Chapter 4: Potion Commotion
When she woke up the next morning, it took her a full minute to realize just where she was and exactly what she was doing there.
She had been led to the Slytherin common room by Draco the evening before and had a spent a couple of hours in conversation with him. By the end of it, both had been exhausted and had decided to retire for the night.
Her mind was still reeling from what she had learnt. Malfoy's family, Quidditch, House rivalry, Harry Potter, Weasely and Granger, the Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort; indeed within those 2 hours, she had been filled in on Draco's past four years at Hogwarts (at least, his version of events transpiring in those years).
She had decided she liked Draco, appreciated his twisted sense of humour. However she had not failed to notice the weird looks that the other Slytherins kept passing at them as they conversed esp. two thuggish looking individuals who looked at her with remarkable resentment. She had meant to ask Draco about them when the clock chimed midnight and they retired to their dorms. Now as she dressed, she thought of it again.
As they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, Draco told her about Crabbe and Goyle. She realized he was deliberately ignoring them. Then she understood in a flash why the Slytherins were acting the way they were. It wasn't her, it was Draco. He had somehow changed.
She cast a sidelong glance at him as they settled down at the table. He had just wished Crabbe and Goyle a good morning with a very distant air. She wondered why he was taking interest in her then mentally kicked herself.
"Wake up Severus!" she chided herself.
It was obvious from his use of the Luna language that he had turned his attention to the Luna arts, presumably over the summer; judging by the reactions of his house mates, the change in him was quite recent.
She looked up from her porridge to look at the rest of the Hall when her eye fell upon the Teachers table and Professor Snape, who was engaged in conversation with Prof. McGonangall. She suddenly smiled when she realized she shared name with him. She would have to ditch the use of that name at Hogwarts and stick to Reive.
She wondered what name he would address her with. The thought of being addressed as Ms. Severus by a Severus was quite amusing. And it was also another connection between the two of them besides their facial features.
This was potentially dangerous; she could imagine all sorts of rumours flying around about them; in fact as she looked around the Hall they did seem to be flying around at a rather alarming rate. Everywhere she looked, people were not-so-discreetly pointing at her and muttering behind hands or porridge filled spoons. Instead of annoying her, she found all the attention very amusing.
"Enjoying the limelight?" Draco asked as they left the Great Hall together.
"Very" she replied directly.
They both had identical smirks on their faces. " You have a very nice smirk." she told him.
Both laughed unaware of the gazes following them.
... The first week passed pleasantly, the reason probably being the fact that Slytherin and Gryffindor 5th years had not yet had a class together.
Their first class together would have been Defence Against the Dark Arts but since the teacher had not yet arrived as they had been informed by Dumbledore at the Welcoming Feast (she had presumably been unconscious, she thought to herself, remembering her fascination with the bewitched ceiling that evening) the class had been taken by Madam Hooch who had thought some flying lessons were in order, while the Gryffindors had Transfiguration with Mcgonangall.
She had made friends with some Ravenclaws in her other classes from whom she found out about Snape's favoritism. Since then, she had been especially looking forward to the Potions class and the infamously temperamental Potions Master.
As the days passed she got to know Draco better and he finally revealed his interest in the Luna arts to her. She had offered to help him with what she knew, since she had had a formal training and he hadn't been allowed to.
In fact he had found about about his ancestral connection to the Luna quite by accident while he had been trying to find a book in his father's library that would help with his homework. His father had been livid when Draco asked him about it and had forbidden him to mention the name again.
Obviously his parents had no inkling that their son was pursuing studies in the Luna arts. He had made considerable progress on his own; he had found a book on the Luna language in a bookshop and unbeknownst to his father, or anyone else for that matter, had begun to teach himself. He found that the language had come easily to him, but had been unable to find any books on the Luna arts.
They decided to search for them in the Hogwarts library and sure enough, they found some books relating to the Luna arts buried in the piles of dusty volumes. Since then, they had taken to spending a lot of time in the library together.
She could tell the Slytherins were quite surprised, their feelings almost bordering on shocked. However they weren't the only ones.
Once she overheard the red haired boy who had been glaring at Draco at the Welcoming feast; whom she now knew to be Ron Weasely in the library. He was with Potter and Granger.
" What's up with Malfoy, you think?"
" Why what's wrong?" asked Hermione.
"I dunno, he's acting kinda strange, just sits there and smirks the stupid, insufferable git! You realize he hasn't said a word to us ever since term started?"
"What's the matter Ron, missing him?" asked Hermione.
"Ron's right he has been acting kinda strange lately." That was Harry.
"Just wait till Potions, he'll be back to normal." said Hermione knowingly.
As she walked out of the library, Reive wondered what exactly Hermione had meant by 'normal'. She didn't have to wait long to find out.
... Thursday afternoon found the Slytherin and Gryffindor 5th years in the dungeons waiting for the Potions master who was unusually late. He finally barged into the classroom banging the door shut and strode up to the front. As he turned around to face them the class suddenly became very quiet.
He then abruptly launched into his brief lecture about the Sleeping potion they would be making. As he turned around to write up the ingredients on the blackboard, Draco leaned towards her and said,
"So what do you think of our Head of house?" waggling his eyebrows.
She pretended to stare mesmerized at Snape's back while answering him with a "Hmmm." then quickly stifled a laugh when he pretended to swoon.
"Don't be silly" she told him before wiping the smile off her face and getting down to work.
Snape had turned back to face the class. She worked quickly and systematically, as she had been taught to, and was so engrossed in her work that she was startled when someone cleared his throat right behind her and she nearly poured the phial of dragon's blood into her cauldron. That would have meant instant disaster.
She looked up to find the source of disturbance and found herself looking straight into Snape's piercing eyes.
"Ouch" she thought to herself as she eased the indignant expression on her face.
"I see you have been taught well" he said to her.
She was so surprised at this that she could do nothing but gape at him. She stopped when she saw half the class behind him frozen in the same attitude.
"But you need to work on your cutting technique. It's the only flaw I have observed for now."
He said the last part in the Luna tongue and softly so no one but herself and Draco who was working on the same table, heard. The surprised expression on her face turned to one of respect and admiration.
" You may come and see me if you have any questions." This last part was addressed to both her and Draco. Then he swept off to inspect someone else's work.
" You know, I don't think we found those books in the library by accident", she said with a meaningful glance in Snape's direction. Draco nodded his agreement.
About forty five minutes later, the two of them were sitting on their seats with bored looks on their faces . They had completed their potions; much to the satisfaction of the Potions Master, who actually asked the whole class to pay attention to the texture of their potions. Reive saw Hermione scowl at this. She could understand and even sympathize with her predicament, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Suddenly, Professor Snape's exasperated voice broke through her reverie. "How many times, Longbottom?" She heard Draco snicker along with the rest of the Slytherins. "Have four years in my class taught you nothing? Now I suggest you fix this potion by the end of class. It shall be you to test it too" he added nastily and then turned towards his table.
Reive watched Longbottom try his darndest to fix his potion. A sudden idea occurred to her and she turned to confer with Draco, whom she found busily engrossed in pelting miniscule beetle eyes at Weasely's head. His red hair had become full of the them and he was trying to get them out unsuccessfully while at the same time trying to avoid attracting Snape's attention.
" Draco!" she hissed at him.
" What?" he said irritably as he aimed yet another beetle eye. She realized this was what Granger had meant by 'normal'. She also noticed the other Slytherins pointing at Ron and sniggering.
" Draco, I have an idea."
No response.
" One that's guaranteed to bring misery to a Gryffindor." She said.
This time he heard and swiftly turned towards her with an inquiring air. "I'm all ears but this better be good. I was enjoying myself" he said pointing in Weasely's direction who was now glaring furiously at him, alongwith Potter.
"See Longbottom? I just saw him add a few dragon blood drops too many."
"So? That happens in every potions class!"
"Would you let me finish? Thank you. Because of his mistake he's created a powerful emetic. Now we don't want him ruining Snape's robes by puking all over him do we?"
When Draco looked ready to burst with laughter she said sternly, "Exactly the kind of reaction we'll get from the Gryffindors. Sure Neville will get detention but they'll all think it mighty funny."
Draco sobered up somewhat at the thought. "Nope. Can't put Snape's dignity at risk"
"Exactly. Now, if we could somehow add a couple of fish eyes and a handful of beetle eyes with a crow's foot in his potion..."
"Done" he said as with a handful of beetle eyes originally intended to target Weasely's head he aimed at Neville's cauldron. They were followed in quick succession by two pucker fish eyes and a crow's foot thrown by Reive and Draco respectively.
The Slytherins watched the proceedings with interest; the Gryffindors with apprehension. Snape was busy berating another student for his, atleast in Snape's eyes, astonishing stupidity.
Five minutes before the bell, Snape told them to pack away their things then advanced menacingly towards Neville's cauldron.
"Now" he said in a dangerously silky voice. "Let's see what exactly Longbottom has brewed".
Behind Snape, Reive could see Hermione waving madly, trying to tell Neville not to do it. But Neville was too scared out of his wits to say anything. Under the stern glare of the Potions master, he took a sip of the potion from his stirring spoon. Everyone was watching with bated breath.
Nothing happened immediately, however ten seconds later Neville did the most extraordinary thing; he suddenly jumped onto his desk and started singing a famous song by a wizarding band, imitating their dance steps and performing fantastic back flips all over the dungeon.
The Slytherins roared with laughter, a few of the Gryffindors couldn't help smiling at the absurdity of it all; while Snape looked most distinctly displeased. After ten minutes of chasing him all over the dungeon, a few of the Slytherins who weren't paralyzed with laughter, finally managed to beat him down, (indeed, Neville did not seem to want to stop at all!) and brought him to Professor Snape, who administered the antidote, took 20 points off Gryffindor and gave him detention, promising it would be one of his vilest yet.
As the students filed out of the Dungeons, Draco turned towards her and said, "Marvelous, simply marvelous that was."