Chapter 5: Gillyweed and Hallucinations
Monday afternoon came too quickly for Vinnie and Malfoy. Vinnie was worried about what Snape would make them do. Probably slave labor. Malfoy was afraid that Vinnie would want an apology. Malfoys never apologize. They entered the hallway at the same time and avoided each other's eyes. They walked in silence a few feet apart until they reached Snape's door. Vinnie went in first.
"Finally," Snape commented. "Thought you weren't going to show up. That would have been most unfortunate for you. Another unfortunate thing is, you won't be having me for detention all week. Professor McGonagall needs assistance cleaning her classroom. But today you're helping me identify and label." He pointed to at least 50 bottles on a nearby table; each filled with something different. "New supplies," he continued. "The dimwit who delivered it forgot the parchment so I'm not sure what everything is. You'll have to examine them, and label them."
"Aren't we only supposed to be here for an hour?" Vinnie asked. "We have Quidditch practice."
"I suggest you hurry then," Snape said coolly as he spun around and went to his desk. Vinnie muttered something under her breath and walked over to the table. Malfoy grumpily followed, hoping that examining didn't include touching. He always made Crabbe and Goyle touch things in Snape's class.
They worked in silence for 15 minutes, each of them identifying only two things. Vinnie sighed. Was she trying to identify gillyweed or camoweed? She knew that if they were going to be done in time to get to Quidditch, they would have to work together. How revolting.
"Malfoy," she began carefully, not wanting a repeat of Friday," do you think this is gillyweed?
Malfoy looked up. Was she seriously asking him? He had no idea what it was. Truthfully, he had no idea what he'd labeled. He was simply 'working' at the same pace she was so Snape wouldn't suspect anything.
"Um.well, it could be. Maybe."
"Hmm. Well, let's see what you've got." She reached over and picked up Malfoy's bottles. One said 'Mandrake Lips' and the other said 'Gillyweed.' "Malfoy, this can't be Gillyweed."
"Why not?"
"It's purple! Gillyweed is green!"
He paused. Maybe he could pretend he was colorblind. He didn't want to look like an idiot. "Oh, I must have missed that," he said a bit naively. Sharpening his tone, he snapped, "Well, if you're so smart, what do you think it is?"
Vinnie was quickly flipping though a book. She replied without looking up. "Thanks for the compliment, but my being smart comes from using this book. You do know how to read, don't you?" Realizing it was remarks like that that began fights, she mumbled, "Sorry."
Malfoy was clearly annoyed but managed to say, "Fine. Let's just get this over with so we can leave. Give me that book."
"Get your own!"
Suddenly, Snape called to them from the front of the room. "I hope you two aren't fighting instead of working. I'd hate to see you miss Quidditch practice." Honestly, he would hate to see Malfoy miss practice. He was their best player. But Dumbledore insisted the pair not leave until the bottles were finished. How extremely irritating. He watched them get back to work. Vinnie was calling out names and Malfoy hurriedly wrote them down and located the correct bottles. He would no doubt have to check their work later.
They finally finished half an hour into Quidditch practice and sprinted out the door. Snape walked over to their table and picked up a bottle. They had mislabeled gillyweed.
Tuesday afternoon, they were back in Snape's classroom re-labeling the bottles they had done incorrectly. Sadly, they had only gotten 8 out of 52 correct. And even worse, neither of them had practice so they had no excuse not to get it right. So far, they had been there an hour and a half and identified - correctly - seven things.
Vinnie had a headache and was noticing how she was doing most of the work. Malfoy made the occasional lame guess but mostly wrote down what Vinnie told him to. She suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"Let's switch."
Malfoy went pale. He didn't know how to identify anything! Even with the book! Crabbe and Goyle did most of the work while he just copied. But he had to play it cool. "Sure," he said casually.
Vinnie watched him fumble through his book for 10 minutes, not finding a thing. He was turning red, probably out of frustration. She felt a little sorry for him.
"Do you want some help?"
"No," he said curtly. " I know what I'm doing. I just.can't really.find." "Check the index."
Malfoy scowled and flipped to the back of the book. Five more minutes went by and he still found nothing. Vinnie walked around the table and sat next to him.
"Are you sure you don't need help?"
"If you know what you're doing, why are all but eight bottles mislabeled?"
"Because you put the labels on the wrong bottles, butthead."
Malfoy laughed. Butthead. He hadn't heard that one in a while. He sighed. "Alright. Help me."
Snape was watching them from his desk. Was he hallucinating or were a Slytherin and a Gryffindor actually being civil to each other? He went back to his parchment but looked up a few seconds later when he heard Vinnie say, "It looks like Crabbe!" She was pointing to something in the book and Malfoy smiled.
"You can't make fun of him! He's my friend," Malfoy said, trying to be defensive.
"You make fun of my friends," Vinnie pointed out.
"Your friends are dorks."
"Your friends are Crabbe and Goyle." Vinnie laughed hysterically at her own joke and Malfoy let a laugh slip out before he could stop it.
Snape decided he was hallucinating after all. Not only were they being civil, they were getting along. They continued to work cheerfully for another hour and a half before leaving. Snape walked back to their table. Every bottle was labeled correctly.
Monday afternoon came too quickly for Vinnie and Malfoy. Vinnie was worried about what Snape would make them do. Probably slave labor. Malfoy was afraid that Vinnie would want an apology. Malfoys never apologize. They entered the hallway at the same time and avoided each other's eyes. They walked in silence a few feet apart until they reached Snape's door. Vinnie went in first.
"Finally," Snape commented. "Thought you weren't going to show up. That would have been most unfortunate for you. Another unfortunate thing is, you won't be having me for detention all week. Professor McGonagall needs assistance cleaning her classroom. But today you're helping me identify and label." He pointed to at least 50 bottles on a nearby table; each filled with something different. "New supplies," he continued. "The dimwit who delivered it forgot the parchment so I'm not sure what everything is. You'll have to examine them, and label them."
"Aren't we only supposed to be here for an hour?" Vinnie asked. "We have Quidditch practice."
"I suggest you hurry then," Snape said coolly as he spun around and went to his desk. Vinnie muttered something under her breath and walked over to the table. Malfoy grumpily followed, hoping that examining didn't include touching. He always made Crabbe and Goyle touch things in Snape's class.
They worked in silence for 15 minutes, each of them identifying only two things. Vinnie sighed. Was she trying to identify gillyweed or camoweed? She knew that if they were going to be done in time to get to Quidditch, they would have to work together. How revolting.
"Malfoy," she began carefully, not wanting a repeat of Friday," do you think this is gillyweed?
Malfoy looked up. Was she seriously asking him? He had no idea what it was. Truthfully, he had no idea what he'd labeled. He was simply 'working' at the same pace she was so Snape wouldn't suspect anything.
"Um.well, it could be. Maybe."
"Hmm. Well, let's see what you've got." She reached over and picked up Malfoy's bottles. One said 'Mandrake Lips' and the other said 'Gillyweed.' "Malfoy, this can't be Gillyweed."
"Why not?"
"It's purple! Gillyweed is green!"
He paused. Maybe he could pretend he was colorblind. He didn't want to look like an idiot. "Oh, I must have missed that," he said a bit naively. Sharpening his tone, he snapped, "Well, if you're so smart, what do you think it is?"
Vinnie was quickly flipping though a book. She replied without looking up. "Thanks for the compliment, but my being smart comes from using this book. You do know how to read, don't you?" Realizing it was remarks like that that began fights, she mumbled, "Sorry."
Malfoy was clearly annoyed but managed to say, "Fine. Let's just get this over with so we can leave. Give me that book."
"Get your own!"
Suddenly, Snape called to them from the front of the room. "I hope you two aren't fighting instead of working. I'd hate to see you miss Quidditch practice." Honestly, he would hate to see Malfoy miss practice. He was their best player. But Dumbledore insisted the pair not leave until the bottles were finished. How extremely irritating. He watched them get back to work. Vinnie was calling out names and Malfoy hurriedly wrote them down and located the correct bottles. He would no doubt have to check their work later.
They finally finished half an hour into Quidditch practice and sprinted out the door. Snape walked over to their table and picked up a bottle. They had mislabeled gillyweed.
Tuesday afternoon, they were back in Snape's classroom re-labeling the bottles they had done incorrectly. Sadly, they had only gotten 8 out of 52 correct. And even worse, neither of them had practice so they had no excuse not to get it right. So far, they had been there an hour and a half and identified - correctly - seven things.
Vinnie had a headache and was noticing how she was doing most of the work. Malfoy made the occasional lame guess but mostly wrote down what Vinnie told him to. She suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"Let's switch."
Malfoy went pale. He didn't know how to identify anything! Even with the book! Crabbe and Goyle did most of the work while he just copied. But he had to play it cool. "Sure," he said casually.
Vinnie watched him fumble through his book for 10 minutes, not finding a thing. He was turning red, probably out of frustration. She felt a little sorry for him.
"Do you want some help?"
"No," he said curtly. " I know what I'm doing. I just.can't really.find." "Check the index."
Malfoy scowled and flipped to the back of the book. Five more minutes went by and he still found nothing. Vinnie walked around the table and sat next to him.
"Are you sure you don't need help?"
"If you know what you're doing, why are all but eight bottles mislabeled?"
"Because you put the labels on the wrong bottles, butthead."
Malfoy laughed. Butthead. He hadn't heard that one in a while. He sighed. "Alright. Help me."
Snape was watching them from his desk. Was he hallucinating or were a Slytherin and a Gryffindor actually being civil to each other? He went back to his parchment but looked up a few seconds later when he heard Vinnie say, "It looks like Crabbe!" She was pointing to something in the book and Malfoy smiled.
"You can't make fun of him! He's my friend," Malfoy said, trying to be defensive.
"You make fun of my friends," Vinnie pointed out.
"Your friends are dorks."
"Your friends are Crabbe and Goyle." Vinnie laughed hysterically at her own joke and Malfoy let a laugh slip out before he could stop it.
Snape decided he was hallucinating after all. Not only were they being civil, they were getting along. They continued to work cheerfully for another hour and a half before leaving. Snape walked back to their table. Every bottle was labeled correctly.