Chapter III Potions Class
"Now for those of you are actually literate, read the board for instructions on how to make an Ailing Potion," Snape drawled, pointing towards the chalkboard behind him with his wand.
"What kind of teacher insults his students?" Ron furiously whispered.
"Him!" Hermione snapped back before Snape had turned around.
"Silence! For those who want to live to see Hogsmeade today after my class, I suggest you shut those holes you call mouths and work on the assignment." Snape smiled grimly.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione groaned silently to themselves, and started working.
A few minutes later, Professor Snape stopped the class. "Now, for those who have finished step four, your concoction should be a clear shade of azure. For those of you who have the brain of a coconut, azure is the color of the sky."
Hermione smiled bravely. She knew something that Professor didn't. He forgot to mention that the color is not important at all, just as long as it's a shade of blue or purple. The most important thing was as long as the potion isn't bubbling.
Harry looked down sullenly. The liquid in his cauldron was indigo, at least. He took a quick peek at Ron's cauldron, which to his relief was a shade of violet. Snape turned his head and glared at him. Harry looked down at his feet.
When he was certain that Snape had stopped looking at him, he looked over to Hermione's. Azure. Go figure. He suddenly looked up at her face and saw that she was smiling to herself. Wonder what's that all about?
"Turn in your flasks so I can severely grade them all. Put your name, NOT nickname..." he said, suddenly staring at Dean, "and put them on my desk."
Soon everyone, with the help of Hermione, had finished putting their things together, and were dismissed from class.
"Hermione, why were you smiling to yourself?" Harry asked, and at the same time Ron said, "So what's the deal Hermione?"
"What?"
"Let me go first Ron..."
"Sure..."
"Why were you smiling to yourself in Potions?"
"Oh, it was a wonderful thing. But first, Harry, what color was your potion. DON'T lie. I can, and always will be, able to tell."
"Innigo..."
"What?"
"Indigo," he mumbled.
"Okay, what about you Ron?
"Violet, isn't that horrible?"
"No, actually it's perfect! Professor Snape obviously hasn't read 'Tips to Perfect Potions.' Here," she said, pulling a book out of her bag, "it says, 'The Ailing Potion is perfect at nonbubbling and clear azure, but any shade of blue or purple will do.' See, you might get points off for not having 'the perfect potion' but you'll definitely end up with at least an A. Maybe even an E..."
"Well, that definitely makes my day better," Ron said skeptically.
"Fine, next time you can do your entire potion by yourself and end up with a T!"
"T?"
"Yeah, T. As in Troll..."
The three of them started laughing as they climbed up the stairs to the Gryffindor Portrait Hole.
"Password?"
"Um..." Harry and Ron mumbled.
"Double S," Hermione said unconsciously.
"In you go children."
"How did you know what the password is?" Ron asked her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't Fred and George make that one up?"
"Yeah..."
"I've been dying to know what it stands for. I've some hunches, but they aren't very good. Knowing Fred and George, it's probably something real complex. But it figures that you would know..."
"Really? Tell me your hunches..." Hermione said, smiling interestingly.
"Okay...well I kinda thought about Super Savvy..."
Hermione cracked up. "Is that the best you could think of?"
"NO! There is Snape Slytherin...and um...Snape Stinks...oh yeah Slytherin Stinks...Super Star?"
Hermione was practically dying of laughter.
"Well, for you information, you aren't really helping us figure this out..." Harry said accusingly.
"Lemme just tell you guys okay? It be soooo much easier to do that instead of hearing all the silly stuff you've been saying."
"Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!" Ron shouted like a monkey. "Is it Silly Stuff?"
"No, now do you want me to tell you or not?"
"Tell..."
"It's Slytherins Suck."
"That's so original. How did you know?"
" 'Member that night where I went to see Dumbledore? I came back really late and the Fat Lady told me. We had a nice conversation, I guess..."
"What the hell were you doing so late at night?" Ginny said, dropping her bag, which accidentally landed on Harry's foot with a loud thud.
"Omi-freakin-god! What do you have in there?"
"Sorry!" she said sheepishly. " Potion book, scrolls, quills, ink, um...6 teen fiction romance comedy books..."
"6?"
"Got a problem?"
"No..."
"Ginny...don't say hell..." Ron scolded.
"Excuse moi France monsieur! So, Hermione, what were you doing?"
Ron stared at his sister. "When did you learn French?"
"Since Mom taught me. You didn't know we were French? How sad.."
The four of them walked out of the common room to the Hogwarts Express.
"I decided to give up on SPEW..."
"S.P.E.W.!" Ron said.
"Whatever. I came up with a better solution. C.A.R.E. & O.C.O.!"
"What?" Harry asked.
"Care for All Ruined Elves & Other Creatures Organization. Isn't that clever?" she said, turning towards Ron with a smile.
Ron groaned.
"I'm not going to waste my time anymore making silly buttons and hats. I'm going to start a support system. You can pick an abused and/or underappreciated creature and send money to them every month, minimum of 2 sickles."
"2 sickles? Is that it?"
"Yes, unless you want to send more..."
"That's a great idea Hermione. I think I might give it a go..." Ginny said thoughtfully.
"Well I think it's a stupid idea," Malfoy said, coming up from behind them.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm saying that why bother sending sickles to dumb creatures if the weasels can't even afford their own home?"
"Shut up you stupid ass!" Ginny raged
"Ginny!"
"What? You do it all the time!"
"Well..." Ron became flustered. "I don't want you to because you're a girl, and I'm your closest brother. Do you want Mum to give both of us a Howler?"
"You aren't the boss of me!"
"I'm OLDER!"
"But everyone else in the family is older than YOU! I'm 14 for freakin god's sake!" Ginny shouted, then quickly kneeling down, muttering, "God, please forgive me for using your name in vain, grant me patience, and help me win this argument."
"But Gin! I'm older than you! I'm supposed to protect you from this!"
"Well you aren't doing a very good job, now are you?"
"Whatever!"
"Weasels can't even afford to stop arguing..." Malfoy smiled.
The next moment, Malfoy was knocked out cold with a bloody nose and bruised eye, while Ginny was fuming, fists up, ready for more action.
"Don't you dare say that you son of a --" Ginny started, when Ron stomped on her foot.
"Bi--ooowww! I mean...son of a...Slytherin?" Ginny uncertainly looked at Ron, who nodded in approval.
"Um...Ginny, you knocked him out."
"Is he dead!" Ginny happily asked, lightening up.
"Umm...no," Harry said.
"Aarrgh!"
"Come on Ginny, we'll get him to the hospital wing. First let me...Fight gora brusindium!" Hermione said, pointing her wand at Ginny, who now looked 3 times worse than Malfoy.
"Woah, when did you learn that?" Ron said, impressed.
"Fred and George. It's part of the stuff they put in those Skiving Snackboxes," she said, dragging Malfoy along with Ginny.
