"Mum?" Clare whispered
"Clare." Her mum responded
"What are you doing here?" She was in shock, not once had her mum mentioned that she was going to be working at Hogwarts, let alone be the new Potions professor.
"I'm your new teacher." She answered sweetly and she walked into the classroom
"Please kill me now." Clare muttered to the others.
"Just think of it this way Claz." Lily stated "At least you won't fail Potions this year."
"Unlike me." Hannah sighed, "She hates me!"
Clare laughed and said
"Dunno who's got a worse year, you or me."
"Definitely you." The girls laughed
"I don't care if I fail Potions." Hannah added
"What are you guys rambling on about now?" Sirius asked appearing behind them
"Clare's mum is the new Potions teacher." Lily laughed
"Seriously?" He was trying to hold back laughter from the look on Clare's face.
"It's not funny." She snapped
"Yeah it is." They all laughed
Hannah looked at her watch and said
"Do you reckon your mum would give us detention if we were late?"
"Dunno." Clare answered, "Well, she might give you one."
They all laughed and walked into the dungeon, it still had that musty smell to it that made you crinkle up your nose when you walked in. No one noticed James walk in behind them.
"Welcome class, I am your new Potions teacher, Professor Wells." Clare's mum smiled "You may or may not know my daughter Clare."
Everyone in the class turned and looked at Clare, who immediately put her head in her hands and muttered
"Please get me out of here!"
Everyone in the class found the fact that Clare's mum was the new teacher very amusing.
"Now." Professor Wells said "Partners. We are going to be split into pairs – some will be a mix of Gryffindor's and Slytherin's."
The whole class groaned.
"Mr Malfoy will go with Miss Sharpe."
Carolyn groaned and had a look of disgust on her face.
"Mr Snape and Miss Evans."
Snape, Lily and Sirius looked shocked.
"There is no way that I'm working with him!" She muttered to the girls
"Miss Caldwell and Mr Potter."
"She's doing this on purpose." The girls said
"No kidding!" The marauders responded
"Mr Lupin and Mr Black."
"Oh great." Hannah and Lily muttered, "Best friends!"
"Mr Pettigrew and Mr Nott."
"She is having a laugh." Clare said "I'm gonna sort this out in a minute."
"Clare will go with Mr McGuire."
Clare looked over at the person her mum had just called out – It was Paul!
"Well," She said "I'll ask about your but not mine."
"That's Paul?!" The girls asked
Clare nodded
Paul was your classic "tall, dark, handsome" but with one slight snag – he was a Slytherin!
"Did you know he was a Slytherin?" Lily asked
Clare shook her head
"I didn't even know he came here!"
"Well know we know who he is." Sirius said, "Go fix our partners – No offence Moony."
"None taken." His friend responded
Clare walked cautiously over to her mum
"Erm.. Mum." She whispered
"Yes Clare?"
"Is there anyway, you could er..maybe..erm… change our partners?"
"You want me to what?"
"Please?" Clare asked, "I don't want you to change mine, just my friends."
"Who with who?" Her mum asked
"Carolyn and James." Clare said "Hannah and Remus, and Lily and Sirius."
Her mother looked at her.
"Very well." She sighed, "I'll talk to the Slytherin boy's and see if they mind."
"No!" Clare exclaimed, "Just tell them that they are now going together!"
Her mother shook her head and went over to Snape and Malfoy – Clare however gave the marauders and the girls the thumbs up.
That lesson turned out to be the wierdest one yet, but then again it was their N.E.W.T year and the potion they were brewing was a complicated one in which only two pairs managed to pass - Lily and Sirius and Clare and Paul.
"Wonder why she passed?" They heard some Slytherins mutter as they walked passed
Although she hated to admit it, Clare knew why. 'Why did she have to come here?' she thought, 'This year is going to be a living hell!'