Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…..
This is going to get incredibly confusing, and for that I apologize. I really wish I had a better understanding of the Potions layout.
Thing is – Harry and Draco always have a table to themselves when they're partnered, but Harry, Ron and Hermione always share a table at first. Therefore I think that 4 can fit at a table, and because Snape doesn't want his classroom destroyed he gives Harry and Draco their own table.
If you want a diagram, because of upload errors, it's on my bio on my author page.
And if I'm wrong… think of this as AU and you'll be fine =D
***
Chapter 17
When Harry had said "no problem", he honestly hadn't expected the five to catch on so quickly, especially with Duo's earlier fiasco in Charms. They'd headed back to the common room after lunch, and it was barely half an hour before the boys could cast fire, create light, shrink things, enlarge things, disarm someone, and do a quick and easy repairing spell.
Hermione was beside herself with praise – she was amazed at how magic came with ease to people who'd never been exposed to it before. Ron was pretty damn shocked too, although less subtle about it. Standing with his jaw slack and eyes wide counted as less subtle.
"Brilliant!" He'd exclaimed, as Heero and Wufei had mock-dueled each other successfully. In the end, Wufei had gotten the best of Heero by distracting and disarming him, but Heero's spells had been stronger than Wufei's on the whole.
Duo had convinced Harry to teach him how to summon objects, and was having great fun summoning things from the opposite of Quatre to come flying at him. And slam into Quatre in the process. Quatre had caught on to his game very quickly, and soon they were fighting by summoning objects in the proper trajectory to hit the other.
Harry merely watched in shock.
While Ron cheered on Heero and Wufei, and Harry was busy with Duo and Quatre, Hermione and Trowa discussed all the different spells that they were capable of casting. They were still doing this when they realized that they did, in fact, have class. The three Hogwarts students paled considerably as they realized that their next class was, in fact, Potions. Hollering for the boys to run, they took off out of the common room and down the stairwell. The pilots hurriedly grabbed their supplies and ran out after them, not wanting to get left behind. It didn't take them long to catch up – they were definitely in shape, after all the training from Preventers – and soon the eight of them were racing into the dungeons and only slowing to a quick walk as they approached the Potions class.
"Don't want to get points taken off for running," Hermione had mumbled, and before somebody could question her they were moving inside the classroom. Most of the seats were already taken, and there didn't seem to be a Professor in the room yet. Harry breathed a loud sigh of relief and sank onto a bench at an empty table. Hermione and Ron sank in as well, and Wufei, Quatre and Duo sat in the one in front of them. Heero and Trowa sat next to the hefty Neville boy in the one behind Harry's table.
Glancing around, Heero realized that this was another Gryffindor/Slytherin class. He could see Draco at the table an arm's reach away from Harry's own. He doubted it was intentional.
He continued looking at the Slytherins, regarding the two large bodies next to Draco. Behind him sat a blonde girl, a muscular girl and a stocky brunette boy. Heero's scrutiny was interrupted when a man in a billowing black robe stormed into the classroom and glared at them all.
"This is your first day of Potions, and normally I recite the same speech about Potions every year. I'm not going to this time, so those of you who are new," the dark-haired man's eyes rested on the five boys briefly, "are going to have to deal with it. We'll be doing hands-on today. Potter with Malfoy, Granger with Zabini, Thomas with Patil, Weasley with Goyle… don't give me that look, Weasley, simply move…" the man prattled on for a few more moments, naming others in the class before he came back to the five boys. "State your names."
"Heero Yuy."
"Chang Wufei."
"Trowa Barton."
"Duo Maxwell."
"Quatre Winner."
"Very well. Maxwell with Longbottom, Yuy with Finnigan, Crabbe with Barton, Bullstrode with Winner, and Brown with Chang."
Wufei arched an eyebrow in surprise at the professor's knowledge of which name was his last, but obediently moved when Neville pointed out who Brown was. In the end, Duo had ended up sitting next to Heero to work with Neville, and Seamus had moved to sit next to Heero. Harry and Draco sat in front of them, Bullstrode and Quatre to the right of them, along with Hermione and the stocky Zabini. Wufei and his partner were to the left of Harry and Draco. Trowa and Crabbe were to their right.
Duo frowned, leaning towards Heero and murmuring, "Ya know, it woulda been easier to just leave us where we were. Now it's all messed up."
Heero nodded. "I think he did it for that purpose."
Duo smirked and looked back at the Professor.
"You'll be making the Draught of the Living Dead." Gasps rang out, mostly on the Gryffindor side, at this revelation. "You and your partner will be responsible for properly preparing the solution by the end of today's class."
"But, Professor Snape," protested the girl next to Wufei. "How will we test it?"
Snape grinned evilly, reaching behind his desk and lifting a large cage onto it. Small, fuzzy rodents squirmed around inside. The girls in the class cringed.
"Now, the potion itself is relatively simple, however – you are not, under ANY circumstances, to ingest it. Should you do so you will be removed from this classroom and not return. Am I understood?"
The students nodded and Snape continued. "You will administer the potion to the specimens provided, and they should immediately fall into a deep sleep and should not wake up. They will remain like that until your next class, where you will be making the antidote. Now, collect your ingredients and begin."
Students began moving immediately, some moving to the side of the room and some to the back. Duo grabbed Neville's arm suddenly.
"Um, what's going on?"
"Oh!" Neville said surprised, then seemed to remember that they'd never had a Potions class before. "Well, I'll grab the utensils, and you can grab the ingredients at the back."
"What ingredients?"
"Um… Asphodel and… Cherry wood? No…"
"Wormwood, Longbottom. Honestly, are you trying to get them killed?" Malfoy drawled from in front of them having already retrieved his ingredients.
Neville turned pink. "S-sorry, Asphodel and Wormwood, Duo."
Duo pursed his lips and nodded, making to stand and watching as Heero did the same. Seamus had gone off to get utensils as well.
"They're in the back. The ingredients are in alphabetical order, so they shouldn't be too hard to find," Malfoy told them quietly. Duo smiled and nodded thankfully, heading back with Heero and meeting Quatre and Wufei.
"You guys as lost as we are?" Duo hissed. Quatre smiled bashfully.
"Well, yes, but I think my partner may like me, so…" Quatre shrugged. "She's being pretty helpful. Plus, all I have to do is look at Hermione's cauldron if I don't know what I'm doing."
"We have Harry and Draco to rely on for that," Heero commented, grabbing some Asphodel root. He handed Duo one as well, who returned his favor with some Wormwood. Quatre grabbed his own, heaved a sigh and returned to his seat next to the large Bullstrode girl. Duo sank in next to Neville, noticing that the boy had managed to retrieve a cauldron, some cutting tools, and a grinder for the Asphodel.
When Harry returned to the desk, Draco took the Cauldron and set it up in the middle of it. Harry watched him curiously, and Draco glanced behind him, where Duo was mirroring him. Harry nodded, turning slightly to accommodate. As Duo copied theirs and Heero copied his, Neville and Seamus were left to prepare the ingredients. Neville took the Wormwood and began cutting it carefully.
"So how'm I sposed to cut this, Neville?" Duo asked, indicating the Asphodel. Draco turned, apparently waiting for Neville's answer.
"Um," Neville started nervously, uneasy with Draco's watchful gaze. "You take the… the sharpest knife, and um… Well…"
"Cut it into thin strips, then again, then again and then grind it until it makes a fine powder," Draco informed him impatiently. Neville flushed again, and Duo smirked at Draco.
"You like to show off, eh?"
Draco returned the smirk. "The fact that you're preparing the draught behind me unnerves me to no end, Maxwell, and I plan to ensure that it doesn't end up exploding on me. For once," he added, glaring at Neville. Neville sighed pitifully and continued cutting the Wormwood.
"Oh lay off him, Malfoy," came Harry, looking up from his own Wormwood.
"I assure you that I will, Potter," Draco retorted, "the moment he is capable of doing a simple potion without destroying a cauldron." It seemed that Draco was tired of putting down Neville, for he righted himself in his seat and prepared his own Asphodel.
After a long while of grinding, Duo decided that the powder he'd created was fine enough. Glancing at Heero's Wormwood, then to Neville's, Duo couldn't help but dread combining the ingredients. Regardless, he put on a brave face and smiled brightly at the pudgy boy.
"Well, Neville, d'ya think we're ready?"
***
…Heeheheheeeee ^^
Will Neville finally brew a successful potion? Or will he destroy the whole of Hogwarts?
I dunno.
*whistles innocently and walks away*
