Okay, so let's pretend a fantasy world where I own the Harry Potter universe. That would mean my name was JK Rowling. And that would mean I would be writing HP and the Half Blood Prince write now. But guess what? My name isn't JK Rowling, not even close. And I'm writing fanfiction, not HBP. So, using elementary logic, one would have to say that I do not own the HP universe. (Not even Sirius. Or James. Or Remus. Or Lily. Or any of the other wonderfuls I would just love to own.) So don't sue me.
Okay, everybody thank StarzatMidnight because OH NO! She actually knows me, and so can berate me in person when she thinks I'm not updating fast enough. Which is always.
And I still love PinkytheSnowman for that whole clarinet/flute/piano thing. Makes me happy just thinking about it. (Read her stories and you'll know what I'm talking about)
Chapter 10, The Problems with Partners in Potions (and other things starting with the letter p).
Lily could hardly believe it. She had done it. Made it through the first half of her day, and emerged victorious, and still in a wonderful mood. Hmmm, she thought, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I just threw a heavy plate at the obnoxiously large head of one Mr. James Potter.
She inserted a slight bounce into her step. But then, no, there was Alanna. And she was still looking down about something. Lily calmed the smile on her face, and approached her friend.
"Hey, Alanna, what's the problem?"
Alanna gave a small jump, glancing at Lily as if she hadn't noticed her friend's presence. "Oh, hi Lily. Nothing, it's just, you know, potions. Not really looking forward to the afternoon."
Lily frowned. "Professor Ligard left last year, Aly, I'm sure you'll do fine with a less prejudiced professor. I'm sure this professor won't favor the Slytherins like Ligard did."
"Yeah?" Alanna didn't sound convinced.
"Of course you will. I was talking to Celia Bones at lunch. You know her, the head girl."
Alanna nodded her head to show she knew who Lily was referring to.
"Well," Lily continued, "She said that Professor Avogadro is a really good teacher. Celia said maybe even as good as Professor McGonagall."
"I don't do so well in transfiguration, either, Lils, no matter how good a teacher McGonagall is." Alanna pointed out the facts in a small voice.
Lily stared at her friend. Seriously, she thought to herself, what's gotten into her? Alanna was always such an outgoing person, and she was far more daring than Lily and Sara put together. But then, Siriusly. Who else can get under Aly's skin like that? Take the one person who always seemed able to set Aly off, and add the one area of Alanna's life that she didn't excel in. Voila. There it was, Alanna a la depressed mood.
But Lily, one must remember, was not in a bad mood. No, she was on a roll. If James hadn't been able to ruin her bad mood, then Sirius Black certainly couldn't do it. And there wasn't the slimmest chance that Lily would let him ruin the remainder of Alanna's day as well.
Lily grinned. "Hey, Aly, I'll make you a deal. I'll tutor you in potions if you get behind."
Alanna raised her eyebrows skeptically. "And I have to do what?"
"Nothing!" Lily adopted her most insulted and innocent look. She glanced demurely down at her shoes, digging her right toe gently into the ground.
The eyebrows slid slightly higher.
"Well, you know, Aly. It's just that I'm always so busy with all my clubs, and now I'll be a prefect and all."
"And?" Alanna was forgetting her bad mood now, concentrating wholly on whatever awful stunt Lily was going to ask her to perform to 'pay for' her potions tutoring. Honestly, for a prefect, Lily could be awfully—creative—sometimes.
"Well, I hate to see my friends sitting around doing nothing."
"I'm not joining one of your clubs, Lily."
"And I wouldn't ask you to." Lily paused. "It's just. Well. I would ask you to join something else." A longer pause ensued.
"Well?"
"If you try out for Quidditch, I'll tutor you in potions."
"Lily!"
"What?"
"Stop looking so—innocent! And surprised that I'm objecting. Stop it! First of all, I'm not that good of a keeper. Second of all, playing Quidditch means less time for studying. That won't help my grades! Third of all—no!—just no! It's a bad idea, Lily! Stop smiling at me!"
But Lily couldn't stop smiling. Mission accomplished, she told herself smugly. Not only is Aly in a better mood, but I've brought up the Quidditch Issue. She should be playing it; anyone that good should be. Oh, yes, it was still a wonderful day.
Lily filed into the potions class with the rest of the students, sitting down quietly in a front-row seat. Shortly, she was joined by Alanna (still looking disgruntled, but certainly not unhappy) and Sara (who seemed oblivious to the whole issue.
The marauders, of course, quickly made their way to the back of the room. Lily didn't shoot a dirty glare at them. She told herself that she was bigger than that. And she completely ignored the fact that it took all of her self-control to keep that glare internal.
The Ravenclaw fifth years were there, too, it being a block period. This time Lily couldn't keep her face neutral. A smile broke out. Ravenclaws took pride in their cleverness and good grades, and Lily could never resist the challenge to do better than them. She couldn't wait for the class to begin in earnest.
She didn't have long to wait, though. No sooner had the second hand on Lily's watch made its way to the top, announcing it two o'clock, than the door burst open.
In swept the new potions master, black robe billowing out behind him and radiating proficiency from every pore. He moved to the front of the class, surveying his students, sizing them up. He had about him that indefinable aura of the potion master. Whether it stemmed from his quick black eyes, his intimidating demeanor, or his obvious self-assurance was immaterial. He was truly a master, and he knew it.
So did the students. The silence in the class was sudden and absolute. Even the marauders stopped their muttering, and everyone, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw alike, sat up straighter.
The professor began to speak, his words quick and soft, but wholly serious. No one missed a word he said.
"Welcome to potions, level five. By this point in your careers, you are expected to be well-versed in basic potion-making skills. This year, however, you will take your skills beyond the merely acceptable. This year, perfection will rule.
"I expect you all to rise to the occasion, and master the potions you are assigned to prepare. You will follow directions to the letter, and put every talent you possess into the brewing of each and every potion."
The professor began to pace across the front of the class, and everyone's eyes moved with him, spell-bound. "As the year progresses, so will the difficulty of the potions. They will become more complex, more dangerous, and more useful. Mistakes will have consequences, not only in terms of detentions and house points," Here his voice was filled with disdain for the petty punishments, "but others, far more important to you and your fellow students." He didn't expand on the subject.
"By the time OWLs arrive, you will be an adept, familiar with the lore of potions, and ready and able to brew almost any potion. The tests will not be a problem for anyone in this class." It was a statement. A fact.
"Miss...?"
"Corner," Sara introduced herself somewhat nervously.
"Do you think you can keep up with this class?" He didn't sound skeptical, or even curious. It was a question, with no inflection whatsoever, and he waited patiently for the answer.
"I—yes, I'll try my hardest," Sara said louder, refusing to be cowed, however intimidating the professor acted.
"But will you excel?" Again, no inflection.
"I'll do my best."
"I'm sure you will." It seemed to be a characteristic of his, stating facts. He said things as though they had no meaning to them whatsoever, and let the class come to their own conclusions.
Next, the professor approached a Ravenclaw boy, Chris Peters. "And you? How hard will you work?"
"Hard," Chris replied, softly, but with confidence nonetheless.
"Hmm. Well, I'm sure you all plan on doing well in this class."
There were nods of agreement throughout the class.
"But I have motivation for you. Today, I will pair you up with another student. They will be your lab partners for the entire course." His tone said this was true. This professor was not one to change his ways for any student. "You and your partner will work to achieve the highest grades possible, and your work will have its far-reaching consequences. The pair of fifth-year students with the highest grades will earn an apprenticeship with a leading entrepreneur in the potions field this summer."
Lily couldn't keep the excitement off her face; she had been considering a career as a healer for some time now, and potions would be critical for such an occupation. Others in the class, though, were less enthusiastic. Sirius and James glanced at eachother, looking bored, and Peter seemed about to roll his eyes. Remus, though, looked interested, almost wistful.
The professor calmed the class with a wave of his hand. "The winning pair will also receive twenty extra points on their potions OWL."
There was a new degree of silence. A stray feather hitting the floor would have been deafening. Of course, that was impossible. This new potions master valued perfection, and stray feathers are hardly a personification of said perfection.
The professor noted the silence with approval. Then he smiled. His smile was sardonic, cynical, even. Strangely, it only made him seem more intimidating, as if he had a secret, and was ready to use to his own advantage.
The students shivered.
"And now for partners," the professor stated softly. "Your partner will be in the same house as you, but otherwise, the pairs will be completely random. So let us begin."
He began with the Ravenclaw students, and Lily felt her heart freeze as the professor paired a student from the front of the class with one from the back. And another. And another. He continued on in this vein, then it was more than likely that she would end up paired with none other than a marauder. Hopefully, I'll be paired with Lupin, that wouldn't be bad at all. He's a prefect, and a nice person besides, Lily thought fervently.
Finished pairing the Ravenclaw students, the professor moved on to the Gryffindors. Lily screwed up her eyes, hoping with all her might that she would get a good partner, someone who would work hard and help her do well.
"You, Miss—" the professor glanced at his attendance sheet, "Evans, will pair with the dark-haired gentleman in back, Mr.—" another glance at the sheet, "Potter." And with that, accented by his darkly humorous smile, he moved on to the next seat.
But Lily was no longer paying attention; all of the particles of her brain were still focused on that final word. 'Potter'. No. It wasn't possible. Of all the people in the class who that—that potions professor, for lack of a better epithet, could have randomly paired her with, he had to pick the one person who had made it his duty to make Lily's life a living hell.
"And now if you would all pair up, you are still all expected to complete a potion today. It is the Patience Potion, found on page 324 of your text. Instructions are on the board," and with a careless wave of his wand, they were, "so begin." He turned away from the class, then seemed to remember something. "And don't forget, I want 3 feet of parchment on the uses and brewing of the Patience Potion, due next class."
There were groans and frowns, but he ignored them, turning and hastening to his desk, where he steepled his hands, scanning the room with his eyes.
Lily opened her mouth. And closed it. Only to open and close it once more. She shook her head, honestly, she was being ridiculous. She would be a responsible person, and work things out. Partnering James wouldn't ruin her grades, Lily decided confidently. Why, James himself wasn't all that bad at potions, so perhaps things wouldn't be bad at all.
That decided, Lily set her face in determination, and made her way to the back of the class. She walked up behind James, and tapped him on the shoulder. And he turned to face her.
He was smiling, looking about as self-satisfied as was humanly possible, and it was only the still-visible handprint on his face that kept Lily from attempting to smack the expression right off his face. Mature, Lily thought, I am mature, and not going to rise to the bait.
"Hello, there, Evans, long time no see." His arrogance really was quite sickening.
"Look, Potter, I don't like you. But we're going to be partners, so we'd better work something out now."
"Alright, Evans, what say you?"
"Don't prank me, don't flirt with me, and don't bother me. We'll do as Professor Avogadro says, and that's that."
"Sure we will."
"Potter and Evans," came a silky voice from the front of the room. "May I inquire as to why you're still talking and not yet working?"
Lily turned pink, but James just kept grinning.
"Ten points from Gryffindor, and don't let it happen again."
Lily turned on James, a frown covering her features. "Let's go," she snapped curtly, and turned to the cauldron in front of them.
By the end of the double period, Lily had all but forgotten about her earlier good mood. The entire period had consisted of James grinning, taunting her, or staring at the fly which had chosen his cauldron as its home. Lily had worked hard, ignored James, and eventually squashed the fly with her potions text book.
The potion had turned out well nonetheless; smooth and purple and emitting a nice calming odor into the classroom, and Lily was actually quite proud of her work as she carried a stoppered sample to the front of the room. She placed it on the front desk, and watched as the professor unstoppered it and examined it minutely.
Poor, he wrote on the parchment in front of him.
Lily again found herself floundering. A failing grade. And for a potion that she knew she had prepared well.
"Professor?" she asked softly.
He raised his eyebrows. "Miss Evans, if you can't work with your partner, you won't work at all. Don't waste your time, or mine, giving me any more potions that you've created by yourself. If you want to pass my class, you'll have to work for it."
And he motioned the next student up to his desk.
Lily walked up to James, calm and purposeful. "You and I, we're going to get along," she informed him.
"Always knew I liked you, Evans."
"Shut it, Potter. We're both going to work hard. And we'll get that apprenticeship and those extra points. Or else I'll throw more than a plate at your head."
He smiled at her, a real smile this time, or at least she thought it was real. With James Potter, it was tough to differentiate. "Look, Lils. I'm not a big fan of potions, but if it makes you happy, I suppose I'll make an exception. Okay?"
Lily looked at him suspiciously. "Okay."
"So truce?"
"Truce."
A victorious expression pasted itself onto James's face, and Lily wondered what part of the conversation she'd missed. "Stage two complete," he murmured to himself.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, Lily—sorry, I meant to say Evans"
And he walked away, leaving Lily wondering if she'd be better off just failing potions.
The author grins impishly.
Okay, there's chapter 10 for you. A solid 7 pages on word. Not particularly long, but not too short either, I suppose. Okay, next chapter, we meet Snivellus. Let's see what the dear marauders are up to, eh? Not sure exactly when chapter 11 will be up, possibly this weekend, but probably not until next. Ooh, and I won't have time to write anything this week; I've got play rehearsals every day...but never fear, I'll get a new chapter up before too long.
Ooh, and one note about this chapter. Professor Avogadro. He is fun to write, plus, ever since we learned about Avogadro's number in chemistry, I've loved that word. So I couldn't wait to name a character that. Avogadro's number, for those who care, is 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000.
As always, I urge y'all to check out my other work. I've got another story in progress, "Oddments and Essays" and you people ought to go and give it a look-see. And my other name, SiriuslyInsane62442, which is a collaboration with PinkytheSnowman. We now have TWO stories in progress, "The Trouble with Evil Monkeys" and "Stalker! Letters from a Bighead." So naturally, come join the randomness.
Okay, and now to pay tribute to all my favorite people... (the order is random...)
Confetti for all of you.
Cain's Snake: Yay, writing that part made me happy. But I'm not so sure James had lettuce on his plate...he doesn't really strike me as a vegetable kind of guy. Oh, and thanks so much, for liking this.
Puppy: Why thank you. Yeah, I thought about making Lily react like that but that would have changed the story so much. Nope, Lily and James are going to keep their lips away from eachother for some time yet...
SiriuslyFun19212: Love the name. Thanks so much, it really annoys me when people make James and Lily the only interesting characters, and everyone in the background is just flat. Voila. An update for you.
Gaby-Black: My first ever reviewer, and still reading! Yay! So glad that you're still here and still enjoying.
EggoWaffles: Thanks a bundle. Funny thing, everyone seems so happy that I'm beating James up. Not one person expressed any sympathy for the poor guy...but yes, of course, I did love hitting him repeatedly.
A Cute But Psycho Bunny: Well. I thank you for the detailed references of exactly which bunny may or may not be gay. And of course for the list of which HP characters you do and do not want to make out with. Although I must say, I don't see how you pick Ron and Dean over Harry...but each to her own I suppose. Loved the review, as always.
DobbyGrl: Yays. I LOVED all the caps lock in the review. Made me SO HAPPY to know that you're having as much fun as I am. And here is that update, dahling.
StarzInHerEyes: (for chap 9) wow, yeah, someone who I actually know reading my stuff. First of all, sigh, fine, you can have a smiley sticker, an orange one. And you should be nice to those lil kiddies.
(for chap 8) YAY! Made you laugh, made you laugh, made you laugh. And everyone does seem to think it'd be funny if Lily had said yes...oh well, she's too responsible for that.
(for chap 7) Okay, EVERYBODY. In the movies, it was said that James was a seeker, but according to JKR's official website, that was wrong, he was indeed a chaser. So that's how it is in my story.
(for chap 6) Well, thanks a lot. You didn't think I had skill? Pretends to be insulted. And I corrected that summer essay whether you wanted me to or not. So nyah.
(for chap 5) yes, akin to crap. So there.
(for chap 4) No, he smells like roadkill in the late afternoon, not like turpentine, silly. Duh. And yes you could write like this. Just TRY IT.
(for chap 3) finally, your last review. Umm, James's mother works in the department of Magical Cooperation. There, finally done with you...
PinkytheSnowman: YAY! Glad it was your favorite. Well, in all the stories I've read, they always talk about that Potter Charm. Well, here it is, James's charm. Only not quite as successful as we are led to believe. And you do so deserve it. Gestures, completely speechless. You do so totally deserve it.
Wow, got a lot of reviews that chapter. And I wrote a response to every single one. Even though it meant Starz got a whole essay...Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading. If you did read, I beg of you, please REVIEW! Because it energizes me and makes me feel guilty when I don't write. So go ahead, waste 20 seconds of your life and DROP ME A REVIEW!
Love y'all.
manchot du destin