Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait but I hope it's worth it, enjoy!
Chapter 5:
They headed down to the dungeons and into the Potions classroom, finding it mostly empty aside from the bushy haired Gryffindor girl. The room was dark and filled with desks, stools and cauldron stands with Professor Snape's desk at the front of the room next to a large blackboard already filled with the instructions to a cure for boils potion. Harrison found the room to be rather comforting with a similar feeling to the Slytherin common room.
They found their seats and pulled out Potions text books and cauldrons from their bags along with ingredients for the Potion on the board and their phials ready to bottle up the finished result. Harrison, having read the text already, pulled out glass phials and suggested the others use glass rather than crystal as it would preserve this particular potion better.
'How do you know these things?' Daphne asked him
'I read' he smirked in response, causing her to stick her tongue out at him, amused he shook his head slightly.
The classroom had filled up considerably during this. As in Transfiguration, the Slytherin's stuck to one side of the room and the Gryffindor's on the other. Exactly on the hour Professor Snape stormed through into the room, door slamming shut behind him, he strode directly to the desk at the front and turned to face them.
'Good Afternoon. My name is Professor Snape and as I'm sure you are aware, I will be your Potions teacher. Every lesson, I will arrive on the hour and that door will close behind me, if you are late, you will not attend the class and will receive a zero for the day along with detentions and point loss for your absence'
He paused, allowing that to sink in, the Gryffindor's were looking at him in outrage but Harrison thought it to be a reasonable rule.
He then took a roll call, pausing only at Nick's name.
'Ah yes' he said softly 'Nick Potter. Our new – celebrity'
It was laced with sarcasm and Harrison couldn't help but grin. At least his head of house saw through the celebrity status that seemed to cloud everyone else's judgement.
Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class.
'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making' He began
'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death – that is if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach'
Silence followed the speech. Harrison was captivated by the professor, he had been fascinated by potions for years, watching his mother as she made them and experimented, his father had always told him that she was the best potions maker in their years at school, she had always denied it saying it was Snape. He had to agree with her however. Snape seemed to have a love for potions and an understanding of it far beyond any book he'd ever read on the subject, and Harrison couldn't wait to learn from the man.
'Potter!' said Snape suddenly 'Nick Potter' he clarified
'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'
Harrison turned to see Nick's puzzled face
'I don't know sir' he answered quietly
Snape's lips curled into a sneer.
'Tut-tut, fame clearly isn't everything is it Mr. Potter?'
The Granger girl was waving her hand in the air as if hailing a bus, Snape ignored her.
'Let's try again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?'
His face had turned very red now and he didn't respond. Harrison smirked.
'No?' Snape asked with a sneer 'one last try, what's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?'
'I don't know but clearly Hermione does, why not ask her?' Nick replied with a cocky grin
'Put your hand down, you stupid girl' he snapped at Granger, who immediately lowered her hand, eyes filling with tears.
Snape walked over to stand in front of Nick, who suddenly didn't look so sure of himself.
'Harrison, the answers to the questions?'
He immediately straightened his back and answered confidently, with a slight smirk on his face.
'Asphodel and wormwood make a very strong sleeping potion known as the draught of living death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, it will cure you from most poisons, however in a pinch I would suggest you look in a nearby potions store or perhaps the infirmary.' Snape's eyes shone with slight amusement for a mere second
'And as for Monkshood and Wolfsbane, the only difference is the name. They are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite' he finished with a slight nod.
Snape smirked and turned back to Nick, whose face was red once again.
'So why, Mr. Potter, does your brother know the answers to those questions and you don't?'
'He doesn't have a life. All he does is read' Nick muttered, causing Weasley to snort
'Harrison. Where did you find that information?' Snape asked.
'The first two chapters of the potions book sir'
'5 points from Gryffindor for your cheek and lack of preparation, Potter. And 5 points to Slytherin'
He stalked back to the front of the room, settling himself in his chair.
'You are brewing the cure for boils, page 4 of your book and the instructions are also on the board. Work in pairs. You have the remainder of the lesson to complete it. Begin.'
Having already got the required ingredients, the Slytherin group quickly got to work. Harrison pairing with Draco, they began chopping and preparing. Harrison adding in an extra stir or ingredient as per his notes from other books, the basic instructions would do but they wouldn't quite make a perfect potion. He explained this to Draco after he started protesting.
A yelp came from behind them and they turned to see Longbottom's potion melting in front of him.
'Idiot boy!' Snape strode over, banishing the mess with a flick of his wand
'I suppose you added the porcupine quills before removing it from the fire?' He then rounded on Nick and Weasley, whose potion didn't look much better.
'And I suppose you thought it would be funny, make you look good if he did it wrong eh Potter? That's another 5 points you've lost' Nick looked as though he wanted to say something, but decided not to.
'How are you two even related?' Draco whispered to him as they bottled their perfect potion.
'Something I've wondered for years' He muttered, filling a spare phial with the remains of the potion and placing it in his bag before taking the other phial to Snape's desk receiving a nod from the Professor before leaving the room.
'Well that was interesting' Draco said as they made their way to the common room
'He seems like a good Professor, if a bit on the cautious side, I mean, we could have done that potion individually. But then again, by the looks of the Gryffindor's perhaps it's for the best.' Draco snorted
'As Snape said, a bunch of dunderheads' Harrison smirked in response.
They settled on the chairs in a far corner of the common room, Draco and the others pulled out their homework from earlier in the day to add the finishing touches and Harrison pulled out a book to read whilst they finished.
'What are you reading?' Blaise asked, putting away his parchment.
Harrison merely raised his book so they could see the title, eyes never leaving the page.
'Advanced potions? Isn't that a third-year text?' the others looked up in shock at that, Harrison sighed and put the book down
'It is but it's still pretty basic, I'm reading it for the theory more than anything seeing as I won't be trying any of the potions any time soon, it's quite interesting, and it helps you get a better understanding of why certain things happen' they all looked confused so he continued
'For example,' he tried to explain 'in the potion we did today step 4 told us to stir the potion five times clockwise to obtain a deep green colour, but in this book it says that adding in an extra counterclockwise stir at the end will slow the potions mixing speed, allowing you time to add one more porcupine quill and obtaining a perfect forest green' he finished.
He looked at the others to find them stunned.
'It's really not that complicated' he added before returning to his book.
'Nope, no more reading tonight' Daphne said, plucking the book from his hands, he raised an eyebrow at her in response
'We're doing something fun' she insisted
'Reading is fun' he muttered but complied never the less as she pulled out a chess board and a pack of exploding snap cards.
'How are you so good at everything?' Draco whined as they made their way to dinner
Harrison smirked 'I'm not, just better than you'
'Aww, is Draky going to cry?' Daphne teased, causing them all to laugh and Draco to pout even more
'Don't call me that!' he insisted. Bad move Draco, Harrison thought as a spark appeared in Daphne's eyes
'Draky, Draky, Draky. So, Draky, what are you going to have for dinner?' She asked innocently as Draco fumed.
'Cut it out you two' Blaise shot in 'Gryffindor's' he gestured at the group walking past them, first-years like them, including his brother.
'Don't worry Nick' they overheard 'we'll find some way of getting to the Snake's, and Snape is the worst one of the lot'
'Yeah' Nick's voice sounded 'greasy bat, I don't know why Dumbledore lets him teach to be honest, he's horrible'
Idiot, Harrison thought, settling himself down at the Slytherin table and grabbing a plate full of food.
He woke up in the middle of the night again. More nightmares, three in a row, that's a new record he thought to himself.
'Tempus' he whispered to find out that it was 3am, wonderful, he thought sarcastically. He briefly wondered if Nick ever had dreams about that night before dismissing the thought quickly seeing as he didn't really care, and besides, he would have bragged about it or moaned to their parents at least if he had.
Again, he climbed out of bed and got dressed in the bathroom, not wanting to wake anyone up. He didn't particularly feel like reading at this time and found himself wandering out of the common room to explore the castle a bit.
The castle was very different at night, silent and with almost an edge of danger to it. The lanterns were all out and so it took a few moments before Harrison's eyes adjusted to the light, he didn't want to use his wand just in case someone was still patrolling. He found himself headed towards the library, not really knowing where anything else was, he thought it was the perfect time to try the restricted section and see just what it had to offer him.
He inched the door open slowly, the heavy wood creaking slightly, the sound echoed in the silence causing him to stop dead, heart pounding. He heard no footsteps and so slipped through the gap and into the large room, instantly calmed by the wonderful smell of books.
Harrison's pace quickened as he headed towards the back of the room, he stepped carefully over the velvet rope that separated him from all the knowledge he desired. There weren't many shelves back there, only a dozen or so, but the anticipation filled him with joy as he reached the first shelf and reached out to pull a book from its grasp.
'And what exactly do you think you're doing?'
He nearly screamed at the sound and turned sharply to see his head of house looming above him.
'I-I, I don't know sir' he stuttered, causing Snape to raise an eyebrow
'With me' he said simply, turning and walking out of the room, Harrison didn't dare disobey, and followed quickly, having to almost jog to keep up the pace.
He was led down to the dungeons and through to the Professor's office, who turned and gestured to a chair in front of the desk. Harrison sat down immediately and Snape took his own chair behind the desk.
'So, Mr. Potter. It is the second night of school and you are already breaking the rules. Please explain to me why you feel the urge to follow in your Father's arrogant footsteps and decided to not only wander the corridors at half past three in the morning, but also decided to go into the restricted section of the library.'
Harrison didn't respond choosing instead to look at the floor, Snape edged forward in his seat slightly, eyes boring into his skull.
'That was by no means a request. Answer me. And look at me when you do so' he said through gritted teeth.
Harrison swallowed and took a deep breath before moving his eyes to look at the man's rather large nose, not wishing to look in his eyes.
'I-I couldn't sleep sir, and so I went to the common room to read. But sort of found myself wandering further and once I was out of the room, I just carried on, the library is the only place I've really been to so I went there to look at the books' he stammered.
'Tell me Mr. Potter, what is the meaning of the word restricted?' he asked, leaning back in his seat again.
'I didn't realise what part of the library I was in sir'
'Do not lie to me Mr. Potter. You will sorely regret it the next time you do. Do you understand me?'
Harrison nodded slightly, annoyed that Snape didn't believe the lie.
'A verbal answer if you please'
'Yes sir' he muttered.
'Good' Snape seemed to relax slightly 'now, why couldn't you sleep?' he asked, the stern demeaner vanishing.
Harrison didn't really want to admit he had a nightmare, it was embarrassing and weak.
'I'm not sure sir, I suppose I'm still getting used to things here, it's very different to home' he explained, it wasn't really a lie.
Snape nodded, eyes softening slightly
'I know it can be difficult, Harrison, but you will get used to it, you seem to be making friends easily and judging by the potion you handed in today, I doubt lessons will be a problem for you. But you cannot go around breaking rules, Slytherin loses enough points as it is without you adding to it just because you're bored' he explained
'On another note, the restricted section, is no place for a first-year student, no matter how smart you may be. The books in that room are there for a reason, there's some very dangerous magic in there that if you attempted, you would seriously harm yourself and anyone around you. If I find you near there again without permission, you will be scrubbing cauldrons for a month. Do I make myself clear?'
Harrison nodded 'Yes sir'
'Good. Now go straight back to the common room and stay there until morning. Oh, and here, this should keep you busy today' he handed Harrison a slip of parchment that said 'I will not wander the corridors after curfew and I will not go near the restricted section without permission'
'I want 200 of those on my desk by the next potions lesson' Harrison opened his mouth in outrage but Snape cut him off 'If you complain, or they are late, you will only add a week of detention, so don't even think about it' he shut his mouth quickly and stood to leave, pausing by the door.
'Sir? How did you know I'd left the common room?' he wondered
Snape smirked slightly 'I am the head of Slytherin, I make sure I know what you're all up to' he paused before adding 'there is a spell on the door that alerts me if someone leaves after curfew, so I'd think twice before trying it again.'
Harrison nodded, and headed back. It was 4am and he was wide awake now so sat down to start his lines before the others woke up. It was mind numbing work and he got bored after 100 or so lines, so he packed it away and pulled out his herbology book to go over before the class that morning.
'Do you get up early every morning?' Draco asked groggily sitting down opposite him, Harrison glanced up from the book
'What time is it?' he frowned, no one else was up yet
'6.30, the others are just getting dressed' he replied with a frown 'why? How long have you been up?'
'A while' he replied nonchalantly 'want to play chess?' he asked, putting his book away, he'd enjoyed beating the boy the day before as Draco had told him he'd never been beaten by anyone the same age before. Draco shrugged in response and agreed to a quick game before breakfast.
They had a study period first thing and so the first-year Slytherin's headed to the library to read ahead for their lessons. They had formed a kind of study group, mostly to help Crabbe and Goyle, Harrison personally thought it pointless to try and teach them anything but nevertheless, they could be useful in their own ways so he would rather they were on his side.
'What else do we have today?' Daphne asked
'Herbology and potions again' Blaise responded
Harrison paused his note taking, a slight panic rising in his chest.
'We have potions today?' he started scrambling through his bag for his lines
'We didn't have any homework, don't worry. Wait, we didn't have any right?' Draco asked in a panic
'No, don't worry' Harrison said, continuing his writing. Draco leant over to see what he was doing.
'You went out last night? Why didn't you ask me to go?' he complained
'I didn't exactly plan it, I just woke up and started walking' Harrison explained.
'Who caught you?' Daphne asked curiously
'Snape' he muttered, causing their eyebrows to rise
'The older Slytherin's say his punishments are brutal, what did he give you?' Blaise looked over to see what he was writing
'200, to give him in our next potions lesson, which I didn't realise was today' annoyed, Harrison stopped answering their questions in favour of concentrating on writing and ignoring the ever-growing ache in his arm. He managed to finish them just before the end of the period and they all set off for Herbology.