Chapter Six: Potions and a Visit
When Harry, Ron, and Jeanna arrived at the Dungeon, most of the class had already assembled. The three of them sidled their way through the remaining crowd of people to a table near the back of the room. The few remaining people that were standing hurried to a table as the bell rang and Snape strode in, his black cape billowing behind him.
He started off the lesson with a roll call, but when he got to Harry's name, he stopped. Unlike Professor Flitwick (who had toppled over in his seat), Professor Snape merely stopped and glared at Harry. "Ah, yes, Harry Potter...our new celebrity." Most of the Slytherins stifled laughs. Harry looked over at Malfoy and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. They were pointing and laughing the hardest. However, Snape merely continued on with roll call and then started on his first-of-term speech.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making." He spoke barely in a whisper, but yet, no one seemed to want to talk. "As there is little wand-waving here, many of you will hardy believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses......I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
Most of the students were stunned at Snape's little speech. Jeanna raised an eyebrow at Harry and Ron. Hermione was on the edge of her seat, waiting to answer a question.
"Potter!" Snape hissed suddenly. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry glanced at Ron, who looked extremely puzzled, as did Jeanna. Hermione's hand was almost reaching the roof of the dungeon. Harry smiled inwardly and replied to Snape, "If you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood, you would get a powerful Sleeping Potion known as the Draught of Living Death." Snape looked stunned for a moment, then shook his head slightly and continued.
"Correct." Harry glanced at Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins who looked as stunned as Ron and Jeanna sitting next to him. Harry smiled innocently at Snape. Harry had been reading about Potion-making since he was five. His mother only had a few books on Potions, though. James had always wanted to throw them away because they reminded him of Snape.
"Let's try again, shall we? Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Snape smiled slightly as he saw that Harry looked strained. I have no idea!!! Harry shouted in his mind.
"I don't know, Professor Snape," Harry said. He put a hint of sarcasm in the word 'professor'. Clearly Snape hadn't caught it, but Ron and Jeanna did. They suppressed their laughs behind their hands.
Snape sneered at him. "Clearly fame isn't everything," he replied. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
I know this one!! Harry thought. "They are the same plant, and the plant also goes by the name of aconite."
Snape looked on the verge to kill. "Well, why aren't you copying all of that down?!" he snapped at the class. For the rest of the hour, they split up into pairs and made them try to mix up a simple potion to cure boils. He seemed to criticize everyone but Malfoy. Then,
"Longbottom! How could you melt a cauldron while making such a simple potion?" Neville whimpered as boils sprang up all over his face and hands. "Hospital Wing, Longbottom." He turned to Harry. "And you! Why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Think it would make you look better? I think not! Five points from Gryffindor!"
When class ended, Harry was relieved. "Torture once again!" Ron cried as they were out of earshot. "Please tell me it's lunch next!"
"Nope," Jeanna said. "Herbology." Ron groaned.
All throughout Herbology, Harry dwelled on the incidents that had happened in Potions. Why did Snape hate him so much? Was it something he did, or was it the way Harry looked. Or maybe, he had nothing to do with it at all, and it had to do with someone else.
These thoughts were pushed out of Harry's mind as Ron hit him on the head with a shovel and cried, "Oy! Lunch!"
Jeanna smacked Ron. He muttered something and Jeanna replied, "Because you were acting like a big git, Ronald." He muttered something else that offended Jeanna and she replied, whipping out her wand, "Do you need me to hex you again so you get the point?"
"No."
"Good." She turned and smiled innocently at Harry, her brown eyes alight with excitement. "Shall we go and eat, (Ron: Ye—) Harry?"
Harry laughed as he nodded his head and exited the Greenhouse. Ron and Jeanna glared at each other, then laughed as they realized how childish they were being. They ran out after Harry.
They ate their food quickly and headed up to Gryffindor tower to do their Potions homework (An essay: "Explain the importance of the Draught of Living Death and why it is called so"). Every so often, Harry could hear Ron mutter under his breath, "One roll of parchment!!"
Finally, after a few hours of only writing a few lines, Harry looked at his watch. "We should probably head down to Hagrid's now."
Ron put down his quill right away and said, "This is the stupidest essay I've ever had to write!! This stupid potion pretty much puts you to sleep for the rest of your life!!" His ears were literally pouring out steam.
"I know. Why would you want to drink it?" Jeanna threw down her quill in disgust. Like Harry, she had only written a few lines.
A voice from behind them told them that Hermione was muttering to herself. Jeanna stifled a gasp. "She's already written two rolls of parchment!" Ron began muttering things under his breath that Harry couldn't catch. Finally, after much tugging on Ron's robes, Jeanna and Harry had managed to pull Ron out of the Common Room before Hermione had noticed him gawking at her. Harry could hear Jeanna muttering under her breath to Ron, "Get moving or I'll hex you like I did before...I said move!!!" Harry wished he could have had silence at that point because his scar began to tingle. Once they were outside of the Fat Lady's Portrait, Jeanna and Ron began feuding.
"She might get the wrong idea, Ron," Jeanna snapped. Her mood changed abruptly as she added, "Or maybe you like her!"
"Sod off!" Ron fumed, his ears turning red.
"But you know that I'm probably righ—"
"I SAID SOD OFF!"
"Fine," grumbled Jeanna. She stopped talking the rest of the trip.
Harry shook his head as he and his two companions made their way out of the castle and onto the green grounds. They quickly made their way towards Hagrid's hut which was located almost on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Cautiously, they edged their way up to the hut and made it to the door when they heard loud barks from inside. Ron paled a bit and Jeanna shoved Harry forward to knock on the door. As he knocked on the door, he could hear Hagrid's gruff voice talking sternly to something.
"Back Fang...no yeh don' there...back!" Finally, after many lengthened moments, Hagrid opened the door. "'Arry!" he cried, "come in!" He looked at Jeanna and Ron. "I see yeh brough' some o' yer friends." He smiled at Jeanna and Ron and motioned them inside.
To Harry, the size of the room they entered wasn't much bigger than the shed his family had. All around the walls there were many pictures hanging up, most of them from Newspapers (almost all of them were about Dumbledore). On the far wall, there was a small counter and a few cabinets. On the far left there was a fireplace that had a steaming teapot hanging over it. In the center of the room was a table which had a few mugs sitting on top of it. What turned out to be Fang was a boarhound dog. He was sitting on a rug in front of the fireplace.
As the four of them sat down, Harry introduced his two friends, who still were looking around the hut, a bit nervous. "Hagrid, these are my two new friends: Ron Weasley and Jeanna Hanale."
"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid said. "Took me 'alf o' me life chasin' yer two brothers away from the Forest." He turned towards Jeanna, who had Fang slobbering on her lap. "You don' have any older brothers or sisters do yeh?"
Jeanna looked up, eyes alight. "No, sir," she replied. "I'm Muggle-born. Although I do have a younger sister."
"Ah," Hagrid rumbled. "Tha' would explain why I've never heard of yeh before." He paused, then added, "Also becaus' yer a firs' year." Harry, Jeanna, and Ron all smiled.
After many minutes of talking, Hagrid got up to pour them some tea. It was scalding hot, so they pretended to sip it until it cooled down. He also offered them rock cakes that had raisins in them that broke your teeth. Again, they pretended to like them. That's when Harry noticed a recent newspaper clipping.
Gringotts Break-In Latest
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely
believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.
Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault
that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. "But we're not telling you what was in there, so go keep your noses out if
you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this
afternoon.
Harry pondered this until his mind found something...something very useful......
"We would like to go to The Potters' vault," James said to the goblin at the front desk. He set down the key and added, "And we would also like to visit Vault 713 on special Hogwarts visit." Harry stored this bit of information in the back of his mind.
After visiting their vault, the goblin who was driving drove Harry, Brooke, and James to Vault 713. Upon arriving there, the goblin traced an invisible line down the front of the door. Harry could see that mechanical devices were churning inside the door.
As it opened, Harry peered inside as James strode in. It was a very large vault. Sitting in the middle of the vast space was a tiny package, hardly bigger than Harry's fist. James quickly grabbed it and stowed it in his pocket. As the goblin drove them away, James whispered to Brooke and Harry, "Remember, don't mention this to anyone at all." The both nodded......
As they arrived home, Harry remembered James and Lily tying that very same package to the family owl, Moon, and telling it to go straight to Dumbledore's office...
"'Arry?" Hagrid asked, looking a bit worried. Harry shook his head a bit and glanced at Ron and Jeanna, who also looked worried. He looked at Hagrid as he continued. "How was yer firs' week at Hogwarts?"
"It was good," Harry responded, "but I think the Potions teacher hates me. What's his name? Professor Snape?"
"Yeh," Hagrid replied, "But he don' hate you! He does favor 'is own studen's over ev'ryone else, though..." he chuckled. "But hate yeh? Tha's not possible!" Ron and Jeanna exchanged looks and knew that Snape did indeed hate Harry.
Abruptly changing the subject, Harry asked, "Hagrid, do you know anything about this vault break-in?"
Hagrid's expression became stern. "No, I don'," he said very unconvincingly. "An' don' go tryin' to figure it out, yeh three."
As they walked back to the castle, their pockets weighed down with Rock Cakes, Harry realized that his visit to Hagrid's was more mind-boggling than any of his classes so far. He just hoped that the break-in didn't mean what he thought it meant......
Oooooo! Aren't I evil? I leave you all at a cliff-hanger!!!
Author's Note: Yes, they do have a shed. It's so the Muggles don't suspect anything. It makes it all balanced and stuff.
Like Kristal always says: May you always have a clean pair of pants. (11:44 pm on Tuesday, June 29, 2004.)
And Happy Birthday (July 4) to Gackt, the awesome j-rock singer. (in a j- rock fans point of view, I am not a j-rocker, I just like Moonchild.)
