Hello! Okay, I figured that Harry doesn't really know what Lily's last name is, so I thought that, well, you know. So, anyway, this chapter deals with the first encounters of Lily and Harry, and that mysterious man who walks around Hogwarts….Hmmm….who could that be….Thanks to my reviewers Sweet Tooth (You're welcome! BTW, did you read the very good fic 'A New Beginning' by Prongs? It's a good coming back fic!) and HermioneGMalfoy (it is pretty funny and I don't know why). Here's chapter 8!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 8: Lessons
*******************
There she is again. Walking nervously through the corridors. I wish I can help her but I'm too scared to face her. Why did I have to see her? It just brings back memories, horrible memories.
It was a few days after the first day of school. Everywhere Harry looked, he saw Cordelia Diggory. Harry had felt so guilty of ever facing her that he avoided her every time he sees her around the school. But, for some strange reason, Harry felt Cordelia doing the same. Aside from avoiding Corderlia Diggory, he has had recurring nightmares. They were almost always centered around Cedric's death and his parents' death, and, for some strange reason, the multi-colored ring of fire that would encircle him.
Apart from Cordelia, Harry had been noticing that a certain teacher had been following. He told so to Ron and Hermione.
"Nonsense, why would Professor Evans follow you around, Harry?" asked Ron. It was early in the morning and they were having breakfast at the Great Hall. They watched Professor Evans walk up to the staff table and greeted Professor Mcgonagall.
"She seems like a nice person. She very much reminds me of Professor Sullivan. Maybe she's an auror too," said Hermione thoughtfully.
"It's not that. It's just there's just something about her…" he stared at her. "When do we have her class anyway?"
"Let's see," Ron took out his schedule, "we have her after lunch today. Right after breakfast, we have Potions. Well, that would be interesting."
"But not too interesting. Slytherins are still having their Potion lessons with us," said Harry.
"Yeah, but at least it wouldn't be too hard with Snape breathing down our necks all the time and getting points off us," said Ron.
"Hmm…Potions with Professor Sullivan, that would indeed be interesting," said Hermione.
The bell signaling the morning lessons rang and they headed downstairs to the dungeon.
"I wonder if we will ever have Potions without the Slytherins," mused Ron, while they were going down the stairs to the Potions dungeon.
"No, I reckon we will be stuck with them for a little while," said Harry, catching a glimpse of Draco Malfoy and his two brawny friends (who by the way, grew more than ever), Crabbe and Goyle.
Professor Sullivan opened the door and let them inside the dungeon. Immediately the room undertook a very shocking change. Instead of the usual cold and dark room they always worked on, it was lighter, warmer, and friendlier to the eye.
"Good morning, class. I don't think I need an introduction, do I?" she smiled around the class. All the Gryffindors beamed up to her while the Slytherins looked skeptic.
"Where is Professor Snape? And why are you teaching us Potions?" sneered Pansy Parkinson.
"I am afraid I am in no position to tell you that, Ms. Parkinson. But I can tell you that he would rather be here with all of you than where he is," replied Professor Sullivan. Ron snorted doubtfully at out loud and Hermione nudged him.
"Well, aren't you going to teach us?" drawled Draco Malfoy. "What will you teach? How to fend off creatures?" Only the Slytherins laughed at this. Professor Sullivan seemed unperturbed by this.
"You are right, Mr. Malfoy. I should begin. Right, now let's see…as you are in your sixth year and most of you have done well on your O.W.L.s, I have taken into consideration of teaching the more advance type of Potion. No, no, it won't be Versiteraeum yet, Ms. Granger," she said as Hermione's hand rose. Carefully and blushing, Hermione lowered her hand down. "It will be one of the hardest potions you will be working on this year. It is called the Kaster's Potion, named after its inventor. It is known as the Controller of Humans. Anyone who wishes to manipulate anyone and who does not know how to use the Imperius Curse. The only way to relieve it is the antidote, which I will also teach you."
"Now, that will be the main lesson we will be learning this few months that I will be your teacher. So we shall begin our lessons. If you all will take out your quills and parchment for note taking."
Soon enough, they got down to business. Professor Sullivan first gave them many notes to take and then gave them an assignment, the Forgetfulness potion, as a review.
"Now, just because you have learned in that past, does not mean you don't have to know it anymore. I will come around to help you when you need it," she said, particularly speaking to Neville.
"Wow, could this be anymore boring? This is one of those days where I really wished I was somewhere else," drawled Malfoy at loud. He glanced at Harry and Ron's direction. "I think that this is one of those days where I would rather be at that oaf, Hagrid's, magic creatures class with those awful creatures than staying here and doing this."
Ron turned dark red. He dropped his knife and shouted across the room, "Then why don't you just dropped your things and leave if you hated here so much!"
Profesoor Sullivan heard this and came over to them and said, "Mr. Weasley, I really do wish that you keep your voice down while you are in this dungeon."
While Malfoy and his friends sniggered behind the professor's back, she added quietly, "Besides, I haven't fully gotten the bats out of the ceiling yet."
Harry and Ron looked at each other and laughed silently. Malfoy saw this.
"Oh, so you think she'll always take your side, eh? I'll tell you this, she's nothing but a fraud who I heard have a particular uncle who's a headmaster here. And I bet that she got that Defense job because of that and I wouldn't be so surprised if she nabbed this post while crying to dear Uncle Dumbledore." He made a gesture of pouting and rubbing his eyes. Harry grew angry by this. "What's the matter, Potter? Think you can outsmart that Dumbledore too?"
Laughing, Malfoy and his friends got back to their work. Seamus leaned over his table and whispered to them, "Who cares about him. Don't mind him and his stupid mouth. You'll only getting yourself in trouble."
But Harry didn't listen to him. He stared hard at Malfoy, wishing with all of his might that he would just disappear right then and there. Ron nudged him hard on the ribs and told him to get back to work. He took one look at Malfoy again and got back to work. Across the room, Neville was having trouble with his potion.
"Erm, Professor, I think I overdid the stirring part," he said meekly and sort of hiding himself behind his cauldron, which was bubbling over.
"Oh, dear," sighed Professor Sullivan. "Here let me help you, Neville."
With one sweep of her wand, Neville's cauldron returned to normal.
"There you go. Just be careful next time. Ms. Granger, will you please help Mr. Longbottom?"
"Er, sure, Professor Sullivan," said Hermione meekly.
"Good, now, everyone, remember, stir evenly and nicely. Don't stir like you will never stir anymore. Just nice and even till it thickens, and then you remove it from the heat to add the porcupine quills," Professor Sullivan said to everyone. "Look at how Hermione is doing it. Nice and even, good job, Hermione."
Hermione blushed deeply. Malfoy rolled his eyes. He leaned over to Crabbe and Goyle to whisper something to them. Suddenly the dungeon became a little smoky.
"Oh, Neville, did you do something stupid again?" burst Parvati.
"I didn't do anything," retorted Neville. The Gryffindors looked around to see where this smoke was coming from.
Dean Thomas turned around. "Look! Malfoy's on fire!"
He was indeed correct. The hems of Malfoy's robs were on fire. He looked down and was frantically jumping up and down. The Slytherins were panicking, most especially Pansy Parkinson.
"Oh! Somebody please help him! Oh, Draco! Professor, please do something!" she shrieked.
The Gryffindors, however, were in fits of laughter.
"Look at him go!" shouted Seamus. He imitated Malfoy's frantic jumps.
"Mr. Malfoy, please, stop moving! I can fix this! Mr. Crabbe, get out of the way!" shouted Professor Sullivan over the noise. Finally, she made a loud bang out of her wand and everyone quieted down, except for Malfoy's whimpers. "Good, now, Mr. Malfoy, keep still."
She made water shoot out of her wand and, finally, managed to get the fire out. At the end of the class, Malfoy was furious.
"Wait until my father hears about this. You were trying to set a student on fire, and not just any student, me!"
Pansy wasn't trying to help either. "You are right, Draco. You tell her."
The Gryffindors left the very angry Slytherins down at the dungeons as they headed to the grounds for Herbology.
Ron couldn't restrain himself. But he manages to say in between laughs, "Can…haha…believe that? Malfoy just burst into flames just like that. Man, you don't see that everyday, eh, Harry?"
"Actually, you are wrong, Ron. People actually do just spontaneously combust everyday," explained Hermione.
"Please, Hermione, you are ruining the moment," said Ron.
Harry couldn't help but wonder, did I do that to Malfoy? Someone interrupted his thoughts by bumping into him.
"Oof, sorry, er, mister," said Harry, looking at the tall man in the hooded cloak.
"Er, it's all right, young man," was all the man said. He quickly walked on into the entrance hall. Harry's eyes followed the man, who was heading straight toward the marble staircase.
"Who was that?" asked Ron.
"I don't know. Probably some man," answered Harry.
"Come on, we will be late for class," urged Hermione, beckoning them to come.
~Okay, that is all for this chapter! Watch out for the next one! Sooo…everyone knows the polite thing to do, read and review! Hmmm…that rhymes…oookay, thank you very much for telling me what you all think. I love to read all of our reviews! Okay, that's all! Watch out for the next chapter! Happy New Year!~
