Harry couldn't believe what his eyes said. His schedule was definitely different than last year's had been. In place of Potions, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, there was something Harry had never seen before. "What in the world is 'Directed Study?'" he thought to himself. He wondered about it for a minute, and then he figured out that there was no way that he was going to know what it was unless he got his butt moving, since Directed Study Potions with Professor Slughorn. He got up and left the Great Hall immediately, ignoring the fact that Hermione was also heading towards the door.
As Harry approached the particular dungeon where his potions class was to be held, he heard a couple of voices coming from inside the door. Feeling a rush of relief that he wasn't going to be directly studying alone with Professor Snape, he entered the door…and stopped dead in his tracks at the two people he saw sitting at desks as far away from each other as possible at the front of the room.
It was the two people he had absolutely no wish to be around at the moment; Hermione and Draco. Before Harry had a chance to turn around and leave, a voice boomed from directly behind him. "Don't just stand there, Harry. Sit down!" Professor Snape said. Numbly, he went to the front center desk, equidistant from the other two students, as Snape walked up to the front of the room and began to speak.
"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter, by now you should have noticed that your schedules are significantly different than the other sixth year students' this term. You three have shown considerably more aptitude throughout your years here at Hogwarts in most subjects, and with the situation in the world being at it is, the other professors and I, as well as the Headmaster, have decided that you three will need more extensive 'training,' shall we say. So instead of having regular potions, transfiguration, and defense against the dark arts courses, you will be having these 'directed study' courses with me, Professor McGonagall, and our new Professor Tipton. And yes, you will still take your O.W.L.'s at the end of the term. And yes, if you don't get an Exceptional O.W.L. in Potions, you will not be accepted into my N.E.W.T. Potions class. Any questions?"
All three of them were too shocked to have anything to ask. They just stared at Snape with amazed faces. Advanced classes in their sixth year? It had never happened before! Seeing that they didn't have anything to ask, Professor Snape instructed them to take out their Potions books and open them to page 267.
"Ah, yes," he said, "This is an appropriate potion to start off with in the beginning. Veritaserum. You all know that this is the most powerful truth potion that can be brewed. And we're going to be brewing it. It should give you quite a challenge, but I expect nothing less than perfection from each and every one of you. Everyone take out your cauldrons and supplies, and get started. You have one and a half hours to complete the first stage of the potion, and then it has to mature for a month before the second stage can be attempted. Be cautious with the ingredients, and don't waste anything. Begin."
Draco, Harry, and Hermione immediately started slicing, powdering, and mixing the various ingredients to the Veritaserum potion, following the intricate and complicated steps outlined in the potions book. It was definitely the hardest potion that they had ever attempted in class…even harder than the Polyjuice potion they had made in their second year, and they were too busy to talk for the majority of the time. Hermione kept shooting desperate glances at Harry, but he pointedly ignored her. He, while being immensely grateful for being chosen for these special classes, did not want to be anywhere near Hermione right then.
"Potter! What are you doing?" Snape snarled after about ten minutes. "The salamander tails are supposed to be powdered before you add them into the potion, not minced! Get it right!"
"Sorry, Professor" Harry mumbled, and continued, carefully reading the instructions from that point on.
The ninety minutes seemed to fly past, and before they knew it, all three of them were cleaning up and leaving the dungeon with Professor Snape's homework (24 inches about the effects and nullification of Veritaserum), without saying a word to each other. Draco took a different path out of the dungeon, presumably going back to the Slytherin common room. Harry and Hermione walked over to Charms with Professor Flitwick, and were relieved to finally be in a regular class with their fellow Gryffindors, though they didn't say it to each other. While Hermione and Ron sat together, Harry sat with Neville, who showed an amazing aptitude at the silencing charm.
That night, while Harry was studying for his Potions essay by the fireplace, he noticed that Hermione had sat down directly across from him, and was trying to get his attention. Obviously still feeling hurt, he ignored her except for giving her a cold, unfeeling stare. She got up, haphazardly picked up her books, and headed for the girls' dormitory, looking hurt.
"Good for her," Harry thought.
A few hours passed. Finally finishing his essay and rolling it up, Harry noticed that he was the only person left in the common room. Not ready to go upstairs yet, Harry moved over into an armchair in front of the fireplace and stared into the flames letting his thoughts take over. It wasn't five minutes before he heard a timid voice behind him. It sounded a lot like Ron.
"Harry? Are you going to go to bed?" the red-headed Weasely asked.
Harry continued to stare into the fire. However, Ron wasn't to be ignored. He came and stood right in front of Harry and asked him again. Harry stared at him and, with an edge to his voice that could cut diamond, said, "Don't speak to me. I don't associate with backstabbers." And with that, he got off of the chair, went upstairs, and threw himself into his bed, closing the curtains forcefully. That was the first night in a long while that The Boy Who Lived cried himself to sleep.