Chapter 13: Explanations and Potions
Days might have passed and Harry wouldn't have known the difference. But luckily, it wasn't days, just hours; he was in the hospital wing, his entire body aching, but situated warmly in the white linen sheets. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall were there, and for a moment he wondered where Lupin was, then remembered that he was probably somewhere in the hospital wing too. "Headmaster..." he said weakly, "...I can't...I don't...I feel...I feel terrible." Dumbledore smiled slightly, "I know Harry. Just rest. Rest and everything will be explained tomorrow. But for now...sleep."
Perhaps another day passed, and when Harry awoke, he did indeed notice that sunlight was creeping through the window; he sat up slowly, and found that the room was blurry. He groped for his glasses and found them on the bedside table, and everything focused again. "Ugh," he said, the sunlight blinding him slightly as a cloud moved out of the way. "Harry?" said a voice softly from the bed next to him. "Professor, is that you?" said Harry, peering around behind the curtain. Sure enough, Professor Lupin was there in the bed, looking worse for wear. "Harry, I'm so sorry." Harry smiled slightly, "It's not like it's your fault is it?" Lupin smiled weakly, "This is true."
The door to the ward opened, and the Headmaster came in and sat down at the edge of Harry's bed. Harry abruptly sat back and pretended as if he hadn't been talking to Professor Lupin, although Dumbledore knew better. "It's all right Harry, I know that patients talk even when they're not supposed to, on Madam Pomfrey's orders," he said with a smile, pushing back the curtain, "besides, I want to speak with you both anyway."
He smiled, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses, and sniffed his long crooked nose, "I'm sure you're wondering exactly what's going on now Harry, and rightly so. Professor Lupin might be wondering this as well, considering he wasn't conscious of his actions the majority of the time." And, starting at the beginning, Dumbledore said, "Firstly, Harry, I know you're wondering why we ordered the students back to their dormitories. The reason was that Professor Lupin had gone missing, and I had a terrible feeling that perhaps he had not done so voluntarily. Where exactly were you, Remus?" he asked.
Lupin sighed, "Down visiting Hagrid, having a word with him about...certain business. I was leaving his hut when I heard a noise down behind his pumpkin patch, and I went to investigate when all of a sudden I heard...her voice...saying the Imperius Curse. After that I don't remember, although I seem to remember coming back to the castle at some point in time or another." "You did," said Harry, "you came to me and said you had important business with me so we went down past Hagrid's hut and you took me into the Forest, and said that Dumbledore and Hagrid were already there. I really fell for it. If I had looked you straight in the eye, though, I would have known something was wrong. I noticed it when Lestrange said she'd put the Imperius Curse on you. You looked like you were dead."
Dumbledore nodded, "Then my guesses were close. The only reason, Harry, why we even found you is because I happened to be looking out upon the Forbidden Forest and I saw a shower of red sparks. Was that you?" Harry nodded, "It was the only thing I could think to do, although I figured chances of someone looking out on the Forest were small." "You were lucky, Harry," said Dumbledore, "as I dispatched Hagrid and Professor Snape to investigate. Although I wasn't certain that it was you that had gone missing, but once I had a word with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, they told me you had gone with Professor Lupin. Then I knew it was you in the Forest."
Just then someone knocked on the door, and Dumbledore got up to let them in; it was Snape. "Recovering, are we?" he said greasily, "I thought you'd be out for a week." Harry and Lupin ignored him as Dumbledore said "Yes Severus, I was just telling them about what happened." He nodded and said "Ah," then sat down in the corner chair, waiting for Dumbledore to finish. "Professor Snape was the first one to come upon the scene, followed by Hagrid, who brought along his rather intimidating crossbow to hold Lestrange in check while Professor Snape brought you and Professor Lupin back here."
"But unfortunately," interrupted Snape, "by the time I got back to the Forest Hagrid had been knocked out by Lestrange and she had escaped." Harry almost groaned with frustration, "Well that makes the second time she's gotten away," he grumbled, nonetheless feeling sorry for Hagrid. "It still doesn't match the number of times you've escaped from Voldemort's grasp," said Dumbledore with a smile. "Maybe so, but I feel the worse for it," said Harry, his limbs aching as he moved. His smile faded, "I'm glad you're all right Harry. I was very worried." Harry smiled loosely, "So was I."
Harry spent the next three days in the hospital ward, although Ron and Hermione visited him at least twice a day, and when he was finally free of his bed, he was sorely glad. Lupin, lucky him, had escaped the day before, having recovered from a slightly less terrible curse than Harry's. And although Harry still ached slightly, he was ever so glad to be back again.
He was, however, worried; it was only the end of October, and already things had begun to heat up at Hogwarts. "I'd better watch my step from now on," he said to Ron off-handedly, "things are getting awfully sticky early in the year." "Yeah, no kidding," said Ron, "usually this sort of thing happens at the end of the year!" They smiled wryly, although Hermione saw it as no laughing matter, as they descended into the dungeons for Double Potions with the Slytherins.
The door to the Potions classroom was locked, as students were crowded around it waiting to get inside, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked to Dean, Neville, and Seamus, waiting for it to open. "Alright there Potter?" said a sneering voice from behind them a moment later. Harry turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, a particularly nasty look on Malfoy's pale, pointed face. "Since when have you ever cared, Malfoy?" he asked indignantly. "Tut tut, that's no way to speak to a Head Boy," he said, "I should tell Professor Snape and have you in detention." "Oh get off of it Malfoy," said Hermione, "you can't get him in detention." "Did I ask you, Granger? If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you," he sneered. He approached Harry, "No, I was talking to Potter." He came close to Harry, and whispered, "You're dead after what you did to my father. When he gets back from Azkaban, you'll be expelled from Hogwarts, and they'll snap your wand in two." Although he spoke in a whisper, the entire dungeon seemed to fill with his words; all the students had stopped talking and were now staring at Malfoy and Harry.
"I'd love to see it, Malfoy," said Harry loudly, voice ringing off the stone walls, "but you see, what with your father being a Death Eater, I doubt he'll be able to show his face in public ever again." Malfoy's cold eyes flashed with venom as he said, "He's still better than your Mudblood parents." The entirety of the dungeon erupted in boos and Dean shouted out "Bad form!" and Ron spat "Get out of here with your pure blood crap Malfoy! Nobody's buying it!" Malfoy merely grinned and said, "Or you'll do what Weasel? You don't have two Knuts to rub together poor boy." Hermione and Harry grabbed Ron's robes to keep him from hexing Malfoy, who was shaking his head. "I'll have to alert Professor Snape about your bad behavior Weasley; can't have you threatening the students now can we?"
"That'll do, Mr. Malfoy."
Malfoy turned to see Snape standing over him, and he immediately pointed at Ron, "He threatened me sir! Did you see it? He threatened a Head Boy!" Surprisingly, Snape merely said smoothly, "No Mr. Malfoy, I didn't see it," and with that, he waved his hand and the door unlocked. The students ushered into the room in silence, completely blown away by Snape's lack of aggression.
Harry was walking through the doorway past Snape when he grabbed Harry by the shoulder, "Just a minute Potter." Harry contained his surprise, but said, "Yes sir?"
"Legilimens!"
Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius were dueling, and Sirius was falling through that terrible veil...no...no. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" shouted Harry, and Snape zoomed straight up into the air, levitating at least ten feet off the ground. Harry rubbed his head right on his scar, feeling it twang only slightly this time, then he said "Finite Incantatem," and Snape fell to the floor with a sickening crack. He let out a grunt of pain, then said, "Ten points from Gryffindor for not being ready. Practice more and suffer less!" Harry nodded and said, "Sir, do you need help?" "No, now get in the classroom and work on your potion!" he snapped, getting up on his own, albeit a little unsteady.
Harry hurried into the classroom, noticing that the students were wondering exactly what was going on. All they had seen was Harry swooning for a moment, followed by Snape zipping straight up into the air, and then landing with an awful sound. "Well get to work!" said Snape as he swooped in, waving his hand; the potion recipe for that day appeared on the board. This time it would be a Youth Serum, one of the most complex potions they had ever done. "And may I remind all of you," added Snape, "that should some of these ingredients be added wrong," he paused to sneer at Neville, "disasters could potentially occur that none of us would enjoy befalling. You have one hour."
Harry quickly began chopping roots and boiling potion, although after a few minutes he noticed that someone across the room was trying to get his attention. He looked up to see Malfoy doing fake swoons, and Pansy Parkinson giggling at his impression. Harry rolled his eyes and ignored him, continuing on with the Serum, and eventually an hour passed, and Harry corked his sample flask with satisfaction. It was then that Snape swept past and said, "Longbottom up front, and bring your sample flask." 'Uh- oh,' thought Harry, watching as Neville trembled his way up to the front of the room.
"Stop your potions...now," said Snape, glancing at the clock idly. "You're about to see if Longbottom has done his potion right or, as I suspect, wrong. If he did it correctly he will quickly turn ten years younger. If not...well, we'll see what happens." The Slytherins grinned with satisfaction, whereas the Gryffindors were all silently cursing Snape and his house. "Well? Drink up, Longbottom!" he snapped. Neville slowly put the flask to his lips, shaking all the while, and drank. Everyone waited in silence. And suddenly, Neville seemed to be growing smaller; his face seemed to shrink, and he said "Is it working?" They all laughed; his voice had come out high pitched, as if he had never taken the plunge into puberty. Clearly, the potion had worked; Hermione almost smacked of satisfaction as she watched her protégé shrink, now to a seven year old.
Snape glared at her and Neville both, "Ten points from Gryffindor for having Granger help you!" he said, swiftly handing him the antidote. Neville drank deeply, and a minute later he was back to his normal size, although his voice was cracking slightly as his vocal chords had changed so rapidly. "Class dismissed!" said Snape, looking put-out that Neville had not turned into a frog or blown up. Everyone hurried out of the room, although Malfoy was strutting as if it was a big accomplishment for Gryffindor to lose points during Potions. Hermione, however, was almost beaming; she seemed more than glad to rub Snape the wrong way whenever possible, and for the moment, she gloated.
Days might have passed and Harry wouldn't have known the difference. But luckily, it wasn't days, just hours; he was in the hospital wing, his entire body aching, but situated warmly in the white linen sheets. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall were there, and for a moment he wondered where Lupin was, then remembered that he was probably somewhere in the hospital wing too. "Headmaster..." he said weakly, "...I can't...I don't...I feel...I feel terrible." Dumbledore smiled slightly, "I know Harry. Just rest. Rest and everything will be explained tomorrow. But for now...sleep."
Perhaps another day passed, and when Harry awoke, he did indeed notice that sunlight was creeping through the window; he sat up slowly, and found that the room was blurry. He groped for his glasses and found them on the bedside table, and everything focused again. "Ugh," he said, the sunlight blinding him slightly as a cloud moved out of the way. "Harry?" said a voice softly from the bed next to him. "Professor, is that you?" said Harry, peering around behind the curtain. Sure enough, Professor Lupin was there in the bed, looking worse for wear. "Harry, I'm so sorry." Harry smiled slightly, "It's not like it's your fault is it?" Lupin smiled weakly, "This is true."
The door to the ward opened, and the Headmaster came in and sat down at the edge of Harry's bed. Harry abruptly sat back and pretended as if he hadn't been talking to Professor Lupin, although Dumbledore knew better. "It's all right Harry, I know that patients talk even when they're not supposed to, on Madam Pomfrey's orders," he said with a smile, pushing back the curtain, "besides, I want to speak with you both anyway."
He smiled, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses, and sniffed his long crooked nose, "I'm sure you're wondering exactly what's going on now Harry, and rightly so. Professor Lupin might be wondering this as well, considering he wasn't conscious of his actions the majority of the time." And, starting at the beginning, Dumbledore said, "Firstly, Harry, I know you're wondering why we ordered the students back to their dormitories. The reason was that Professor Lupin had gone missing, and I had a terrible feeling that perhaps he had not done so voluntarily. Where exactly were you, Remus?" he asked.
Lupin sighed, "Down visiting Hagrid, having a word with him about...certain business. I was leaving his hut when I heard a noise down behind his pumpkin patch, and I went to investigate when all of a sudden I heard...her voice...saying the Imperius Curse. After that I don't remember, although I seem to remember coming back to the castle at some point in time or another." "You did," said Harry, "you came to me and said you had important business with me so we went down past Hagrid's hut and you took me into the Forest, and said that Dumbledore and Hagrid were already there. I really fell for it. If I had looked you straight in the eye, though, I would have known something was wrong. I noticed it when Lestrange said she'd put the Imperius Curse on you. You looked like you were dead."
Dumbledore nodded, "Then my guesses were close. The only reason, Harry, why we even found you is because I happened to be looking out upon the Forbidden Forest and I saw a shower of red sparks. Was that you?" Harry nodded, "It was the only thing I could think to do, although I figured chances of someone looking out on the Forest were small." "You were lucky, Harry," said Dumbledore, "as I dispatched Hagrid and Professor Snape to investigate. Although I wasn't certain that it was you that had gone missing, but once I had a word with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, they told me you had gone with Professor Lupin. Then I knew it was you in the Forest."
Just then someone knocked on the door, and Dumbledore got up to let them in; it was Snape. "Recovering, are we?" he said greasily, "I thought you'd be out for a week." Harry and Lupin ignored him as Dumbledore said "Yes Severus, I was just telling them about what happened." He nodded and said "Ah," then sat down in the corner chair, waiting for Dumbledore to finish. "Professor Snape was the first one to come upon the scene, followed by Hagrid, who brought along his rather intimidating crossbow to hold Lestrange in check while Professor Snape brought you and Professor Lupin back here."
"But unfortunately," interrupted Snape, "by the time I got back to the Forest Hagrid had been knocked out by Lestrange and she had escaped." Harry almost groaned with frustration, "Well that makes the second time she's gotten away," he grumbled, nonetheless feeling sorry for Hagrid. "It still doesn't match the number of times you've escaped from Voldemort's grasp," said Dumbledore with a smile. "Maybe so, but I feel the worse for it," said Harry, his limbs aching as he moved. His smile faded, "I'm glad you're all right Harry. I was very worried." Harry smiled loosely, "So was I."
Harry spent the next three days in the hospital ward, although Ron and Hermione visited him at least twice a day, and when he was finally free of his bed, he was sorely glad. Lupin, lucky him, had escaped the day before, having recovered from a slightly less terrible curse than Harry's. And although Harry still ached slightly, he was ever so glad to be back again.
He was, however, worried; it was only the end of October, and already things had begun to heat up at Hogwarts. "I'd better watch my step from now on," he said to Ron off-handedly, "things are getting awfully sticky early in the year." "Yeah, no kidding," said Ron, "usually this sort of thing happens at the end of the year!" They smiled wryly, although Hermione saw it as no laughing matter, as they descended into the dungeons for Double Potions with the Slytherins.
The door to the Potions classroom was locked, as students were crowded around it waiting to get inside, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked to Dean, Neville, and Seamus, waiting for it to open. "Alright there Potter?" said a sneering voice from behind them a moment later. Harry turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, a particularly nasty look on Malfoy's pale, pointed face. "Since when have you ever cared, Malfoy?" he asked indignantly. "Tut tut, that's no way to speak to a Head Boy," he said, "I should tell Professor Snape and have you in detention." "Oh get off of it Malfoy," said Hermione, "you can't get him in detention." "Did I ask you, Granger? If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you," he sneered. He approached Harry, "No, I was talking to Potter." He came close to Harry, and whispered, "You're dead after what you did to my father. When he gets back from Azkaban, you'll be expelled from Hogwarts, and they'll snap your wand in two." Although he spoke in a whisper, the entire dungeon seemed to fill with his words; all the students had stopped talking and were now staring at Malfoy and Harry.
"I'd love to see it, Malfoy," said Harry loudly, voice ringing off the stone walls, "but you see, what with your father being a Death Eater, I doubt he'll be able to show his face in public ever again." Malfoy's cold eyes flashed with venom as he said, "He's still better than your Mudblood parents." The entirety of the dungeon erupted in boos and Dean shouted out "Bad form!" and Ron spat "Get out of here with your pure blood crap Malfoy! Nobody's buying it!" Malfoy merely grinned and said, "Or you'll do what Weasel? You don't have two Knuts to rub together poor boy." Hermione and Harry grabbed Ron's robes to keep him from hexing Malfoy, who was shaking his head. "I'll have to alert Professor Snape about your bad behavior Weasley; can't have you threatening the students now can we?"
"That'll do, Mr. Malfoy."
Malfoy turned to see Snape standing over him, and he immediately pointed at Ron, "He threatened me sir! Did you see it? He threatened a Head Boy!" Surprisingly, Snape merely said smoothly, "No Mr. Malfoy, I didn't see it," and with that, he waved his hand and the door unlocked. The students ushered into the room in silence, completely blown away by Snape's lack of aggression.
Harry was walking through the doorway past Snape when he grabbed Harry by the shoulder, "Just a minute Potter." Harry contained his surprise, but said, "Yes sir?"
"Legilimens!"
Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius were dueling, and Sirius was falling through that terrible veil...no...no. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" shouted Harry, and Snape zoomed straight up into the air, levitating at least ten feet off the ground. Harry rubbed his head right on his scar, feeling it twang only slightly this time, then he said "Finite Incantatem," and Snape fell to the floor with a sickening crack. He let out a grunt of pain, then said, "Ten points from Gryffindor for not being ready. Practice more and suffer less!" Harry nodded and said, "Sir, do you need help?" "No, now get in the classroom and work on your potion!" he snapped, getting up on his own, albeit a little unsteady.
Harry hurried into the classroom, noticing that the students were wondering exactly what was going on. All they had seen was Harry swooning for a moment, followed by Snape zipping straight up into the air, and then landing with an awful sound. "Well get to work!" said Snape as he swooped in, waving his hand; the potion recipe for that day appeared on the board. This time it would be a Youth Serum, one of the most complex potions they had ever done. "And may I remind all of you," added Snape, "that should some of these ingredients be added wrong," he paused to sneer at Neville, "disasters could potentially occur that none of us would enjoy befalling. You have one hour."
Harry quickly began chopping roots and boiling potion, although after a few minutes he noticed that someone across the room was trying to get his attention. He looked up to see Malfoy doing fake swoons, and Pansy Parkinson giggling at his impression. Harry rolled his eyes and ignored him, continuing on with the Serum, and eventually an hour passed, and Harry corked his sample flask with satisfaction. It was then that Snape swept past and said, "Longbottom up front, and bring your sample flask." 'Uh- oh,' thought Harry, watching as Neville trembled his way up to the front of the room.
"Stop your potions...now," said Snape, glancing at the clock idly. "You're about to see if Longbottom has done his potion right or, as I suspect, wrong. If he did it correctly he will quickly turn ten years younger. If not...well, we'll see what happens." The Slytherins grinned with satisfaction, whereas the Gryffindors were all silently cursing Snape and his house. "Well? Drink up, Longbottom!" he snapped. Neville slowly put the flask to his lips, shaking all the while, and drank. Everyone waited in silence. And suddenly, Neville seemed to be growing smaller; his face seemed to shrink, and he said "Is it working?" They all laughed; his voice had come out high pitched, as if he had never taken the plunge into puberty. Clearly, the potion had worked; Hermione almost smacked of satisfaction as she watched her protégé shrink, now to a seven year old.
Snape glared at her and Neville both, "Ten points from Gryffindor for having Granger help you!" he said, swiftly handing him the antidote. Neville drank deeply, and a minute later he was back to his normal size, although his voice was cracking slightly as his vocal chords had changed so rapidly. "Class dismissed!" said Snape, looking put-out that Neville had not turned into a frog or blown up. Everyone hurried out of the room, although Malfoy was strutting as if it was a big accomplishment for Gryffindor to lose points during Potions. Hermione, however, was almost beaming; she seemed more than glad to rub Snape the wrong way whenever possible, and for the moment, she gloated.