This is the next chapter. Please read and review, love Hannah xxx
They waited outside the door when it opened by itself and they entered finding their seats. An excited Heidi decided to sit beside Neville introducing herself. He was stunned and even more stunned when she informed him he was her godbrother. They'd agreed to be friends right from the off. They were waiting when Severus calmly entered unlike he would have normally. He stopped at the top of the room and smiled at them all kindly.
"Welcome to Potions. I am Professor Severus Snape. Potions is a very serious subject indeed. One wrong move can cause an explosion so volatile it can harm not only you but those sitting all around you. You may have heard that I am very strict but I am only this way really because I need to be" he said pausing to make sure everyone was listening.
"Now I will insure you know the basics before any of you actually brew something. You need to understand why the instructions say what they do. Today we will be brewing the solution to cure boils but first let me explain the instructions properly. Turn to page three ninety four of your books as the recipe can be found on that page!" he said as everyone did so. He had everyone read out the instructions out loud with one person reading a line and then the next and so on until it was all read. Hermione waved her hand hysterically in the air when he asked a question. In fact she was waving her hand so desperately that she was almost falling out of her chair. She was seconds away from standing and jumping up and down to get his attention when he spoke.
"Miss Granger you are in a potions lab for goodness sakes put your hand down. I may have said earlier that there will be no foolish wand waving and incantations in this class and I also include hands in that explanation. You could have hit someone and caused an accident like that. In future just say sir politely and I will come to you personally if you need assistance!" he said a bit firmly without actually snapping at her. She looked on the verge of tears but didn't let them fall for now.
"I most certainly do not need assistance sir I just knew the answer to all of the questions you just asked is all! I was after all concerned you wouldn't be able to see me or know to call on me" she said a bit defiantly. He usually would have returned with a sneer something bad in her direction but didn't this time.
"Good for you than that means you'll get full marks if those questions are on the test at the end of the year. Well done. Take two points for Gryffindor. It is always good to be prepared for any eventually just make sure you tone it down next time so you don't terrify your teachers! We wouldn't want you to become a know it all now would we? After all everyone else deserves a fair chance too. I wouldn't want you to end up trying so hard to outshine everyone academically that you end up friendless and alone" he scolded lightly as she cried silently the tears sliding down her cheeks as she wiped furiously at them. She'd always been a bookworm and her teachers had always said she was a know it all and to stop always trying to outshine the other kids in her primary school too. It just wasn't fair. She couldn't help it if no one ever expressed that they knew the answers too. As the first part of the lesson continued, he explained in great detail why following the steps as they were written was important.
He then produced his pensive to project a memory outwards which he had them all view. It was of a group of students whose faces were blurred from all houses and showing what happens when it goes wrong. That was sufficient enough to scare them into getting it right. He then set them making the cure for boils.
"Neville would you prefer to prep the ingredients while I add them to the cauldron or would you like to do that part?" she asked Neville kindly who smiled brightly at being asked for an opinion which didn't usually happen at home. He was really starting to like school and all the choices and freedom he had there.
"I'd prefer to prep the ingredients for now. Then I can watch you add everything to the cauldron and learn from it!" he said kindly as he went into the cupboard to get the needed ingredients. He was on his way out when Draco used his foot to trip Neville feeling highly smug. He wasn't very smug in a few moments as his ankle snapped where Heidi had hit him with a spell subtly. Severus raised his wand carefully to stop Neville from falling over and glared at Draco who now had a broken ankle. He decided as an immediate punishment to heal it quickly and painfully all in one go as he knew how. Draco was the one who had adjusted to the new rules of Slytherin the worst. He still didn't understand why he couldn't tell everyone he met about his father and it made him angry. Neville had been rumoured to be a squib and he hated that he had chosen to sit beside Heidi not aware that she had chosen him instead of the other way around. He was such an idiot.
"Everyone is to keep their feet from the isles in case people should fall over by mistake. I wouldn't want to have to tell anyone's parents that they must foot the bill for destroyed ingredients!" he said as Neville himself snapped at Draco.
"Malfoy what exactly are you playing at you fool!? If any one of these ingredients had smashed and combined together it would have caused a dangerous explosion. Next time use the damn brain I'm sure you have and think before you act. I will not be hurt because you're feeling a bit put out daddy isn't here. Suck it up buttercup! Oh I'm so sorry Professor it's just he scared me and I tend to react like that when someone scares me!" he said blushing as Severus looked at him with a sigh.
"Even if what you said is not wrong because trust me it isn't I will have to remove two points from Hufflepuff for speaking like a hooligan. Please go back to your desk now!" he said seriously but kindly as Draco looked thoroughly stunned. Severus was his godfather and he had said Neville was right. Draco pouted and frowned like the absolute child he was for the rest of the lesson. He scowled in Snape's direction the rest of the lesson. Neville reached her desk and began to prep the ingredients cutting, slicing, dicing and grinding ingredients as and when needed. They followed the instructions to the letter as Neville quietly read out each step to Heidi who thanked him and followed each step as he read them to her. Eventually their potion had turned the correct shade of powder blue necessary. Unfortunately for Goyle he'd done something wrong as his potion was not only blood red in colour but slightly smoking too. Severus rushed over looking at it and gasped really loudly.
"Tell me Mr Goyle what this is?" he asked casually.
"Well sir it's that cure for boils thingy isn't it?" he asked dumbly as Severus rolled his eyes and sighed.
"I find myself in a unique situation indeed. I will need to remove thirty points from Slytherin for getting absolutely everything about the cure for boils wrong and add ten points to Slytherin for perfectly crafting a blood replenishing potion instead. I have no idea how you managed to do this Mr Goyle and I can but assume it was lucky accident. Please bottle all of your potion carefully into these vials and I will give them to Madam Pomfrey. She will be delighted with them no doubt. Next time though please try to remember to do the actual potion I assign and this will get tedious for both of us if it happens again!" he said as Goyle nodded dumbly.
"I didn't know that sir. Thank you sir I'll try to do better next time!" he said with a slight flush to his skin. He was mortified and Draco was even more furious because not only had Goyle completely failed but he'd accidentally managed to make a perfect fifth year potion. Severus himself was intrigued. As he went around grading all the potions he smiled.
"Most of you were excellent and I thank you for that. Some of you tried far too hard and it shows. If you don't relax Miss Granger, Mr Finnegan Potions will remain a difficulty for you when it doesn't need to be. All houses can take ten points each for behaving well in class. Mr Longbottom take five points for a perfectly crafted potion. I want you to keep that seating arrangement this year as it clearly works for you. Mr Goyle and Miss Potter stay behind please. Class dismissed!" he called as everyone got up and left.
Neville was beaming. He was so proud of himself he'd done so well and Heidi Potter of all people was his godsister. He endeavoured to do well by her always and would protect her as a brother should no matter her house placement. She cried tears of joy when he'd told her that. It felt wonderful to have the love and support of her godbrother. He'd written to Augusta about it later on that day and she had responded to say she was delighted for him. She was also moved herself as Heidi had told him all of Slytherin would back him and anyone he knew if and when he needed them and he meant it. Heidi wondered why she needed to remain behind with Goyle and looked apprehensively towards Severus who stunned her by laughing at her expression.
"Miss Potter relax. I am not about to suggest that you kiss Mr Goyle or something ridiculous like that. What I want to do is every night this week invite Mr Goyle here to make any potion he would like. I wish you to be here too merely to judge his skill and what we should do about it. Tell me Mr Goyle what happened today as I saw you were on the right page?" he asked as Goyle went bright red in colour and looked like he'd done something highly wrong. What was going on?
"I'm sorry sir. I shouldn't have done it but I didn't want to get into trouble. My dad was hiding something of mine in his office as a punishment and I was so mad I wanted it back. I went in there to get it back when I accidentally dropped a potion on myself. It went in my eyes and everything inside me seemed clearer for some reason but my eyes went weird. They're still weird now but I didn't tell him because I didn't wish to get in trouble!" he said in a panic as Severus exclaimed in shock.
"Mr Goyle that was incredibly foolish. You should have told him what you'd done. Most potions shouldn't touch the eyes. Nevertheless I am a healer too so I will scan your eyes for a moment just stand still!" he ordered removing his wand and doing so. He scanned Goyle carefully and saw that his core had been unblocked but as the solution had gotten into his eyes as well it had meant when he was looking at one thing he would in fact be seeing something else.
"Mr Goyle what do you see on this page here?!" he asked carefully showing him the cure for boils potion.
"I know I should be seeing the cure for boils but I see different ingredients there sir. That's why my potion was made the way I did it. I'm so embarrassed!" he said with a blush.
"I will drop something right now into your eyes which will heal you. It will need to make you cry before it heals you but in a few moments all will be well. Before I do that I must ask you did Mr Crabbe not realise what you were doing was wrong?" he asked as Goyle once more blushed.
"Vince is my best friend sir but I think he may be blocked inside. I didn't say it to him because I don't want him to be mad with me but I do think he could be. He didn't notice it sir because he was very focused on making it the way I told him to. I'm so sorry!" he said as the solution was carefully dropped into each eye as he burst into floods of tears and Crabbe who had been sent for returned and was handed an unblocking broth and told to drink it carefully. He did so and exploded gently as his core was unblocked. Soon enough Goyle was better and very thankful indeed. He stayed behind to make the correct solution to cure boils as he had a free period next the same as Severus. He completed the draft in no time and got full marks. It would seem he wasn't needed to stay in class each day this week after all. It had been an enjoyable lesson.