3 Balance

"Welcome to Advanced Potions everyone." Horace Slughorn was pleased to have several prominent students in his class. He counted among them Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini and Harry Potter. Professor Slughorn looked to Harry expectantly who smiled politely. Harry had kept his special potions book from the last year much to Hermione's objections. He felt doubly uncomfortable knowing one of his two best friends was probably looking at him too.

"You've already been taught properties and preparation techniques. My predecessor more than amply prepared you for the basic and intermediate skills you will need for this class."

Hermione gave Harry a withering look. Blaise snorted derisively.

"We have to look beyond all that," Slughorn continued. "You need to be able to whip up simple potions on the fly when there's a pressing need and without any recipe." He glanced at Zabini as if to say 'Pay attention.'

"You need to learn balance. Balance in the formulation and balance in the making. It is one thing to know the properties of Asphodel and another to know how it reacts with Murtlap and yet another thing to know what proportions of each are the most efficacious and why. Never mistake an unstable brew for powerful one in potion making," he said with an almost condescending air.

"Today's assignment involves making a lightening draught. While a lightening draught is useful in and of itself and is fairly forgiving to brew, however what we are really after is getting the consistency perfect. It won't be enough to demonstrate its properties on a heavy object. I want, no, I insist on a perfectly smooth cobalt blue satiny mixture." Professor Slughorn waved his wand and the board filed with his neat handwriting. "If you have any questions, ask away," the potions master said, steepling his stubby fingers. Hermione scowled as Harry went for his potions book. She dearly loved Harry yet she felt resentment at his rise to fame in last year's class. Staring icily at the board, she shut her book and set to work.

Slughorn padded around the classroom observing his pupils. Harry finished first, as he expected. His cauldron shimmered with a smooth, satiny, cobalt-blue fluid. Hermione's was lumpy and pale. Zabini's was dark blue but also lacked smoothness.

"Nearly there, Mr. Zabini, seven strokes anticlockwise should just about do it," the professor said genially. Hermione's cauldron was next.

"You've added the ingredients in the wrong sequence and done something else I can't quite fathom," he said as he peered into the cauldron. "That's not like you." Slughorn frowned.

"Lost your touch, Mudblood?" Blaise whispered in a near perfect imitation of Malfoy.

Harry started to rise but she stopped him with a tug on his robes. Hermione simply glanced up at Harry and shrugged. Harry had never seen her foul up a potion and show so little concern. Hermione pulled out her Arithmancy notes and calmly worked her quill. Harry started packing up his things, staring hard at Blaise. Blaise returned a smirk as if to say he had won some great victory.

Hermione reached out and stirred her cauldron almost absentmindedly. She looked at the contents and returned to her quill work. The potion had turned a perfect cobalt blue and was easily the smoothest, most satiny mixture in the class that day. She glanced at Zabini. "I don't know what you're worse at, potions or pretending you're Malfoy," She said in a smug tone.

Slughorn saw her cauldron and did a double take.

"I don't like being dependent on others for my work," she said giving Harry the cold eye. "So I tried a few ideas of my own," she gestured to the cauldron, "And they seemed to have worked," she added in a cool voice.

Professor Slughorn gave twenty points to Gryffindor and dismissed the class. Harry was more impressed with Hermione's risk taking than her potion making.

Hermione stayed after in Advanced Potions Class. She had to act while she was still in Slughorn's good graces. "Professor Slughorn, I'm sure you know the situation with Harry. Please, it's very important to me. Tell me about seeking horcruxes."

Slughorn had decades of experience with favor seekers. He knew that Hermione Granger was sincerely interested in helping her friend and would not be easily put off. He moved slowly to his desk and sat down.

"I can't offer you much help Miss Granger, he said with an air of resignation, "but I will tell you this much: It's often supposed that one horcrux object has an affinity for the others, even after the horcrux itself has been destroyed. Though it's never been demonstrated, at least not to me. Also, people tend to behave strangely near horcruxes. No one knows why. I don't mean like poor Ginny Weasley who was drawn in by touching one. Just small unexplained actions that start to crop up. Nothing dramatic you understand, generally minor uncharacteristic behavior only," Slughorn stated flatly as if quoting a textbook.

"Is there anything else?" Hermione pressed him for more.

"One other thing, but you won't be pleased," he said. "The best way I know of to test for a horcrux is to try and destroy it. Very carefully. But it's noisy, messy, dangerous and draws a lot of unwanted attention. That's about it," he exhaled wearily. Hermione nodded politely to the Professor and left quickly.

Harry met up with her in the corridor.

"That was brilliant, Hermione! I was amazed at how you pulled that potion off. You're usually so meticulous and thorough, yet you took a chance. Are you feeling OK?"

"I've brewed that variant potion a dozen times before in Myrtle's bathroom. Take a leaf from the book of Fred and George; it's all in the presentation."

"But you deviated from the curriculum."

"I decided that I would be no better than you if I just followed someone else," she narrowed her eyes at him. "Mind you, I melted a few cauldrons along the way but it was worth it," she said proudly. "If you'll excuse me I'm off to Arithmancy," she added loftily and strode away. "I also have a little information that I'll share with you after dinner," she said over her shoulder.