The dungeons had never been known for their cheeriness or warmth. It had an eerie green glow that reflected off of all the pickled animals in jars that had accumulated over the years. Manacles and chains remained on the wall. It had been Fro's disgusting theory that Professor Snape was into sadistic-masochistic type relationships, while Tonks had logically asserted that it was probable that this had actually been a dungeon in its day.
Most newcomers to the dungeons were nervous or trembling, but Regina Malfoy clearly was unimpressed. Tonks watched her expression carefully looking for some sign of fear but saw none. Sirius elbowed Tonks in the ribcage.
"Stop ogling the newbie," he muttered.
Tonks grinned. "Who said I was ogling her?"
"Well, she is wicked attractive," Sirius smiled. "Man, I'm surprised there's only ten of us. Four Gryffindors, only two Slytherins, three Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff. Bet the prof isn't pleased with the abundance of Gryffindors."
"I'm just surprised there aren't more snakes in here," Tonks said. "I would have thought they would be too eager to have Snape as a teacher again."
Professor Snape swept in to stand at the front of the classroom. His hair had turned a steel-gray color over the years but the grease in his flesh seemed to have preserved his sallow skin from becoming wrinkly.
"Welcome to the most difficult course in Potions you will ever take," he breathed, causing everyone to lean in to catch what he was saying. "Here you will learn much more complex potion-making than you have ever experienced in your lives. The N.E.W.T.'s are not easy tests no matter how hard you work, and if you do not work in my class, do not doubt that I will throw you out in an instant. I refuse to waste my time on unwilling students." He glanced at Sirius and Tonks. "I assume you have all brought with you your advanced potions textbook." He looked around. "What are you waiting for? Pull them out!" He snapped. Everyone rifled through their bags quickly. "Today we shall be starting the Polyjuice Potion, a dangerous potion that causes the drinker to take on the appearance of another person. Open up to page one-forty-two and you will find the directions. Homework for this week shall be to work on this potion; my dungeon will be open to all advanced students until ten at night. I also will be expecting an essay on the causes of the potion, due next Monday.
"Now, I will be pairing you up and your partner will be the same for the duration of the year. You will work together in and out of class for my subject. I expect equal amounts of work and will, I assure you, know how much you have put in."
Sirius slumped down in his seat, looking deeply disappointed. He and Tonks had been planning on being partners. Now they'd probably be paired with someone unbearable like Haruki or Sarth.
"Haruki Miyano and Theodore Wise; Maureen Turpin and Sirius Potter;" Professor Snape looked at Sirius with a sneer. Maureen had visibly blushed. "Artemis Shacklebolt and Regina Malfoy," Snape looked over at the violet-haired girl with a curious expression. "Sean Biggerstaff and Daisy White; Sarth Snape and Favian Weasley."
Favian rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.
"Get with your partner and start working at once. You know where the materials are." Snape sat at his desk and began writing something.
Tonks couldn't believe his luck. He was partnered with Reggie!
"He went boy-girl," Sirius muttered as they gathered their things. "I'm shocked."
"Haruki and Theodore?" Tonks raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, Haruki's really a girl, he just doesn't know it yet."
Tonks snorted.
Reggie and he stood together at a cauldron and began assembling ingredients.
"I wasn't expecting to make Polyjuice this year," Reggie explained to Tonks after they had made sure all of the ingredients for the first day were there.
"Why's that?" Tonks asked, skinning a boomslang.
"Well, I made it last year at King George's for the final."
"Excellent," Tonks grinned.
Reggie's eyes narrowed. "You'll still be working."
"Of course," Tonks lifted a brow. "I'm not that lazy."
"Oh, all right."
Professor Snape got up in the middle of the period to inspect how far along they were. He made no comments at all and looked at the hourglass on his desk.
"Miss Malfoy," Snape came over to Reggie. "You are unusually efficient, just as your father was," Reggie looked like she was going to be sick. "If Mr. Shacklebolt is not holding up with his duties, please feel free to come to me. I will understand."
"Of course, Professor," Reggie forced a smile.
"Don't do that," Favian scolded Sarth. "You grind it like that and it'll stain the cauldron later."
"Don't whine, Weasley, it's not becoming,"
Tonks looked over and saw Sarth did start grinding the beetle eyes properly.
At the end of the period, they put their potions in the back of the classroom to stew for a bit. Reggie and Tonks agreed to meet in their common room after dinner to start work on their essay. Haruki was sneering at Theodore, who had dropped his round glasses into the cauldron.
"Nice move, Wise," Haruki flicked his wand and withdrew the unharmed spectacle from the potion. "You're lucky we haven't started boiling yet or your glasses would no longer be in this shape."
Theodore jammed them back onto his face and glared at Haruki.
Maureen Turpin giggled as Sirius and she strolled out together, discussing times to meet and "do homework."
"He's a player," Reggie noted as she, Favian and Tonks followed Sirius to Charms.
"So you noticed," Favian said irritably. Behind them walked Sarth and Haruki, speaking in Japanese. Favian lowered her voice, "I hate that they do that," she hissed to Tonks, "It always seems like they're saying something horrid about me. And why do I have to partner with the Potions teacher's bloody son?"
"Maybe Sarth fancies you," Reggie said casually.
Tonks started laughing and Favian looked blown away by such a preposterous idea.
Sirius and Maureen split up as Maureen and her friend Rhonda met up.
"What's the giggle fest back here?" He asked coolly but was clearly feeling a bit left out.
Tonks told Sirius what Reggie had said and Sirius started laughing too.
"It's not that funny," Favian snapped, as they took the stairs up to the third floor, pushing their way through a cluster of Ravenclaw third years.
"Fave," Sirius rested a hand on her shoulder. "It really is."
"Why? Is it so impossible that a Slytherin might find me attractive?" Favian was turning red again.
"Favian, it's against their rules," Tonks explained. "It just doesn't happen. They date other Slytherins or Ravenclaws. Never lions or badgers."
Sirius started grinning as they walked into Flitwick's room. "Can you imagine Old Snape-y's face if Favian and Sarth-?"
They started howling with laughter again.
"Nice going, Reggie," Favian muttered. "Now we'll never hear the end of it."
Indeed, once Fro and Robbie joined up with them again, they returned to hysterics. Favian soon took off with Reggie and Ayumi to work in the library. Not surprisingly, they had a fair bit of homework to be getting on with, and knowing Favian, she was grateful for it.
"Right lads, to the drawing boards," Tonks clapped his hands together.
"You aren't all still on about that bordello idea, are you?" Robbie smirked at them.
"Of course we are," Fro said quite seriously. "Think about all the metamorphic mages and how much money we could make…!"
"And the girls," Sirius threw in for good measure.
Robbie shook his head and looked back to his parchment. "Well, I rather thought you would have grown out of that idea. For one, it's not considered exactly moral by society. For another much more important fact, it's not completely legal either."
"We know that," Tonks rolled his eyes.
"Just think about it, that's all I'm saying," Robbie shrugged.
The first week wreaked havoc on advanced students' schedules and lives. It seemed nearly impossible for a teacher to take a breath without doling out more homework. Tonks observed that Reggie was taking it all very well, seeming almost bored with the workload. Quidditch season was fast approaching, and as Sirius, Fro, and Favian were all on the team, it seemed that their schedule was to become a lot more hazardous. Tonks hadn't been interested in playing Quidditch because of his distrust for broomsticks. When at age eight his mother had deemed him ready to try her old Nimbus 2001, the broom had malfunctioned due to some twig imbalance and he had broken his arm.
It had surprised Fro and Sirius that Favian had also tried out for the team in second year. Tonks suspected that little Troll-Face Weasley wanted to fit in as easily as her brother did. However, Favian was a dutiful Keeper and rarely missed the goals. Fro was a Beater, his red hair on more than one occasion acting as a helmet. Sirius was the lead Chaser, considered by many students the best Chaser Hogwarts had. Their captain from last year, Maleke Thomson, had told Sirius on more than one occasion that he had a responsibility to play for England when he graduated. Sirius's already swollen head sucked it in and kept it. It came as no revelation when Sirius became Quidditch captain for that year.
Quidditch try-outs would be on the Friday of the following week. Reggie confided in Tonks that she hadn't the slightest interest in playing for the team at the risk of making her father proud. Tonks immediately informed her that any ambition to disappoint a parent was a noble ambition indeed.
Friday was a rainy day throughout, so when Sirius, Fro and Favian trouped in together, they left a sopping mess on the common room floor. Tonks and Robbie looked up from their Transfiguration homework curiously.
"Success," Sirius said, dropping down next to Tonks on the sofa.
"You smell like a wet dog, mate," Robbie said casually.
Sirius ignored him. "We've got a repeat of my dad,"
"What?" Tonks and Robbie chimed.
"Yeah, little Odin Kynn was announced by Granger herself as an amazing flier and is our new Chaser. He's just as good as Erin, so kudos to him."
"But is he as good as you?" Tonks asked slyly.
"Oh, and one more thing," Sirius turned a bit pink as he pretended Tonks hadn't asked anything. "You know the fourth year Meghan Lenhardt?"
"The cute blonde girl?" Robbie asked.
"She's our new Beater," Fro said, still looking shell-shocked. "Tiny little thing, but that girl has a swing and a grunt like you've never heard-."
"It was rather amazing," Favian agreed, wiping water off of her forehead with her damp sleeve. "She's so petite but I wouldn't want to be in the way of her bat."
"Who's Seeker?" Tonks asked.
"Karyn Hazlet," the three Quidditch players chimed.
"She is going to win us the Cup with that Wronski Feint going for her-."
"She could fly faster than you could see!" Fro emphasized by winging his hand across his face. "Whoosh!"
"And she's only a second year. She's got so much talent already," Favian sat back and marveled.
"Your team is most females this year," Robbie noted. "I will definitely have fun commentating."
Favian's face darkened. "Erin and I find that mildly distracting-."
"Oh Fave, there's new flesh. Don't you worry about it," Robbie winked.
Erin Anderson, Meghan Lenhardt, Karyn Hazlet and Odin Kynn came in through the portrait hole grinning. Erin and Meghan were good friends, both in the same year, so it was clear why Erin would be so happy. Meghan was quiet but made witty remarks that left people wondering what had hit them. Her hair was thick and bushy but took on a brownish sheen when wet. Karyn was slight, like Meghan, but she was dark-haired and fair-skinned and generally ignored, mostly by choice. She was shy but intelligent. Odin had dark, pensive eyes and black, curling hair. For his age, he was tall and it was clear that he would one day be robust as well as tall.
Sirius smiled back at them.
"That's my team," he said softly. "We are going to be amazing."