Chapter 16
Christmas week
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Christmas week arrived and the school was buzzing with excitement. Classes were drawing to a close and the teachers were trying to keep the excitement out of the classroom but this was a very hard task. Professor McGonagall had her Fifth Years transfigure objects into Christmas decorations. Professor Fox discussed different Christmas traditions and cultures. Hag rid, the Care of Magical creatures Professor showed his class a flying fairy that only appeared around Christmas time and Professor Binns the History of Magic teacher discussed how he celebrated Christmas when he was alive and what the ghosts of Hogwarts did during the holidays.
The week was going nicely until the students headed to potions with Snape. The dungeons were always dark and draughty but even the joys of Christmas and the Yule Ball in a couple of days didn't make the dungeons any brighter or warmer.
"Today" Snape began to the class, "We will be making the potion on the board. If made correctly this potion can give you the feeling that you are being watched and it makes you feel very vulnerable and paranoid. Of course I have the antidote, you have one hour."
Snape's almost inaudible and always threatening tones sent chills up the spines of the Gryffindor students while invoking smiles on the lips of the Slytherins. Neville was sharing the desk with Harry. Neville hated potions because he was so afraid of Snape, Harry chose to sit beside Neville because he was very good at Herbology so chopping up ingredients a certain way was Neville's speciality and Harry needed as much help as he could get.
Humming a muggle tune to himself Harry stopped stirring and looked into the mixture in his cauldron. The liquid bubbling away inside was multi-coloured. He looked up at the board and read the last line of Snape's instructions,
"After all the ingredients have been added your mixture should look a golden colour."
Looking back to his cauldron Harry gave a weary sigh and ran his hand through his hair.
"Another zero Mr. Potter?" Snape said behind Harry, "Is it so hard to follow a few instructions. Before I empty your cauldron have a look at the board and see if you can see where you went wrong and maybe you might at least get the colour right. If I hear you asking Ms Granger for help I will get you to test your own mixture the way it is and I don't know what the outcome will be, but it won't be pretty. Do I make myself clear Mr Potter?"
"Yes Sir" Harry answered
He hadn't turned around he just stared at a spot on the table as his teacher continued to talk.
"Look at me when I am talking to you?" Snape shouted, but Harry continued to look at the table while he thought of the names of famous Quidditch players to stop himself taking out his wand or losing his temper and releasing his raw magic.
"Mr Potter" Snape said once more but stopped abruptly. "Mr Longbottom, what colour is your mixture meant to be?"
Neville shook his head but didn't get a chance to respond to his teacher because a crack appeared down the middle of his cauldron and all the contents seeped on to the floor.
"Mr Longbottom" Snape roared
"Bloody hell" Ron shouted, "Get off me Neville"
A shocked Neville had fallen backwards on to Ron and Hermione's desk. This had lead to Neville knocking Ron's cauldron all over the floor aswell. With a flick of his wand Snape had cleared the mess and pushing his hair out of his eyes he looked straight at Harry, Neville and Ron.
"Fifty points from Gryffindor" he shouted, "And detention for each of you for disrupting my class, furthermore Mr Weasley for your outburst another ten points will be taken and you will also receive a zero score"
"But" Ron started, "My mixture was golden coloured"
"Mr Weasley" Snape said more calmly and a lot more softly which was actually more terrifying than him shouting. "You do not have any mixture for handing up at the end of the class, this results in a zero like Potter and Longbottom, and for another outburst you will stay longer tonight compared to your friends. The rest of you finish your potions and place them into the jars provided and leave them on my desk. Class dismissed."
Ron was furious with Neville, Hermione was angry with Ron because she had hoped that her and Ron could have practised dancing and Harry was angry with Snape he wanted to hex him into a sheep covered with boils, and now he would have to spend the evening serving detention with the greasy git. Pacing the floor he sighed.
"I honestly thought I had the mixture right this time" he said flopping into the armchair.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as if he was redoing the potion again in his head.
"You did add only the roots of the Dragon-snap stems not the whole thing" Hermione remarked.
Opening one eye Harry didn't answer her and Hermione fell silent.
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That night the three boys headed for the dungeons.
"At least you are on time" Snape's voice came from his desk as the boys entered the room. "Mr Potter, there has been a change in plans; you will serve your detention tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night Sir?"
"Yes, tomorrow night same time, I will have a clearer mind to deal with you then."
Harry got Snape's hint about detention the following night and giving his friends a supporting nod he left Snape's classroom and headed back to Gryffindor tower.
A couple of hours later Neville had finished the work that Snape had set him so he was free to go. He gave a sympathetic look to Ron and then ran out of the room not looking back in case Snape changed his mind. Finally Ron was free to leave Snape's classroom. He was annoyed, tired, sore and was looking forward to seeing Hermione and telling Harry about his evening with his favourite teacher.
Dragging his feet along the corridors he heard hushed voices. Prefect duties had ended earlier so there shouldn't have been anyone out of their dormitories. Ron stood by the stone wall and strained his ears. He tried to see if he recognised the voices. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He felt a tickling in his throat and prayed that he wouldn't cough and give his hiding place away.
He heard a girl's laugh and Ron felt his cheeks go red and realised what was happening, he didn't want to or need to hear any "intimate" moments that the students had, it was after all a mixed school. His thoughts turned to Hermione and he decided to head back to the Common room. As a Prefect he was meant to report anyone outside of their houses after curfew but as he wished someday that, that would be him and Hermione he grinned to himself and went to walk away.
"I can't wait to see the look on Weasley-bee's and the Mudblood's faces when they hear that Potter has finally died"
Ron stopped and held his breath, he recognised that voice. He didn't know whether to run back and check if Harry was there in the Common room or remain in the hiding place and hear the next part. He heard the girl laugh again and presumed it was Pansy Parkinson. When there was silence and the odd "kissing noise" Ron wanted to run but the secret rendez-vous was drawing to a close.
"Owl me in a few days and update me before the Yule Ball, do you have any of the potion left?"
The girl nodded the answer back because there was no reply.
"Good" Malfoy replied, "Now go before anyone notices that we are missing and send my regards to Potter."
Malfoy headed down the corridor and the girl headed in Ron's direction. The corridor was dark and he found it hard to see. He couldn't make out the girl's face properly to confirm that it was Pansy, but what did she want with Harry? Not wanting to be caught by a Slytherin and have to serve another night of detention with Snape, Ron crouched down behind the nearest statue. He heard the footsteps pass and when the corridor went silent he came out and headed for Gryffindor tower.
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He ran up the steps and found the fat lady snoring.
"Wake up. Come on, wake up"
The portrait stirred and complained for being woken up. Ron rattled off the password. He ran into the Common room and found Hermione resting her head on Harry's shoulder with one arm lying across his stomach and Harry's head leaning on her head. The two of them looking very comfortable.
"What do you think you are doing?" he shouted
Harry stirred slightly while Hermione jumped off Harry.
"What's wrong with you?" she said.
"What's wrong with me, what's wrong with me?" Ron stuttered.
Realising that Hermione didn't know his feelings towards her he just stopped and glared at the sleeping Harry, who had now turned over on the couch. Ron turned and walked out of the room leaving a startled but annoyed Hermione in the centre of the room.
End of chapter