The next morning, a bright and sunny Monday, Terra took a seat at the
Slytherin table noticed all the different food lay out in front of her. She
picked up a bread roll and sliced through the middle to spread butter and
jam. She took a tentative bite out of her small breakfast and when it
tasted fine, she chewed with renewed force and raised her eyes to look
around her. She had woken up early and few people sat at random places in
the Great Hall.
Terra turned her eyes towards the staff table and noticed that only one professor sat. She watched that man for a long while, chewing slowly on her small sandwich. She studied his long black hair that framed his pale face, his hooked nose that resembled him to a bird of prey, and his hunched shoulders that were clad in midnight black robes. He poked at a fried egg with a fork, not really interested in it and his dark eyes were deep in thought as he jabbed and stabbed.
A moment or so later, he turned his shadowy eyes towards Terra, who jumped in fright and looked away quickly, suddenly feeling conscious of the heavy stare that fell over her. She made sure she didn't look towards the high table and was highly grateful when Morgan Lee came into the Great Hall with a small group of first-year Slytherins. Terra suddenly forgot about the dark teacher at the high table and waved for the small gang to come over.
"Morning," Terra smiled as the young and new Slytherins sat around her and Terra didn't feel so alone. She grinned widely and looked up at the high table again where the dark-haired professor was, but felt surprisingly disappointed when he wasn't in sight. Terra's smile dissolved but returned again when Morgan said, "Why did you wake up so early?"
"Got excited," Terra smiled politely at him and hooked a stray hair strand behind her ear. "I came here only ten minutes ago." Morgan nodded and looked at his friends and said, "Everyone, this is Terra Maddox." A girl and two boys nodded and smiled politely.
Morgan started introducing the other first year Slytherins to her, "This is Ruth Polymer-" Morgan pointed to a blonde girl, her eyes large and brown, contrasting yet harmoniously suited together, "-we've been friends forever. And this-" He pointed to a boy with dark brown hair and equally brown eyes "-is Gregory Laith. And his twin, Garith Laith. They look nothing alike, though."
Terra noticed that Gregory's twin had the same brown hair and eyes yet their face features were so very different indeed. Gregory had a thin face, his nose slightly pointed and his chin high in the air with an air of importance. He looked alert and his eyes drifted here and there, yet it stayed glued to your face at the same time. His hair was thin and combed back into a really small ponytail that looked more like a stud sticking out of the back of his head where his skull met his neck.
But his twin, Garith, had a rounder face, making him look very young, but his dark brown eyes gave him wisdom that couldn't be expressed at such a young age. His chin seemed tucked into his chest, and looked very dreamy indeed. Terra smiled at him but he didn't smile back; he just nodded his head every so slightly in greeting. Terra continued smiling anyways as she turned to look at the last member of the group, who was a small girl with tangled black hair, her eyes a piercing ice blue.
But Terra realized that the others didn't look as cheerful. Morgan hadn't even bothered to introduce her. Morgan simply ignored the black haired girl and when Terra turned to look at Ruth, she was surprised to see the glares she kept sending the black haired girl. Terra turned to look at the twins but their feelings towards the small girl probably didn't exceed pure annoyance. Terra turned to look at the black haired girl again and realized she has been staring at her.
"Hey, I'm Laurence Black," the black haired girl grinned and ran an excited hand through the long mane of black hair. Terra smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She turned to look towards Morgan, who simply raised his eyebrows and frowned slightly. Ruth was still glaring into the back of Laurence's head and her pretty face turned sour and quite ugly. Gregory started buttering a toast, ignoring the scene altogether and Terra was slightly surprised when she noticed Garith staring at her.
Suddenly, Terra saw herself in the Slytherin common room . she was older than she was right now, her hair darker than usual and her eyes were wide and dry, yet they were flowing tears at the same time. She was hunched over a body underneath her, a girl her age, her black hair fanned behind her, her eyes open and icy blue. They were staring up at the ceiling and a single trickle of blood running down the side of her face.
More blood soaked Terra's sleeves and she realized there were deep slits and slashes all over her arm. She shut her eyes tight and tears escaped the narrowing of the optical muscles and found she wasn't able to breath. She choked on her tears and opened her eyes and suddenly found herself in the Great Hall again, Laurence was talking to her very quickly, while the other four Slytherins already finishing with their breakfast and passing around their weekly schedule for the year.
Terra's eyebrows drew together in confusion and she brought her finger to her forehead to rub away the headache that suddenly erupted in her head. Laurence was laughing at something and Ruth turned away, saving the death glares for later. Garith was already gone and Gregory was standing, running his hand through his thick brown hair once and turned towards the dungeons with Morgan close behind him. Laurence handed Terra her schedule and said, "Look, here's your schedule. I think we're all together. Potions first thing in the morning. That's close to our common rooms, so we can take our time. I'm still so hungry!"
But Ruth was up and right behind Terra, and she leaned down, her rosy lips next to Terra's ears, "Come on, let's go." Terra stood up, expecting Laurence to stand up with them but the black-haired girl bit her bottom lip and remained in her seat, her icy eyes looking up towards them. Terra felt a pang of guilt as Laurence smiled weakly, waving and saying, "I'll catch up later, ok?" But Ruth didn't give time for Terra to reply.
"Terra, you want to stay away from her ." Ruth announced as soon as they were out of earshot. Terra raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. Ruth continued, "She's a Black . and you know what happened to Sirius Black. They used to be such an honorable family . no one knows what's happening to them . first Sirius, now that Laurence." She sighed very prettily, looking like an angel who just got rid of the devil. "What's wrong?"
Ruth had noticed that Terra was staring at her sideways, not taking in everything that was said. Ruth blinked and asked again, "What? Is there anything wrong?" Terra opened her mouth, closed it, thought about it then opened her mouth again, "Sorry but I don't think I took in all you said ." Ruth's expressionless face cocked ever so slightly to the left and stood in silence for half a minute. Then a look of realization dawned over her face.
"You . you don't know who Sirius Black is?" Ruth eyes were widening slowly as Terra nodded her head. "Oh . uh, didn't you hear from your parents or something?" Terra raised her eyebrows, hesitated before replying, "My parents aren't magical . I don't think they would know." By then, Ruth's brilliant brown eyes were so wide; Terra thought they'd pop out.
"I-I didn't know, I thought you were . a pureblood," Ruth staggered, obviously shaken by the sudden shock. Terra was confused and waited a few seconds before she said, "Does it really matter?" Ruth's shock melted into an expressionless look and in a toneless voice, she said, "No . of course not. Come, I'll tell you all about it."
And so she did; while Ruth explained everything about the Dark Lord and his downfall, Terra listened intently as her mind took in all the new information. Although it was too much to remember all at once, Terra found it easy to follow. Ruth's shock was wearing off and she accepted the fact that Terra was a Muggle-born. Terra was worried that she would abandon her, but was eternally thankful when Ruth smiled and helped her carry her small cauldron to the dungeons, where they had their first lesson of Potions.
Outside a large mahogany door, the first year Slytherin boys stood close, looking very smug and superior. Terra noticed that Laurence wasn't there yet and that there were more students standing further from the door, chatting loudly and quite cheerfully. Terra couldn't recognize any but one, a tall boy for his age, his hair a flaming red color that blinded Terra in the dark and cold underground hallways. A group of boys and girls stood close to him and listened as the red-haired boy told them a joke and they all burst out laughing, disturbing the silence with echoing laughter.
But the laughter was abruptly interrupted by a bang behind them and everyone jumped to see the Potions Master glaring down at them all. His shoulder-length hair framed his pale and taught face and a horrible sneer curled at his lips. His fingers gripped tightly at the door as he hissed, "What is causing all this mayhem?"
No one dared answer as the professor's onyx-black eyes narrowed and pointed a long bony finger into the dungeon room. The small Slytherin group scurried past the abnormally tall Potions Master and made their way to the front of the room, sitting side by side, their bags near their feet and their small cauldrons on the stone table.
The other group of students, including the red-haired boy, sat near the back, still sniggering at the joke that had been told and tried to hold it in as the Potions Professor slammed the door shut and swooped to the front of the room. Silence fell over all the students and the professor delicately took out a roll of parchment and said in a voice as cold as the dungeons itself, "When I call your name, simply raise your hand high enough for me to see.
"Black, Laurence."
There was no answer. Terra suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen her since breakfast. The professor raised a thin black eyebrow delicately and crossed out something next to Laurence's name. Terra felt it was as if he had sentenced her to the gallows. She turned to look at the other Slytherins; Ruth looked very smug indeed, flicking her hair behind her shoulders. The boys however didn't look interested as they watched the Potions Master in deep respect.
"Curtis, Alexandra."
A girl from the other group raised her hand and the professor didn't even smile to greet the young girl. Terra's feeling towards this professor was becoming worse and worse as he called down the other student's names. "Laith, Garith."
Garith raised his hand ever so slightly that the professor had to bark out his name another time to make sure he was present. Garith simply stared in front of him, not taking notice of the looks of disbelief sent towards him from the Potions Master, who frowned darkly and called out his twin's name.
"Laith, Gregory."
A pale hand graciously rose in the air. The professor ticked his name.
"Lee, Morgan."
Morgan raised his hand almost eagerly and the professor's eyebrows rose at this. Terra watched as Morgan grinned and was surprised when she saw that the professor nodded politely at this.
"Maddox . Terra."
Terra felt as if the professor dumped a bucket of ice over her head; His black eyes were just as effective. His face was expressionless yet his eyes widened ever so slightly. Terra remembered the stares that were sent towards her that morning in the Great Hall and she raised her hand slowly. The older wizard looked satisfied with that and he turned to the parchment again, taking his time as he ticked her name. Terra realized she wasn't breathing and slowly let out a deep breath as silently as she could.
"O'Maley, Kathy.
"Polymer, Ruth.
"Tressa, Tom.
"Urvan, Jordan.
"Weasley, Bill.
"Present!"
The young boy's shriek made everyone jump in their seats. The Slytherins looked behind them and glared at the red-haired boy, who sat grinning in his seat, looking very proud of himself. Terra couldn't help but smile at the boy's light-hearted attitude. The Potions Master, however, seemed like he couldn't help but bare his teeth at the young boy and his right eye twitched in annoyance. Morgan, Ruth and Gregory looked from the professor to the boy named Bill.
"Didn't I clearly state that when I call your name to 'simply raise your hand'?" The pale professor narrowed his black eyes into narrow, horizontal slits. Bill's smile slowly turned into a straight line and his lips smacked together and he shrugged so softly.
"I just wanted to make sure you didn't miss me," Bill said in a small voice that held a hint of humor in it. His Gryffindor friends sniggered under their hands but shut up quickly when the professor placed the roll of parchment on his large mahogany desk. He sent the first year Gryffindors one last venomous glare before turning to the blackboard. He swiftly raised his left hand and his large sleeves swooped the dark surface of the board and snapped his bony fingers once, making a very loud click in the silence of the class.
Although no one made a sound, each one of the first years looked impressed as the blackboard started to get covered in neat white scribbles. Slowly, the list of all the ingredients appeared on the board and underneath, the numbered steps to how the potion is made. The professor stood by the blackboard and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes sweeping the room for any misbehavior. His eyes lingered onto the Gryffindor group for a long moment before he spoke.
"As it is clear on the board . you shall be brewing a potion of pure simplicity that none of you dunderheads will slip an ingredient out of order. The PepperUp Potion is one of the most common potions ever made in the world of Magic. Although it isn't the most convenient and efficient potion at all, it can heal small wounds, recover your health or boost your energy. It takes only half an hour and the steps are so painfully easy that even a pickled, brainless toad can do it."
Terra found herself staring at the preserved bodies of evil-looking animals and shuddered slightly at the image of herself trapped in a small bottle somewhere deep in the professor's dungeons, and all over Hogwarts, students would whisper, Yes, her name was Terra Maddox . last seen heading towards the dungeons to serve detention for exploding the potion in the professor's face .
But before the professor could snap at Terra for not concentrating at what he was saying, the large doors slammed open at such an alarming force that Terra thought a stampede would storm in. But the girl who stood at the end of the class had long black hair . as black as her last name.
"I'm-I'm so . so sorry, Professor Snape," Laurence sounded more scared than breathless. Her icy blue eyes were wide and almost white, her pupils so small they seemed nonexistent. "Pro-Professor Dumbledore needed to-to talk to me," her voice high-pitched and echoing in the stone room. The Slytherins were looking at her as if she were drenched in dragon dung. The Gryffindors and Terra, however, looked a bit worried about how the professor would react. Surprisingly, he was pretty calm and didn't look angry at the little Black.
"I was informed," Professor Snape blinked slowly. "Shut the doors behind you and sit down." Laurence did so without hesitation and took a seat next to Terra, who smiled meekly at her and turned towards the Potions Master again.
"The ingredients you all have with the exception of the beetle eyes, which are placed in the cupboards by the sink. Small, lidded tubes are on my desk. After you are completed with your first potion, you will be filling your vile and putting it in the box at the front of the room, on my desk. The box is divided into slots where your name is written. I don't want any time wasted. Is there anyone who doesn't understand what is being said right now?"
No one dared speak as the professor ordered them to start and there was a sudden feeling of panic and hurry in the cold dungeons as the first years dashed to collect the beetle eyes next to the sink and starting to set up their cauldrons and lighting the magical fire underneath them.
Morgan paired up Ruth and the Laith brothers worked silently together. Terra was about to turn towards Laurence but stopped herself quickly when she saw the Gryffindors wave at Laurence. Laurence waved back and packed her potion ingredients and cauldron and moved to the back table, leaving Terra sitting alone, unsure of what to do.
Not wanting to disturb anyone, and not wanting to look helpless, Terra took out the ingredients and organized it in the cold stone basin in front of her and took in a deep of breath as she watched the blue fire warm the small black cauldron. She started working on the ingredients, cutting and slicing, only looking up to make sure she followed the instructions in the right order. She did realize that many people were watching her in interest as she worked alone.
After half an hour of total silence-except the shimmering of the potions- and hard work, Terra found herself smiling as watched her potion turned a bright red color after adding the beetle eyes. Only when she was finished and her concentration on the potion was finished did she realize that the Professor was watching her, his face hidden in the shadows of the dungeons. Although he sat in the dark, his black eyes were nothing compared to the shadows surrounding him. Terra looked away immediately and took a ladle of the PepperUp potion and poured it into a glass tube.
Feeling very conscious, she stood up to place her potion in the box at the Potion Master's desk. She studied the patterns of the stone underneath her feet, making sure she didn't look at the professor's eyes. As she searched for her last name in the slots, she heard Snape say, "I'm expecting a lot from a young Maddox like you." Terra simply raised her eyes to meet his and bravely forced herself to not to break the eye contact.
"Excuse me, sir?" Terra's voice came out weak and frightened and she cursed herself inwardly. But the professor didn't seem to notice. Instead, he leaned forward on his desk and said in a louder voice, "Pack your things and clean your table." Terra blinked and looked away, turning back to her table, confused by the sudden lack of information. She looked up at the Potions Master again but he had completely ignored her for the rest of the class.
Terra turned her eyes towards the staff table and noticed that only one professor sat. She watched that man for a long while, chewing slowly on her small sandwich. She studied his long black hair that framed his pale face, his hooked nose that resembled him to a bird of prey, and his hunched shoulders that were clad in midnight black robes. He poked at a fried egg with a fork, not really interested in it and his dark eyes were deep in thought as he jabbed and stabbed.
A moment or so later, he turned his shadowy eyes towards Terra, who jumped in fright and looked away quickly, suddenly feeling conscious of the heavy stare that fell over her. She made sure she didn't look towards the high table and was highly grateful when Morgan Lee came into the Great Hall with a small group of first-year Slytherins. Terra suddenly forgot about the dark teacher at the high table and waved for the small gang to come over.
"Morning," Terra smiled as the young and new Slytherins sat around her and Terra didn't feel so alone. She grinned widely and looked up at the high table again where the dark-haired professor was, but felt surprisingly disappointed when he wasn't in sight. Terra's smile dissolved but returned again when Morgan said, "Why did you wake up so early?"
"Got excited," Terra smiled politely at him and hooked a stray hair strand behind her ear. "I came here only ten minutes ago." Morgan nodded and looked at his friends and said, "Everyone, this is Terra Maddox." A girl and two boys nodded and smiled politely.
Morgan started introducing the other first year Slytherins to her, "This is Ruth Polymer-" Morgan pointed to a blonde girl, her eyes large and brown, contrasting yet harmoniously suited together, "-we've been friends forever. And this-" He pointed to a boy with dark brown hair and equally brown eyes "-is Gregory Laith. And his twin, Garith Laith. They look nothing alike, though."
Terra noticed that Gregory's twin had the same brown hair and eyes yet their face features were so very different indeed. Gregory had a thin face, his nose slightly pointed and his chin high in the air with an air of importance. He looked alert and his eyes drifted here and there, yet it stayed glued to your face at the same time. His hair was thin and combed back into a really small ponytail that looked more like a stud sticking out of the back of his head where his skull met his neck.
But his twin, Garith, had a rounder face, making him look very young, but his dark brown eyes gave him wisdom that couldn't be expressed at such a young age. His chin seemed tucked into his chest, and looked very dreamy indeed. Terra smiled at him but he didn't smile back; he just nodded his head every so slightly in greeting. Terra continued smiling anyways as she turned to look at the last member of the group, who was a small girl with tangled black hair, her eyes a piercing ice blue.
But Terra realized that the others didn't look as cheerful. Morgan hadn't even bothered to introduce her. Morgan simply ignored the black haired girl and when Terra turned to look at Ruth, she was surprised to see the glares she kept sending the black haired girl. Terra turned to look at the twins but their feelings towards the small girl probably didn't exceed pure annoyance. Terra turned to look at the black haired girl again and realized she has been staring at her.
"Hey, I'm Laurence Black," the black haired girl grinned and ran an excited hand through the long mane of black hair. Terra smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She turned to look towards Morgan, who simply raised his eyebrows and frowned slightly. Ruth was still glaring into the back of Laurence's head and her pretty face turned sour and quite ugly. Gregory started buttering a toast, ignoring the scene altogether and Terra was slightly surprised when she noticed Garith staring at her.
Suddenly, Terra saw herself in the Slytherin common room . she was older than she was right now, her hair darker than usual and her eyes were wide and dry, yet they were flowing tears at the same time. She was hunched over a body underneath her, a girl her age, her black hair fanned behind her, her eyes open and icy blue. They were staring up at the ceiling and a single trickle of blood running down the side of her face.
More blood soaked Terra's sleeves and she realized there were deep slits and slashes all over her arm. She shut her eyes tight and tears escaped the narrowing of the optical muscles and found she wasn't able to breath. She choked on her tears and opened her eyes and suddenly found herself in the Great Hall again, Laurence was talking to her very quickly, while the other four Slytherins already finishing with their breakfast and passing around their weekly schedule for the year.
Terra's eyebrows drew together in confusion and she brought her finger to her forehead to rub away the headache that suddenly erupted in her head. Laurence was laughing at something and Ruth turned away, saving the death glares for later. Garith was already gone and Gregory was standing, running his hand through his thick brown hair once and turned towards the dungeons with Morgan close behind him. Laurence handed Terra her schedule and said, "Look, here's your schedule. I think we're all together. Potions first thing in the morning. That's close to our common rooms, so we can take our time. I'm still so hungry!"
But Ruth was up and right behind Terra, and she leaned down, her rosy lips next to Terra's ears, "Come on, let's go." Terra stood up, expecting Laurence to stand up with them but the black-haired girl bit her bottom lip and remained in her seat, her icy eyes looking up towards them. Terra felt a pang of guilt as Laurence smiled weakly, waving and saying, "I'll catch up later, ok?" But Ruth didn't give time for Terra to reply.
"Terra, you want to stay away from her ." Ruth announced as soon as they were out of earshot. Terra raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. Ruth continued, "She's a Black . and you know what happened to Sirius Black. They used to be such an honorable family . no one knows what's happening to them . first Sirius, now that Laurence." She sighed very prettily, looking like an angel who just got rid of the devil. "What's wrong?"
Ruth had noticed that Terra was staring at her sideways, not taking in everything that was said. Ruth blinked and asked again, "What? Is there anything wrong?" Terra opened her mouth, closed it, thought about it then opened her mouth again, "Sorry but I don't think I took in all you said ." Ruth's expressionless face cocked ever so slightly to the left and stood in silence for half a minute. Then a look of realization dawned over her face.
"You . you don't know who Sirius Black is?" Ruth eyes were widening slowly as Terra nodded her head. "Oh . uh, didn't you hear from your parents or something?" Terra raised her eyebrows, hesitated before replying, "My parents aren't magical . I don't think they would know." By then, Ruth's brilliant brown eyes were so wide; Terra thought they'd pop out.
"I-I didn't know, I thought you were . a pureblood," Ruth staggered, obviously shaken by the sudden shock. Terra was confused and waited a few seconds before she said, "Does it really matter?" Ruth's shock melted into an expressionless look and in a toneless voice, she said, "No . of course not. Come, I'll tell you all about it."
And so she did; while Ruth explained everything about the Dark Lord and his downfall, Terra listened intently as her mind took in all the new information. Although it was too much to remember all at once, Terra found it easy to follow. Ruth's shock was wearing off and she accepted the fact that Terra was a Muggle-born. Terra was worried that she would abandon her, but was eternally thankful when Ruth smiled and helped her carry her small cauldron to the dungeons, where they had their first lesson of Potions.
Outside a large mahogany door, the first year Slytherin boys stood close, looking very smug and superior. Terra noticed that Laurence wasn't there yet and that there were more students standing further from the door, chatting loudly and quite cheerfully. Terra couldn't recognize any but one, a tall boy for his age, his hair a flaming red color that blinded Terra in the dark and cold underground hallways. A group of boys and girls stood close to him and listened as the red-haired boy told them a joke and they all burst out laughing, disturbing the silence with echoing laughter.
But the laughter was abruptly interrupted by a bang behind them and everyone jumped to see the Potions Master glaring down at them all. His shoulder-length hair framed his pale and taught face and a horrible sneer curled at his lips. His fingers gripped tightly at the door as he hissed, "What is causing all this mayhem?"
No one dared answer as the professor's onyx-black eyes narrowed and pointed a long bony finger into the dungeon room. The small Slytherin group scurried past the abnormally tall Potions Master and made their way to the front of the room, sitting side by side, their bags near their feet and their small cauldrons on the stone table.
The other group of students, including the red-haired boy, sat near the back, still sniggering at the joke that had been told and tried to hold it in as the Potions Professor slammed the door shut and swooped to the front of the room. Silence fell over all the students and the professor delicately took out a roll of parchment and said in a voice as cold as the dungeons itself, "When I call your name, simply raise your hand high enough for me to see.
"Black, Laurence."
There was no answer. Terra suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen her since breakfast. The professor raised a thin black eyebrow delicately and crossed out something next to Laurence's name. Terra felt it was as if he had sentenced her to the gallows. She turned to look at the other Slytherins; Ruth looked very smug indeed, flicking her hair behind her shoulders. The boys however didn't look interested as they watched the Potions Master in deep respect.
"Curtis, Alexandra."
A girl from the other group raised her hand and the professor didn't even smile to greet the young girl. Terra's feeling towards this professor was becoming worse and worse as he called down the other student's names. "Laith, Garith."
Garith raised his hand ever so slightly that the professor had to bark out his name another time to make sure he was present. Garith simply stared in front of him, not taking notice of the looks of disbelief sent towards him from the Potions Master, who frowned darkly and called out his twin's name.
"Laith, Gregory."
A pale hand graciously rose in the air. The professor ticked his name.
"Lee, Morgan."
Morgan raised his hand almost eagerly and the professor's eyebrows rose at this. Terra watched as Morgan grinned and was surprised when she saw that the professor nodded politely at this.
"Maddox . Terra."
Terra felt as if the professor dumped a bucket of ice over her head; His black eyes were just as effective. His face was expressionless yet his eyes widened ever so slightly. Terra remembered the stares that were sent towards her that morning in the Great Hall and she raised her hand slowly. The older wizard looked satisfied with that and he turned to the parchment again, taking his time as he ticked her name. Terra realized she wasn't breathing and slowly let out a deep breath as silently as she could.
"O'Maley, Kathy.
"Polymer, Ruth.
"Tressa, Tom.
"Urvan, Jordan.
"Weasley, Bill.
"Present!"
The young boy's shriek made everyone jump in their seats. The Slytherins looked behind them and glared at the red-haired boy, who sat grinning in his seat, looking very proud of himself. Terra couldn't help but smile at the boy's light-hearted attitude. The Potions Master, however, seemed like he couldn't help but bare his teeth at the young boy and his right eye twitched in annoyance. Morgan, Ruth and Gregory looked from the professor to the boy named Bill.
"Didn't I clearly state that when I call your name to 'simply raise your hand'?" The pale professor narrowed his black eyes into narrow, horizontal slits. Bill's smile slowly turned into a straight line and his lips smacked together and he shrugged so softly.
"I just wanted to make sure you didn't miss me," Bill said in a small voice that held a hint of humor in it. His Gryffindor friends sniggered under their hands but shut up quickly when the professor placed the roll of parchment on his large mahogany desk. He sent the first year Gryffindors one last venomous glare before turning to the blackboard. He swiftly raised his left hand and his large sleeves swooped the dark surface of the board and snapped his bony fingers once, making a very loud click in the silence of the class.
Although no one made a sound, each one of the first years looked impressed as the blackboard started to get covered in neat white scribbles. Slowly, the list of all the ingredients appeared on the board and underneath, the numbered steps to how the potion is made. The professor stood by the blackboard and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes sweeping the room for any misbehavior. His eyes lingered onto the Gryffindor group for a long moment before he spoke.
"As it is clear on the board . you shall be brewing a potion of pure simplicity that none of you dunderheads will slip an ingredient out of order. The PepperUp Potion is one of the most common potions ever made in the world of Magic. Although it isn't the most convenient and efficient potion at all, it can heal small wounds, recover your health or boost your energy. It takes only half an hour and the steps are so painfully easy that even a pickled, brainless toad can do it."
Terra found herself staring at the preserved bodies of evil-looking animals and shuddered slightly at the image of herself trapped in a small bottle somewhere deep in the professor's dungeons, and all over Hogwarts, students would whisper, Yes, her name was Terra Maddox . last seen heading towards the dungeons to serve detention for exploding the potion in the professor's face .
But before the professor could snap at Terra for not concentrating at what he was saying, the large doors slammed open at such an alarming force that Terra thought a stampede would storm in. But the girl who stood at the end of the class had long black hair . as black as her last name.
"I'm-I'm so . so sorry, Professor Snape," Laurence sounded more scared than breathless. Her icy blue eyes were wide and almost white, her pupils so small they seemed nonexistent. "Pro-Professor Dumbledore needed to-to talk to me," her voice high-pitched and echoing in the stone room. The Slytherins were looking at her as if she were drenched in dragon dung. The Gryffindors and Terra, however, looked a bit worried about how the professor would react. Surprisingly, he was pretty calm and didn't look angry at the little Black.
"I was informed," Professor Snape blinked slowly. "Shut the doors behind you and sit down." Laurence did so without hesitation and took a seat next to Terra, who smiled meekly at her and turned towards the Potions Master again.
"The ingredients you all have with the exception of the beetle eyes, which are placed in the cupboards by the sink. Small, lidded tubes are on my desk. After you are completed with your first potion, you will be filling your vile and putting it in the box at the front of the room, on my desk. The box is divided into slots where your name is written. I don't want any time wasted. Is there anyone who doesn't understand what is being said right now?"
No one dared speak as the professor ordered them to start and there was a sudden feeling of panic and hurry in the cold dungeons as the first years dashed to collect the beetle eyes next to the sink and starting to set up their cauldrons and lighting the magical fire underneath them.
Morgan paired up Ruth and the Laith brothers worked silently together. Terra was about to turn towards Laurence but stopped herself quickly when she saw the Gryffindors wave at Laurence. Laurence waved back and packed her potion ingredients and cauldron and moved to the back table, leaving Terra sitting alone, unsure of what to do.
Not wanting to disturb anyone, and not wanting to look helpless, Terra took out the ingredients and organized it in the cold stone basin in front of her and took in a deep of breath as she watched the blue fire warm the small black cauldron. She started working on the ingredients, cutting and slicing, only looking up to make sure she followed the instructions in the right order. She did realize that many people were watching her in interest as she worked alone.
After half an hour of total silence-except the shimmering of the potions- and hard work, Terra found herself smiling as watched her potion turned a bright red color after adding the beetle eyes. Only when she was finished and her concentration on the potion was finished did she realize that the Professor was watching her, his face hidden in the shadows of the dungeons. Although he sat in the dark, his black eyes were nothing compared to the shadows surrounding him. Terra looked away immediately and took a ladle of the PepperUp potion and poured it into a glass tube.
Feeling very conscious, she stood up to place her potion in the box at the Potion Master's desk. She studied the patterns of the stone underneath her feet, making sure she didn't look at the professor's eyes. As she searched for her last name in the slots, she heard Snape say, "I'm expecting a lot from a young Maddox like you." Terra simply raised her eyes to meet his and bravely forced herself to not to break the eye contact.
"Excuse me, sir?" Terra's voice came out weak and frightened and she cursed herself inwardly. But the professor didn't seem to notice. Instead, he leaned forward on his desk and said in a louder voice, "Pack your things and clean your table." Terra blinked and looked away, turning back to her table, confused by the sudden lack of information. She looked up at the Potions Master again but he had completely ignored her for the rest of the class.