DISCLAIMER: See first chapter
A/N: Thank you all for the fantastic reviews, and thank you HPFanFicLuvr, my wonderful, amazing, loyal beta.
BeCkY6: Yet another one of your positive reviews! Thank you!
Raclswt: Thank you.
HarryGryffinGirl: You forgot to open the door? LOL
BeforeandAfter: Thank you… I think. You mean it hasn't been interesting up to now?
Emma Ackroyd: Thank you so much!
A/N2: Sorry the chapter is so short, but I need to cut down on my computer hours, schoolwork is slipping behind.
Adding newt's eye had sounded simple enough, but really it wasn't. They didn't know whether to chop or pulverise the eye, or even how much they had to add. And trial by error didn't seem such a good idea when working with potions. What if they ended up in the Middle Ages? Or even worse, their future?
James scowled as Severus approached the Gryffindor table, and Hermione saw the majority of the boys grab for their wands. Honestly! It wasn't as though eh was going to curse them or anything!
He slipped a note into her hand, and she unfolded it. Lily leaned over to read what it said.
"Got book. One-half eye, pulverised. Create distraction in potions lesson." they read. As soon as they had read the note, Lily jumped up and flew herself at Severus. Ron stared. Lily and Snape? They had serious troubles. Hold on! Hermione was also hanging off his neck! This was bad. Come to think of it… Snape did look rather hilarious. Ron had never seen anyone look as shocked as he did when he found that he had two squealing girls trying to strangle him. Well, at least Ron hoped that was what they were doing. He and Neville exchanged a glance. I wonder what that's all about, Ron thought. He saw Mia running over from the Hufflepuff table.
"Did you get it?" she asked, and when they all nodded she too flung herself around Snape's neck. The foursome left, leaving a very confused Great Hall behind. As soon as the doors had swung closed behind them, the entire hall stated babbling loudly.
They studied the book closely. Moste Potente Potions, it was called, and out of the restricted section.
"Thank goodness it's easy to fool Clevis," Snape said. "She was really suspicious at first, but when I told her which book I wanted, she got so exited."
"I can imagine," replied Lily dryly. "A Slytherin interested in Potions! Oh, Mr. Snape, you truly are an exception. It is very seldom one from your house is so clever, so dedicated and so polite as you are, Mr. Snape!"
The foursome laughed. Neither of the girls had been overly fond of Clevis since they found out she fancied James. James was their friend, and it was wrong that the Professor liked him!
They decided that Lily and Hermione would create a distraction while Snape stole ingredients. The boys would probably notice if Lily and Hermione sneaked off to the potions' cupboard.
When potions came, Hermione and Lily paired up. They almost fell over in delight when Clevis said that they had to be careful not to spill the potion they would be making on the skin, since it would cause severe rashes.
Going home would be worth a couple of hours in the Hospital Wing, Hermione reasoned.
"Is going home worth a couple of hours in the Hospital Wings for everyone," Mia had asked. Hermione hadn't bothered to answer.
"Got the fireworks?" Lily hissed to Hermione, who nodded. She lighted them with her wand and tossed them in a Slytherin's cauldron. The result was not pleasant.
"IF I FIND WHO DID THAT," Clevis yelled at the class, looking towards the Slytherins. She let out long stings of cursing and threats, but nobody owned up. Nearly all the class were covered in rashes. James looked around to see who had done it. He'd been a Master prankster for five years, he knew exactly when someone had put a firework in a potion. But all he saw was pained faces and confused looks. Although he didn't see Snape anywhere. It was probably he who did it. And now he didn't want to face Clevis.
As they all trudged up to that Hospital Wing, James swore he'd get revenge on Snape.
"What would they do to us if…" asked Mia as she stirred down a few asphodel roots into the black potion.
"Feed us to the ducks," interrupted Snape.
"Charming," muttered Hermione.
There was a long silence.
"Is it supposed to be black?" asked Mia, before the potion turned a pale blue colour.
"No, but it's supposed to be that colour," replied Lily. They watched breathlessly as the potion smoked a bit, and paled some more.
"It's beautiful," whispered Severus. He had never before seen the beauty of potions. To him, it had just been an interesting subject – and before Hermione tutored him in it a terrible subject. He promised himself that he'd spend his life working with potions.
They watched the potion simmer in silence.
"We did it!" exclaimed Mia at long last, and threw herself around Severus' neck. It was the second time that day he was almost strangled by a girl. Oh well, he supposed that's what you got when you adopted a little sister.
"Now all we have to do is wait for another three weeks," Hermione stated. "I'm going to miss this. I'll miss you all."
"We'll miss you too, Hermione," replied Mia.
"Clevis is following us! Run!" James gasped. The two set out in a sprint until they came to a storage room.
"You go in, I'll keep guard outside to make sure she doesn't get in," Sirius told his friend, who did exactly what he said. Sirius grinned. James was playing right into his hands. He and Neville had set up this, because they were getting frustrated with Hermione and James either ignoring each other or snapping at each other. He closed the door and locked it.
James blinked. Did Padfoot have to close the door? It was so dark. He staggered in, tripping over various unidentified objects. Suddenly he fell on something soft. It squealed.
"Who's there?" he asked, almost panicking. What if it were someone from Slytherin? That would be gross, lying on top of a Slyth!
"Lumos," whispered the person. James felt stupid. Why hadn't he thought about that?
He looked at the person.
"Hermione," he gasped.
She didn't reply. There was an uncomfortable silence until they both blurted out:
"I'm sorry."
Sirius felt that they had had enough time to make up, so he opened the door for them. They stepped out smiling.
"So? What happened?"
"We decided to be friends," said Hermione. He definitely reminded her of an exited puppy.
"Fiends?" he asked, now dismayed. Where had his brilliant plan failed?
"Hermione explained more in detail why we can't be together," James grinned. "And don't give us the puppy-dog look, it won't work."
Sirius quickly wiped the look of his face.
"I'm glad you at least got so far."
Hermione looked thoughtful. Was this the right time to drop the bomb? No, she'd drop the bomb to Ron and Neville first. They had the right to be the first to know, since the news affected them most.
"Ron, Neville," Hermione took a deep breath, "I have something to tell you."
They turned their attention on her.
"We found a way to get home," she said quickly. "We're leaving in about three weeks."
Ron and Neville said nothing for a long while.
"I wonder how it will be, going home."
"Meeting Harry again," filled in Ron. "We know so much more about his parents now."
Hermione said nothing. She had considered this many times.
"What do we tell Harry?" asked Neville. Hermione again said nothing. She hadn't considered that.
"I don't know, replied Ron. "But I do know that it will be a relief. I don't have to worry about you taking a liking to Wormtail. What did you see in him, anyway?"
"Ron," Hermione sighed. "Not now."
"He's a filthy traitoring bastard," Ron practically shouted.
Peter walked alone from detention. It had kept him longer than he thought. Barker had been especially mean.
"He's a filthy traitoring bastard," he heard Ron shout as he entered the common room. He stilled. Who was a filthy traitoring bastard? It couldn't be him, could it? Hermione had said he wasn't a traitor. She had, honestly.
"He betrayed Lily and James and framed Sirius, Hermione!" Ron shouted again. It had to be either him or Remus, Peter worked out. And they had a problem with him, but not with Remus.
"Ron," Hermione tried to reason, "he is important. If he hadn't betrayed the Voldemort would never had fallen!"
Words echoed in his mind. Words spoken to him by Hermione. It seemed like ages ago. Was it really only a few months ago? "You play an important role in Voldemort's downfall". His entire world crashed when he realised he would betray his best friend!
He let out a squeal and ran out of the common room.
He heard Hermione calling behind him.
"Peter! Peter wait!"
But he wouldn't wait. He'd end his miserable life right there and then. He'd rather die than betray his friends!