Disclaimer: I had raided J.K's Stash and promise to replenish it ASAP. I'm not making any money from this.

Chapter 15: The Seer and the Potions Master.

'MMMMwwwwrrrrr.' Pandora greeted the morning. It felt as though she had completed a gym session without warming up properly. Damn the rotten side effects of seeing. Pandora remembered most of the night before, but couldn't establish how she ended up in a bed when she last remembered falling asleep wrapped up in a big black dog.

A hand nervously pushed open one of Pandora's curtains. 'Hi Pandora, are you feeling alright?'

'Not feeling the greatest actually Hermione, but thanks for asking.' Her eyes locking on Hermione's, an instant recognition of common ground intermingled with something else crossing between the girls.

'Professor Dumbeldore wouldn't tell me much about you earlier this morning. He said I would have to ask you. But I think I know at least one answer, are you a seer?'

Pandora blinked at Hermione. Most people had never come close to knowing what she was and those who did knew only through personal experience. Most people were also a little weary or even afraid, but here Hermione Granger had guessed it in less than twenty-four hours and showed no signs of fear at all. 'What gave it away?'

'A few things. But I have read a bit about seers so it made it a lot easier for me. You called Ron by his full name and no one had said it in your presence. I also heard Dumbeldore saying that you weren't fine, but you will be. True seers have all sorts of repercussions from some of their abilities, I know that. But what I don't know is what you had to do with Harry?'

'Wow. I'm impressed, but please don't tell anyone about this. I really don't want to become the school freak.'

Hermione looked at those weird, pleading eyes. 'Don't worry, I won't. But I don't really understand where you are coming from, if the other girls in this dorm knew I am sure that you will become their new revered Goddess. They just love divination and the like.'

Pandora scowled a little darkly. 'That is part of the problem. I become loved or loathed. Either people are rounding me up asking to know all about their future or they spit and glare at the one with the 'evil-eye'. Some people believe that seeing is the work of dark magic. Not like I actually got a choice in the matter to be honest. As for divination, a lot of that stuff is pretty much crap. My old teacher back home, had one prophetic dream about the way a quill fell once and she declared herself a seer. She hated me. Professor Dumbeldore thinks that I should take the subject though.'

Hermione smiled and sat on the edge of the four-poster. 'If your old teacher hated you I wish you luck with Trelawney, silly cow. Harry said she has been accurate twice though, but it seemed like she was in a trance and she hadn't known what she had said.'

'Untapped Medium.' Pandora smiled at Hermione's quizzical expression. Little miss know-it-all had been beaten. 'What most books won't tell you is that seers have different classifications, like a spectrum of ability. It sounds like 'Madam' Trelawney is an untapped medium, which means that she has access to Promethean spirits but has no control over it. It's too early for all this stuff. I'm hungry.'

The girls changed and headed down to breakfast, Hermione brimming over with a sea of unanswered questions.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Harry walked into the hall about halfway through breakfast, whispers his shadow. He sat nest to Hermione and across from Pandora, who smiled shyly and looked away. Ron made the looking away from Harry much easier by chatting away like a hyperactive fruit bat. This had a calming effect on Pandora's rampaging nerves.

'You haven't eaten anything Pandora. Are you feeling alright?'

Pandora was not feeling alright. She was stiffening up and a younger duplicate from Harry's unconscious with pine coloured hair was sauntering over whilst staring at her coldly.

'Decided not to faint like a lovesick girl at breakfast too Potter? And made friends with our new friend Smeagol have we?' He rested his hands on Pandora's shoulders in a mock friendly gesture. She recoiled at his touch and stood quickly.

'Get your hands off me Draco.' Her eyes a strange reflection in his chilly stare.

'Or what Gollum, You'll stare me down?' Crabbe and Goyle appeared at his sides.

'Shut up Malfoy, quit calling her that. She currently has more back up than you do.' Ron's wand was not quite touching Draco's nose and Pandora sensed the protectiveness of Harry and Hermione behind her. A lot of other Gryffindors at the table appeared on edge as well.

'Problem?' Severus Snape appeared from no where, his robes billowing about him like a sea slug caught in a current.

'No Sir.' Came the unanimous reply from opposing houses. Pandora said nothing, but mischievous sparks almost visibly flew from her eyes into his darkness.

'Good.' Snape glided off, the young Slytherins following in his wake.

The terrible trio sat down; Pandora took a moment longer. Just before Draco got to his table he slipped and slid on his belly across the polished floor. The room broke into a laugh, minus the Slytherins. Pandora smiled broadly and viscously attacked some toast.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Pandora was lost. Again. It was just prior to classes after lunch and she didn't have a clue where she was going. To compensate for being totally oblivious to the locations of some of the classrooms she started out before everyone else, most classrooms revealing themselves via her third eye. But it appeared that the next classroom, or rather dungeon wished to remain sealed.

Frightened of a lunch time rejection after such a strong showing of friendship at breakfast Pandora had hidden in the library and lost herself in a book about the use of magical creatures in confectionary. She smiled at the mention of Billy Wigs, remembering an afternoon in the summer where she and Tyran had accidentally walked through a Billy Wigs' nest and been attacked mercilessly. As a result they had laid on the sand, clinging onto it for fear of falling up and laughed wildly at the faces the constellations had made at them. Pandora had sensed Tyran's death when she was seven, but it had still hit her worse than a well aimed bludger. The dark vision had suddenly decided to revisit and be her depressing companion for a while. She shut the book and fled the library as well.

Lost in an alternate plane of thought Pandora walked minus her momentarily necessary seeing-eye dog. 'Shit Sorry.' She bumped into something black and went to keep walking, but feelings of power and fear in equal measure forced her to look up. Severus Snape was looking down at her, but not by much, a characteristic sneer painting his face.

'Hello darkness, my old friend.' Pandora sneered back, wild eyes unable to contain a mind of mischief.

Snape Stopped, sneer dropped. Had a student just dared to address him informally with a mouth of cheek? Apparently so. 'Simon and Garfunkel fan are we Miss Romulus? They certainly won't save your house from losing points for your lack of manners.'

Pandora eyed him off coolly. 'My lack of manners? Sir that is hardly fair. You jumped to conclusions about me prior to even hearing me speak. You were looking for a way to get that strange-eyed Gryffindor girl to lose house points.'

Snape, never big on words, but never lost on what to say was taken back the second time in seconds by the audacity of this black haired brat. And talk about read thoughts. She practically quoted his mind word-for-word. 'Miss Romulus, I fail to appreciate being told what I am thinking. Gryffindor loses 10points. Would you care to tell me what you are doing down here?'

His ebony eyes cast down at her and Pandora couldn't see through their murky depths. He had shut her out. This was a hard and well-practiced feat, as it wasn't an easy accomplishment.

'Being new here Sir I just start out for my new classes early and have unfortunately got myself quite lost. Would you please tell me how to get to the dungeons?' Pandora looked into those dark eyes confidently.

'I was just going to my room myself. If you would care to follow me I will show you the way.' Snape was surprised at his offer, usually he would have deducted more points for being out of bounds and told her to find her own way but something interested him about this black haired, strange-eyed girl, who most unfortunately happened to be a Gryffindor.

'Thankyou Sir.'

He flicked his work robes out behind him, a stock whip aimed at imaginary cattle and he walked quickly and silently to his dungeon, Pandora almost running behind him.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

'I wonder where Pandora has got to.' Questioned Ron through a mouth full of something crumbly.

Harry and Hermione shrugged. Harry still didn't know what to think about her and while Hermione had sensed friendship earlier than morning, she had also sensed something else. Competition. But competition for what? Hermione was happy to share her friends; maybe she just had to assure Pandora of that.

'I think that she is frightened of something.' Offered Ron, successfully getting everyone to look at him. 'What? She wants friendship but keeps her distance. It's like she is frightened of us rejecting her or something.'

Hermione and Harry looked at each other, then back at Ron.

'WHAT!?' Ron glared at them

'Sometimes you are not as stupid as you appear to be Ronald Weasley. Come on, we don't want to be late for potions.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

'How well do you appreciate the subtle art of potion making?' Snape eyed Pandora, who was desperately trying to remember a 'sweet smell spell' especially concocted by a friend for Potions lessons.

'I like Potions sir. It is interesting how mixing different ingredients together can change the properties generally associated with a singular ingredient. Take John the Conqueror's essence for example, on its own it brings about good fortune, but when combined with Valerian, traditionally associated with love or sleep potions; they create a solution that causes a temporary loss of all senses when splashed onto skin, or a comatose state when ingested, but are fantastic for enhancing the health of forget-me-nots.'

'Indeed. Miss Romulus, what is the core of your wand?'

Pandora looked up at him; this was certainly not what she had expected. 'Amethyst, why?'

'Just interested Miss Romulus. Amethyst, interesting. Usually associated with meditation and psychic ability. Unusual in a wand though…' He was more talking to himself than her, his thoughts lost in a wild labrinyth.

'Pandora, we were worried about you.' Ron came charging in, only seeing the pretty unusual girl at the bench, oblivious to where her attention had been focused. Pandora frowned gently at Ron, but was grateful for his words of greeting.

'Good Afternoon Mr. Weasley.' Snape leered at him from his vantage point, snickering as Ron very visibly winced.

'Good Afternoon Professor Snape.' Ron weakly returned the greeting.

'Thankyou Mr. Weasley. For that rather loud outburst in my dungeon Gryffindor loses 5points. So that with the aid of Miss Romulus here, puts Gryffindor is at minus 15. Now sit down and be silent.'

Ron obeyed meekly. Harry and Hermione had already walked in and silently taken their seats behind Pandora and Ron. Neville followed shortly after, a new cauldron decorating his chubby hands.

'Mr. Longbottom, nice cauldron. Do you expect it to last more than one lesson this year?'

Neville looked up at him, not knowing what to say, so opting for silence as a safe answer.

'When I ask you a question Mr. Longbottom you answer, understood?'

'Yyyyesss Sssir, I hhhhope my cccauldron lllasts more than one lllesson Sir.'

'Hope can be a futile thing Mr. Longbottom, when potion-making capabilities are as abysmal as yours are. Now sit down next to Miss. Granger and she is not to help you at all this lesson.'

The class filed in and the lesson begun. Snape taught the method of creating a rather complex armouring elixir. Pandora was familiar with it and so was able to answer more questions than Hermione, meaning Hermione now understood where the competition was going to be with the new girl that she didn't quite consider a friend.

Neville miraculously, didn't have a single problem all lesson.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Authors Notes:

*When Pandora is happy about Hermione's quizzical expression regarding Trelawney it isn't because Pandora dislikes Hermione, it is merely me giving Pandora a very 'Australian' personality trait. We (collectively) suffer from a very strong case of 'Tall Poppy Syndrome" and I have made it part of Pandora's characterisation.

10 points to your house of choice if you can guess which Simon and Garfunkel song Pandora borrows from to greet Snape!!! (It's an easy one)

Comments on Reviews:

Firstly a Massive Apology for taking way WAY too long to finally update this chapter; I have had a very shit year thus far. Nevertheless I hope that this is not a disappointment for any of you.

Jordan: Here, it is, Sorry it took so long.

Jagged Epiphany: Thanks as always for your support. Hope you aren't finding the second semester too stressful yet.

Zahri Seb Melitor: I think that while Hermione is naturally very curious, she has respect for her friend's privacy and trusts that Neville will tell her if and when he is ready. You will find out evetually how Pandora reacts when she sees the true face of the Grim.

Eve of Fire: You can pick on Steve Irwin, I will have a go at him later on as well. He is horribly annoying, however he is also useful. Sorry this update has taken so long.

Yuki Y-Chu Pixie: Thanks heaps for reviewing. Aged glass is a very light, clear green colour. It is quite beautiful.

With a bit of luck on my side the next chapter will be up-loaded in about a week. Fingers Crossed!