Chapter 98
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"The very best of evenings to you!" Dumbledore began his speech as he usually did, swinging his arms out wide as though to embrace the whole room.
Astoria looked confused. "What happened to his hand? It's all rotten and black."
Whispers of questions were caught between the mumbles of other comments. Dumbledore just smiled and hid his hand with his purple and gold sleeve. "Nothing to worry about. Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of Magical education awaits you…"
Rebekah picked at the rim of her goblet. "His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer. Would've thought he would have healed it by now."
"Probably caused by a curse then," Daphne said. "One of the things that can't be healed so easily."
"...and Mr Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise." Dumbledore continued. "We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."
"Potions?"
"Potions?"
The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.
The Crown didn't speak at that part, already being told by Rebekah that Dumbledore had asked her to convince Slughorn to take the position.
"Professor Snape, meanwhile," Dumbledore raised his voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Dumbledore cleared his throat as the whole hall had been involved in the buzz of conversation of the news that Snape finally got the position he wanted. The headmaster waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.
"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."
The silence seemed to strain as Dumbledore spoke, many students looking to the Slytherin table where the sixth year now sat near the end, only a couple feet from the end where the Seventh year sat.
"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's Magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."
Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.
"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"
With the usual deafening scraping noise, the benches were moved back and the hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall toward their dormitories.
Rebekah had to nudge Draco into waiting for the rest of the school to leave as they waited for their new first-year Slytherins. They shepherded them to the dorm and got them settled before clambering down to the Chamber and discussing this year's plans.
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The distribution of class schedules was hectic this year for the Sixth years as Snape confirmed each and every one of their grades against the requirements for their desired lessons.
All of the Crown, save Astoria since she was two years younger, had gotten their desired classes but Snape still was cautious with each timetable. Thought with Rebekah's, he glanced over it only once and gave it to her before continuing with the rest.
Rebekah had Ancient Runes first thing and after an hour, she and Logan trod down to Defense with an armful of books which were swiftly taken away by Talpey the ever-helpful HouseElf.
"Fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and these by Wednesday," Logan wanted to cry and laugh. "How much do you think Snape is gonna give us?"
"Hopefully, not a lot," Draco muttered.
The classroom door opened as he spoke, letting Snape into the corridor with a grimace.
"Inside," Snape demanded, nodding his head inside.
Snape had forced the room to comply with his personality; drawn shut curtains, no light except for candles, and gruesome pictures of people in pain because of one spell or another. They settled down quietly, the members of the Crown nearest the corner near the desk.
Snape stepped inside the classroom, standing behind his desk as he addressed the class.
"I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention. You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe." He said as neutral as he could have. "Naturally, these teachers will all have their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion, I am surprised so many of you scraped an OWL. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the NEWT work, which will be much more advanced."
Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice.
The Slytherins knew he had a habit of doing this, well, the Crown did since they were the only Slytherins in the class. They sat in the right space of the classroom, they didn't have to crane their necks to keep Snape in their eyesight.
"The Dark Arts," Snape continued, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."
He gestured to the pictures around the room.
"Your defences must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse feel the Dementor's Kiss, or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."
"Has an Inferius been seen, then?" Parvati Patil piped up as she raised her hand. "Is it definite, is he using them?"
"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape nodded stiffly, "which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now, you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"
Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape took his time looking around at everybody else, making sure he had no choice, even giving Rebekah a dark look when she refused to put her hand up before saying curtly, "Very well, Miss Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of Magic you're about to perform which gives you a split-second advantage."
Snape frowned. "An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six, but correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress to using Magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some lack."
"You will now divide," Snape went on, "into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."
The class continued without fault for the entire lesson.
The only disturbance was a small second year knocking at the door, terrified yet squeaking out that the roll of parchment in his hands was for a student in the class.
Snape took the roll, read the name and dismissed the terrified student. "Potter. This seems to be yours."
Making her and her partner pause, he gave it to her. She unrolled it, reading what it said before burning it up with a quick spell.
Snape didn't look impressed by the burning. "If you are going to be lighting things on fire, I would prefer you to do it during Yule instead of in my class, Potter."
"Sorry, sir," She said. "Prefer people to not know my personal stuff so I burn it usually."
He nodded before waving a hand to make her go back to the non-verbal spells she had already perfected. Logan hadn't so they practised on his area of learning.
I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday.
Kindly come along to my office at 8 P.M. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
P.S. I enjoy Acid Pop
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Potions was next.
Having Slughorn as a teacher for Potions was new. Unlike Snape who kept strict control over all occurrences in his classroom, Slughorn was a lot more relaxed but as attentive. He didn't complain when all of the Slytherins sat together on a table near the back, only that it wasn't safe for five of them to sit together when the tables were made for four people.
He quickly asked Rebekah to move to another table, which she did after sending a sneer to him which he didn't see before sitting down at the new table with Hermione, Ron and Ernie Macmillan.
There weren't many in the class to begin with.
Rebekah was joined by Draco, Daphne, Theo and Blaise. The other had dropped Potions since it wasn't a subject they wanted or needed to do anymore.
Everyone on her new table sat the furthest they could from each other, leaving plenty of room between them.
She didn't complain at that.
Slughorn began by asking what the first boiling cauldron was near the desk of the Slytherins, and Hermione's hand was first up.
"It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," She stated.
"Very good, very good!" Slughorn nodded. "Now, this one here is pretty well known…Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too… Who can answer it?"
Again, Hermione was first. "Polyjuice Potion, sir."
Rebekah opened her copy of Advanced Potion Making, all with the notations that Snape had in his old copy. She had copied them all down, made a few alterations as needed to make it neat, and gave back the other copy when she was finished with it. She started to flip through her copy, looking at the potential potions she would get to make within the classroom eventually and wondered which would be next.
"Amortentia!" Hermione suddenly said, making Rebekah look up when she realised she had zoned off as she skimmed her book.
"It seems almost foolish to ask but I assume you know what it does?" Slughorn asked.
She nodded, "It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"
"Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"
"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," Hermione continued, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and —"
But she turned slightly pink and did not complete the sentence.
"May I ask your name, my dear?" He asked, ignoring Hermione's embarrassment.
"Hermione Granger, sir."
"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"
"No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."
"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," Then Slughorn continued, "Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room. When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love… and now, it is time for us to start work."
"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," Ernie Macmillan gestured to the small cauldron on Slughorn's desk.
It was the colour of molten gold, warm and moving as large drops acted like leaping goldfish above.
"Felix Felicis," Rebekah said instantly. "Otherwise known as Liquid Luck."
"Oh, well done, Rebekah, how did you know?" Slughorn smiled at her but she remained stone-faced.
"The colour and how it acts like a goldfish at times,"
"Well done, ten points to Slytherin then," He stated. "Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis. Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavours tend to succeed . . . at least until the effects wear off."
Terry Boot sat up in his seat, "Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?"
"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," Slughorn mentioned. "Too much of a good thing, you know… highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally… "
"Have you ever taken it, sir?"
"Twice in my life. Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days. And that," He grinned. "is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."
He took a minuscule glass bottle out of his pocket and showed it to them all. "One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis. Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt. Now, I must give you a warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions… sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only… and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!
"So," He continued, "how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"
With everyone quickly moving to draw their cauldrons closer to themselves to get started, Rebekah opened her copy of the textbook and ran her finger down the instructions.
Unlike many who were rushing through to get their ingredients and took a handful of each, Rebekah carefully chose each piece she would use. The valerian roots she chose were slightly orange in colour, more so than they were pale which meant they were still fresh and would work better.
Rebekah glanced over to Hermione's potion which had just turned the smooth black colour it needed to be to be halfway through the preparation. Rebekah's had only just turned a dark navy blue as she was a third way's through.
She took the sopophorous bean in hand, looked at it and then back to the annotated bit next to the instructions. She first rolled the bean against the table, doing much of what she would do to a lemon or lime to get the juices out easier before she crushed the bean with the flat side of her silver dagger.
Hermione looked sourly over at her. "You're doing it wrong, Rebekah. It says to cut it, not crush it." She struggled to cut the shrivelled bean.
"Which one of us had private lessons on potions?" Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I know what I'm doing. Do your own stuff, and I'll do mine."
She dropped the juices of the bean into her potion, turning it a lovely shade of lilac as the book said it should have. beginning to stir it counterclockwise seven times, she added a clockwise stir once. She did this as needed, adding two final clockwise stirs, the potion turned a beautiful pale pink.
Rebekah smirked to herself, turning the heat of the fire off and taking the cauldron off. She sat down on her stool, noting down that two clockwise stirs at the end would finish it earlier.
"How are you doing that?" Hermione demanded, glancing down at her still purple potion.
"It's science, Hermione," She jotted the note down in the margins, placing her black pen down and looking up at the MuggleBorn with a fakely sweet smile. "A faster reaction happens with more heat."
She said this, knowing that it wouldn't help Hermione's potion since it wasn't at the final stages yet. She didn't say anything about it, watching Hermione's potion turn a darker pink instead of purple.
Slughorn looked at his pocket watch, giving it a squeaking glance before holding a hand up. "And time's…. UP! Stop stirring, please. Everyone away from their potions."
Slughorn moved amongst the tables, peering into cauldrons but he rarely made any comments. He gave the tar-like substance in Ron's cauldron a confused look, even he didn't know how that ended up like this. He nodded at the other potions at the table, before looking at Rebekah's with a delightful look on his face.
"We have a clear winner," He stated to the whole class of a dozen students. "excellent job, Rebekah. Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are…one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!"
"Oh, I will," Rebekah smiled brightly, enlarging her clutch from the charm on her bracelet, and slipped the tiny bottle into it. "I'll use it well."
Her friends just clapped along, nodding and smiling as Slughorn patted her on the back, while Hermione just glared and pouted.
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