Harry Potter and the Realm Beyond the Veil
By: Tenshi-san and Ivy
Disclaimer: Tenshi and I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of the Ms. Rowling's wonderful characters. Hey! Get out of my closet! Put him back! ;
Chapter One- Evangeline and Cassandra
"Come on, Ron!" Harry puffed, as he ran down the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "We are going to be late!"
"I know! I know! Snape's going to kill us!"
Harry and Ron, now in their sixth year, slid around a corner in a desperate attempt to make it to Potions on time. As Harry slid around, he slammed into a student. Books fell to the floor, and Harry realized the owner was a girl he had never seen before. She looked his age, but he was certain she was not a student at Hogwarts. She immediately stooped down to pick up the books.
"I'm so sorry," she said in an odd accent, without looking up. " I should have been paying attention instead of reading."
"No, no it was my fault," Harry corrected. "I was running like a fool to get to class."
He gathered three large books from the stone corridor floor and handed them back to the student.
"Here."
The young girl looked up and straightened her oval glasses. Her sleek, dark, hair was fastened back in a blue headband, matching the Ravenclaw emblem on her robe. Her hazel colored eyes looked into Harry's green, and to Harry's surprise never shifted to the scar on his forehead. She blinked a few times. Her jaw dropped, and she became flushed.
"Holy Toledo!" she whispered.
Ron rolled his eyes and said, "Here we go again."
The student looked away and quickly continued to pick up her books.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Potter," said she, still blushing. " I've got to go. I'm late for Potions."
The young girl began to turn away when Harry stopped her. He knew it was practically a sin to be late for Professor Snape's class, but he had to get something straight. The girl turned back with a surprised expression on her face.
"Listen, It's Harry, ok. Just Harry," he said, rather annoyed.
"Yeah, and I'm Ron. Just Ron," Ron piped up.
Harry gave him a stupid look as the Ravenclaw girl looked from him to Ron and back again.
"Sorry," she began, "Please excuse my behavior. It's just-- Holy Cow! -- I never thought I'd meet Harry Potter on my first day! And everything here is so won--"
"What?" Ron cut off, puzzled. "Your first day? It's a week into first term. And you look quite old to be a first year."
"Oh, no," she laughed, "I'm a sixth year. I've just transferred here from my old school in the United States."
"That would explain the accent," Ron muttered.
The student clutched her books and turned to walk away again. "Could one of you tell me where the Potions dungeon is? I can't find it. And I'm so sorry I made you late."
Harry nodded silently as Ron spoke. "Oh, we're heading to Potions, too. We could show you."
The three students began walking at a brisk pace, with Harry fearing what Snape had in store for their tardiness.
"Thank you," said the Ravenclaw girl. "This castle is rather confusing. Changing staircases and poltergeists pointing you in the wring direction."
She shook her head back and forth, sending shiny ripples through her dark hair, and sighed.
"Oh my manners! I'm Evangeline. It's a pleasure to meet both of you."
"The pleasure's our," Harry replied, "but we better get going!"
The pupils quickened their pace, heading to Snape's dreaded class. They jogged past lighted torches and closed classroom doors, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
"I hope the professor doesn't mind our being late," Evangeline huffed.
Ron snorted and tried not to laugh at the oblivious student.
"Snape isn't a very understanding person."
"I'll have to judge that for myself." she answered, as she approached the dungeon.
Harry couldn't help but think that she sounded like Hermione. But he had other things to think about, like the look Snape would have on his face. Evangeline pushed open the large wooden door to the Potions dungeon. Silence wafted through the classroom as dozens of eyes focused on the three students standing in the open doorway. Snape glared at Harry, Ron, and Evangeline.
"Potter, Weasley," he said, coolly, "Sit down, and don't give me any rubbish. Twenty points from Gryffindor."
Malfoy snickered as Harry and Ron found their seats beside Hermione. Snape looked at a piece of parchment on his desk.
"Ah, Miss Forrest, it must be," he said as he glanced at her robes. "Find a seat. Ten points from Ravenclaw."
"But it's my first day!" Evangeline argued in her strange accent.
"Sit."
Evangeline headed to the back of the dungeon, fuming. A few Slytherin students giggled and snickered as she passed.
"I told you so," said Ron, sounding like a five year old.
She glared at him and took a seat between a Slytherin girl with layered blonde hair and a Ravenclaw with her dark hair pulled up into a ponytail.
"Oh, hello," the Ravenclaw reacted. "I'm Annie."
"I'm Evangeline," she replied, still sulking.
"Hey, don't worry about him," said Annie, nodding toward Snape. "He's always that way. I think he has a broomstick stuck up--"
"Don't talk about the professor that way!" the Slytherin girl interjected.
"That's Cassandra Pierce. Obviously a Slytherin." Annie whispered.
"Enough chatter back there. As you all should be well aware of, for the next two years this is a N.E.W.T. level course. On the first day of term, you concocted the Draught of Bacchus. Some of you better than other..." Snape glared at Neville who turned red. "Take out parchment and write down the exact ingredients and procedure for this potion. You have ten minutes."
Hermione immediately started working as other students groaned and shuffled for parchment and quills. Cassandra stared at the professor a few more seconds and then turned to Evangeline.
"What is the procedure for that?" she asked.
"You should know," Evangeline answered. "You seem to eat up every word he says."
Annie laughed as she worked. Evangeline began working without any problems. Within five minutes Hermione took up her paper, with Evangeline not far behind. She placed her work on Snape's desk and smirked.
"When you finish," said Snape, "you may begin on your homework: forty-two inches on the intoxicating effect of the Draught of Bacchus."
More groaning emanated from the working students. After fifteen minutes, while others had already started their homework, Cassandra walked forward with her work.
"I'm sorry it took so long, sir," she said, twirling a lock of her gold and bronze hair. "I couldn't quite remember all the ingredients, but I hope what I have is all right,"
"Please go sit down and begin your homework," Snape answered, shaking his head.
"Of course, sir," she replied, turning on her heal and headed to her seat, smiling at Malfoy as she passed.
Half an hour passed before Snape moved from his desk. The scratching of quills and rustling of parchment continued as he passed back the class work. He glanced disapprovingly as he handed Evangeline her work. Snape returned to his desk when he spotted Evangeline's raised hand.
"Excuse me, Professor,"
"What?" he snapped.
"I have a question about my grade," she answered.
"I am sure it is correct," he replied, coolly.
She paused for a moment but continued-- "But you took ten points off it,"
"You show up five minutes late, forcing me to take ten points from your house, and now you have the nerve to question my grading policy," Snape rambled.
Murmurs broke out through the silence of the dungeon. Everyone was aware that Snape loved to remove pointed for trivial reasons. Ron elbowed Harry and nodded to the small argument.
"Why did you remove points from my work? Everything is correct," she asked again.
"The ink was smeared," Snape answered as if it was not great deal. "It was illegible."
Evangeline stood up rather quickly. "What?!"
"Sit down before you lose us more points," Annie told her, tugging on Evangeline's robe sleeve.
Snape took a seat at his desk and wrote something with a quill.
"Let's see," he said to himself. "Ten points from Ravenclaw for questioning me, and an additional ten for taking that tone of voice."
He looked up at the frustrated student.
"That puts you up to thirty in one day, Miss Forrest,"
"I can't help it! I'm left-handed! Excuse me if my hand smears the ink! I'll write with my right hand if you really care that much! Have fun reading that!"
"Forty points," Snape replied with no emotion.
"Like it will matter how many points you take! It's not like my house, or any other house for that matter, is going to win the House Cup with you awarding points to your students for picking their noses!" Evangeline exploded.
"Fifty points!" he yelled.
Harry watched as Malfoy fell out of his chair from laughing.
"Fine, whatever," she said lip quivering. "I'm not putting up with this crap..."
She gathered up her things and opened the dungeon door with a bang and storming out. "Sixty points!" she heard from inside.
"What's with HER?" Cassandra wondered.
"I don't know," Malfoy answered, picking himself off the floor. "Professor Snape should take more points from her."
"Sixty points!" Annie marveled. "In one day . . . "
Ron whistled and looked at Harry.
"She's got guts!"
Hermione had a look of horror on her face.
"We should do that..." Harry said.