Chapter One Hundred and One: Potions and Plots

"So, remember when we were worried we wouldn't be in any classes together over the summer break?" Daphne asked when she sat down for breakfast.

"Yeah?" Harry said questioningly.

"Well, turns out we're both idiots. I was talking to Tracey last night and she told me that the N.E.W.T. class are all mixed because not everyone is taking every subject. In other words, instead of having no classes together, we'll have every class together. And that makes perfect sense and I really should've thought of that…except I didn't," Daphne said.

Harry blinked. "Now that you mention it, yeah, that does make sense," he said.

At that moment, McGonagall came over with the timetables, which would take some more time than usual because the subjects had to be cleared first. This was something else Daphne hadn't thought about even for a second, and she wondered if she should've been at the Slytherin table for this.

After McGonagall had cleared Hermione for everything, though, she turned to Daphne and said, "Professor Snape told me you're cleared for all your subjects, so here's your timetable."

She handed Daphne the sheet of parchment, and Daphne studied it while McGonagall dealt with Neville's choices. She looked up again when McGonagall turned to Harry.

"Why haven't you applied to continue with Potions? I thought it was your ambition to become an Auror?"

"It was, but you told me I had to get an 'Outstanding' in my O.W.L., Professor."

"And so you did when Professor Snape was teaching the subject. Professor Slughorn, however, is perfectly happy to accept N.E.W.T. students with 'Exceeds Expectations' at O.W.L. Do you wish to proceed with Potions?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes," Harry said, "but I didn't buy the books or any ingredients or anything…"

"I'm sure Professor Slughorn will be able to lend you some," McGonagall said. "Very well, Potter, here is your timetable. Oh, by the way…twenty hopefuls have already put down their names for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I shall pass the list to you in due course and you can fix up trials at your leisure."

"Looks like it's Defense for our first class," Daphne said when McGonagall had moved on.

"I wonder what Snape'll be like," Ron mused. "He's been hunting for that job for so long…"

"I actually think he'll be pretty good," Daphne said. "I mean, he was a Death Eater and Sirius said he knew loads of curses even in his first year here. He probably knows a lot about countercurses as well."

"I wonder if he'll take a page out of Moody's book and demonstrate some curses on us," Harry said darkly. "I wouldn't put it past him to hex us on our first day and then claim our defenses are lacking."

Daphne shrugged. "Then you can show him the results of all our practice over the past few years. It'll be fine," she said.

An hour later they headed over the Defense classroom, where a harried Hermione was already waiting, lamenting all the homework she'd already gotten in Ancient Runes.

At that moment, Snape opened the door and ordered everyone inside. It was far gloomier in the classroom than usual, and if Daphne hadn't known better she might have accused Snape of being a vampire.

After a short and vaguely derogatory introduction, Snape began his lesson in earnest.

"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

Daphne hid a grin behind her hand. Snape wasn't even trying to hide his excitement at finally getting to talk about his favorite subject.

Snape then went on to explain some of the gruesome pictures he'd hung all around the classroom, and his fascination for them made it very clear to Daphne why he'd never found a partner, aside from his sour personality.

"You are, I believe, complete novices in the use of non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?"

Daphne's hand was up just as fast as Hermione's, and when Hermione spotted it she actually withdrew her own with a small smile.

"Miss Greengrass?"

"Your opponent doesn't know what kind of magic you will use, and it's faster to think something than it is to shout it. Both give you a small advantage in a fight," she said.

"Correct. Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spellcasting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mindpower which some lack." Snape's gaze lingered maliciously on Neville.

Snape then divided them up into pairs and told them to jinx each other silently. Daphne and Harry were paired up, and they grinned at each other. Sirius and Dad had been training them in the use of nonverbal spells during the summer break, and while their spells were noticeably weaker than usual and they still generally used verbal spells, especially under pressure, they were able to do it and showed it off on their very first attempts.

"Twenty points to Slytherin, Miss Greengrass. Potter, ten points from Gryffindor for showing off," Snape said.

Harry glared at Snape, as did Daphne, but she suspected that Snape simply couldn't help himself in a setting like this. Harry was good at Defense and combat magic, and he did enjoy showing off his skills. Snape, regrettably, was petty enough to see that as confirmation that Harry was, in fact, just like his father.

Malfoy sniggered at the point deduction, even though Daphne had heard him muttering his spells the entire time, and she knew Snape had, too.

Ron and Hermione, who succeeded rather quickly as well — they'd been practicing too, after all — weren't deducted any points, but they didn't receive them, either.

"He might have become a better teacher, but he's still the world's biggest git," Harry said irritably when they left the classroom.

"He was never going to be fair to us," Hermione said with a shrug.

"I know, but to detract points for doing what he told me to?" Harry said.

"Yeah, that was a bit extreme," Hermione conceded.

At that moment, Harry was approached by Jack Sloper, one of Gryffindor's replacement Beaters. He handed Harry a roll of parchment and then asked when Harry was going to hold trials for the team.

Daphne wondered that as well; she fully intended to go to the tryouts to watch, because she knew Ginny would certainly go, and she wanted to cheer her on. Hermione would probably go to watch as well, since Ron would need to try out too.

Harry, however, clearly hadn't picked a time for tryouts yet and instead opened the scroll, which contained the invitation to the first private lesson with Dumbledore.

Then, after the break, they went to Potions, and Daphne was curious what Slughorn would be like compared to Snape. There weren't many people advancing to N.E.W.T. level Potions, but sadly Malfoy was one of the ones who did, as did Nott, Zabini, and Pansy.

Daphne sat down at a table with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ernie Macmillan. Next to their table was a gold-colored cauldron. The potion inside smelled amazingly good. There was a hint of petrichor, pine needles, and a mix of scents that reminded her a lot of Harry and Ginny.

Despite the enticing smell, Daphne leaned back from the cauldron a bit uncomfortably. Love potions really weren't her thing, and Amortentia was the most powerful one she knew of.

She looked around the rest of the dungeon and spotted a cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion, and something colorless she presumed was Veritaserum. On Slughorn's desk she saw a small cauldron filled with a potion that was a lot more interesting than any of the others: Felix Felicis.

Slughorn then began questioning them on the potions, and Daphne was happy to let Hermione take the credit for identifying them all, which impressed Slughorn greatly.

Upon finding out that Hermione was Muggleborn, Slughorn said, "Oho! 'One of my best friends is Muggleborn and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied.

"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," Slughorn said.

Hermione beamed at Harry for calling her the best in her year, to which Ron idly said that he'd have said the same thing.

Slughorn then wanted to begin the lesson, when Ernie asked about the Felix Felicis, and it was obvious immediately that Slughorn had saved that one for dramatic effect.

Feeling up to stealing some thunder, though, Daphne replied before Slughorn could. "It's Felix Felicis, also known as liquid luck," she said.

Many people in the class became more attentive at once.

"Oho, we have another knowledgeable person here," Slughorn said, seeming only mildly annoyed that his big moment had been stolen. "Ten points for Slytherin, Miss Greengrass. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis. Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed…at least until the effects wear off."

After answering some more questions on the potion, Slughorn said, "And that is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson. One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis. Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn until dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt."

That certainly got Daphne's interest. While she didn't necessarily need any Felix Felicis, it would certainly help to have some, just in case.

Slughorn informed them that to win the potion, they would have to brew the Draught of Living Death, the name of which stirred a memory from Daphne's very first Potions class. She glanced at Harry, who seemed to have remembered it as well.

"Powdered root of asphodel into an infusion of wormwood, then," he said with wink.

It turned out, however, that the potion was rather more complicated than what Snape had suggested all those years ago. In fact, it was so complicated that it almost seemed overwhelming at first glance.

Fortunately, Daphne had gotten quite good at Potions — she hadn't gotten that 'Outstanding' result on her O.W.L. by luck, after all — especially since Snape had actually begun teaching them things.

She got to work preparing her ingredients and saw Harry squinting at his book in an annoyed way. She craned her neck a bit to see why, and saw that the previous owner of Harry's book had scribbled all sorts of things in the margins. She gave him a sympathetic wince and then focused on her own potion.

A few moments later, Harry whispered, "Can I borrow your silver knife?"

Daphne nodded, not taking her eyes off her own potion even for a second. It was approaching the lilac color it ought to be, but it was still a bit too dark.

Frowning, she began to stir anyway, now occasionally looking how everyone else was doing. To her surprise, she saw that Harry's potion looked excellent.

"Wow, since when are you this good at Potions?" she asked softly.

"It's this book," Harry whispered back. "It says to add a clockwise stir after every seventh counter-clockwise stir."

Intrigued, Daphne followed the instruction as well, and amazingly, it worked. Then, Slughorn called out that time was up and he began to walk past the tables, judging everyone's efforts.

He was quite pleased with the results Hermione and Daphne had achieved, but was absolutely ecstatic about Harry's efforts. Indeed, his potion was nearly perfect, and Daphne grinned widely when Slughorn handed him the vial of Felix Felicis. Her grin widened when she saw Malfoy's glare.

Over dinner, Harry told Ron and Hermione about the book as well, and Hermione was less than pleased about it, while Ron and Daphne defended him.

"Hang on," Ginny, who'd just joined them, said. "Do you have a shady book now as well?"

"It's not like the diary," Harry assured her, taking out the book and handing it to Ginny. "It's just an old schoolbook someone has written additional instructions in. If you want to be sure, though…" He took out his wand, tapped the book, and said, "Specialis Revelio!"

Nothing happened, and even Hermione had to admit that the book was apparently just that, a book.

Still, Ginny sighed. "Wonderful. Now my girlfriend and my boyfriend have mysterious books helping them. But the one time I had one I ended up possessed and terrorizing the school."

"You could ask Harry for some of his Felix Felicis," Daphne suggested. "Maybe you'll get lucky and find a benign mysterious book for yourself."

Despite herself, Ginny looked intrigued now. "You have Felix Felicis? I thought that took months to brew," she said.

Harry quickly explained about Slughorn's lesson and how he'd gotten the book in the first place.

Ginny nodded slowly. "Look, I know you just proved that the book is probably normal, but…can I look at it for a moment?" she asked.

Harry nodded and handed her the book.

Ginny quickly leafed through it, but seemed unable to find something until she reached the back cover.

"Hey! Look here… 'This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince'," she said. "Any idea who that might be?" she asked the others.

All of them shook their heads.

"A student with a big ego, by the sound of it," Daphne said. "Probably either a Gryffindor or a Slytherin; I can't see the other Houses being so ostentatious."

She looked at Harry. "You've got a lesson with Dumbledore on Saturday, right? Maybe he knows," she said.

"Wouldn't he just make me give the book up?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Daphne shrugged. "Probably not. But you could also just look into it on your own, I suppose." She grinned. "I wouldn't want to give up a book like that, either."

In their next Potions class, Harry once again followed the instructions of the Half-Blood Prince. He offered the others to use the book as well, but Ron couldn't decipher the handwriting, Hermione was too stubborn, and Daphne preferred using her own method anyway, though she occasionally snuck glances to see how the instructions of the Prince differed from the official ones, and tried to determine how the Prince might have drawn the conclusions on a more theoretical level to see if she'd be able to intuit a few of them down the line. She soon realized, however, that that would often come quite close to Herbology, and she was far too glad to be rid of that subject to start looking into on her own time, certainly with the amount of homework they were being set.

In the common room that night, Nott approached her and Tracey, who were playing a game of wizard chess to relax after all their homework.

"Let me guess, you want me to get lost again?" Tracey asked coldly.

"I honestly couldn't care less at this point," Nott said. "I don't have much time; if Malfoy spots me talking to you the game is up. He's been bragging about being given an important assignment by the Dark Lord. He's tight-lipped as to what exactly it is, but he does seem to think I'm on his side.

"He seems to know you and Parkinson are friendly, so he's not telling her much, but perhaps I can convince him to tell me. Since you got my father arrested last year it's been rather difficult for me to think of anything I can do to work against the Dark Lord, so this opens up new possibilities."

Daphne nodded slowly. Though she'd told Dumbledore she wouldn't go looking into the Malfoy situation, Nott doing it wouldn't be an issue.

"Is he really a Death Eater, then?" she asked.

"He's been hinting he is, but I can't say for sure yet. He does seem proud about being unqualified, though."

"He does?"

"According to him, the Dark Lord won't care about O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s, only about the level of devotion he's shown and the service he receives," Nott said disdainfully. "It's shameful how he can be so proud about such servility, but he can do as he pleases, as will I. The deal is still on, then?" he asked.

Daphne nodded. "Of course. Do the others believe him?" she asked.

"Zabini doesn't care, Parkinson mostly just seems worried about him. Runcorn seems to believe him, but she and her family support the Dark Lord anyway, even if they're not that open about it. Crabbe and Goyle are stooges, and Bulstrode, like Zabini, simply isn't interested," Nott said.

He looked over his shoulder. "I need to get going. I'll find you if there's something to report." He left without another word.

"He is an odd guy," Tracey said, shaking her head.

Daphne shrugged. "He's working against Voldemort, so I'll take it. Besides, this will interest Harry and the others too, I'm sure." She frowned. "And if Malfoy is working to get rid of someone, maybe Nott can find out who it is and we can warn them. I'm sure Dumbledore will forgive us for saving a life, after all…"

Yeah, that opening conversation was basically just because I only realized while I was writing this chapter that the 'a class per House' thing with only some overlapping ones wasn't a thing anymore in this year, and that actually makes quite a bit of sense given how few people there are in their year. Oh well.