Chapter Three: A Glimpse of the Past (part one)
"Hello?" Iris' musical voice filled the potions class room and Severus looked up to see her large blue eyes and miles of red hair peering nervously in from the doorway.
"How did you manage to get Professor Hartche to let us use this room?" Iris made her way through the classroom and placed her large bag below the counter where Severus sat. "I can't even get her to call me by my right name."
"I asked." Severus stated bluntly. He was beginning to regret this. Did she have to lean in so far over the cauldron? She is likely to set her hair on fire and then he would surely get detention for attempting arson on a young Gyffindor.
As if reading his mind Iris gathered her hair into a large knot at the top of her head and secured it with a clip. Severus watched this simple gesture as if it were a small dance. "I want to thank you again. I owe you my life really. If you every need anything...."
"It's all right. Lets just get started. You are making a simple confusion potion correct?" He was now becoming slightly bored. She may be slightly amusing but she was certainly quite dim if she was having this much trouble with a second year beginning potion.
"Yes, I have the list of ingredients here. I can get through step four, but whenever I add the dried porcupine quills it goes miserable wrong. I've looked up everything I can think of but it's doing no good."
Severus suppressed a smirk. He had had the same difficulty the first time he made this potion. Only it had only taken him ten minutes to figure out the correct solution. " Look at step three again. Always check one step before the supposed 'problem.'"
"Add three spoonfuls of grave dust stirring it in at one minute intervals until the mixture becomes a paste. I thought I did that correctly, but..." Iris rested her chin in her hand engrossed in thought. "Oh no. It can't be that simple." She looked up at Severus with a mixture of embarrassment and laughter in her eyes. " I was supposed to keep adding three spoonfuls in wasn't I? It wasn't a total of three it was a continuous 'add three more' kind of thing wasn't it?"
Severus nodded.
"I feel dreadfully stupid now you know," she looked down at her potions book as if trying to get it to tell her it had tricked her on purpose.
Severus began to gather his things in preparation for leaving.
"Oh! Are you going? I feel really awful! You got the classroom for me and everything and it turns out I simply don't know how to read. Please wait. This should take no time at all now that I've got a clue, and then ... well. Do you like Butter Beer?"
Severus could not believe it. He had thought she simply needed and intelligent brain to save her from detention, and now she was asking for his company. He did not know whether to smile and accept, or accuse her of possibly leading him into a sabotage. Gryffindors were known for their rather overindulgent pranks.
"I will take that as a yes then." She beamed at him grasped his hand in her own and shook in a firm shake seals the deal," she winked. He could not help but notice how very warm and soft her hand felt in his own. His hand would not stop tingling for several minutes after she had let go and determinedly began her potion. It was then that he noticed the skill with which the girl prepared her ingredients and supervised the progress of the brew. Her movements were graceful and fluid. Her face, although displaying signs of concentration, was composed in a pleasant smile. She looked as though she could easily be humming.
No wonder she messed up. She was breezing through this potion as though it required not effort at all she would very easily mistake directions if she took potion brewing as seriously as jaunt in the park. Yet it was obvious that she knew what she was doing. "No wonder Professor Hartche gives you a hard time." Severus stated rather coldly.
"Pardon?"
"Well, she sees potions as a dangerous class. You look as though you see it as about as serious as the Yule Ball. Your very good you know, but you should give all of this a little more respect."
"Forgive me, but I don't see how hovering over a cauldron all day muttering insults and frankly looking quite constipated is going to make me a better witch. I happen to like potions and until that mistake, as foolish as it was, I have had no problems. I am not going to disguise the fact that I enjoy making a potion simply to make a lonely frustrated old hag feel a little more secure in my level of seriousness! Besides, I take this very seriously. I spent a week in that library looking up properties of porcupine quills, and foreign porcupine quills, as well as different meanings for the word porcupine. I almost went blind! I think if I took this work any more seriously I would be passed out in the infirmary right now, and another thing..."
Severus cut her off with raised hand and a sly grin. "All right. You take it seriously! I get the point, and for what its worth you are very good. Despite the absence of a constipated expression." Severus looked at her with newfound respect. "You know? You don't seem like a normal second year Gryffindor."
"And you don't seem like the normal slimy, selfish, cur that most Slytherines tend to be. "
They starred at each other for a moment and then Severus heard Iris burst into laughter, and to his own surprise he heard himself join her.
***************************
"Oh! JUST TICKLE IT FOR GODS SAKE!" Iris whispered at the top of her lungs.
"I refuse to tickle a painting of a pear. Particularly a pear on a painting in a hallway we should not be in right now." Severus looked at her as if she had just asked him to transfigure the sorting hat into a pumpkin pie so they could have desert.
"Honestly Severus you need to dip into your sense of adventure," She said calmly reaching out and tickling the pear in question. "This is going to be fun. I promise."
The painting swung open and Iris pulled Severus inside a room filled with busy house elves. Dishes were pilled everywhere the just the smell of the place made Severus' mouth water.
"Are we in the kitchens?" He turned to her looking slightly mystified.
"I promised you butterbeer. I deliver what I promise."
Thirty minutes later the two were knee deep in bitterer and cookies. They chatted casually about potions, professors, and Iris tried to get the house elves to bring in the most exotic concoctions. "Just to see if they could." Severus had the sneaking suspicion she was doing this more for his amusement than her own.
"What in the world is a corn dog?"
"It's a sausage rolled in corn batter. You deep fry it and put it on a stick. It's really delicious!"
"You eat things off of a stick?"
"Oh don't be such a snob!" she giggled at him as the door to the kitchen swung open again.
"Iris! What are you doing here?" Sirius Blacks voice jovially bounced off the kitchen walls. "We're having a little party in the common room and once again I have the job of getting the food..." his voice trailed off when he saw Severus standing next to Iris.
Sirius' eyes grew fierce and his jaw tensed up. "Well, Snivellus I didn't expect to see you here. What's going on Iris?" He stepped between Iris and Severus protectively.
"Oh honestly Sirius! You are so paranoid. Leave him alone."
"Iris stop being so sympathetic. It will get you in trouble one day. Snivellus here is not worth your charitable time. Go up to the party and leave this greasy git to himself."
"You know Sirius sometimes I wonder why I bother talking to you at all when you can so easily transform into an unbelievably conceited little piss ant arse!" Iris reached over and grabbed Severus' hand pulling him out the entrance of the kitchen. She gave an icy reprimanding stare to Sirius as she left.
"Such lovely language for a lady Iris. Snivellus is certainly having a nice affect on you!" Sirius called after them.
"Oh shove off! You don't care how I talk. Stop pretending."
Iris and Severus continued down the hallway for a few minutes. "I'm really sorry about Sirius. He gets a little overprotective then he gets a lot like a prick." She slowed her pace, "Thank you again for all you help. This was fun." She stated this so sincerely that Severus felt his anger slowly drift off. "Well, I better head back to the common room." She smiled at him grabbed his hand and gave it a playful shake. "Don't be a stranger," she winked at him and skipped down the hallway.
Severus walked away slowly smiling to himself. 'Were pretty girls always this confident.' He stopped in his tracks. 'Yes. I did just call her pretty. Maybe I won't be a stranger."
"Hello?" Iris' musical voice filled the potions class room and Severus looked up to see her large blue eyes and miles of red hair peering nervously in from the doorway.
"How did you manage to get Professor Hartche to let us use this room?" Iris made her way through the classroom and placed her large bag below the counter where Severus sat. "I can't even get her to call me by my right name."
"I asked." Severus stated bluntly. He was beginning to regret this. Did she have to lean in so far over the cauldron? She is likely to set her hair on fire and then he would surely get detention for attempting arson on a young Gyffindor.
As if reading his mind Iris gathered her hair into a large knot at the top of her head and secured it with a clip. Severus watched this simple gesture as if it were a small dance. "I want to thank you again. I owe you my life really. If you every need anything...."
"It's all right. Lets just get started. You are making a simple confusion potion correct?" He was now becoming slightly bored. She may be slightly amusing but she was certainly quite dim if she was having this much trouble with a second year beginning potion.
"Yes, I have the list of ingredients here. I can get through step four, but whenever I add the dried porcupine quills it goes miserable wrong. I've looked up everything I can think of but it's doing no good."
Severus suppressed a smirk. He had had the same difficulty the first time he made this potion. Only it had only taken him ten minutes to figure out the correct solution. " Look at step three again. Always check one step before the supposed 'problem.'"
"Add three spoonfuls of grave dust stirring it in at one minute intervals until the mixture becomes a paste. I thought I did that correctly, but..." Iris rested her chin in her hand engrossed in thought. "Oh no. It can't be that simple." She looked up at Severus with a mixture of embarrassment and laughter in her eyes. " I was supposed to keep adding three spoonfuls in wasn't I? It wasn't a total of three it was a continuous 'add three more' kind of thing wasn't it?"
Severus nodded.
"I feel dreadfully stupid now you know," she looked down at her potions book as if trying to get it to tell her it had tricked her on purpose.
Severus began to gather his things in preparation for leaving.
"Oh! Are you going? I feel really awful! You got the classroom for me and everything and it turns out I simply don't know how to read. Please wait. This should take no time at all now that I've got a clue, and then ... well. Do you like Butter Beer?"
Severus could not believe it. He had thought she simply needed and intelligent brain to save her from detention, and now she was asking for his company. He did not know whether to smile and accept, or accuse her of possibly leading him into a sabotage. Gryffindors were known for their rather overindulgent pranks.
"I will take that as a yes then." She beamed at him grasped his hand in her own and shook in a firm shake seals the deal," she winked. He could not help but notice how very warm and soft her hand felt in his own. His hand would not stop tingling for several minutes after she had let go and determinedly began her potion. It was then that he noticed the skill with which the girl prepared her ingredients and supervised the progress of the brew. Her movements were graceful and fluid. Her face, although displaying signs of concentration, was composed in a pleasant smile. She looked as though she could easily be humming.
No wonder she messed up. She was breezing through this potion as though it required not effort at all she would very easily mistake directions if she took potion brewing as seriously as jaunt in the park. Yet it was obvious that she knew what she was doing. "No wonder Professor Hartche gives you a hard time." Severus stated rather coldly.
"Pardon?"
"Well, she sees potions as a dangerous class. You look as though you see it as about as serious as the Yule Ball. Your very good you know, but you should give all of this a little more respect."
"Forgive me, but I don't see how hovering over a cauldron all day muttering insults and frankly looking quite constipated is going to make me a better witch. I happen to like potions and until that mistake, as foolish as it was, I have had no problems. I am not going to disguise the fact that I enjoy making a potion simply to make a lonely frustrated old hag feel a little more secure in my level of seriousness! Besides, I take this very seriously. I spent a week in that library looking up properties of porcupine quills, and foreign porcupine quills, as well as different meanings for the word porcupine. I almost went blind! I think if I took this work any more seriously I would be passed out in the infirmary right now, and another thing..."
Severus cut her off with raised hand and a sly grin. "All right. You take it seriously! I get the point, and for what its worth you are very good. Despite the absence of a constipated expression." Severus looked at her with newfound respect. "You know? You don't seem like a normal second year Gryffindor."
"And you don't seem like the normal slimy, selfish, cur that most Slytherines tend to be. "
They starred at each other for a moment and then Severus heard Iris burst into laughter, and to his own surprise he heard himself join her.
***************************
"Oh! JUST TICKLE IT FOR GODS SAKE!" Iris whispered at the top of her lungs.
"I refuse to tickle a painting of a pear. Particularly a pear on a painting in a hallway we should not be in right now." Severus looked at her as if she had just asked him to transfigure the sorting hat into a pumpkin pie so they could have desert.
"Honestly Severus you need to dip into your sense of adventure," She said calmly reaching out and tickling the pear in question. "This is going to be fun. I promise."
The painting swung open and Iris pulled Severus inside a room filled with busy house elves. Dishes were pilled everywhere the just the smell of the place made Severus' mouth water.
"Are we in the kitchens?" He turned to her looking slightly mystified.
"I promised you butterbeer. I deliver what I promise."
Thirty minutes later the two were knee deep in bitterer and cookies. They chatted casually about potions, professors, and Iris tried to get the house elves to bring in the most exotic concoctions. "Just to see if they could." Severus had the sneaking suspicion she was doing this more for his amusement than her own.
"What in the world is a corn dog?"
"It's a sausage rolled in corn batter. You deep fry it and put it on a stick. It's really delicious!"
"You eat things off of a stick?"
"Oh don't be such a snob!" she giggled at him as the door to the kitchen swung open again.
"Iris! What are you doing here?" Sirius Blacks voice jovially bounced off the kitchen walls. "We're having a little party in the common room and once again I have the job of getting the food..." his voice trailed off when he saw Severus standing next to Iris.
Sirius' eyes grew fierce and his jaw tensed up. "Well, Snivellus I didn't expect to see you here. What's going on Iris?" He stepped between Iris and Severus protectively.
"Oh honestly Sirius! You are so paranoid. Leave him alone."
"Iris stop being so sympathetic. It will get you in trouble one day. Snivellus here is not worth your charitable time. Go up to the party and leave this greasy git to himself."
"You know Sirius sometimes I wonder why I bother talking to you at all when you can so easily transform into an unbelievably conceited little piss ant arse!" Iris reached over and grabbed Severus' hand pulling him out the entrance of the kitchen. She gave an icy reprimanding stare to Sirius as she left.
"Such lovely language for a lady Iris. Snivellus is certainly having a nice affect on you!" Sirius called after them.
"Oh shove off! You don't care how I talk. Stop pretending."
Iris and Severus continued down the hallway for a few minutes. "I'm really sorry about Sirius. He gets a little overprotective then he gets a lot like a prick." She slowed her pace, "Thank you again for all you help. This was fun." She stated this so sincerely that Severus felt his anger slowly drift off. "Well, I better head back to the common room." She smiled at him grabbed his hand and gave it a playful shake. "Don't be a stranger," she winked at him and skipped down the hallway.
Severus walked away slowly smiling to himself. 'Were pretty girls always this confident.' He stopped in his tracks. 'Yes. I did just call her pretty. Maybe I won't be a stranger."