly. "Hurry up about
it, I would like to finish last class's lesson today."
Snape gave them some more potent ingredients for their potions, then gave them
careful instructions on making Veritaserum.
While waiting for the timer to go off, Harry, Ron, and Hermione whispered to
each other.
"Who is teaching Charms, you think?"
"Dunno, maybe Dumbledore and Snape decided to switch?"
Hermione added some chopped plants to the cauldron, causing the previously sludge-like
potion to turn completely clear. They stopped talking for a few seconds to watch
it.
"It just doesn't seem right, I mean, if they keep switching...."
"With my luck, Snape's teaching both Charms and Potions for us,"
Harry muttered. He stared at the floor for a minute until he saw something drip
from the cauldron and looked up.
"Hermione!" he hissed. Hermione turned quickly and removed the lid
from the cauldron and added a powder-like substance.
"This potion should be finished by a quarter after. You will be testing
it for the remainder of class." Snape passed out sheets with questions
that Harry assumed were for them to ask each other to prove the validity of
the potion. "Your potion should be completely transparent or slightly
tinted green by now and the bubbling should have stopped."
Ron peered down into the small cauldron. "It's clear."
"How long is the potion going to last?" Harry asked Hermione, who
glanced at the recipe in the book.
"Says five minutes," Hermione told Ron and Harry, who nodded.
"Fires out, follow the directions in Magical Drafts and Potions,"
Snape told the class, not looking up from the papers he was grading.
Ron put the fire out with his wand, and Hermione read the next instruction in
the book.
"We need to let it cool for two minutes and then pour it into the phials,"
she read. Harry watched the second hand of the clock on the wall. Two minutes
later, they divided the potion evenly between three small glass phials.
"Who'll go first?" Hermione asked, grinning. Ron and Harry
looked nervously at one another.
"Oh well, no secrets, doesn't matter," Harry shrugged, waiting
for Snape to instruct them to begin their questioning.
"When I tell you that you may do so, one person from your group of three
will drink the entire phial of potion and the other two will alternate in the
asking of questions. Try to finish them all in the time limit of five minutes.
Use your remaining time however you'd like. When you are done, continue
with the next person immediately unless," Snape's eyes narrowed
out Neville from the rest of the students, "it is proven by the first
person that the potion is... incorrectly prepared."
Harry winced. Neville was shaking terribly, being chosen as the first to take
the potion in his group. It was milky white.
"You may begin."
Harry downed the potion in one gulp, blinking his eyes several times to try
and get used to the feeling that sharp pieces of glass had been sent down his
throat. The potion was freezing cold, but it seemed to burn.
"Taste good?" Ron asked him sarcastically. Harry shook his head
immediately.
"Alright," Hermione scanned the list of questions. "These
are really stupid questions, how are we supposed to prove if the potion works
if they're questions like these?" She had become readier to talk
back to teachers since the end of fifth year.
Ron plucked the paper out of her hands and read the first question before handing
it back. "What is your name?"
"Harry James Potter," Harry said immediately. He didn't even
have to think about the answers, they came before he could phrase them how he
liked.
"What year were you born?" Hermione read boredly.
"1980."
"Who were your parents?" Ron asked him, and then sent him an apologetic
look.
"James Potter and Lily Evans," Harry responded.
"What house are you in?"
"Gryffindor."
"What class are you worst in?"
"Potions."
All three gave a small smile before continuing.
Ron finally reached the last question.
"Who is your favorite professor teaching at the moment?"
A pause. A long pause.
"Harry?"
"Did the potion wear off, Hermione?" Ron asked, but was cut off
immediately by Harry's answer, which not only shocked his friends, but
shocked himself too.
"Professor Snape."
.~*~.
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