Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Andrea were going up to the common room that evening. They too had noticed that Snape seemed to have given up his Goth look.

"I think he's lost his Pretty Ponies," said Ron, referring to a kind of toy unicorn Ginny used to play with when she was younger.

"No, he's lost his marbles," said Harry.

"He's lost his cookies," said Andrea.

Hermione looked at them and shook her head. "He's lost his mind with love for Smith, and he gave her a Love Potion or something, and she totally fell for it."

"Oh, of course," said Ron. "I forgot he was the evil Potions teacher."

"I can't believe you forgot that, Ron," said Andrea. "He just taught us today. He was a little bit spacey too, if you ask me. Kept going back to his desk and ignoring us…he didn't take any points at all from our House today. He actually took five points from Malfoy."

"Oh, yeah, I remember," said Harry. "He was totally insane. I think I like this Snape better. He totally supports Gryffindor when he's in love with Meg. You know, I think after he fed her one of those Love Potions, she fed him one. They're both totally loopy."

Hermione laughed. "Well, it's possible…"

"I just want the old Meg back," said Ron. "You're right about the Love Potions. He's got to be doing something to her, she hates him when she's in her normal state."

"I know, she does," said Andrea. "What's he playing at?"

"It's sort of romantic, actually," said Hermione. "I mean, think about it. He slaved away in his office for hours getting the exact right ingredients for the Love Potion, probably in the Forbidden Forest, too, and then after she liked him he almost went mad for her, you know? He gave up his style, if you can call that style, his loyalty to Slytherin House…He gave everything up for her."

"It's Snape, Hermione," said Harry. "He couldn't be romantic if you paid him for it."

"He has a point," said Ron. "I think he's just being stupid. Meg hates him. It just won't be the same if he gives her some potion, she'll still hate him really deep inside…"

"So you can't mix up love in a cauldron," said Andrea. "Ron and me, though…"

"You guys are weird," said Hermione, finding it rather hard to find an adjective that accurately described the relationship between Andrea and Ron. "Harry and I don't kiss in public, but you wouldn't care if the Minister of Magic himself could have interviewed you, would you?"

"Of course they wouldn't," said Harry. "You mean Cornelius Fudge?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "Is there another Minister of Magic? I think Andrea and me would gladly spend an interesting day French-kissing rather than spend a boring interview with the Minister of Magic. My dad works at the Ministry, and he says it's boring enough being there all day."

"Oh, we're here, guys," said Andrea. She turned to the Fat Lady, said, "Peacock Feather," and the portrait hole opened. The four Gryffindors climbed inside. They tried to sit in chairs, but they were just so bored they couldn't concentrate, and not to mention that they were tired, too. Finally, they all decided to just go back up to bed for the night. Hermione and Andrea headed up the girls' staircase, Harry and Ron going up the boys' staircase, but all four of them really wanted to talk.

Harry and Ron changed into their pajamas as soon as they got into their dorm room, and they got into their beds. Harry noticed that Neville was sleeping. He motioned to Ron and flapped his arm in the direction of their sleeping roommate. Ron nodded and turned over, but didn't close his eyes.

"Harry," he whispered. "Neville's a deep sleeper. Nothing we say will wake him up, as long as we don't shout stuff. What are you thinking about Snape?"

"He's as weird as he always was," said Harry. "I can't say I like the old Snape better than this one, though, because Smith somehow made him even weirder. He actually took points from his own House, today, five, and none from Gryffindor, his rival House."

"I know, it's so weird," said Ron. "What's he playing at? He knows he gave Smith something to make her like him, a Love Potion, I think, and now…" Ron sniggered. "He thinks he's got her." Ron looked at Harry, Harry looked at Ron, and they burst out laughing.

"How does he…think he's…got her?" said Harry, laughing hard, his breath only coming to him in short little gasps. "She…hates him…when she's in…her right mind!"

Ron just kept laughing harder than Harry, managing to get a few words in between the way he was almost choking with laughter. "Snape…Smith…Love Potion…"

"Really, Ron," Harry laughed, surprising himself at how much he sounded like Hermione.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meanwhile, up in their dorm room, Andrea and Hermione were putting their pajamas on and getting into their beds, too. Andrea had painted the walls of their dorm room pink, because she had claimed that the gray color was too dull. Now she was in her bed, thinking about how funny it was that Snape had given their Defense teacher a Love Potion. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It's not that funny, Andrea. He likes her more than he likes any of us."

"That's why it's so funny," said Andrea. "I mean, just how does he expect Smith to like him, anyway, considering she's hated him ever since they met? When she came into the school he was staring up at her like she was so pretty, and, believe it, she is really pretty, actually."

"Know what, Andrea?" said Hermione, remembering something. "I think Snape knew Smith from school, and that also means that she knew your parents, Andrea."

"How do you know these things?" said Andrea incredulously.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," Hermione almost scoffed, rolling her eyes. "When they said her name on our first day back, she shook hands with every teacher. Lockhart was staring at her like she had just came down from a flying saucer, but Snape, he said, 'Meg, how very nice to see you again. And I must ask, how have you been since we have last seen each other?' It's true. I know he likes her because he never composes himself like that around us, especially Gryffindors."

"That doesn't prove they went to school together," said Andrea.

"Of course not, but I think they did, anyway," said Hermione. "Remember, Lupin said there was this girl Snape always threw snowballs at, and that you could always tell a guy liked you if he threw stuff at you, and Lupin said he thought her name was Meg something, but he didn't remember? He said she was a Ravenclaw and she always was studying, never dated anybody."

"It could have been a different Meg," said Andrea reluctantly.

"Come on, Andrea, why couldn't it be? They look around the same age, Snape and Smith. And there aren't that many people named Meg, either. It had to be her."

"Well," said Andrea, an idea hatching in her head. "She's under the influence of a Love Potion, so we can ask her if she went to school with Snape, and she'll tell us the truth. We can bet on it. One Galleon for if Smith went to school with Snape. You up to it, Hermione?"

"You've got yourself a bet," said Hermione.

"I get to share Harry's salary," Andrea said. "Wait, Hermione, where do you get your Wizarding money, anyway? Maybe you should give me a Muggle Galleon."

"I think you mean a dollar, Andrea," said Hermione, half-laughing. "And don't worry about it, I'm making a Wizarding account in Gringotts. I get a summer job in my Muggle house, and then when I go shopping for my school supplies in Diagon Alley, I turn my Muggle money into Wizarding money. They do that at Gringotts, didn't you know? Oh, you wouldn't…"

"You know a lot more about Muggles than I do," said Andrea, smiling.

"Well, of course I do," said Hermione. "Did you forget I was Muggle-born? You lived with a family of wizards all your life. You don't know hardly anything about the Wizarding world, you know just as much as Ron does, Andrea. And so, just look…we should just ask Smith tomorrow if she went to school with Snape, because if she really did go to school with Snape, then she went to school with your parents. I think they were in the same year, but I don't know."

"Yeah, I think they were," said Andrea. "I'm tired, now, so let's just go to sleep. Tomorrow, when we have the chance, we can ask Meg if she went to school with Snape."

"Okay," said Hermione, and she turned out the light.