Chapter 3

"Arista! Arista!"

Vega woke up abruptly. Her body ached all over and her head pounded horribly. With only a few hours sleep she had, the temptation to stay in bed was very strong. She groaned and sat up while holding her head to keep it steady. "What do you want?" she asked, annoyed.

The girl that woke her up was standing next to her, trying to hide a smirk rather unsuccessfully. "I hope you haven't forgotten the fact that you are at school."

Vega rubbed her eyes to dispel the sleepiness that was about to conquer her again. "I forgot," she admitted, squinting to see who she was talking to.

She remembered the face. It was the Prefect, Pansy Parkinson. //Of course,// she thought rather dismally.

"Hurry up. You don't want to miss your breakfast," she said as she strode towards the door of her dorm. "I'll wait outside."

"Thanks," Vega muttered as she got off her bed. //I'd rather go to sleep and miss my breakfast, thank you very much,// she scorned inside, but said nothing of this thought. Instead, she changed her clothes as fast as possible.

Pansy was responsible to show her way around the school since she was the Prefect and was in most of her classes. Something that Vega thought to be a nuisance since she knew her way around the school well enough after the incident with Triwizard last year and a few years before with the late Professor Quirrel. She winced as she remembered the man and decided to leave it for now.

She walked out after she packed her bag and made sure she brought her stone. Pansy led her to the Great Hall where she saw on the Slytherin table between the giggling girls. Vega half listened on their conversation but decided that they were of no use to her and decided to delved on her mind instead.

She ate her breakfast without much enthusiasm and if someone asked her of what she ate, she knew she would never be able to answer. Her thought was back with her master, the Dark Lord, and the task ahead of her as she chewed absent-mindedly. She did not even remember walking out of the Hall with Pansy beside her talking about their first lesson, or perhaps two lessons, of double Potions.

And so, it came as a complete surprise for her to see Snape walking past her to open the door to the dungeon before the students followed inside.

She followed Pansy and sat next to her before looking around her class to find what she wanted. Harry Potter was sitting not too far away, whispering with his friends.

The murmur halted as Snape tapped the blackboard with his wand and the lesson started. Vega watched the traitor closely. He was one of the reasons why she was there. Her mind reeled as Snape began a speech about the importance of some exams called OWLs and, mentioning something about another exam, NEWTs, and telling them to study hard if they wanted to pass Potions this year.

Vega did not listen. It was not a matter of great importance to her. Instead, she thought about the plan she needed to make to get away from the school as soon as possible.

Snape's betrayal was brought to the Dark Lord attention a few months ago along with the upsurge of invaders to their dwelling. It was almost impossible that anyone know where they lived, except for the Death Eaters. As the result she followed one of the disappointed intruders back all the way to London. She was fortunate enough that he led her straight to the traitor, Severus Snape. And so, their suspicion was confirmed.

Soon enough, the talk finished and Snape went on to explain the potion that they were about to make, the Draught of Peace. Vega knew that this would come to no importance to her but she found herself, unwillingly, listening to every word Snap said.

"The Draught of Peace is one of the many potions that will be required for your OWLs. It is used to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Pay attention when you brew this potion. Too heavy-handed with the ingredients and you may cause a deep, sometimes irreversible, sleep." Somehow, Snape gave a meaningful look at her as he said the last few words. Was it a warning?

He then proceeded to write the methods, or magicked them there as was the circumstances, on the blackboard before showing them where the ingredients are.

By the time they were allowed to start, Vega nearly jumped on her feet in excitement. Never, in her lifetime, was she ever allowed to brew a potion. This was a new experience and she made sure she took the most out of it. Writing every single methods down, as though the Dark Lord instructed her himself, or maybe even more carefully, and checking each steps for at least three times so that she perfectly understood what she must do, she stood up and start on her potion.

Vega took all the ingredients she needed and walked towards her cauldron next to Pansy. Pansy was talking to her other friends and did not seem to have noticed her. Grateful that she would not be disturbed, she focussed on her piece of parchment.

"Add powdered moonstone," she whispered under her breath as she did the exact same thing while reading the suspended parchment in front of her. "Stir three times counter-clockwise." She took the piece of wood and proceeded to do the instruction. //Wow, this is harder than those science experiments at school,// Vega thought as she checked on her watch to make sure that it was exactly seven minutes before she put two drops of hellebore syrup. //And it's much more fun!//

After fifteen minutes left to go, Snape told them what should have happened to their potions. "A light silver vapour should now be produced by your potion."

Vega smiled triumphantly as silver mist rose from her cauldron. She turned around to take a phial where she would put a sample of her potions and was greeted by a particularly nasty shock. Firstly, the whole class disappeared, covered by think, multi-coloured fog and when the fog parted, it was only to show Snape walking towards her.

He came and checked her cauldron. Vega suspected him to do more than just looking at her work. Snape smiled, satisfied with what he saw and awarded her ten points along with two empty phials before proceeding to the next person, leaving Vega with deep lines on her forehead.

//That was weird,// she thought as she extinguished the fire and took a sample. Pausing for a moment, she looked around to make sire that no one can look though the mist and took another sample for herself before putting it in her bag. //Can it be that he doesn't know? But last night…// Her thoughts reeled on as she cleaned her work before putting a sample on Snape's desk along with other potions and walked out of the dungeon.

"Can I have a word with you, Arista?"

Vega turned as she heard the name. "Do you want me, sir?"

"Come in," Snape said and Vega walked inside the dungeon again as the door closed behind her, leaving her with a feeling that she was trapped. Slowly, she reached under her robe.

Snape was sitting on his desk with a phial in his hand filled with the potion that she made. She recognised it as it has her name on it. "This potion would've received an O for your OWLs and am I right to say that this is your first attempt at making one?"

Vega looked at Snape, clearly confused, but he did not even notice. "Er…yes, I guess," she answered, "Unless all the science experiments can be considered as one."

"You've done a remarkable, if not impossible, result for a first try," Snape said, now looking straight into her eyes.

She locked gaze with him for a moment before looking away. She hated being scrutinised. "Well, my experiments never failed," she reasoned, wanting only to get away from the place and from his presence.

"Making potions is not just some experiment," he snapped, "It's an art! I thought you would've known that."

Vega gripped her stone, ready for an attack. Snape looked at her tense figure and calmed down. "Put it away. You don't need the stone. All I'm trying to say is that you did extremely well. You learn things very fast."

Vega stood motionless. //He knows,// she thought, panicked. //He knows who I am. But how can he?//

Snape looked at the stunned girl and smiled. "Go on," he said, "You'll be late for your next class."

Vega walked away, never taking Snape's smile from her sight, trying to detect a kind of sneer or smirk, anything to show his true motive. There was none.

*****

Pansy was standing outside the class, waiting for her. "We have Transfiguration next. It's a really bad idea to be late for McGonagall's class," she said as she started to walk at a brisk pace.

Vega followed her, having no difficulty with keeping up the pace. Pansy turned to face her after a moment of silence and asked, "What did Snape want with you anyway?"

"It's about my potion," Vega answered absent-mindedly. "Apparently it's rather…surprisingly good."

Pansy nodded and shrugged after seeing that Vega wished not to take the conversation any further.

Vega stayed in silence all the way as she thought over her conversation with Snape. //Was there a hidden meaning?// she asked herself as she played over everything Snape said slowly in her mind. //And how could he found out about who I am, considering the fact that none of the Death Eaters knew I even existed until a few months ago and that was after Snape's treachery is brought to light?//

This thought accompanied her through her Transfiguration lesson. So deep was she in her thought that she did not even notice as Professor McGonagall walked towards her to see her work.

"Miss Andromeda!" a voice boomed in her ears making her jumped out of her thoughts.

"Miss Andromeda, I'd hate to think that you are not paying attention in my class," Professor McGonagall said sternly next to her.

"No…I mean, yes…I mean," Vega stammered, confused as she saw the lines on the teacher's forehead.

"Show me what you can do. Seeing that you are not practising anymore, you should be able to do it perfectly," she said with such calmness that Vega would gladly trade for the quiver in her heart as she slowly raised her wand, not knowing what to do.

"Well, go on then," she said again with that calm, steely voice.

//Vanishing spell!// Vega bit her bottom lip as she realised that she should've listened during the lesson.

"I…er…"

//What am I supposed to do?// she cried as her mind raced for a reason or, better still, a way out of this mess.

"Well, I see you weren't listening in my class then?" McGonagall stare at her as Vega looked down in defeat. "See me straight after class," she said grimly before moving on to the next table.

"Always pat attention in McGonagall's class," Pansy whispered next to her. Her snail has vanished completely, except for the shell which now moved slowly to the edge of the table. Pansy looked at it but had no intention of stopping it from going away. "I think I did alright," she said.

"Why should I?" Vega asked, annoyed at her failure.

Pansy shrugged. "Because it might come in handy? Who knows? I personally want to be an Animagus one day but at least it's not worth getting a detention."

Vega winced at what Pansy said. //It can't be that bad, can it?// she asked herself. //Maybe it's just a warning,//she hoped as the students deserted the class room.

Walking up towards her, Vega thought of an excuse, any excuse, so that she could escape the possible detention while trying her best not to look so nervous. She hated detention but she would die if others see her weakness. McGonagall was packing her bag though and didn't look up until she already gained her composure.

"Miss Andromeda," she said with that same steely voice. "I believe that due to your unusual circumstances, perhaps, it would be better for you to have an extra transfiguration lesson with me. Starting this afternoon."

Her eyes widen in shock as she heard the news. "Everyday, Professor?" she asked, unsure of what McGonagall meant.

"I was about to say once a week. But since you suggest it yourself, I think everyday would do you good," McGonagall said with a slight twitch on her lips that Vega swore was a sneer.