Love Lost is Love Gained

Chapter 11: I am Snape, the Potions Master

Artemis followed the map, down several staircases, past the Great Hall, down a corridor she hadn't seen before, down some more stairs, and into the dungeons. She looked around for the potions classroom, and upon finding it, was less than impressed. The rest of the castle was brightly light, and gave off the aura of warmth and friendliness; this place on the other hand, was dank, dark and gave off a weird odor. She knocked quickly on the door, and heard voice sneer, "You're late." Artemis opened the door, to a room that if possible was even worse than the hall outside; things were floating around in jars, and there were several odd looking instruments on the tables around the room. She looked at the man standing in front of a large desk. "Well," he snapped, "Get in here, shut the door!" She didn't really feel like being alone with this guy in a dungeon, especially with the look he was giving her. "So, you're that man's daughter then?"

"By 'that man' do you mean my father?"

He sneered again, "Yes, that pathetic excuse for a human. Hopefully, you will prove to be a more decent person than he, but I'm not counting on it. I am Severus Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts. My knowledge of potions and poisons far surpasses your own. No matter what you think. You are my new project for the next three months, and you shall address me by either "Sir," or "Professor," every time you speak. Do I make my self clear?"

"Crystal," said Artemis, if he was going to show her an attitude, she was going to show one back. She wasn't raised to take ridicule, especially not from some greasy looking guy she just met.

"Do not take that tone with me!" he yelled, "I can see that you are just as ignorant as your father was."

"How can you compare me to my father? I've only said one word to you; you can't judge me based on my family. I know barely anything about him, and you know nothing about me. So if you don't mind, I believe I'm here to learn how to brew potions." She moved to the single desk sitting across from the teacher's desk, and sat her cauldron down. Snape stared at her, with disbelief and distaste etched on every inch of his pale face.

He was clearly at a loss for what to say because he just turned around and with a flick of his wand ingredients and instructions for brewing the potion popped up on the board. "As your first assignment I want you to brew me the 'Draught of Peace,' it is a potion to calm anxiety". Author's Note: Snape's mean isn't he? I mean they didn't do this potion until they're fourth or fifth year, he's giving it to her as her first thing. He must really hate her. What a meanie, it reminds me of what my 6th grade English teacher would have done. She was an evil wench.

Artemis read the instructions over and over again, 'This won't be so hard,' she thought, 'it's just like cooking. No problem.' She looked through 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi looking up what each ingredient looked like, she made her way over to the store cabinet, her eyes focused on the book. It took all her will from throwing a bottle of armadillo bile at his head. She retrieved all her ingredients and brought them back to her cauldron, when she got there she withdrew her wand and started a fire under the cauldron, a trick that Hermione had taught her the day before. She added each of the ingredients in perfect quantities, stirring for the specified number of times, and timing the potion with her watch. Everything was going well, she had been there for about an hour and a half, and was on the last line of the instructions. Her potion had a shimmer, silver vapor rising from it, and she smiled, because her potion was doing exactly what the board said it should be doing. Snape peered at her from over the book he was reading, and frowned when he noticed the silver vapor. The last step was to allow the ingredients to simmer for exactly five minutes, and quickly cut off the flame. After doing so, she looked up at Snape, who had abandoned his book and was staring at her; she smiled at said that she had finished. He looked at the potion, and thrust a flask at her, telling her to pour some of the potion in it so he could grade it. She did as she was told; she brought her flask up to his desk, he was still staring at her with, if possible even greater dislike.

Harry and Ron were sitting in the living room of Grimmauld Place, playing a game of Wizards chess. Ron was beating Harry stupendously; Ginny was sitting in an overlarge chair, doing a cross word puzzle from Witch Weekly.

"Arthur," they heard Mrs. Weasley say from in the hall, "How could Dumbledore do something like that? I can't believe Charlie would agree, it's so dangerous. What?! He lifted the charm? So just anyone can come into the school! What if they attack her?!"

"Molly," Mr. Weasley said, trying to calm his wife, "Lupin's going to be there, nothing is going to happen. Okay, Molly, not only is Lupin going to be there full time, but another professor as well. Professor Vector, with those two there constantly and Dumbledore in and out every few hours, nothing is going to happen. Dumbledore isn't stupid, he persuaded some Aurors to patrol Hogsmeade. Nothing, I repeat nothing is going to happen to either of them."

"I'm still not sure, if Sirius was here this would be easier. She could have just stayed with him. I'm sure he would have wanted to see his dau-" the rest of her words were drowned out by the twins bursting into the living room.

"What was that for?!" yelled Ron, "We were just about to hear something important, couldn't you have waited a few more seconds?"

"Oh," said Fred, "Was Ronniekins eavesdropping? Surely perfect little Prefects would never eavesdrop on their parents."

"Anyway," said George, "it's top secret Order business that they're discussing."

"But it's about Charlie," Ginny interrupted, "if it's about our brother, we should have the right to know."

"Well, George and I have the right to know, but you three don't. You're not of age," he said teasingly.

"Yeah, Fred we better go, the Order might need us for another top secret mission." He and Fred left the room laughing together.

"Do you think they were serious?" Ron asked looking at the door.

"For all we know," said Harry, "It could be true, you did say they've been gone for days at a time. And I guess being at the store is a perfect excuse."

"But, Mum and Dad said that they couldn't join the Order."

"You never know, I'm sure they could be useful for...umm...something."

"How was your first Potions class?" Hermione asked when Artemis walked into the room an hour later; she flopped down on her bed and threw the text book across the room.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" she demanded. He was absolutely horrible to her after she made her potion, and started work on an essay he had assigned.

"That wonderful, huh? Don't worry, Snape hates everyone, and everyone...well, almost everyone hates him."

"You mean that there are actually people that like actually like that foul, evil, son of a-"

"Yeah," Hermione cut her off, "mainly the Slytherins. He's the Head of their House, so he plays favorites with them."

"Yeah, by the way, what house are you in? I just realized I never asked."

"I'm in Gryffindor," she said proudly.

"Yeah, everyone I've met so far is in Gryffindor. What house do you think I'd get?"

"Well, either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. We can completely rule out Slytherin because you're too pure, with your Elven blood and all, and I don't think you'd get Hufflepuff. Anyway, I hope you get Gryffindor."

"Yeah, so do I."

"Have you finished that book yet?"

"What? Elvish Expressions? Yeah, I finished it yesterday. Do you want it back?"

"No, you can keep it if you want; I just wanted to know how far you got. Anyway, what did you have to do in Potions?"

"I had to brew the Draught of Peace, and then write two essays on different properties of these ingredients. And for homework I have to do another essay on the proper composition of Veritaserum."

"What?!" Hermione practically shouted, "That's unbelievable!"

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't have to brew the Draught of Peace until fifth year, and we haven't even started anything on Veritaserum."

"I don't know, maybe he just wants to get me ready for the O.W.L's. Work backwards or something."

"I can't believe he made you do something so complicated on your first day."

"It wasn't that complicated to be honest, I mean it wasn't that different from cooking. You know measure and mix ingredients, simmer for a certain time, stir a certain amount of times."

Author's Note: Happy Birthday to Lizzy's Dad! And thank you to anyone who took our quiz on Quizilla! Woo you guys rock!

"It still not fair that he would do something like that to you."

"Yeah, but what can I do about it? I'm going to take Igby up to the Owlry; I have a package to send to Paris."

"Okay, do you know where it is?" she asked, preparing to stand up.

"Yeah, it's on the map, I just need to find his present," she said rummaging through the packages on her bed. "Here it is," she said, "Well be back in a little while, hopefully." She gathered up Paris's package and some parchment, and stuffed them into her messenger bag; she picked up Igby's cage, which had Igby inside it, and walked out of the room.

She followed the map down more corridors and up more staircases, until she saw an entrance to a small tower. She entered the tower to notice that she wasn't the only one sending an evening letter.

"Remus?" she asked, noticing the familiar build of the person in front of her. He was seeing his owl off into the sunset.

"Hello Artemis, what are you doing up here at this time?"

"I'm sending Paris the fireworks I got him from the twin's store. What are you doing here?"

"Sending a letter to the twin's parents."

"Okay...why?"

"Well, Hermione was staying with them, so I'm just telling them she's ok, and some things that are going on here. They're really worried."

"Oh," she said opening the door on Igby's cage to let him fly onto the rafters with the other birds.

"They're worried about you to you know," he said casually, as if trying not to act like he was giving to much information away.

"Okay...and how do they know about me?"

"Dumbledore," he said simply.
"So, Dumbledore has taken in upon himself to tell the entire world of my existence?"

"No," he said surprised at what she had said, "He's only telling the people in the Order. You know, so they can help protect you."

"What is this Order thing that everyone keeps talking about? Hermione must have mentioned it at least a dozen times," she said writing a quick note to Paris.

"Well, they're kind of like a secret society, trying to stop Voldemort."

"So, I need an entire secret society to try and protect me to keep some Dark Wizard away from me. Wouldn't it be easier to protect me if Dumbledore didn't tell anyone I was still alive? And let me live under an alias or something."

"It's not that simple, I wish it was, but it isn't. Voldemort has other ways of finding people, other than word of mouth. Which is why it's important for you to stay inside the school."

"Okay, there's only one or two ways I would be able to get out of the school," she said now tying Paris's package to Igby's leg. "I'm not going to be able to get out, not with people tailing me constantly anyway."

"You'd be surprised about how many secret exits and entrances there are," he mentioned, looking out fondly at the grounds, "I'd never thought I'd be back here."

"And why's that?" she asked, walking next to him, and letting Igby fly out of the window.

"Well, you see I was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher here three years ago, and I resigned."

"So, that's why you're tutoring me at Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Yeah," he was staring out the window at the sky; Artemis thought it was really odd for him to act like this.

"So, why did you resign if you love this place so much?"

"Promise you won't freak out and leave?"

"Was it something you did..." she asked uncertainly. 'Oh my God, what the hell did he do? Please let it not be something...eww.' She took a step away from him, just incase.

"Well, it's nothing I did; it's more like what I am."

"And that is?"

"A werewolf."

"You're a werewolf?" she wasn't afraid, just kind of surprised.

"You're not afraid?"

"What, you expected me to run out of the room screaming like a maniac?" he looked at her with the strangest look she's ever seen; it was like a mixture of every emotion she could think of all rolled into one.

"Your father said the exact same thing when I told him I was a werewolf for the first time. Maybe you're more like him than I thought."

"What was he like?"

"He was one of the best friends a person could have. He was a trouble maker, for certain. He was also really popular, he usually coasted through classes without a second thought..." he broke off, and almost looked as if he was going to cry.

"You miss him, don't you? When I hear these stories, I really miss him too, though I never knew him."

"Yeah, I do miss him." He sighed deeply, "A-at school. We had a group of four friends. There were James, Sirius, Peter and myself. James...James and his wife were killed about fifteen years ago; Peter betrayed us, and now works for Voldemort; and Sirius, he died about a month ago. I really wish you could have met him," Remus was crying now, tears were streaming down his face; it made Artemis want to cry. "If only Dumbledore had found you a month earlier. I remember when you were a baby, he loved you so much. He would always talk about you and say how beautiful you were, and how he couldn't wait to see you go to Hogwarts. He was a great dad to you; I just want you to know that, that no matter what people may say about him, he was a great dad. And an all around great person." Remus looked at her, but looked away quickly, this was the saddest thing she'd seen since watched the dad die in the Lion King. Author's Note: Deal with me here, I'm watching the scene in The Return of the King where Pippin finds Merry in the battle field. It's so sad; it always makes me cry, so I'm in kind of a sappy mood. Anyway, but isn't this a nice bonding moment between the two of them? And anyway, how would you feel if all your best friends died?

"How did he die?" she asked, willing herself not to cry along with Remus.

"He was murdered, Voldemort has a group of followers called Death Eaters, and the woman, who kind of led them, killed him."

"Did she get away?" suddenly wanting to see the woman who killed her father in prison.

"Unfortunately, she did. And I would like nothing better than to see her rotting in a cell, back in Azkaban," he clenched his fists, and looked extremely angry, it was kind strange to see him in a mood like this.

"It's okay, Remus. We'll be able to see him again someday. If you believe in afterlife, then we'll be reunited." She looked up at him, and he was staring at her. He smiled through his tears and then hugged her again.

"You're the closest thing I have to any of my friends now, and I swore to Sirius when you were born that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. And I hold myself to that promise."

"What?" she looked at the side of his head, because he was still hugging her.

He let her go and looked at her, "I promised that wouldn't let anything happen to you. And I'll keep that promise, I couldn't help your mother or father, but I swear I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thank you, Remus." She couldn't believe what he was saying; he was promising that he'd keep her safe, no matter what happened. She'd never felt one person care about her as much as she felt Remus caring for her now. She looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek, before turning to take Igby's cage and walking out of the Owlry.

Author's Note: Poor Merry, I would find you too. I would find you too. I LOVE YOU MERRY BRANDYBUCK!!!! –sob sob-