Chapter 7

The night flew by, the morning ran too. It was going by too fast for those who had potions to brew. 'Potions' was the word one the tip of everyone's tongue the next morning. Everyone was dreading the end of the week when their most intimate memories might be revealed to someone from the house that they loathed. The only good thing anyone could possibly think could come out of this information was blackmail material. However, everyone got a nasty shock when they walked into potions class and Snape told them that they would be drinking the potion that day. There was almost a riot.

"But Professor, I thought you said the potion took a week to brew," said Malfoy thoroughly annoyed.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I was under the impression that you all would make a mess of such a complicated potion. The truth is it takes a week to brew if you have done something wrong. Now as surprised as I am to say it, you all managed to do it right. Let me personally congratulate you, Mr. Malfoy, for doing so with such an incompetent partner." Snape comment made Neville blush and Malfoy snigger. "Now listen carefully, first you will pour some of your potion into a vial and put your name and your partners name on it. This will be handed in to me so that I may test it. Then you will each pour some into separate vials for yourselves. Make sure you are seated before you drink the potion, as all memories are very powerful. You will both drink the potion at the same time. Once the potion is consumed you will have to make some sort of contact with your partner so that the potion will be initiated." When he saw the looks of outrage on everyone's faces he added rather impatiently, "It need only be a small tap. Now I must warn you that when you are in the other person's memory, you will not be an outsider looking on. You will be seeing the memory from your partner's point of view. And if you did the potion exceptionally well, you will be able to hear what, is being said. I urge you to remain seated afterwards because you will probably be somewhat disoriented. You may proceed when I have received the appropriate vial."

One by one the students went to Snape's desk and gave him vials full of their potions. Then they all went back to their seats dreading what was about to happen.

When Harry returned from Snape's desk he found Pansy staring at him with a look of utmost contempt. "Let's get this over with," he whispered more to himself than to Pansy. They sat down facing each other. Pansy poured the potion into two small vials and handed one to Harry, which he snatched forcefully out of her hands nearly spilling it. Before they drank it, they both looked around to see what was happening to other students when they drank their potion. Harry's eyes landed on Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode. They were both sitting in their chairs with their eyes closed and they both looked so rigid that if you were to pull the chair out from under them they would still be in the exact same position. Harry also noticed that they had been shaking hands, that must have been the contact they chose, and they were frozen mid-handshake. Harry was forcefully reminded of someone who had been petrified. Now that he knew what was going to happen, he turned back to Pansy who had apparently been doing the same thing. Without blinking, without taking their eyes off of each other, they drank the potion. Before Pansy even had time to argue what type of contact they should have, Harry forcefully grabbed her hand which was on her lap and gave it an unnecessary tight squeeze.

He was in the Great Hall, and he was wearing green silk pajamas. He was crying but he didn't know why. Then he remembered, 'I'm Pansy.' He walked further into the hall and saw someone: himself. This couldn't be. He heard himself speak, "Pansy?!" Suddenly he wasn't crying anymore, he was laughing.

"What's the matter Potty, did your friends leave you all alone…again?" He was surprised to hear Pansy's voice coming out of him. He felt his face smiling wickedly.

Then what he saw made his skin crawl. He saw himself angrier than he had ever been in his life. Then he only felt pain as he heard himself cry, "CRUCIO!"

He was on the floor crying and screaming in pain. "NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE!" he heard himself yell over the sobs. Then it was over. "Why…father?" was all Harry heard Pansy's voice say before he found himself sitting back in the potions classroom looking into Pansy's horrorstruck eyes as he held her hand.

She was in the Great Hall and she thought, 'What am I doing here?' before she remembered 'I'm Potter.' She turned around and saw the last person she expected: herself. She was in her pajamas and she was crying. Then she heard Harry's shocked voice come out of her mouth, "Pansy?!"

"What's the matter Potty, did your friends leave you all alone…again?" she saw how evil she looked smiling horribly. She couldn't believe what happened next. Her arm was raised and she had her wand. "CRUCIO," Harry's voice cried from her mouth. "NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE!" she heard Harry's voice roar so loud she thought her vocal cords would rip. Just as soon as it started it was over. She walked over to herself, who was now lying on the floor in a crumpled heap. The pain in her eyes was unbearable. "Why…father?" was all she heard herself say before she found herself back in the potions room looking at Harry who was still holding her hand.

Neither of them knew what had just happened. Had they just seen what they thought they saw? It couldn't have been, it was just a dream. Harry was the first to snap out of it. He quickly released Pansy's hand and looked around wildly. He looked back at Pansy who was now rubbing her hand. He couldn't make out what the look on Pansy's face was but he knew one thing: she was just as confused as he was. Harry wanted some answers.

"Professor?" he called out loudly. "I thought you said we would only be able to see memories?"

Snape, who looked very annoyed, merely answered, "That is correct, Potter. Now if you'll excuse me I have to finish grading the potions."

"Are you sure?" Harry went on.

"Mr. Potter, do not question my authority as a potions master. I am telling you that what you saw is a memory that actually happened. A dream is not a memory!" said Snape loosing his patience.

"But-"

"There are no 'buts' Mr. Potter, so be quiet."

Harry didn't know what to think. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. It was a dream. That's all it was.

'But Snape said-,' he began to argue with himself.

'Fuck, Snape. He doesn't know what he's talking about.'

'Oh, he doesn't?'

'No, he doesn't. It wasn't real. How could it be real? I wouldn't do that.'

'Are you sure?'

He didn't know what else to argue. He looked over at Pansy. She was just staring at him. She opened her mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. She couldn't find any words to describe what she wanted to say. Finally, after about five minutes of sitting in silence and watching the rest of the class come back from the memories they were in, Pansy said one word.

"How?" she whispered looking Harry directly in the eye.

"I don't know," he whispered back. Then it dawned on him. He remembered something he had heard on television over the summer. It was the only way. Nothing else made sense. And if it really was a memory…

Pansy saw the realization hit him as his eyes widened. "What?" she whispered urgently.

"I think I know what happened. I think we were-

"Silence," Snape yelled cutting Harry off. "Now that everyone is back from the memories, class can be dismissed. For the remainder of the week you will work with your partner on the essay to be handed in. There will only be one essay per group. In other words you have to write it together." Snape said this last word as if it were the final nail in the coffin. "You may go."

Everyone was in a hurry to get out of the classroom, everyone except Harry and Pansy. They both gathered their things slowly and headed towards the door. Once outside the class room Pansy turned to head to the Slytherin common room. Harry quickly grabbed her hand. She snatched it back. Harry noticed that it had a slight bruise on it; he must have been squeezing it the entire time they were in the memory.

"Don't you want to know what happened," he said.

"I just- I don't know."

"Meet me at the library after dinner. I think I know what happened," he repeated again with a note of urgency in his voice.

Pansy noticed that he looked worried. She couldn't think of a possible explanation for what had happened and she wanted to hear his. "Fine," she whispered.

"Hey, Harry!" Ron yelled. "Let's go. We're gonna be late."

Harry looked over at Ron and yelled back, "I'll be right there." Then he turned to Pansy, "Library. After dinner." And he walked away.

Pansy walked back to the common room thinking they had done something wrong with the potion. Harry walked to his next class hearing Ron and Hermione apologize for being such idiots. Harry decided to forgive them a little, but he was still angry at them. He realized that it was dangerous to let his anger get the better of him. What had happened between him and Pansy could not happen again.