DISCLAIMERL: refer to the Prologue

Finally, a challenge. Sashenka grinned to herself as she thought about 6th year Potions. Of course, aside from Hermione Granger who was a year above her, she was probably one of the oddest, most intelligent Gryffindors. Sashenka Semenov KNEW potions which, due to who the professor was, it seemed all the more odd when she would get excited by a difficult assignment or essay. Her whole life, until she was thirteen and moved to England, had been potions. Russia was famous for producing the best Potion Masters in the world due to their stricter education system. Her uncle had a serious reputation of his own in Eurasia as the best Potions Master in that part of the world, and Sashenka took a certain amount of pride in being his only, thus favourite, niece. With her uncle running in high circles, Sashenka had heard about the reputation of a certain European Potions Master by the name of Severus Snape, who was also the professor of Potions at Hogwarts. It was a shame, really, her parents said when they found out he was teaching "snot nosed Brits" but were thrilled that their little girl would go to a school that, at least in the Potions department, came close to the superior education she would have gotten in Russia. It was this attitude that Sashenka tried to shed when she started later than all the other students her age. She didn't want to fuel the misconception that all Russians were arrogant- she just came from a higher class pureblood family. There was a distinct difference in the more wealthy and dirt poor, it was just that the snobbish wealthy that was heard, mostly. She hadn't told anyone who her uncle was to avoid any high expectations and stereotypes, but it seemed that they were difficult to avoid anyway.

Sashenka tightened her fuzzy, curly haired dark brown pony tail and looked up as Snape, as usual quite grumpy, entered the room. She always chose to sit in the back, not because she wasn't willing to help, but it was easier to ignore those who dared speak in the class and concentrate on the potion at hand.

O

Snape turned, bewitching the chalk to write down the spell on the chalk board. He glanced around, resisting wincing as the chalk scratched against the board, and raised a brow.

"Well, away with the books!"

His students, a small number from each house, obeyed the clipped order without hesitation, some unceremoniously stuffing their books into tote bags while others took more care not to bend any pages or allow the corners to suffer any damage. It was commendable that they wanted to preserve the books, but this semester they would get more than enough abuse from over use, Snape silently mused as he gave the slower ones an impatient glare. By the sixth year, some students had absorbed as much into their minds as possible, while others, a bigger sponge could learn so much more and were prepared to do so. This was that class of uprising Potion Masters, or at the very least incredibly talented individuals; he had no doubt that half of them didn't even require a book. This was also the class he combined with the exceptional seventh years. Hermione Granger, the know-it-all, of course was in the class. Yes, she was instrumental in the Order, but he still couldn't stand her cockiness. It was no surprise to him when, six years ago, the Russian girl proved to show extraordinary skills in potions. He knew that when they finally reached this time, she would be here in the advanced class, it had been just a matter of time.

"All of your ingredients are here on my desk. Retrieve them then immediately start on the-"

The sound of something hitting the outside of the door with a hard thud stopped Snape in the middle of his instructions. Everyone turned to look at the thick wooden door as Snape started around his desk. It was then the sound of someone on the other side scampering about to apparently pick various articles up off the stone outside that made Snape pause. He raised a brow slightly, curious but hesitant to open the door. Barely missing a step he approached the door and, right as he reached the bronze handle, another thump sounded from the other side, this time along with a loud curse. His hand going to his wand in his robes, Snape opened the door quickly only to take a few hasty steps back.

On the other side stood, or rather staggered, a short, odd looking person. Standing only about five foot three, her hair consumed another four inches and was bright carrot orange. It stuck out in all different directions in unruly spiral curls, despite her headband and poor attempt to control it. She was wearing a school uniform and, after a quick assessment Snape knew that technically she was within the rules. The vest and white blouse was unbuttoned to reveal a black tee shirt under it, some black and white still photo of a man on a board with wheels printed on it; a dog collar was fastened as a choker around her neck, black nail polish coated each of her bitten down fingernails, and she wore a pair of ghastly black fishnet stockings. Chloe grinned up at the man she had nearly bowled over in another attempt to get the door open. She had the worst luck in the world. On the way down the stairs, some bratty poltergeist had got a kick out of stringing her books and paper all the way down the stairs and all the way to the class that she was late for. When she reached the door her arms were full of the unorganized mess and, when she tried to kick the door open with her free foot, the fact that it was firmly shut became obvious when she actually hit the door and lost everything yet again. Just as she got everything up again, with her wand out waiting for the poltergeist, she pointed her wand at it to cast an opening spell. A book slipped, she grabbed it, forgot to cast the spell and again repeated the humiliating introduction to the door. Now she looked up at Lurch and gave a crooked grin.

"Uh, sorry for the knockin' there. There is this dude out there flying around, the poltergeist, and I guess he's got issues with Americans and carrots-"

Chloe trailed off as she glanced around the classroom. She didn't think she got the wrong room, it WAS Potions.

"Miss, I'm afraid you're a month early for Halloween. Although with that hair..." He said and glanced her over with a certain snobbishness that Chloe personally found offending. "Yeah, like you got much room to talk." She muttered and hobbled further in, her books sliding down her short, stout form.

"I'm Chloe Martin. I transferred from Atlanta and just got sorted into Gryff-"

"I don't care. Sit down and twenty-five points from Gryffindor." Chloe looked back at Snape with narrowed eyes and bit her tongue. Glancing around, she shuffled to an empty seat and carelessly sat down next to one of the students wearing a Gryffindor uniform. Ignoring the loud mouthed new student, Snape walked back to the front and continued with the instructions on the board.

Chloe snorted quietly and glanced to the girl next to her. "What's wrong with Lurch? Is he always such a sour puss?" Despite Chloe's earlier ruckus, her whispering was very quiet. Sashenka glanced to her and leaned into her cauldron to reply quietly.

"Lurch is Professor Snape, and he is a very strict teacher." Sashenka whispered and glanced up to the front. "I'm Sashenka," She said and held out a hand. Chloe grinned and shook her hand. Sashenka inwardly winced at the enthusiastic girl's shake. Soon they were working on the potion, the only sounds in the room being the sounds of each student's potion popping to life and the soft murmurings between people working together. While they brewed, Chloe took the opportunity to learn as much as she could from Sashenka.

"-so this is advanced?" Chloe looked at the dark headed girl beside her with an expression of uncertainty. Sashenka got the impression as she looked at the unique girl that this wasn't the class she was supposed to be in. Sashenka nodded to her and, when Chloe got a particularly nervous look on her face, she rubbed her shoulder briefly.

"Here, I'll help you through this class, then you can talk to Professor McGonagall." Sashenka guided her through making the potion and, on more than one step, had to prevent her from making a mistake that would ruin the potion. It was exhausting to do her own and watch Chloe enough to make sure she didn't completely ruin hers. By the end of the class, Sashenka was quite ready to stop, which was a rarity for her. Potions, despite her house, was her favourite subject just because she knew so much more and the general science of it. At the moment though, she did not love it.

Snape made his rounds slowly, examining the potions and commenting here and there. This was the more advanced class, the ones with talent. His scathing remarks that were reserved for the less talented students in most cases stayed with the less talented students. Sashenka had hoped that the influence of more talented students would dampen any lashing remarks he was going to have for Chloe. The mentioned carrot top American looked over at Sashenka and bit a lip before glancing down at her potion. It wasn't supposed to be that shade or that consistency. It looked more like mud or some very large animal's bodily waste liquefied, rather than the light blue oily look that it was supposed to have. Sashenka looked down at hers and winced. It wasn't just right: the colour was a little off and it was just a tad too thick, but nothing as horrendous as Chloe's, who must have lost a few of her odd coloured hairs into the potion.

"I see America has done nothing to improve their educational scores." Snape's voice dripped with the usual sarcasm and general hatefulness that his long term students had become accustomed to. Sashenka looked over to Chloe, wondering how she would handle it. Sashenka hadn't known many Americans, but she got the impression that the whole country was more laid back than Russia. Sashenka didn't have to wonder for long.

"Yeah, well, if you actually taught maybe it wouldn't have turned out like this. At least in America they make an effort."

"And yet you still lag in style and any notable intelligence. It certainly makes one wonder if you lot are worth it. Twenty points for being disrespectful to a professor." The unmistakable tone of belittlement and arrogance in Snape's voice seemed to have quite the opposite intended effect on Chloe than it would on a student familiar with his work. Chloe's filled out face turned a shade red closer to her hair colour and she stood up, her jaw out and eyes narrowed.

"You want to see disrespectable you overgrown bat-"

"Twenty more from Gryff-"

"Go ahead and make it fifty for all I care!"

Sashenka watched, like the rest of the students, with a certain wary expression. They could almost see their notorious Potions Master's temper rise as his already straight stance seemed to stiffen just a little more. She was sure if everyone else could see the barely restrained expression on his face, they would agree that anyone else who came in contact with him would compare their mood after to an encounter with a dementor.

"Professor!" This time Sashenka interrupted before he could actually take off the fifty and, no doubt, double it. "I helped her, and I told her wrong. She was having trouble reading your handwriting and I got distracted. It's my fault." Alright, so it was a complete lie, but if it saved them from losing every single point Gryffindor had earned in the short semester, then so be it. Snape whipped around on her and glared her down. Rather than cowering under the look, Sashenka stared back. If he wasn't so difficult, then they wouldn't be having this encounter. So as much as Chloe should show more respect, he shouldn't have picked on her. When Sashenka didn't back down, Snape settled for punishing her as well as the brat.

"One week's detention for you both. Stay after to receive your assignments." With that he turned and started back up for the front but paused just short of his desk. "And Miss Semenov, an extra week for you and ten points for telling such a bold lie."

Sashenka sighed and started cleaning up her workspace along with everyone else. In the five full years and one month of her school career at Hogwarts, she'd never gotten so much as a detention or points taken away. She hadn't even gotten a detention when, in her second year, she accidentally tackled Remus Lupin to the ground. Of course now it was a source of amusement for both of them, but then it had been terrifying. She had been so afraid that she'd caused serious injury to the frail-looking professor. Now that he was back after Moody, Umbridge, and Snape, he looked better than he had before. Despite the war outside of the grounds of Hogwarts, it still seemed peaceful within the grounds–most of the time. Last year it had not been, and for the first time, Sashenka's parents encouraged her to flee the school and the entire continent in all. If they had to deal with evil self-proclaimed lords, they could do it in mother Russia, but Sashenka couldn't leave. Hogwarts had a charm all its own, and she couldn't leave it. Battle was fought here too, she reflected with a frown; student against student, man against man. In the end Dumbledore nearly died, and a small part of the student population officially left Hogwarts, their childhood, and fled with the Death Eaters, who terrorized the residents of the castle. She remembered fighting along side her fellow classmates as much as she could. She wasn't sure who they were at the time and hadn't really comprehended what exactly they were capable of until she saw their expressions–and their wands drawn not to duel as gentlemen, but to hurt, to kill. It was then she pulled out her own and started to fire off curses, while pushing any of the younger students back. It was true she had been a bit pampered, but she was still from Moscow. She still knew about the monsters hidden in the shadows of the concrete jungle, and although she never had to defend herself from them, she knew how to.

Sashenka blinked a few times, pulling herself out of the memory of last year and taking the charm off the sponge that was scrubbing her cauldron for her. Chloe was muttering over by one of the sinks as she scrubbed out her cauldron. Apparently, her first detention started right after class. Sashenka didn't think she would have willingly cleaned up her own mess.

She approached Snape's desk and glanced at the potion recipe he had sitting out, no doubt to do after she and Chloe received their punishments. Moonstone, Hellebore- Sashenka recognized the potion as the Draught of Peace. Her uncle made it often, although she had never had any. Her uncle preferred to add powdered sandalwood leaves into the mix. It took a lot, but it seemed to be slightly more effective.

"You already have detention; do you really think it is smart to read anything on my desk?" Sashenka looked up at her sneering professor. "But of course Gryffindors are notorious for being thick and their stupidity." He picked up the parchment and folded it before sitting behind his desk. For a moment, she considered not making any suggestions.

"You know, powdered sandalwood leaves boost the effectiveness. It's only slight, but more effective." Sashenka couldn't help but make the suggestion. She liked to help people and improve on things, even if it was for someone she didn't really care that much for. Snape wasn't that bad, she reasoned, although he could be taught some manners. Snape looked up at Sashenka, raising a brow. He was a bit surprised that she would make a suggestion in the first place, telling the Potions Master what to put in a potion, but also that she was somewhat right. The leaves did increase the effectiveness of the potion, but the amount you had to add defeated the purpose.

"Miss Semenov, when I want your opinion, no matter how uneducated it may be, then I will ask you. Until that happens, practice the rules of your Russian schools and speak when spoken to, and only when spoken to." Snape's voice was soft, but cut as well as a German-made dagger. Sashenka breathed in deeply and bit down on her tongue, willing herself to keep her mouth shut. She tilted her head a bit before slowly letting out her breath.

"Yes,"

"Yes, sir."

Snape outwardly smirked as he added 'sir' on to it for her to repeat. It was like breaking a wild horse; of course, if he said that she might forget her place and curse him, but he enjoyed enforcing the principle nonetheless. The expression on her face and the fire the leapt up out of her dark chocolate eyes was very satisfying.

"Yes sir."

Sashenka said the two words slowly and softly, unable to keep the tone out of her voice and barely restrained fury out of her eyes. Russians were hot heads, she had a temper, and he was very, very fortunate that they were in the school and not outside of the grounds.

"Now that we have that cleared up," Snape looked down and idly arraigned a quill and ink on his desk. "I do believe that the Entrance Hall hasn't been scrubbed in ages. Russians are used to being on their hands and knees for one reason or another; you should do fine at that without magic." Sashenka opened her mouth and settled a chilling glare on him but shut it before saying anything. Without another word she turned and started for the door, ignoring his sneering comment about not waiting for him to dismiss her.

"He asked me out! He really asked me out!" Sashenka looked to Sarah Mann and smiled a bit. What was done was done with Snape; she'd just try and forget it until it came time to scrub. Instead, she focused her attention on the excited blonde in front of her. Sometimes she felt a little jealous of Sarah. Where Sashenka had fuzzy, curly hair that was a bear to brush out, Sarah had long, straight, light blonde hair. Her skin was just the right shade of porcelain. Sashenka's looked more like a beach, light sand at best and at worst, which was naturally the most, it looked like muddy sand drenched in water. Sarah had the dazzling blue eyes that matched the sky; Sashenka's matched cow manure. She had perfectly shaped, perfectly sized peachy lips; Sashenka had full flounder lips that were always in a childish pout. Yes, whoever said Russian women were the most beautiful in the world must have been blind.

"So, when are you going out?" Sashenka asked as Sarah linked her arm in Sashenka's and headed off to the Great Hall with her.

"Thursday, we're walking down to Hogsmeade and going to eat at the Three Broomsticks. Nothing glamorous, mind you." Sashenka nodded silently as they climbed the dungeon steps, hearing the chatter and padding of all the other students heading into the Great Hall for lunch.

"Come with me, please?" As much as Sashenka sometimes envied her, sometimes she was just so annoying.

"Sarah, I have homework to do, not to mention Snape gave me detention-" Sarah was a big girl and could go on a first date by herself, Sashenka reasoned, but knew that she'd end up going anyway. Sarah would bug her about it until she agreed just to get her to leave her alone.

"Oh come on, I'll owe you-" Sashenka inwardly sighed. Let the annoying begin, she thought to herself with an inward roll of the eyes.