Chapter 10-Potions
Harry, Ron and Hermione dashed into the dungeons as fast as they could. It was dark and only a few torches lit the dim hallway. The light from the torches casted shadows on the wall, making the dark hallway sinister looking. Hermione was about to take out her wand and light it when they collided into someone. They fell back and landed on their butts.
"Hey!"came a familiar voice as that person spun around. "Watch where-"
Draco stopped as he saw Hermione on the ground.
"Let me help you, my sweet precious little buttercup." He said politely, holding out a hand for Hermione to hold. Ron couldn't help it and gave out a snort. Hermione looked disgustedly at Malfoy and struggled up to her feet.
"I don't need any help from you, Malfoy!"she said angrily. "Why do I keep on meeting you? Are you stalking me?"
"No, I think that's a sign that we should be together forever. Should we?"
"You're sick." Hermione pulled her friends up. Harry's glasses had been damaged really badly and it was crooked to one side of his face. "Here, Harry, let me help you."
She took the glasses and fixed it in a jiffy. She handed it back to Harry who looked grateful and said, "Come on guys, let's go before we're late."
Malfoy looked impressed at Hermione.
"You're smarter then ever, my dear. You should know that being with a prefect is the best thing for you."
"I'll rather marry a slug then ever going out with you!" she replied heatedly. "And you know what?" She pushed on, "I don't care if you're a PREFECT, I won't even care if you're the statue of Liberty! You think you're all that, but you're not! And DON'T you ever call me any of your sickening mushy nicknames you invented for me ever again! I hate every one of it and it makes me want to kill you when you call me that! It's the stupidest thing I ever heard of in my life and it's just stupid!!! Grrr...you make me so angry!!!"
"Hermione, poofy pie, you look so cute when you scream at me." Malfoy said coyly.
"ARGGGGHHH! Malfoy, you dumb boy! I said I do not want to hear any more stupid names from you! Poofy pie is the last straw! If you can't get anything into that thick useless brain of yours, then let me simplify that into baby language to you! Read my lips, I HATE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD!!!"
"Other then Jeremy's ex girlfriend." she added in her mind.
"Ok, Hermsy, read MY lips. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD!!!"
"You-"Hermione was about to scream something outrageous when Harry and Ron held her back.
"Come on, Hermione, don't waste your time on useless dumb asses like him." said Ron, as he and Harry dragged her away.
"Hey, Weasley, at least I don't like Captain Oreo's." said Malfoy sarcastically. "See you, my lovey dovey princess."
Malfoy then walked into the Potions classroom, leaving Hermione to splutter angrily.
"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna mash him to pieces. I'm gonna-"
"Gonna what, Miss Granger?" asked an icy voice from behind.
Harry, Ron and Hermione turned around in alarm and met professor Snape's steely glare.
"N..n..othing, Professor Snape."stammered Hermione.
"Then get into the classroom before I take away your house points." he said icily.
"Yes, Professor." The three of them said and walked into the class.
Malfoy looked up and saw Hermione. He smiled at her and she growled at him. They walked to their places and took their seats.
"Hello, class, welcome back to another year with me. I hate it, but it's my job to teach you Potions. Since Miss Cheston took the Defence Against The Dark Arts job. How unfair." Professor Snape seem to be muttering to himself.
"But ANYWAY," he suddenly said loudly, making everyone jump. "Back to the subject. POTIONS. I'm sure all of you understand what Potions is. So let's just start making a new potion today. Today, the new potion you will be making is the Polyjuice Potion. I've talked about it when you were all in your 2nd year. I wonder how many of you remember it?"
No one put up their hands and Ron was going to put up his hand when Harry kicked him under the desk. Ron suddenly remembered and folded his arms. Hermione's eyes went wide as she remembered that she had turned into a cat when they had made the potion illegally.
"Alright, I don't expect any of you knuckleheads to remember anything anyway. Here are your new textbooks." Professor Snape waved a finger lazily at a pile of book and hovered it to each student. "Now open up to page 12, please."
Harry turned to the page and saw the familiar page that he had seen four years ago in the book from the library called Moste Potente Potions. It had illustrations of people halfway through transforming into other people. The faces of the people transforming had a very excruciating look in their expressions.
"The ingredients you will need can be found in the Potions storeroom." Professor Snape's menacing beady eyes fixed upon his students. "Weasley!"he barked. "Go fetch the items for everyone after I've finished explaining what you are supposed to do. And don't you dare try to steal any ingredients!"
"Yes, Professor Snape."said Ron cantankerously. He rolled his eyes and spat out his tongue at Snape when he wasn't looking. Harry shrugged at Ron. Ron scowled and looked down at the list.
Ingredients
Leeches
Fluxweed
Knotgrass
Lacewing Flies
Powdered horn of Bicorn
Shredded skin of a Boomslang
A bit of someone/something you want to change into
Ron wrinkled his face in disgust as he remembered how disgusting it was to swallow a bit of Crabbe's hair. It must be full of dandruff flakes and bits of leftover food. Ron shuddered and he felt his breakfast coming up again. Malfoy raised his hand innocently.
"Yes, Malfoy?"asked Snape in a completely different tone he had used with Ron.
"Whom are we changing into?"
"Oh, just your classmates. You will all be turning into them for only a minute. It's just to test if your remedy works. Then, you'll take the antidote that will be supplied to you. That would change you back into yourselves again."
"Can we change into anyone we want?" Malfoy looked at Hermione, who was steaming from the ears.
"Well, Malfoy,"said Snape, his thin lips curving into a small smile. "That depends. You certainly won't be a girl."
Malfoy put his hand down and he looked disgruntled. Neville, who was hidden in the shadows, raised his hands timidly.
"What, Longbottom? Don't waste my time." snapped Snape.
"Errr...Professor? Can we pick our partners?" he managed to squeak.
"What's the matter, Longbottom? Afraid no one would want to be you? But really, who in their right minds WOULD want to be you? A scatterbrain, a clumsy and forgetful boy, what a horrible mess you are. I really pity your parents for giving birth to one of the most useless boy that ever existed."
"Hey, that's not very nice!" said Hermione angrily, coming up to Neville's defense. Harry turned and saw poor Neville who was trying to hold back his tears.
"Did I ask you a question, Miss Granger?" asked Snape, his voice dangerously soft.
"No, but you didn't have to criticize Neville in such a harsh and insulting way." she answered.
"Well, then, Miss Granger, the smarty pants who is to smart for her own good. Why don't YOU be Neville's partner and change into him?"
Hermione was about to say something when Malfoy cut in.
"Errr...Professor, I'm sure Hermione didn't really mean it. Can we please continue the lesson and not waste more time?"
Snape looked at Malfoy then at Hermione.
"If I hadn't known better," he said icily, feeling defeated for his favorite Slytherin student is against him. "I'll say that you and Granger are seeing each other."
Hermione looked horror struck and looked like she was about to faint. Malfoy, on the other hand, beamed a titanic grin and winked at Hermione.
"Now, about the Polyjuice potion." Snape continued. "It is banned in most countries but in Hogwarts, we are allowed to do this because we are the most trusted school. No students had ever had any serious accidents YET, but I doubt you will be able to keep that record, thanks to Longbottom."
The Slytherins began to snigger and sneer at Neville, who looked very afraid. Snape looked at the scared boy with satisfaction and continued on.
"This potion might take a while, about a month. This is because the lacewings would have to be stewed for twenty-one days and the fluxweed would have to be picked at a full moon. Our next full moon would be...let me see,"
Snape swished his wand and muttered 'calendranimpy!' under his breath.
A golden light flashed for a second, and everyone had to shield their eyes. The light then began to fade slowly, leaving a piece of glittery parchment floating in mid-air. Snape tapped it three times and said 'Full Moon" loudly. The calendar started to spin round and round, spraying golden and sliver glitter everywhere. On top of the calendar was a dim picture of a full moon, with clouds drifting around it. The calendar suddenly stopped spinning. The class leaned forward in curiosity and everyone was mesmerized by the magical and beautiful calendar.
Written on the calendar was a large number 18 with some weird symbols around it. Snape looked at it for some time.
"Ok, class, the next full moon would be in 9 days time, and that should give us enough time to complete the potion. So I expect all of you, especially some dumb butts, to complete this potion by the end of the month. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor." chorused the class.
"Good. Now, Weasley. Go fetch the ingredients! Don't take the wrong ones or you'll face the consequences." Snape sniggered. "I'm sure you don't want to be the first to make Gyffindor lose their house points, now do you?"
Ron shook his head vigorously.
"Then? What are you waiting for? GO!"
Ron jumped a little and hurried out of the room.
Harry, Ron and Hermione dashed into the dungeons as fast as they could. It was dark and only a few torches lit the dim hallway. The light from the torches casted shadows on the wall, making the dark hallway sinister looking. Hermione was about to take out her wand and light it when they collided into someone. They fell back and landed on their butts.
"Hey!"came a familiar voice as that person spun around. "Watch where-"
Draco stopped as he saw Hermione on the ground.
"Let me help you, my sweet precious little buttercup." He said politely, holding out a hand for Hermione to hold. Ron couldn't help it and gave out a snort. Hermione looked disgustedly at Malfoy and struggled up to her feet.
"I don't need any help from you, Malfoy!"she said angrily. "Why do I keep on meeting you? Are you stalking me?"
"No, I think that's a sign that we should be together forever. Should we?"
"You're sick." Hermione pulled her friends up. Harry's glasses had been damaged really badly and it was crooked to one side of his face. "Here, Harry, let me help you."
She took the glasses and fixed it in a jiffy. She handed it back to Harry who looked grateful and said, "Come on guys, let's go before we're late."
Malfoy looked impressed at Hermione.
"You're smarter then ever, my dear. You should know that being with a prefect is the best thing for you."
"I'll rather marry a slug then ever going out with you!" she replied heatedly. "And you know what?" She pushed on, "I don't care if you're a PREFECT, I won't even care if you're the statue of Liberty! You think you're all that, but you're not! And DON'T you ever call me any of your sickening mushy nicknames you invented for me ever again! I hate every one of it and it makes me want to kill you when you call me that! It's the stupidest thing I ever heard of in my life and it's just stupid!!! Grrr...you make me so angry!!!"
"Hermione, poofy pie, you look so cute when you scream at me." Malfoy said coyly.
"ARGGGGHHH! Malfoy, you dumb boy! I said I do not want to hear any more stupid names from you! Poofy pie is the last straw! If you can't get anything into that thick useless brain of yours, then let me simplify that into baby language to you! Read my lips, I HATE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD!!!"
"Other then Jeremy's ex girlfriend." she added in her mind.
"Ok, Hermsy, read MY lips. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD!!!"
"You-"Hermione was about to scream something outrageous when Harry and Ron held her back.
"Come on, Hermione, don't waste your time on useless dumb asses like him." said Ron, as he and Harry dragged her away.
"Hey, Weasley, at least I don't like Captain Oreo's." said Malfoy sarcastically. "See you, my lovey dovey princess."
Malfoy then walked into the Potions classroom, leaving Hermione to splutter angrily.
"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna mash him to pieces. I'm gonna-"
"Gonna what, Miss Granger?" asked an icy voice from behind.
Harry, Ron and Hermione turned around in alarm and met professor Snape's steely glare.
"N..n..othing, Professor Snape."stammered Hermione.
"Then get into the classroom before I take away your house points." he said icily.
"Yes, Professor." The three of them said and walked into the class.
Malfoy looked up and saw Hermione. He smiled at her and she growled at him. They walked to their places and took their seats.
"Hello, class, welcome back to another year with me. I hate it, but it's my job to teach you Potions. Since Miss Cheston took the Defence Against The Dark Arts job. How unfair." Professor Snape seem to be muttering to himself.
"But ANYWAY," he suddenly said loudly, making everyone jump. "Back to the subject. POTIONS. I'm sure all of you understand what Potions is. So let's just start making a new potion today. Today, the new potion you will be making is the Polyjuice Potion. I've talked about it when you were all in your 2nd year. I wonder how many of you remember it?"
No one put up their hands and Ron was going to put up his hand when Harry kicked him under the desk. Ron suddenly remembered and folded his arms. Hermione's eyes went wide as she remembered that she had turned into a cat when they had made the potion illegally.
"Alright, I don't expect any of you knuckleheads to remember anything anyway. Here are your new textbooks." Professor Snape waved a finger lazily at a pile of book and hovered it to each student. "Now open up to page 12, please."
Harry turned to the page and saw the familiar page that he had seen four years ago in the book from the library called Moste Potente Potions. It had illustrations of people halfway through transforming into other people. The faces of the people transforming had a very excruciating look in their expressions.
"The ingredients you will need can be found in the Potions storeroom." Professor Snape's menacing beady eyes fixed upon his students. "Weasley!"he barked. "Go fetch the items for everyone after I've finished explaining what you are supposed to do. And don't you dare try to steal any ingredients!"
"Yes, Professor Snape."said Ron cantankerously. He rolled his eyes and spat out his tongue at Snape when he wasn't looking. Harry shrugged at Ron. Ron scowled and looked down at the list.
Ingredients
Leeches
Fluxweed
Knotgrass
Lacewing Flies
Powdered horn of Bicorn
Shredded skin of a Boomslang
A bit of someone/something you want to change into
Ron wrinkled his face in disgust as he remembered how disgusting it was to swallow a bit of Crabbe's hair. It must be full of dandruff flakes and bits of leftover food. Ron shuddered and he felt his breakfast coming up again. Malfoy raised his hand innocently.
"Yes, Malfoy?"asked Snape in a completely different tone he had used with Ron.
"Whom are we changing into?"
"Oh, just your classmates. You will all be turning into them for only a minute. It's just to test if your remedy works. Then, you'll take the antidote that will be supplied to you. That would change you back into yourselves again."
"Can we change into anyone we want?" Malfoy looked at Hermione, who was steaming from the ears.
"Well, Malfoy,"said Snape, his thin lips curving into a small smile. "That depends. You certainly won't be a girl."
Malfoy put his hand down and he looked disgruntled. Neville, who was hidden in the shadows, raised his hands timidly.
"What, Longbottom? Don't waste my time." snapped Snape.
"Errr...Professor? Can we pick our partners?" he managed to squeak.
"What's the matter, Longbottom? Afraid no one would want to be you? But really, who in their right minds WOULD want to be you? A scatterbrain, a clumsy and forgetful boy, what a horrible mess you are. I really pity your parents for giving birth to one of the most useless boy that ever existed."
"Hey, that's not very nice!" said Hermione angrily, coming up to Neville's defense. Harry turned and saw poor Neville who was trying to hold back his tears.
"Did I ask you a question, Miss Granger?" asked Snape, his voice dangerously soft.
"No, but you didn't have to criticize Neville in such a harsh and insulting way." she answered.
"Well, then, Miss Granger, the smarty pants who is to smart for her own good. Why don't YOU be Neville's partner and change into him?"
Hermione was about to say something when Malfoy cut in.
"Errr...Professor, I'm sure Hermione didn't really mean it. Can we please continue the lesson and not waste more time?"
Snape looked at Malfoy then at Hermione.
"If I hadn't known better," he said icily, feeling defeated for his favorite Slytherin student is against him. "I'll say that you and Granger are seeing each other."
Hermione looked horror struck and looked like she was about to faint. Malfoy, on the other hand, beamed a titanic grin and winked at Hermione.
"Now, about the Polyjuice potion." Snape continued. "It is banned in most countries but in Hogwarts, we are allowed to do this because we are the most trusted school. No students had ever had any serious accidents YET, but I doubt you will be able to keep that record, thanks to Longbottom."
The Slytherins began to snigger and sneer at Neville, who looked very afraid. Snape looked at the scared boy with satisfaction and continued on.
"This potion might take a while, about a month. This is because the lacewings would have to be stewed for twenty-one days and the fluxweed would have to be picked at a full moon. Our next full moon would be...let me see,"
Snape swished his wand and muttered 'calendranimpy!' under his breath.
A golden light flashed for a second, and everyone had to shield their eyes. The light then began to fade slowly, leaving a piece of glittery parchment floating in mid-air. Snape tapped it three times and said 'Full Moon" loudly. The calendar started to spin round and round, spraying golden and sliver glitter everywhere. On top of the calendar was a dim picture of a full moon, with clouds drifting around it. The calendar suddenly stopped spinning. The class leaned forward in curiosity and everyone was mesmerized by the magical and beautiful calendar.
Written on the calendar was a large number 18 with some weird symbols around it. Snape looked at it for some time.
"Ok, class, the next full moon would be in 9 days time, and that should give us enough time to complete the potion. So I expect all of you, especially some dumb butts, to complete this potion by the end of the month. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor." chorused the class.
"Good. Now, Weasley. Go fetch the ingredients! Don't take the wrong ones or you'll face the consequences." Snape sniggered. "I'm sure you don't want to be the first to make Gyffindor lose their house points, now do you?"
Ron shook his head vigorously.
"Then? What are you waiting for? GO!"
Ron jumped a little and hurried out of the room.