"Nice work, Stuart," a seventh-year remarked sarcastically. "Getting your own Head of House to take points off you."

Bent over her textbook, Veronica didn't seem to have heard the boy's comment. "I've been through this chapter three times. There's no reference to anything in the entire seventeenth century, much less 1648," she complained, close to tears. "It's so frustrating !"

"Just let it drop, why don't you ?" Gemma told her. "At least the fifth-years know it wasn't your fault. By next week, it will all be forgotten. Snape's gone completely nuts," she added angrily. "The way he picks on you. He was never unfair like this before."

Veronica snorted. "Tell that to the Gryffindors." Harita chuckled, earning an annoyed look from the 'Princess of Slytherin'.

"All right, I suppose Professor Snape is sometimes a bit hard on the Gryffindors," Gemma admitted reluctantly. "But they deserve it," she added. "You don't, Veronica ! You and Harita are the best in the class. It's so unfair, the way he singles you both out."

Harita interrupted her friend's complaints, her Potions textbook open to the chapter that was giving Veronica so much trouble. "L-look. Th-th-there's a f-f-f-f-"

Footnote, Veronica thought, looking to where Harita was pointing. She resisted the urge to finish the word for her; Gemma had explained that it would only add to her frustration.

"F-f-footnote," Harita finally managed.

Veronica read it out loud. "Potions and their Peculiarities." Grabbing her books, the young Slytherin scrambled to her feet.

"Where are you going ?"

"To the library. I'm going to find out what happened in 1648 if it takes me all night !" Veronica's friends rolled their eyes, then gathered their own books and followed her from the common room.

-----

"Sixteen forty-eight. Tantalus MacTattersal extracts exploding oil from an erumpent horn," Veronica read aloud. "Hmm, it says here he accidentally destroyed his home village of Saint Declan on Dee three times before he succeeded. Local Muggles burned him at the stake – twice – but he escaped using the Flame-Freezing Charm."

"I'm sure I'll sleep better tonight, now that we've found that out," Gemma said sarcastically. "That settles it. Snape is off his rocker if he expected you to know that. Well, come on, let's get back to the dorm. I've got some pumpkin pasties-"

"I'm going to stay for a while longer," Veronica said, determined. "I'm going to look up every footnote and citation in this textbook. There's no way I'm going to be unprepared for class ever again."

"Suit yourself. Come on, Harita."

The dark-haired girl's gaze wavered nervously between her two friends. "I-I-I th-think I'll stay and h-h-h-help," she ventured.

Gemma sighed and sat back down. "You two are just as crazy as Professor Snape," she said fondly. An hour later Madam Pince informed the girls that the library was closing for the night. Harita carried Potions and their Peculiarities to the librarian's desk and checked it out. "What do you want that for ?" asked Gemma. Wordlessly, Harita pointed to a page. "Uric the Oddball claimed to have produced a potion that cured stuttering, using jellyfish gelatin. Thereafter, the eccentric wizard never went anywhere without a supply of the potion, going so far as to wear a magically preserved Portuguese Man-Of-War as a hat, so as to always have the fresh ingredient on hand," Gemma read. "All right," she said dubiously, "but if you start wearing a jellyfish on your head, Harita Shah-"

"I-I-I'd be g-glad to wear a jellyfish hat, if it c-c-could make me t-talk like a n-n-n-n-normal person," she said fiercely.

"Looks like we've found our sixth-year Advanced Potions project already," Veronica replied.

"Knock yourselves out," said Gemma. "I'm switching to Muggle Studies."