In Aeternum
- . -
Chapter 3: The Professor
Sept 2nd, Dear Diary
This is ridiculous. I simply cannot believe this unprecedented turn of events. I have not even set foot in the Great Hall and already I am as good as gone. I suppose I might feel sorry for myself – but exactly how much time do I have left? Malfoy did not bother with details when he told me about his harebrained scheme of using my life in exchange for the immortality of – someone. I know I should fear Malfoy; after all, he is a Slytherin seventh-year, a Prefect, and a Dark wizard, not to mention that he's gambled my life in the process of – well, whatever he's planning to do. I should be furious at him – and I am. But rather than that, I feel that I must keep calm. I will tell nobody about this. First of all, who would believe me if I do not even believe this fully myself? I know that the best way to overcome this is to accept it…but who can accept a truth like this?! Die – or watch James die – I cannot let the latter happen. Malfoy has thought of this well – but there must be a countercurse…or something!
As well as having quite enough to be going on with, Dumbledore has come up with another scheme to "unite the four Houses". I do not understand this whole process. If the founders of this school had wished for all students to remain in unity, would they have divided it into four Houses? I think not.
Meanwhile, this new scheme he has developed this year is the Inter-House Dance-Off. Whatever that is, is beyond me. All I know is that the winners will receive 500 points to their House for the House Cup. And now, apparently there is a new professor. Following the retirement of old Professor Newt, the Potions master (he was a very good teacher, very thorough), I have heard rumours that the new Potions teacher, Professor Versailles, is a true wart – cold and biased. Well, as he has not paid me a visit in the hospital wing, I do not know. Alexis has told me that Professor Versailles is a French moron. Although I would not know. But by tomorrow I will. As we have double Potions with the Slytherins tomorrow, let me see what this new Potions master is like.
- Lily
Lily crammed her diary and Waterman fountain pen into her bookbag as Alexis leant over for a peek.
"It's about me, isn't it?" she asked suspiciously, as Lily sealed the bag shut with a locking charm.
"No," Lily shook her head. "I just don't fancy people poking into my private matters. No hard feelings."
Alexis just rolled her eyes and took a large bite out of her shepherd's pie.
Lily looked at her mashed potatoes, before looking around at the High Table, where the teachers sat. It didn't take her long to spot the new professor. Just a look at him sent shivers down her spine. He was tall, with straight, long black hair, and a hooked nose, as well as a very prominent chin. His skin was a waxy white, and his eyes were heavily hooded, but a bright, penetrating ice blue. Lily stirred. Something about this new teacher was very evil…
"Looking at the new professor?" Alexis murmured into her ear.
"What?" Lily asked distractedly.
"He is a real git. He got all worked up when he asked why I wasn't heading to the Gryffindor tower after breakfast. I told the git that I was visiting you, but he got fed up and gave me detention tomorrow night," Alexis said, anger lighting up in her dark brown eyes.
"Goodness," Lily said, eyes widening. "He is a git. What do you have to do?"
"I've got to help Pringle clean out the dungeons. Without magic. And you know what Pringle's like on detentions," Alexis moaned.
"No I don't," Lily said briskly, priding herself on the fact that she had never been in detention.
"Talk about rubbing salt into wounds," Alexis said bitterly. "He just sits there, and tries to make sure we don't find out he's reading porno magazines."
Lily's eyes widened to the max. "You're not serious!" she gasped.
"Yep," Alexis nodded knowingly.
- . -
"So…what's this I hear about a Dance-Off?" Lily asked curiously, as they made their way down to the dungeons, where they had their Potions lessons.
"Oh…" Alexis said. "It's pretty neat, actually. According to Dumbledore, it's a dance competition between selected representatives of each House."
"Dance competition?" Lily echoed blankly.
"Yup. Between selected reps, though."
"How are they chosen?" Lily asked.
"Well, students from each House would vote on two students: a boy and a girl from their House. The boy and the girl would have to be in their fifth year or higher. Those are the reps for the House. And they've got the whole year to come up with a dance which will be performed at the end of the year. The winning House gets five hundred points for the House Cup," Alexis explained.
Lily whistled. "That's a lot of points."
"I know," Alexis nodded.
"A House with that many points – it would be a shoe in for the House Cup! Just imagine if Gryffindor won –"
"Fascinating though your insight on such matters may be, I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. You would do well to remember this," came a cold voice from behind the both of them.
Lily and Alexis jumped. Lily turned around and saw the eerie potions professor standing behind her, his cold blue eyes gazing frostily at them.
"I – I'm sorry –" Lily began, but the professor cut her off smoothly.
"You must be a Gryffindor…however I do not recall seeing you at dinner yesterday," he began, frowning at Lily.
Lily shivered slightly. "Actually…" she began, but Alexis cut her off.
"She was in the hospital wing. Professor," she added as he opened his mouth.
A look of dawning comprehension settled on his sallow face. "I see," he sneered, as he regarded Lily with a new look blazing in his eyes: contempt. "You must be – Miss Evans."
Lily wondered lightly where this was going as she nodded curtly.
"Yes – a very trustworthy student told me about your – ah – condition yesterday. I believe you know Mr. Malfoy?" he asked, his sneer growing more pronounced.
Lily felt winded. The cruel blue eyes seemed to be mocking her…did he know?
"Oh yes," Lily nodded. "I know him very well."
"Yes…well – what a pity the boy was not there. He knows a great deal about the Dark Arts; I am sure he would have identified the curse that sent you to the hospital wing," Professor Versailles said.
"Yes, I'm sure he would have identified it – he was the one who performed it!" Alexis broke in angrily.
Lily groaned inwardly as Professor Versailles' cold gaze shifted from her to Alexis.
"And you must be Miss Kensington," Professor Versailles said slowly. "I believe we have met…"
"Oh yes we have," Alexis said pointedly. "You gave me detention for visiting her." She gestured to Lily. "Remember?"
Something like triumph gleamed in Professor Versailles' eyes.
"Oh yes," he said. "And I remember telling you to mind your tongue when you speak to your Professors. Evidently this has not sunk in yet. But never mind – you are excused, as you are a Gryffindor, and this ignorance is customary of you all –"
"You never told me to watch my tongue!" Alexis said, infuriated.
"Ten points from Gryffindor," Professor Versailles said sleekly. "And be grateful that it isn't any more than that, Miss Kensington. Now if you do not mind, I have a class to start."
And saying so, he swept into the classroom.
"What a creep!" Alexis muttered under her breath.
Lily didn't say anything. The long list of coincidences this year was still growing – she just wasn't sure what it all added up to.
- . -
"I believe that this class has a very thorough understanding of potions of basic properties," Professor Versailles said, his cold, fathomless eyes resting on each of the Gryffindor sixth-years in turn, making them all very nervous. "However, this class is very behind on complex potions expected of a sixth-year class. Love Potions and Shrinking Solutions are concoctions I would expect third-years to prepare in their sleep."
His gaze rested on Alexis, who glared back defiantly.
"Today, I will be introducing a new strand of Potion-making. And we will start with the Polyjuice Potion. Now, who can tell me what the basic properties of the Polyjuice Potion are?"
As usual, Lily's hand shot into the air. Professor Versailles ignored her.
"Anyone?"
The rest of the class looked perplexed.
"My, my," Professor Versailles sneered, "I have never seen a sixth-year class who could not even define the basic properties of a Polyjuice Potion…"
Severus Snape raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Snape?" Professor Versailles said, his eyes automatically flicking to the register in front of him.
"The Polyjuice Potion is a potion that, when brewed correctly, can change the drinker's form into another human's shape, for a limited period of time," Snape, a greasy-haired Slytherin replied smoothly.
"Excellent. Twenty points to Slytherin," Professor Versailles said, smirking at the ashen-face Gryffindors, his gaze resting on James, which was good, for he did not notice Alexis mouth the words "What the hell?" to his face.
"Now, if you are done, please copy down the instructions for Veritaserum. Who knows the properties of Veritaserum?"
Lily's hand went up, once again.
Professor Versailles looked at her. "Miss – what's your name?"
This took Lily by surprise. "Lily Evans," she said, wondering how he could have forgotten so quickly.
"That is strange – I don't recall seeing you at dinner yesterday…"
What the hell was wrong with this guy? He had just asked her those questions not five minutes ago!
"I was in the hospital wing," she explained patiently. She thought she saw a sort of crimson gleam in Versailles' blue eyes.
"I see…" the professor said. "Now, if it is not too much to ask, would you by any chance happen to know what Veritaserum is?"
"It is the strongest of Truth potions, as such the use of it must be controlled by Ministry guidelines. In fact, it is so powerful that only three drops are sufficient –"
"Thank you, Miss Evans, that is enough," Professor Versailles said coolly. "Perhaps you will ensure to note that when I ask for a definition, I do not ask for an extended essay."
Lily felt her face go red as the Slytherins sniggered. Alexis' glare at the teacher had intensified and even the Marauders' faces were strikingly hard.
"Now, as I was saying, this year, we will be working on potions that will require the utmost care and attention. This is a NEWT-level potion, but Professor Dumbledore assumes that you show the aptitude to handle this."
He looked as though he seriously doubted this.
"However…those who got lower than an 'O' in their Potions OWL may wish to purchase a special, reinforced cauldron, available in Diagon Alley, in the Beginner's section," he said, his eyes focusing on Peter, who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, and tried to hide behind James' head.
"This is an individual assignment. Instructions are on the board. There will be no need to talk."
Saying so, he turned tail and went back to sit at his desk.
- . -
It was no doubt that Veritaserum was the most difficult potion Lily had ever brewed; however, a healthy 'O' OWL was not something to merely brag about. Lily followed the directions exactly: from the exact chopping and mixing of seventy-nine different ingredients from the overall three hundred that Versailles had set out – each ingredient had to be of the proper maturity, and sometimes called for mixing a certain number of ingredients together before stirring into the potion, as well as sometimes, the drops of newt-tail juice and armadillo bile had to be added in a certain order…three drops juice, two drops bile…another drop of juice, followed by three stirs in a counter-clockwise direction…
Lily had just bent down to add a piece of Bowtruckle bark to the fire when she heard a hiss coming from the cauldron next to her. She paid no attention and slowly slid the wood into the fire. Immediately, the fire turned blue, and her potion started to froth. Quickly, she added a pinch of Salamander scale powder while stirring in a crescent-moon shaped pattern, and the frothing ceased. Her potion turned from an opalescent green to a bright turquoise colour. The clouds of bluish mist issuing from her cauldron was slowly turning silver. Lily squinted at the instructions on the board. Good. This was the phase for today. She reached for a glass phial when she noted the look of horror on Alexis' face.
Orange. Alexis' potion was orange, and it had fuchsia sparks dancing dangerously off the surface of the mad, hissing potion. There were billowing green clouds of smoke rising from the potion.
"Alexis!" Lily hissed. "You added the unicorn horn before the dragon claw, and you must have stirred in the wrong direction!"
"What?" Alexis asked, as she took a bag of what looked horribly like –
"Don't do that!" Lily said. "That's pixie wing powder, and if you add that, the cauldron'll explode! Add two drops of pomegranate juice and stir twice clockwise while adding in the rat whiskers!"
"Which way is clockwise?" Alexis wondered out loud.
"The left!" Lily groaned.
Alexis followed the instructions with shaking fingers, while Lily muttered instructions under her breath.
"…okay now, you take a pinch of ginger roots and a sliver of dandelion root and you rub it together in your hands – that's good – and slowly sprinkle it in –"
"What is going on here?" a cold voice drawled from behind Lily's back.
Lily froze and turned to meet the potions' teacher's cold face.
"Well, Professor, I'm done my potion for today…you said not to progress farther than the Bowtruckle bark and salamander scale powder…" Lily began.
Professor Versailles gave Lily's potion a quick glance. "That is no excuse to be talking, Miss Evans. Thirty points from Gryffindor."
"But – Professor sir –" Lily faltered at the frozen glare the teacher was giving her. "Alexis' potion was on the verge of collapsing – and – and I thought I could help her – see the potion's now purple…it was orange before…"
"In an arguing mood, eh?" Versailles said. "Another ten points off Gryffindor."
He turned to leave.
"But – but sir!" Lily said, not noticing that all the Gryffindors were staring at her. "All I did was help Alexis on her potion –"
She had gone too far. The class held its breath as Versailles advanced on her, his blue eyes glinting horribly.
"Detention, Miss Evans," he said in a voice of deadly quiet. "And if I ever hear you criticise my teaching methods again, you shall be very sorry indeed."
Lily felt winded again. Detention…her? But – but she was Lily Evans! A Prefect! Prefects didn't get themselves into detentions!
She barely noticed that James' fists were balled, and he was shaking in anger. But Alexis did.
- . -
"What a moron!" Alexis exclaimed once they were back in the sunlit corridor above the dungeons.
"Shut your mouth before Versailles hears you and puts you in detention for obscure insults," Lily replied sullenly.
Alexis lowered her voice. "He's foul. Putting you in detention like that for no good reason! Gods, Lil, I feel terrible –"
"No, it's okay," Lily said, and slumped down into her seat at the Great Hall. "What kind of world are we living in, where people get detention for doing good things?" she wondered out loud.
"Mine," Alexis grinned, before touching Lily's shoulder. "Cheer up, Lily. He's a git, and everybody admits it. Don't let him get to you."
Lily gave her a weak smile, before staring at her lunch. Something gave her a very bad feeling about this moron professor. Why did she feel that he and Malfoy were in on something?
"Lily! Earth to Lily!"
Lily jolted back to reality. Alexis was waving her hand in front of her face.
"Sorry, Alexis," she apologized.
"I was just going to tell you…Quidditch tryouts are on Thursday, after school. You'll come, right?"
Lily shrugged. "Maybe. I really don't know if I can afford to miss –"
"Lily!" Alexis whined. "There are no major exams this year! No OWLs or NEWTs! Come on!"
Lily smiled. "Okay, fine. But the chances of me actually making it to the team are as low as –"
"My chances of resigning if you don't," Alexis finished. "A very good chance then."
"Let's just hope Versailles doesn't keep me in detention on Thursday," Lily said in a low voice.
"He's a true wart, if there ever was any," Alexis said wisely. "That was a complete show of favouritism! Why, that cow Wilkes – he was practically brewing Heather Parkinson's potion for her. And he got off!"
"His accent is British," Lily said thoughtfully, "even though his name is French."
"And not only that, Bellatrix Black was literally bathing in Rabastan Lestrange's Flutterby nectar!" Alexis continued, furiously. "It was disgusting! They were flirting so badly, they gave the word flirt a bad name!"
"And if Versailles' name is French," Lily mused, "that means he would have a French accent…but he doesn't."
"God, if James hadn't cracked and flung Bubotuber pus at them, I swear they would've started snogging right in the middle of the classroom!"
"And if he is from France," Lily continued, heedless of Alexis' rambling, "then he would have the accent, or complexion to show for it…"
"I seriously don't believe that GIT!" Alexis shouted the last word. "We were all so angry – you should have seen James' face when Versailles put you in detention."
"But he's as white as lard – what?" Lily broke out of her muses. "Did Potter break out laughing?"
"No," Alexis said. "He looked as though he'd curse the slimeball to pieces, though."
Lily blinked, and effectively disguised the leaping feeling in her gut. "Well then…"
- . -
"Good evening, Miss Evans. You are late. Five points off Gryffindor."
Lily stood at the door stiffly as the Potions Master leered at her. "Fortunately for you, you have a partner," he said indifferently.
"I do?"
Lily looked curiously into the classroom. Waiting at his desk was –
"Potter here needs to learn a lesson in etiquette," Versailles said dryly. "For example, to keep his Potions ingredients in his own area, hmm?"
James' glare matched the Potions Master's one.
"Well, now," he said indifferently. "If you two will follow me…"
He got up and walked swiftly out the door; Lily and James walking side-by-side, not talking or giving any impression that they knew each other.
"Your detention will be served in here," the professor said lazily. "These two dungeons have been made filthy by two rowdy students – Gryffindors, I suppose – and neither of you will leave here until the dungeon you are assigned to is spotless. Without magic," he added.
Lily looked at the two dungeons. One was puny, the size of her closet. The other was colossal, nearly the size of the Great Hall. She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't end up doing the larger one – she needed to finish off her essays properly – eleven rolls apiece just wouldn't cut it.
However…
"Let me see now…ah yes, I forgot, Miss Evans is a Mudblood. That means she'll have more experience cleaning. Therefore, Miss Evans can do Dungeon 5, and Mr Potter, you can do Dungeon 6."
Lily was shocked – not only by this unexpected show of pureblood attitude, but also because he had expressly called her a Mudblood – was that possible? To abuse a student like that?
She caught James' eye, and blushed inwardly, while outwardly, she fixed a glare whose meaning could not have been clearer: I dare you to laugh.
James read that look carefully before responding by raising his eyebrow fractionally: It's not funny!
His response shocked her. He mouthed the words: what a git, before facing Versailles with a rude expression on his face.
"Oh yes," the teacher sneered. He snapped. Two buckets of frothy, soapy water, a mop and a rag appeared. "You will be needing these, won't you?"
Sighing resignedly, Lily picked the items up and headed into Dungeon 5. Not because she was scared of Versailles' reaction, but more that James was staring at the back of her head, and it was driving her mad.
- . -
Lily's entire form was aching. Her arms were sore, legs pounding, and she could feel a major migraine coming on. She was positive that she had been cleaning for over five hours now, and that surely it must be past midnight, but no-go – Versailles would always find something else for her to do. Lily felt her face burn at the unfairness of it all – James had left two hours ago – she couldn't believe there was a teacher who favoured Potter over her!
"Come here," came his cold voice after what seemed like hours. Lily, entire body screaming in protest, climbed down the ladder and just waited for the professor's verdict.
"I believe it's as clean as it can get. Not bad for a Mudblood." He leered at Lily, who felt her insides burn.
"Although being a Mudblood is essential to what we are trying to accomplish this year. Isn't it, Miss Evans?"
Lily felt winded for the third time.
"What do you mean?" she said in a voice just shy of a whisper.
He let out a roar of laughter. "Don't play innocent with me, Evans. I know that you know what that mark on your forearm means."
"No I don't," Lily said truthfully.
He stopped laughing, and raised a dark eyebrow. "Oh? So, you mean that Malfoy didn't come and tell you about your dwindling life span?"
"I didn't mean that," Lily spat. "He just forgot to tell me what this damn mark is!"
"Language, Evans," Versailles said, eyes glittering. "That will be fifty points from Gryffindor, for your lack of conduct."
Lily glared back at him. "So you're telling me you believe in Voldything as well?"
"VOLDEMORT!" Versailles thundered, and he looked perfectly livid. "Another fifty points from Gryffindor!"
Lily didn't even bother to retaliate. "Yeah, him," she said. "So you're in on him too?"
"Yes," Versailles snapped, his breathing sounding like a wounded rhinoceros. "And that mark on your arm means that you are literally one of us – almost – except that, of course – you are a Mudblood –"
"Talk about sour grapes," Lily muttered. The professor chose to ignore her.
"And of course, Mudbloods are as essential to his rise as well as purebloods," he went on. "That mark is to signify that you are no ordinary Mudblood – in case one of us Death Eaters decides to have a little fun, they'll see the mark and realize that you are already part of our cause."
"Death Whatters?"
"Death Eaters!" Versailles said frustratedly. "Do you need everything spelled out for you, Evans?"
Lily shook her head. "No. Just things I can't bother to understand."
Versailles didn't respond; maybe he was contemplating the consequences of finishing her off now.
"So," Lily said conversationally, "how many others are there involved with this loon's job?"
Versailles took a while to reply, and his answer wasn't exactly on topic.
"Get to bed," he seethed.
Lily didn't need telling twice.
- . -
Disclaimer: I own no one, save Alexis Kensington, Miles and Niles Fletcher, Hilary, and Professor Versailles. Everything, and everyone else belongs to the great, true Mistress of Magic, J.K. Rowling. If you didn't know that, you're a blubbering idiot.