Very soon it was nearly time for the Christmas Holidays. Hannah, Remus, Carolyn, Rachel and James had all decided to go home for Christmas. It was a week before the holidays and Dumbledore had just announced that there was going to be a new Potions teacher as Clare's mother had been fired for incompetence. The new teacher had been introduced as Professor Java, he looked quite young but he had to be about 40. He was going to be teaching for the last week of the term and then full time after Christmas. Everyone was looking forward to his class but as soon as they arrived they quickly changed their minds. All of the desks had been moved around - it was now two to a table and the biggest shock was yet to come. New potions partners.
"Now class." Professor Java began, "I am going to let you all choose your own Potions partners except for Miss Caldwell and Mr Snape, I would like you two to work together as I have heard that you two are top of the year."
They all looked at each other quite surprised. The girls laughed at the looks on the Marauders faces. They didn't care about new partners but the boys obviously did.
"I can't believe you're stealing my Potions partner." Carolyn said to Hannah but grinning.
"It's not my fault I'm brilliant at Potions, it's such a curse." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She turned to Remus and whispered "Don't worry I won't get up to any mischief."
"Partners people!"
Hannah and Snape were moved to a bench on the opposite side of the class while Clare and Carolyn and James and Remus paired up. There was a tense atmosphere due to the new pairings and the Marauders attempting to lip read what Hannah and Snape were saying.
"Anyone would think you didn't trust your fiancée Remus." Lily teased
"It's not her I don't trust." He muttered
Carolyn hit him across the head
"You might not trust him but I do."
The marauders muttered to themselves and went back to lip reading
"I'm getting the feeling you don't want to work with me." Snape said
"Caz is making me be nice to you." Hannah responded
"Likewise." He smiled, "Like I'd cross you anyway, you'd probably poison me."
Hannah grinned at that comment - he was scared of her and he was the last person who she had expected to be scared of her.
"Damn, a Slytherin's scared of me." She giggled, "And while we're on that subject of me poisoning you. Lets get a few things straight.
A. You can't lay a finger on Remus
B. You can't mess Carolyn around
C. Annoy me or tell me what to do
Do any of the above and I will poison you."
"You just said Lupin, what about the other three?"
"By all means curse Sirius and James because they tried to kill you and they deserve it for that and even though Sirius is my brother, I'll never forgive him for it. Oh and you can kill Peter for all I care, he's a dirty little rodent."
"Damn, you learn new things every day." Snape laughed, "I swear I won't do any of the things you mentioned because I know for a fact you would poison me, you're the only person who can poison me."
"I'm good at Potions and nothing else, big deal."
"That's not true, come off it you're smart, pretty, good at almost everything when you put your mind to it, you fly better than anyone else I know and you were Quidditch Captain. Oh and you're the only person in the history of Hogwarts to ever get an Outstanding in their Potions OWL for a NEWT potion."
"Did you just complement me? Severus Snape actually complemented me?" Hannah asked, looking quite shocked, "And you called me pretty?"
"Well, you are, You, Lily, Clare and Rachel."
"What about Caz?"
"Caz ain't pretty." Hannah looked at him, "She's beautiful."
"How do you know about that potion anyway?" She asked, cutting up a random ingredient
"Well ... when I went in to do mine, I heard them talking about it saying that this girl was the only person ever to do this particular potion at OWL level and it was obvious that it was you. You're the best, even better than me."
"What they saying?" Remus asked
"Hannah just gave him permission to curse me and James." Sirius said, "But not you, she said we deserve it because of the prank we pulled on him. Threats about poisoning, Snivellus just complemented her - he called her pretty."
"He's hitting on my fiancée." Remus looked angry and there was a hint of jealousy there.
"He actually said she was pretty, as well as Lily, Claz and Rachel and he called me beautiful." Carolyn said, rolling her eyes, "He said that she's the best at Potions in the entire school, even better than him. He mentioned her being clever, being good at Quidditch and her being Quidditch Captain at one point. He is not hitting on her!"
"And in regards to her giving him permission to curse you, she's right you do deserve it. You coulda killed him, and ended up in Azkaban and you coulda got Remus killed in the process." Lily stated, "You're forgetting that they kill certain people if they are deemed dangerous - IE if they kill someone!"
"Did we mention that we regret doing it?" Sirius asked, "Hannah is still making both me and James pay for it! Trust me being on the end of her curses and her potions is enough torture for anyone."
"And I got the scars to prove it!" James added
"Yet she helped you become what you are." Lily and Clare pointed out, "A dog and a stag."
"Shush!" They hissed, "Tell the whole world why don't you?"
"Will you six get on with your Potions?" Professor Java asked as he walked past, "And Mr Black, please go and change your roots, they need to be evenly sliced, not evenly diced."
Sirius blushed slightly and went to get some new roots, muttering as he went along. As he walked past he went to Hannah and said
"Hope you're enjoying your little conversation."
"Not as much as I'm enjoying the feeling of being spied on!" Hannah retorted "Anyone would think you don't trust me."
Sirius glared at her and walked away.
"Stupid git!" She muttered as she poured her roots into the cauldron, "Who does he think he is spying on me? Granted I know he doesn't trust you, but surely he can give me some credit and trust Carolyn's judgement on you. How come you two are still keeping it a secret?"
"Which? Us or the other thing?" Snape asked
"You two."
"Oh come on, you saw how people treated me after the Halloween ball - I was attacked non stop for two weeks because I kissed her. Imagine what they'd do if they knew I was going out with her or worse if they knew about Alafair. Guys want to attack Black, Lupin and Potter because of who they're going out with but they're scared of you three because they know what will happen if they do attack them. I know a lot about you lot from gossip, ex's and what Carolyn's told me. You for example, a lot of the guys you dated in first and second year claim to have slept with you plus quite a few Slytherin's claim this as well, they think you're a whore and Halloween didn't help that. Some people still believe that you're having an affair with Black, they think you're lying about him being your brother. You were one of the only virgin's in the year at the start of the term, you gave up being Quidditch Captain because you couldn't hack it and thought Potter was doing a better job than you but there are people who think you only gave it to him because you bedded him. Stuff like that."
"Damn!" Hannah looked at him wide-eyed "You should be a PI. But that is some sick and twisted stuff! It's one thing to say I sleep around, it's another to say it's with Sirius but it's a whole new playing field to say I've done it with James Potter! I mean ewww, that's sick! Although at least I ain't been rumoured to have had Peter. Now that is sick. But if people think I'm a whore then why do guys still fancy me?"
"It's mostly girls jealous of you."
Hannah nodded
"And in response to what you said. You're a slimy haired git with no personality, you have hardly any friends, you lost your virginity when you were 14, you have a two year old "sister", you're secretly dating one of the most wanted girls in the school and your like me blood wise."
"How do you know that?" Snape asked, "There's only Caz who knows that."
"I've always known." Hannah said, shrugging "Well, suspected. It's the way you act, when you call people 'mudblood'" she spat the last word out, "You have this apologetic look in your eyes, like you don't mean it. That and your Potion's book kinda gives it away - "The Half Blood Prince?""
"You can't tell anyone." Snape said, he'd stopped stirring the potion at this point "Seriously Hannah, you can't."
"Like I would." Hannah replied, "I'm not that stupid. I'm already keeping secrets as it is so I might as well have another one on top of it."
"Thanks." He smiled
"No problem." Hannah responded, "Oh and tomorrow make sure you avoid James and Sirius at all costs, because they're planning a little one sided duel as it were."
The Marauders looked at each other in disgust. They couldn't believe what they were seeing - Hannah being friendly to Snape, especially when last week she had said she hated him. Remus had jealousy written all over his face and his potion was showing it as well, Sirius was annoyed that his sister had snapped at him the way she had, for spying on her, even though he had done it before. James had never expected her to even give Snape the time of day, well no one really gave Snape the time of day except for Carolyn and Clare but they were the only ones.
"Start tidying things away now class whilst I come around and mark your potions." Java said
The whole class started buzzing with noise as they tidied away and Professor Java came around to mark the potions.
"Mr Black and Miss Evans, good attempt - 7/10"
"Mr Lupin and Mr Potter, could be better - 4/10"
"Miss Sharpe and Miss Wells , average - 6/10"
"Miss Caldwell, Mr Snape, Excellent - 10/10"
The bell rang and Hannah walked over to rejoin her friends, and she went to kiss Remus but he pulled away.
"Fine!" She snapped, "Don't even talk to me."
She stormed out of the classroom and went straight for the Gryffindor Tower. They all looked at Remus who had a look of guilt on his face. Jealousy had got the better of him, and it had made Hannah mad at him.
"You idiot." Lily said, "That's what happens when silly boys do silly things, like get jealous over a conversation!"
"Come on." Carolyn said, "Lets get something to eat."
"You have some major grovelling to do now mate." Sirius said to his friend
"Don't you think I know that?" Remus snapped, and walked out, first going to the Great Hall to get some food and then to the common room. He said the password (namtoelsi) and saw Hannah sitting by the fire crying.
"Han?"
"Leave me alone Remus!" She yelled
"I come with gifts."
She looked up at him, a look of pure anger in her eyes. He sat down in a chair next to her but she looked away from him.
"You think food and pumpkin juice is gonna make me feel better?"
"I'm sorry." He whispered, "Really I am, I overreacted, I shouldn't have done what I did and I shouldn't have felt jealous of Snape and I shouldn't have spied on you and tried to see what you were up to. I was an idiot."
"Yeah, you were." Hannah responded, "I can't believe you spied on me, I thought you trusted me! I'm meant to be marrying you but if you don't trust me then..."
"I do trust you." He said quickly, "Jealousy got the better of me."
"You were jealous of Snape?" Hannah asked, "Of all the people you were jealous of, why him?"
"I don't know." He admitted, "Forgive me?"
"Maybe." She answered
Remus leaned over and started tickling her and she shrieked with laughter. She knew he was using it to his advantage because he knew she always gave in when she was tickled.
"Alright, alright." She giggled, "I forgive you."
Remus had a satisfied look on his face and kissed her softly.
"What do you thinks gonna happen?" Clare asked
"Oh you know Hannah, she never stays mad at him for longer than five minutes. Any money they'll have kissed and made up by the end of dinner."
"Five galleons says she won't have." Sirius and Carolyn said.
"You're on." Lily said, "Because I know that this is a bet I'm gonna win."
She took a bite of her sandwich, just as Sirius said
"What makes you so sure?"
"Bequase I know 'er bwetter dan you wot." Lily answered through a mouthful of food
"In English please!"
Lily swallowed and repeated
"Because I know her better than you lot."
"Yet I've lived with her since I was 6." Sirius said, "I think I know my own sister by now."
"Oh you may know her Sirius." The girls said, "But that doesn't mean you know her. Trust us on that. The one person who knows her better than us, will be begging for forgiveness right about now."
Lily turned to Carolyn and said
"I still want to know why you're still being really secretive. It's not as if you gotta hide it from us anymore."
"Because." Carolyn answered, "He'll get attacked again and then there is the small matter of you know."
"Small matter of what?" James and Sirius asked (they don't know that Carolyn has a daughter)
"None of your business!" The girls said and they immediately got into a conversation about Carolyn having to stop all the secrecy. The boys caught snippets of their conversation but not enough to work out what they were talking about.
"I just have one question." Lily said, "Something I'm amazed Hannah ain't asked yet 'cause ya know what she's like when it comes to this, is he a good kisser?"
That got Sirius' attention. She could see Clare and Carolyn smiling when his head shot up. It was the simple look from Carolyn that told Lily what she wanted to know but to rub it in, she turned to both Sirius and James and said
"She does."
"Why do you want to know if he's a good kisser?" Sirius asked
"Well since it's usually Hannah who asks and she ain't I thought I would." Lily answered
"I'm amazed Hannah hasn't mentioned it actually." Carolyn grinned
"Shame she's commited herself to someone for the last four years really, when she could have been enjoying playing with guys emotions." Clare laughed
"Unlike you who never commits herself to anyone and never stays with a guy long enough to even know his full name." Lily and Carolyn pointed out
"I like playing the field thank you very much, it's much more fun and anyway you're only in school for a short amount of time, what's the point of keeping hold of a guy when I can let them hang and then drop them?"
They rolled their eyes.
"This makes me glad I have Lily." Sirius said
"And that I got Rachel." James added
"It's Remus I feel sorry for." Sirius went on, "Hannah's the nuts one out of you lot and that's saying something."
"Cheeky little so and so." Lily muttered
"And she is not the nuts one, trust me!" Clare said
They got up and left for the Common Room, all they wanted to do was just collapse by the fire in peace but they knew it would never happen. It seemed to take an age to get to the Common Room but when they got there and went inside, they found they couldn't even sit down in the Common Room because everyone was there talking and doing homework, so begrudgingly they all made their way to the boy's dormitory but found the door locked. Sirius and James tried a number of spells to try and get in but it wouldn't open. It was unlocked after all the spells because the lock had clicked but it refused to open.
"Open the bloody door Remus!" James yelled
"Give me one reason why he should?"
"Well at least we know that their talking." Carolyn said
"Either that or their torturing each other." Sirius replied
"Hannah if you don't open this door I swear you'll regret it!" Lily said threateningly.
"What you gonna do Lil?"
"How about share a certain secret that you don't want anyone to know!"
They heard muttering and cursing and the door flung open.
"Knew I'd get my own way." Lily said smirking.
"Kissed and made up have we?" Carolyn asked
"Well I wouldn't be in here if we hadn't." Hannah answered, "Oh and James, remind me never to give you or Peter anything, ever."
"Why?"
"You mean apart from the fact half the school thinks I've had three of the four Marauders."
"You're kidding?"
"Nope."
"I swear I'm gonna kill the person who spreads these rumours." Remus muttered
"They ain't worth the bother Remus." Lily said, she turned to walk to the door but tripped and fell straight into Sirius' arms.
"Anyone would think you don't like letting me go." Lily teased and kissed him. She broke it off for a moment and said to him
"You owe me five galleons." and finished the kiss.