CHAPTER 7
Punishment in Potions
Harry climbed the main staircase and walked briskly down the corridor leading to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The castle was chilly with the onset of the usual rainy weather of late October. The tempting aromas of toast and bacon emanated from the Great Hall, where breakfast was just beginning, but he wanted a bit of peace and quiet--commodities that were in short supply in the Gryffindor common room, even this early in the morning. He intended to do some reading on the anti-aging potion Snape had assigned as his term project. Defense Against the Dark Arts was his first class of the day, so studying in that classroom had the added advantage of allowing him to not have to keep one eye on the clock. Missing breakfast--well, it was a small price to pay. He was determined to wrest an O from Snape in his Potions NEWT, if such a thing were humanly possible.
As he neared the classroom, he heard someone speaking inside it. A few feet more and he could distinguish the voices of Dumbledore and Professor Lovejoy.
"Of course, Headmaster, if you feel it would be best," Professor Lovejoy was saying. "You really think Harry ought to know?" Harry's ears perked up. They were talking about him! Noiselessly he crept closer.
"Most definitely," came Dumbledore's voice. "I have learned to my misfortune--and his--that secrets should not be kept from Harry about his past. It is time he knew about this, especially since his mother's family--the Dursleys, dreadful people, I'm afraid--and of course, with Sirius gone now...well, he deserves to know."
"Poor Harry," said Professor Lovejoy. "Really, he seems to have survived it all better than one would have expected, doesn't he? Very well, then. I'll speak with him this afternoon."
"Thank you, my dear," said Dumbledore. "I'm happy you've come to join us--for many reasons. I think your presence here may prove beneficial to more than just Harry."
"I--I beg your pardon?" Professor Lovejoy stammered. Harry peeked in at the open door to see her looking rather flustered.
Dumbledore twinkled at her over the tops of his half-moon spectacles. "I've always found the lake shore to be a lovely place to walk on nice days. There is a boulder a little way along--most conveniently placed, I've always thought."
Professor Lovejoy gasped. Dumbledore chuckled. "A word of advice, however, if I may: be very careful. Remember what can happen when you play with fire, eh?" He gestured toward the door. "Now, shall we go down and break our fast? I feel in need of a good rasher of bacon, myself."
Harry whirled around and on silent feet sped back to the staircase. He turned so it would appear that he was only now approaching the classroom, just as Dumbledore and Professor Lovejoy rounded the corner. Dumbledore looked his usual serene self, but two round pink spots stained Professor Lovejoy's cheeks.
"Good morning, Harry," Dumbledore greeted him. "What brings you up here so early?"
"Yes," said Professor Lovejoy, "shouldn't you be at breakfast?"
"Well, I wanted some time to study before class. Er--is it all right if I use your classroom until class begins, Professor?" Harry asked her.
"Oh. Why yes, of course, Harry," she said. "I'll see you in class, then, shall I?" She glanced at Dumbledore, gave Harry a distracted smile, and went ahead down the stairs to the Great Hall. Harry stared after her, wondering what all that had been about. Dumbledore hesitated, his hand on the stair railing.
"Was there something else, Harry?" he asked gently.
Harry started. "No--no, thank you, sir." Dumbledore smiled and followed Professor Lovejoy toward the sound of breakfast. Harry walked on to the classroom, his mind working furiously. He made a conscious effort to put the conversation he had heard out of his mind so as to make the best use of his solitary study time. But, like a fresh fall of snow on Christmas Eve, knowing that Professor Lovejoy held a secret about him tantalized Harry all day long.
And it was a very long day. It was stormy; the heavy clouds and drenching rain were so depressing that in a way Harry was actually glad to enter the dungeon classroom for Potions. At least here there was no sound of rain pounding on the windows and no spears of lightning being exclaimed over every few minutes. The dim, candlelit classroom seemed almost cozy for once.
Then Snape entered in his usual whirlwind fashion and the candles flickered in the breeze of his passing, reinforcing the dungeon's usual weird atmosphere.
Snape seemed more restless than usual today. He was in a peculiar mood, more distracted than surly. Harry wondered if there was something going on that only the professors knew about; Professor Lovejoy had seemed similarly preoccupied earlier that morning.
"Today is the halfway point of the term," Snape announced in a bored voice. "You all received your term project assignments in the first week of class. By a show of hands, how many of you have begun working on your projects?"
More than half the class raised their hands.
"Let me rephrase that. How many of you have progressed beyond writing your name and assigned potion at the head of your parchment?"
Most of the hands were lowered. It appeared that Harry, Hermione, and Malfoy were the only students who had begun serious work on their projects. So far, so good, thought Harry. He knew Hermione was nearly finished with her project, but that was to be expected. It felt remarkably good to be in the group that was furthest ahead, for a change.
"There will be no extension of the deadline," Snape warned. "Projects are to be turned in at the beginning of class on the last day of the term. Slovenly work will not be tolerated." He stood there for a few seconds staring blankly ahead of him, as if he had forgotten what he was going to say. Then he appeared to recall himself to his surroundings, gave the class a thoroughly nasty look, and said curtly, "Well? This is Thursday, is it not? I trust by now you don't need me to tell you what to do. Ingredients for this week's potion are in the supply cabinet as always." He waved his wand and the cabinet doors flew open. "Begin, begin!" He remained in the room long enough to assure himself that people were starting to work on their potions, then abruptly swept out again.
"Wow. What's eating him?" Ron said curiously. "Must be something big to get him to leave with his supply cabinet wide open." He shook his head and, list in hand, went up to get his materials. Malfoy, already returning to his desk, rudely shouldered Ron out of the way as they passed.
"Watch where you're going, Weasel," Malfoy snarled. "Wouldn't want anything to spill, now would we?" He held up a small vial of sickly-green acid and mimed "accidentally" dumping it on Ron. Hermione glared as Malfoy went past her desk.
"Oh, grow up, Malfoy," she said witheringly. He stopped in his tracks.
"What was that, Mudblood?" he hissed. "You want to watch that pointy nose of yours, Granger. Keep poking it in where it doesn't belong and you'll live...to regret it." He flicked the end of her nose carelessly.
Hermione was in no mood to put up with his nonsense. The flat of her hand came down hard on her desktop. Malfoy started violently, a fact which afforded Harry and Ron much amusement. Unfortunately he stumbled into Hermione's desk, causing her own vial of acid to overturn on the desktop. Immediately a cloud of poisonous-looking green smoke arose. Hermione looked wildly around for anything she could use to mop up the mess before it dripped onto the floor. Harry and Neville, on either side of her, were frantically moving books, parchment, and other items out of the way to a safe distance from the spill. Malfoy watched from his own desk, openly gleeful.
Into the midst of this chaos walked Snape, who had been pacing in the corridor outside.
"Silence!" he thundered, approaching Hermione's desk. "Evanesco!" he cried, waving his wand over the spilled acid. All evidence of the disaster vanished except for a large burn mark on the desktop. Snape glared at Hermione.
"Explain yourself!" he shouted. She tried to speak, but no sound came out. She was as pale as parchment. Malfoy watched, smirking. After a moment he couldn't remain still any longer.
"Well, you see, Professor," he began eagerly, but Snape interrupted him.
"Malfoy. Be still." Shocked at the unaccustomed reprimand, Malfoy fell silent.
Snape tapped his wand against his open hand. Hermione stared at the hypnotic motion.
"Well, Granger? You are wasting my time. Explain immediately."
In a small voice, Hermione began, "He--he called me a Mudblood, sir. And--and threatened me."
"Someone calls you names, so you throw acid on them?" Snape asked tightly. Hermione looked up, appalled.
"No, sir! I would never--that's not what happened at all! I--I hit my desk rather hard, a-and the vial fell over and spilled. That's all, honestly, Professor."
"I see." Snape's nostrils were so pinched Harry wasn't sure how he continued to breathe through them. "If you are to survive in this world, Granger, it would behoove you to develop a thicker skin. Name-calling is for juveniles." He flicked a glance at Malfoy, who colored resentfully. "There are far worse things than being called names." He held up one hand as Hermione opened her mouth to speak. "I don't care what names. Your personal problems do not concern me. Get--over--it."
Snape moved to the front of the classroom. His eyes roved over the desks and came to rest on Malfoy. He looked consideringly from Malfoy to Hermione.
"Very well," he said finally. "Since Granger and Malfoy seem unable to progress beyond grammar-school behavior, we will resort to a grammar-school solution to the problem. Malfoy, trade places with Longbottom immediately."
"But, sir--" began Malfoy.
"Malfoy," said Snape in a dangerous voice. "Pray do not make me repeat myself." Malfoy gathered up his belongings with a martyred air. Ron hurriedly assisted Neville to reload his books into his bag. The switch was accomplished in moments. Malfoy ostentatiously placed his things on his desk as far away from Hermione as possible and sat down, turning so that his back was to her. Harry didn't think she even noticed; she still sat gaping at Snape in dazed disbelief.
Snape observed the new seating arrangement. "Malfoy and Granger will be lab partners for the remainder of the term," he announced. "Is that clear?" Hermione and Malfoy both mumbled something inaudible.
"I said, is that clear?" Snape repeated, and they said, scarcely louder, "Yes, sir." Snape seated himself at his desk, drawing some rolls of parchment toward him for correcting.
"I shall remain here since you apparently can not be trusted to perform the simplest assignment without causing a disturbance. You have wasted considerable time; I advise you to use what remains of this class wisely."
Harry sympathized with Hermione, but he reluctantly kept quiet for the rest of class, not wishing to become another target for Snape's temper. As soon as class ended, he and Ron, with looks that boded ill for Malfoy--and were returned in full measure--accompanied Hermione out of the classroom. Malfoy followed them out and headed for the Slytherin common room with another smirk but said nothing for the moment, not wanting to chance being overheard by Snape.
"What rotten luck, Hermione!" raged Ron. "That's pure favoritism, that is. It wasn't your fault. Snape can't get away with this!"
Hermione looked at him miserably. "Don't be absurd, Ron. Of course he can. He's the teacher. Malfoy's a Slytherin. Snape's not going to punish his favorite Death-Eater-in-training." She hunched into her robes, clutching her notebook tightly to her. "I'll just have to make the best of it."
"Well," said Harry in an attempt to comfort, "at least it's only the rest of this term." But they all knew it would seem much longer.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Snape left the room on the heels of his students in time to overhear Hermione's remarks. He was perfectly well aware of who had instigated the acid disaster. Malfoy might be one of "his" Slytherins, but Snape wasn't blind or stupid. Truthfully, the punishment was directed more at Malfoy than Hermione--goody-two-shoes or not, of the two of them she had greater strength of character and was, Snape felt, better able to weather the punishment than Malfoy. Privately, Snape thought it would do both of them a world of good. Sooner or later Malfoy was going to have to face up to the fact that, as with any other kind of purebreds, the world of pureblood magical folk was getting smaller. Without Muggle-borns adding to the mix, the magical world would eventually breed itself into extinction.
It was the reference to Death Eaters that really gave him pause. Just how much did Granger know? Was that just temper--her retaliation for the "Mudblood" comment--or could she possibly realize how close she was to the truth?
For Snape was under no illusions when it came to the Malfoy clan's loyalties. Narcissa and Lucius were among Voldemort's most faithful servants, and Draco had been conditioned from birth to follow in their footsteps.
Unless, Snape mused, Harry Potter actually managed to destroy the Dark Lord. (Dumb luck had, after all, got him this far.) What would become of the Death Eaters if Voldemort no longer existed? Would one of them rise to power in his place and continue his reign of terror? If Voldemort and his Death Eaters were not destroyed, it was inevitable that the wizarding world would eventually cease to be hidden. If that were to happen, who knew how it would all end?
Snape wished there were some way he could get Draco off the path to ruin that he was now following. He knew better than most what price would eventually be demanded--no less than his very soul. Of course, Draco was still too young to understand that. It was why Death Eaters wanted recruits as young as possible--all they saw was the potential for power and glory. Souls meant very little to the young. By the time they realized what they had lost, if they ever did, it was too late.
Although Snape realized how much of himself he had sacrificed through his service to Voldemort, he hoped he still had a soul. Sometimes, such as today when he had punished Malfoy and Granger, he doubted that it still existed. He had enjoyed their horrified reaction, enjoyed wielding his power over them. But at other times he felt an odd conflict inside himself, as if his soul were trying to fight its way free. Professor Lovejoy's kiss had made him feel like that--was, indeed, the only thing powerful enough to have caused that feeling since his decision to betray Voldemort and side against him with Dumbledore. Confusion had tormented him constantly following his lakeside encounter with Professor Lovejoy. It was like the itch of a label inside your shirt collar--you could forget it for short periods, but then it returned worse than ever.
Despite his many faults Snape was, at least, honest with himself. He acknowledged the profound effect Trillium Lovejoy had had on him--even if he didn't like it. She had made him think about things he had already given up on, things like the possibility of friendship, or even love. He couldn't dredge up much hope of either, but...it would be nice. Sometimes his life felt very empty. He felt as if his future was on hold until something happened one way or the other with Voldemort. He rarely allowed himself to think about the final outcome between Harry Potter and the Dark Lord, much less hope for any kind of happy ending. Those only existed in fairy tales, and fools who believed in fairy tales were doomed to disappointment.
Snape was jarred from his thoughts by a breathless Madam Pomfrey, who was running down the hall after him.
"Severus! Oh dear, I was afraid I'd miss you," she panted as she caught up to him. "I wonder if I might have a word? We really should discuss our plan to split some of the Healer training away from the rest of the NEWT Potions classes. The term has flown by so quickly!" She patted straying strands of hair back into place beneath her cap and smiled at him pleasantly.
Snape sighed inwardly. While he had nothing against Poppy Pomfrey, he had been hoping to speak with Professor Lovejoy in an attempt to resolve some of the turmoil he was experiencing. Well, he mused, it wasn't like she was going anywhere. He would just have to wait.