"You're late," Professor McShane says the moment I walk into the dungeons.
"My bag ripped," I say. I hold up my bag to show him.
"Acceptable excuse, Miss Perry," he says. Some Slytherin mutters "teachers' pet." "May I see the bag?" I hand it to him. "Repario."
"Thank you, professor." I take my seat next to Lily.
At that moment, Black and Potter run in. Unlike me, they have no excuse being late, and get a detention each.
"As I was saying… Truth potions are quite controversial, and the Ministry has many laws regarding their use. On one hand, a person could be correctly imprisoned or acquitted of a crime, and we wouldn't need trials. On the other hand, the power could be badly abused. When under the influence of a strong truth potion, you have no mental conscience, nor any power to avoid revealing something. Often, that power is abused. The potion we will be making this week is called Veritaserum. It is the most powerful of any truth potion, and it only needs three drops to cure you of any inhibitions about revealing your darkest secrets."
The whole class flinches. Lupin looks sick. Then again, that boy is always sick, tired, or late.
Professor McShane turns to write the ingredients of the potion on the board.
"I know something you don't know," I sing quietly to Lily.
"What?" She mouths.
"The royal couple is breaking up." I smirk.
"So? I thought you don't care about them." Lily demands.
"I don't. But I'm as thrilled as can be. I'm sick of looking at them." I whisper.
"Too true. You know, I can't believe that lady is Potter's mother." Lily says.
"I can." Lily laughs. [Don't sue me Nancy Stouffer, I mean no infringement on your evil books. I've read "Rah" and it's worse than a really bad fanfiction, so I doubt you'd sell any even if Harry Potter didn't exist]
* * *
It happens at lunch. I have already finished my lunch, when Veronica appears, but I stay to watch the fun.
Veronica comes over to sit on Potter's lap. Before she can sit, he stands up.
"We need to talk." Potter says. He seems quite serious. "You know that woman we saw in the hallway before your Transfiguration and my Potions class?"
"That weirdo?" Lily and I both laugh, and look away, so Potter doesn't know we are watching.
"That weirdo was my mother." The look on Veronica's face is priceless.
"I-I didn't know, Jamesie, honest." She is trying really hard to look innocent and loveable. It's a good reaction, but it doesn't fit well with her worldly and repulsive character. It's as if Snape was trying to act as if he cared about something. (Aside from himself of course)
"I'm well aware you didn't know, which just goes to show that you're quick to judge people. You obviously don't know my mum." I have to admit: as much as I hate Potter, I admire what he's doing. I know he and Black planned on him saying this, but I can tell means what he's saying.
Unlike Potter, I feel no love for Veronica. She's self-centered enough not to salvage the situation, apologize to Potter and say how wrong she was. Instead, she says, "We're still going to Noël Night together, Jamesie?"
"No, Veronica, we are not." The whole of the Great Hall is silent. Potter is a little off put by this, but as he's Potter, he ignores everyone and continues to talk to Veronica. "I've been wanting to tell you for quite some time, but it was hard to get the words out when you mouth was covering mine."
Veronica is in a state of shock. "Then who will you go to the dance with?"
Potter looks at her very seriously. "There's a girl in my house I've been wanting to ask." All the girls at our table look as though Christmas has come early. I hope it's not me.
"But we're still going steady, right?" Veronica looks desperate.
"No, Veronica, we're not." The silence in the hall is broken by a collective gasp. These people really need more productive things to do with their lives.
"Fine!" She runs out of the Great Hall in tears. The usual chatter of the Great Hall returns, except that all everyone is talking about is Veronica and Potter.
"I don't believe it. I'd have pegged them for getting married as soon as they left school," a girl at the Ravenclaw table behind my seat says.
"I feel bad for Veronica, but not that bad. I never liked her much anyway," says a third year Gryffindor.
"He said he's going to ask a Gryffindor," a first year gushes. "Maybe it'll be me!" Dream on.
Oh no! I realize. Now that Black and Potter are both single, there IS going to be double dating hysteria. This isn't good. I want Veronica back now. Really, I do.
* * *
Double dating hysteria does indeed break loose. Winnie Frank has become completely unbearable, all throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts she blathers on about whom Potter and Black are going to ask. She is even more thrilled than usual now that her chances of being asked to the Noël Night are double. It is hard to ignore her, but I am trying very hard. I turn away from her and talk to Lily, surprisingly, about the dance.
As for myself, I am hoping either Reginald Jalbert, a seventh year Gyffindor prefect, or maybe Donald Finch, a very sweet Hufflepuff prefect, though he's not too good looking and has bad hygiene, will ask me. I like Donald despite the fact that he doesn't wear deodorant; he holds rules in high esteem and is very serious. If neither of them, or anybody else asks me by December, I am going to pull a Sadie Hawkins and ask Donald.
Lily says she hopes Reggie or the other boy, Andrew Weasley asks her. Andrew is a decent guy, though he isn't a prefect. In fact, he's keeper on Gryffindor Quidditch, which is a minus because it means along with the rest of the Quidditch team and half of the boys in the school, he's a yes-man to Potter, Black and company. Weasley isn't my first choice, but if he did ask me, I wouldn't say no.
We debate all throughout the hour. It was okay to talk in class today, because we were being tested on curse deflection. To me and everyone else in the class, it was better not to watch our comrades get beaten, controlled and exhausted by Professor Sparks. Personally, I think she's a Death Eater sent by You-Know-Who to scout who in our school would make a good follower. Snape, Lestange, Wilkes, Avery and Rosier love her. She actually shows us Dark Arts that she really shouldn't. I can also tell that she's not that competent. Winnie tells me that Professor Trelawney says that she'll be dead by the end of the year. I don't trust Winnie or Trelawney, but for seven years at Hogwarts, I've had seven different Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. I do fine on the testing. I don't get full marks but I never do in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
* * *
Dinner is an amusing affair. The whole school now knows about Potter and Veronica. While the Gryffindors are thrilled, the Hufflepuffs intrigued, and the Slytherins indifferent, the Ravenclaws are rather bitter. They've gotten it into their heads that it their job to make every Gyffindor in the school miserable because of what Potter has done. If only he didn't have control over the whole school, then no one would car. Instead there is a horrible backlash. Normally peaceful Ravenclaws have bumped into, squished, and dropped food on Gryffindors, mainly myself, and not even apologized! I can't believe this place. I wish Potter and his friends didn't exist.
* * *
When Lily and I arrive into the common room after dinner, Winnie rushes over. She looks at me, as if she wants to tell me something, but stalks off after she remembers she isn't speaking to me since she's mad at me because of what I said about Black.
"You really should apologize," Lily tells me.
"Oh all right," I say. I don't need any more trouble.
Winnie is sitting with the other two girls in our dorm, and all the fifth and sixth years, they are all bending over Witch Weekly, and a massive makeup collection. "What's going on?" Lily asks.
Betty, a sixth year explains, "Nora in Hufflepuff overheard James Potter telling Sirius Black he was going to ask his date to Noël Night after dinner. We're all getting ready just in case."
"Oh- OUCH!" I was about to say "Oh throw me off the cliff now and get it over with," but Lily pinched me in my upper back really hard to shut me up. Always the diplomat, that one.
"Ros and I have homework we want to do, but otherwise we'd stay. Good luck to all of you," Lily says. She walks over to an empty table with two arm chairs. "Ros, don't start a fight, please. Let them be happy, they're having so much fun. We both know that this has been a rather big deal, but do we really want to find we have no friends after the Christmas holidays?"
I give her a non-committal grunt. We breeze through Potions and Runes, and while we are filling out our astronomy charts, Betty, and another sixth year who I know to be Paulette, comes over to our table. I notice that both are wearing way too much makeup, and have straightened their hair.
"Erm- Rosalind, since you aren't doing anything, (what? I'm doing plenty) would you mind keeping watch for James Potter?"
"I don't-" I begin
"She'd be glad to." Lily cuts in.
Thanks a whole lot, Lily.
"My bag ripped," I say. I hold up my bag to show him.
"Acceptable excuse, Miss Perry," he says. Some Slytherin mutters "teachers' pet." "May I see the bag?" I hand it to him. "Repario."
"Thank you, professor." I take my seat next to Lily.
At that moment, Black and Potter run in. Unlike me, they have no excuse being late, and get a detention each.
"As I was saying… Truth potions are quite controversial, and the Ministry has many laws regarding their use. On one hand, a person could be correctly imprisoned or acquitted of a crime, and we wouldn't need trials. On the other hand, the power could be badly abused. When under the influence of a strong truth potion, you have no mental conscience, nor any power to avoid revealing something. Often, that power is abused. The potion we will be making this week is called Veritaserum. It is the most powerful of any truth potion, and it only needs three drops to cure you of any inhibitions about revealing your darkest secrets."
The whole class flinches. Lupin looks sick. Then again, that boy is always sick, tired, or late.
Professor McShane turns to write the ingredients of the potion on the board.
"I know something you don't know," I sing quietly to Lily.
"What?" She mouths.
"The royal couple is breaking up." I smirk.
"So? I thought you don't care about them." Lily demands.
"I don't. But I'm as thrilled as can be. I'm sick of looking at them." I whisper.
"Too true. You know, I can't believe that lady is Potter's mother." Lily says.
"I can." Lily laughs. [Don't sue me Nancy Stouffer, I mean no infringement on your evil books. I've read "Rah" and it's worse than a really bad fanfiction, so I doubt you'd sell any even if Harry Potter didn't exist]
* * *
It happens at lunch. I have already finished my lunch, when Veronica appears, but I stay to watch the fun.
Veronica comes over to sit on Potter's lap. Before she can sit, he stands up.
"We need to talk." Potter says. He seems quite serious. "You know that woman we saw in the hallway before your Transfiguration and my Potions class?"
"That weirdo?" Lily and I both laugh, and look away, so Potter doesn't know we are watching.
"That weirdo was my mother." The look on Veronica's face is priceless.
"I-I didn't know, Jamesie, honest." She is trying really hard to look innocent and loveable. It's a good reaction, but it doesn't fit well with her worldly and repulsive character. It's as if Snape was trying to act as if he cared about something. (Aside from himself of course)
"I'm well aware you didn't know, which just goes to show that you're quick to judge people. You obviously don't know my mum." I have to admit: as much as I hate Potter, I admire what he's doing. I know he and Black planned on him saying this, but I can tell means what he's saying.
Unlike Potter, I feel no love for Veronica. She's self-centered enough not to salvage the situation, apologize to Potter and say how wrong she was. Instead, she says, "We're still going to Noël Night together, Jamesie?"
"No, Veronica, we are not." The whole of the Great Hall is silent. Potter is a little off put by this, but as he's Potter, he ignores everyone and continues to talk to Veronica. "I've been wanting to tell you for quite some time, but it was hard to get the words out when you mouth was covering mine."
Veronica is in a state of shock. "Then who will you go to the dance with?"
Potter looks at her very seriously. "There's a girl in my house I've been wanting to ask." All the girls at our table look as though Christmas has come early. I hope it's not me.
"But we're still going steady, right?" Veronica looks desperate.
"No, Veronica, we're not." The silence in the hall is broken by a collective gasp. These people really need more productive things to do with their lives.
"Fine!" She runs out of the Great Hall in tears. The usual chatter of the Great Hall returns, except that all everyone is talking about is Veronica and Potter.
"I don't believe it. I'd have pegged them for getting married as soon as they left school," a girl at the Ravenclaw table behind my seat says.
"I feel bad for Veronica, but not that bad. I never liked her much anyway," says a third year Gryffindor.
"He said he's going to ask a Gryffindor," a first year gushes. "Maybe it'll be me!" Dream on.
Oh no! I realize. Now that Black and Potter are both single, there IS going to be double dating hysteria. This isn't good. I want Veronica back now. Really, I do.
* * *
Double dating hysteria does indeed break loose. Winnie Frank has become completely unbearable, all throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts she blathers on about whom Potter and Black are going to ask. She is even more thrilled than usual now that her chances of being asked to the Noël Night are double. It is hard to ignore her, but I am trying very hard. I turn away from her and talk to Lily, surprisingly, about the dance.
As for myself, I am hoping either Reginald Jalbert, a seventh year Gyffindor prefect, or maybe Donald Finch, a very sweet Hufflepuff prefect, though he's not too good looking and has bad hygiene, will ask me. I like Donald despite the fact that he doesn't wear deodorant; he holds rules in high esteem and is very serious. If neither of them, or anybody else asks me by December, I am going to pull a Sadie Hawkins and ask Donald.
Lily says she hopes Reggie or the other boy, Andrew Weasley asks her. Andrew is a decent guy, though he isn't a prefect. In fact, he's keeper on Gryffindor Quidditch, which is a minus because it means along with the rest of the Quidditch team and half of the boys in the school, he's a yes-man to Potter, Black and company. Weasley isn't my first choice, but if he did ask me, I wouldn't say no.
We debate all throughout the hour. It was okay to talk in class today, because we were being tested on curse deflection. To me and everyone else in the class, it was better not to watch our comrades get beaten, controlled and exhausted by Professor Sparks. Personally, I think she's a Death Eater sent by You-Know-Who to scout who in our school would make a good follower. Snape, Lestange, Wilkes, Avery and Rosier love her. She actually shows us Dark Arts that she really shouldn't. I can also tell that she's not that competent. Winnie tells me that Professor Trelawney says that she'll be dead by the end of the year. I don't trust Winnie or Trelawney, but for seven years at Hogwarts, I've had seven different Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. I do fine on the testing. I don't get full marks but I never do in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
* * *
Dinner is an amusing affair. The whole school now knows about Potter and Veronica. While the Gryffindors are thrilled, the Hufflepuffs intrigued, and the Slytherins indifferent, the Ravenclaws are rather bitter. They've gotten it into their heads that it their job to make every Gyffindor in the school miserable because of what Potter has done. If only he didn't have control over the whole school, then no one would car. Instead there is a horrible backlash. Normally peaceful Ravenclaws have bumped into, squished, and dropped food on Gryffindors, mainly myself, and not even apologized! I can't believe this place. I wish Potter and his friends didn't exist.
* * *
When Lily and I arrive into the common room after dinner, Winnie rushes over. She looks at me, as if she wants to tell me something, but stalks off after she remembers she isn't speaking to me since she's mad at me because of what I said about Black.
"You really should apologize," Lily tells me.
"Oh all right," I say. I don't need any more trouble.
Winnie is sitting with the other two girls in our dorm, and all the fifth and sixth years, they are all bending over Witch Weekly, and a massive makeup collection. "What's going on?" Lily asks.
Betty, a sixth year explains, "Nora in Hufflepuff overheard James Potter telling Sirius Black he was going to ask his date to Noël Night after dinner. We're all getting ready just in case."
"Oh- OUCH!" I was about to say "Oh throw me off the cliff now and get it over with," but Lily pinched me in my upper back really hard to shut me up. Always the diplomat, that one.
"Ros and I have homework we want to do, but otherwise we'd stay. Good luck to all of you," Lily says. She walks over to an empty table with two arm chairs. "Ros, don't start a fight, please. Let them be happy, they're having so much fun. We both know that this has been a rather big deal, but do we really want to find we have no friends after the Christmas holidays?"
I give her a non-committal grunt. We breeze through Potions and Runes, and while we are filling out our astronomy charts, Betty, and another sixth year who I know to be Paulette, comes over to our table. I notice that both are wearing way too much makeup, and have straightened their hair.
"Erm- Rosalind, since you aren't doing anything, (what? I'm doing plenty) would you mind keeping watch for James Potter?"
"I don't-" I begin
"She'd be glad to." Lily cuts in.
Thanks a whole lot, Lily.
