Hufflepuff Concerto

When Hannah, a young mage, is sent to Hogwarts instead of the Holyoke Acedemy of Mind and Elemental Studies, she finds her world, and Hufflepuff House, in disarray. Has the Sorting Hat made several mistakes this year, or has Hufflepuff always been like this? Set in the year of the TriWizard Cup.

NOTE: Everything you recognize from Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. The Tragyls, should they appear, are my sister(Dhrelva)'s. Everything else, like the Korvils, are mine.



A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Oh, Cry, I loved your not-so-subtle hints (give me more)! And fear not, Ashley, that wasn't the ending... the story has barely begun!

A/N2: Sorry for the wait. The massively important "are-you-getting-a-job -after-college-or-not" Junior Film got in the way. But that's done now (woohoo!).




Chapter Five: Professors of Doom

Potions with the Gryffindors. Professor Snape was reputed to be a nasty man. He had no respect for Hufflepuffs.

"Neither does anyone else," a second year warned them, "Just mind you don't make trouble and he won't make more than the usual for you. Not like you were Gryffindors, anyway. Especially bad on Gryffindors, he is. Hasn't got no love for us, though."

"You mean daddy Snape doesn't love us?" a girl had assumed a mortified expression. Only the first years giggled. The second years looked horrified and shushed her.

"Don't joke! He might hear!" They glanced at the head table uneasily. Fortunately for them, the prowling greasy man in black had vanished. The girl sighed in relief, "I forgot he was here. Doesn't usually come to breakfast. Better beat him there like good first years. Go on."

Hannah filed out of the Great Hall with the other first years, glancing back to see the color slowly returning to her paled face. An uneasy feeling trembled in the pit of Hannah's stomach. It only increased as they descended into the dungeons. She mentally checked off her needed supplies. Her stick... er, wand? In her robes, making an awful bulge. Books? In the bag, though she couldn't check that they were the right ones without stopping and probably getting lost. Cedric had given them a quick tour before breakfast so they could find the potions classroom.

Fortunately, Eleanor had a good memory and was valiantly leading the way. There were no windows, so how the classroom the finally found was lit was anyone's guess. It must have been some sort of magic that kept working even after you stopped applying energy to it. Her mother would have frowned disapprovingly and murmured something about sheer laziness. Hannah doubted anyone in the Great Hall was consciously keeping those candles floating either.

She took the desk behind Laura and Eleanor. Jaci took the chair beside her. There was no sign of Professor Snape. The second years had instilled them with The Fear of the Potions Master, though, so they assumed when he deigned to make his entrance he would be quite upset at anyone who wasn't in their seats and ready to go immediately.

The Gryffindors wandered in a few minutes later. Dennis Creevey waved from across the room and took a seat in front. He kept glancing at the door with a look of such excitement that it hurt just to watch. His eyes lit up with a huge grin when Professor Snape stormed the room.

He really was even scarier up close. Pale face, thin black hair in an unkempt squire-cut, a billowing black robe and the presence and bearing of a wizarding Ebaneazer Scrooge. Hannah clasped her hands under her desk and sat up straighter, trying not to look like a wizarding Tiny Tim. His dark eyes soared over them. They seemed to rest for a moment on her forehead. If only she hadn't chosen to wear the wretched thing after all, then he wouldn't have noticed her specifically. Lots of girls in the school had long red hair, after all, and the school uniforms were quite anonymous in and of themselves. Was she wrong to wear it? Was it rude? The lump in her stomach jumped to her throat. It edged up with every overly powerful beat of her heart.

His gaze moved on to the Gryffindors. He looked less than enthusiastic to see Dennis Creevey there, but made no comment on anyone in particular. Instead, he unrolled the attendance, "Bergin."

Two of the Gryffindors asked, "Which one?"

Snape looked down his nose at the boy, "You would be Greg Bergin."

"Yes, professor."

"Speaking out of turn. One point from Gryffindor."

"For having the same last name?!" Lia, the other girl who'd spoken defended. Greg motioned, too late, for her to be quiet. She gave him an apologetic glance.

"They're in alphabetical order, Miss Bergin," Snape sniffed, "I hardly think one would have to be Ravenclaw to put L before G, but then," he paused and the faint hint of a smile was not kind, "you can never be sure with Gryffindors. If you have a mind," he emphasized the conditional, "I suggest you put it to better use in the future." Lia looked like she might cry, but she held his gaze until he looked back down at his list, "Cauldwell." After that, the class scarcely dared to breathe.

Finally, Snape set down the roll and his black eyes flicked over to the Bergins.

"Most of you will not appreciate the subtle"- tap- "art of potions. Some of you, might not" -tap- "even consider it magic." His gaze turned on Owen Cauldwell, who had been nervously tapping his wand on the desk. "Don't fiddle with it, Mr. Cauldwell."

"Sorry," he muttered, slipping his wand back into his robes. His hands were shaking.

"That's how accidents happen," the professor turned his attention back to the class, leaving Owen tend to his heart rate. They were lucky not to have lost House points for his tapping wand and they well knew it. "Fortunately for Cauldwell, there will be no wand waving in this class. So, if he, or any of the rest of you," he gave the Bergins a sallow glare, "can't see your way towards keep them away, you can leave them in your dorms," the potions master continued on to explain different uses of potions. After a couple minutes he stopped and glared directly at Hannah, "Why aren't you copying this down Miss Korvil?!"

There was a sudden rustle of papers as the rest of the class opened their notebooks and started writing furiously.

"Is your memory so good that you can remember everything I say tomorrow? How about in two weeks? Six months?"

"No, profess..essor." None of the students dared laugh. As soon as the evil teacher of Hades looked away, she also picked up her quill.

Her head was soon spinning. Visions of the proper methods of preparing the day's ingredients blurred with the setting up of the cauldron and the proper organization of a potions supply cabinet. When Snape mentioned the word "fire" she took an involuntary mental side trip involving burning the warlock at the stake.

She was just trying to remember whether or not grease would burn when Jaci nudged her, "Go get the ingredients. I'll set up." Half the class was out of their seats already, gathering around the Potions cabinet. Dried nettles, porcupine quills, and a few other things were on her list. She double checked the writing on the board to make sure it was complete. It was, but her notes about the potions cabinet's organization were a little sketchy. Quills.. quills were from birds. So, that meant a porcupine must be a bird... or was it a magical bird?

"It's like a hedgehog," Dennis explained as he took some quills for himself. He kept his voice low, almost unrecognizable without the bubbling excitement. Even Dennis' mood seemed to have been slightly tampered by the Potions Master of Doom, "Lia said the nettles were on the top near the side... there," he retrieved enough for both of them and split the lot with a grin. Together, they managed to find all the ingredients, though Hannah only spotted the mums before Dennis. Maybe she could copy his notes later.

Potions, it seemed, was not destined to be her best subject. At least she didn't blow anything up. Dennis wasn't so lucky. Maybe she wouldn't copy his notes after all. There wasn't much left of them, anyway.


If Professor Snape was a barely disguised demon out to give students nightmares, Hannah hadn't wanted to meet Professor Binns. He was a real ghost. Actually dead. And he taught History of Magic. But her fears had been unfounded. Halfway through the period, she even stopped marking notes down ferociously. Everything he said was in the book, and the Slytherins were smirking at her so she stopped. Jaci's nervous fidgeting was the only thing keeping her awake when Binns' dull monotone finally announced the end of class.

She followed Jaci out of the classroom. In the hallway, the Slytherins were waiting for them. "Hufflepuff, Jaci? We thought you were better than that," a stout girl sniffed, "You're a disgrace to Grassicks everywhere."

Jaci turned up her nose in a dignified counter-sniff that made Hannah shiver, "And you're an Adams, Patricia. Shouldn't you know your place by now?" Hannah wondered if she should run, but then Jaci flicked her a glance and she didn't dare move. How quickly her somewhat withdrawn Hufflepuff friend of half a day transformed into a Slytherin pureblood radiating with something almost elemental.

Patricia Adams still glared, but it no longer held force. Her power had been overcome by a set of rules Hannah didn't understand. She stepped aside for pretty petite little Amber Maccon. Hannah could almost feel the energy coming from her. This was the leader of the Slytherin girls. Jaci was finished. Hannah glanced to her friend, but if her accessment was right, Jaci either didn't know or she wasn't showing it.

"Amber Maccon," Jaci acknowledged. Was that a quiver in her voice?

Run, run, run! Hannah's mind screamed. But to do that would call attention to herself. Freeze, like a possum who spots danger. Yes, good plan. Don't blink.

"Jaci Grassick," she said the name like it was dirty, "If I were you, I would be more careful about my choice of words," she tisked, and tilted her head ever so slightly towards Hannah, "and friends. But I guess there's no help for that now, seeing as you're a loyal, hardworking Hufflepuff now."

Jaci jumped her. The two tumbled down to the floor with a thump. Amber Maccon screamed and dodged a well placed punch while Patricia Adams joined the battle from behind. Hannah stared. Their own Kevin, Owen and Nick were running down the corridor towards them, but they wouldn't make it in time. It was Jaci's turn to scream. Before Hannah knew it she was on Patricia's back, trying to pry her away from Jaci. Someone else had gotten a good handful of her hair and was trying to pull her off. Amber wrestled Jaci into a sitting position and had seized her arms. Jaci struggled to get them back, wincing with their twisting. Patricia threw Hannah off, toppling her into Jaci's lap and bumping their heads together.

"ENOUGH!"

Amber let go of Jaci like a poisonous snake, "Professor!" She jumped up and ran to the tiny Professor's side. Belatedly the third Slytherin girl dropped Hannah's hair. She and Patricia joined Amber, leaving Hannah to pull Jaci to her feet.

The dwarfish professor cleared his throat, "Now, someone explain what that was all about."

"We were leaving History, Professor Flitwick, when Jaci started insulting poor Patricia's parentage. Then, as though that wasn't enough, she attacked me and set that mage on Patricia. Felanne was trying to break up the fight."

And nothing Jaci said could convince Professor Flitwick otherwise. Witnesses had to admit that Jaci had thrown the first punch. "Jaci Grassick, Hannah Korvil. Notices will be sent to your parents, and you will be serving detention with me tomorrow morning before breakfast."

"Yes professor," they chorused.

"And I don't want to see you girls in any more fights. Now, come up and let Madame Pomfrey take a look at you. Come on. All of you, now," Flitwick led the way.



A/N: Hope it was worth the wait. Leave a review, it makes me more inclined to write. To be continued...