Author's note: I had a small bout with writers block that held this chapter back for a bit. Special thanks to SnuggleKitten69 for helping me break through it, and get the chapter finished.
As always thanks for reading, and reviews are always greatly appreciated. I always look forward to reading what you guys think about my story. :)
-o-o-
Chapter 13
Defense, broom rides, and potions.
-o-o-
In the Hufflepuff sixth year girls dorm, Wednesday stared at her school robes that had changed overnight to reflect her new house. Around her, the other girls were getting dressed themselves.
"I have to wear this?" Wednesday asked nobody in particular, with a hint of disgust in her tone. She picked at the offending garment's bright yellow trim. "It's so... vibrant."
"It's either that or go naked." Megan Jones joked as she straightened her own robes.
Upon seeing Wednesday look thoughtful, Hannah walked over to the pale girl. "As much as the boys would appreciate that, our colors aren't that bad. I think black and yellow are a good combination."
Sighing, Wednesday undid her nightgown, letting it fall to the floor. "I usually don't do color, but at least it's only the trim." She capitulated as she reached for her underwear.
Hannah gave a squeak of surprise and averted her eyes, not expecting Wednesday to so casually disrobe down to nothing. Most of the girls would at least change their underwear in private. Not wanting to make a big deal of it, she headed out to go to breakfast, with Megan close behind.
Leanne Triggs gave a snort of amusement and followed after her roommates, shaking her head as she walked. Whether she was amused by Wednesday's casual nudity or Hannah's embarrassment, was unclear.
Alone in the room with Susan, Wednesday decided to address her roommate's family tragedy, while they both finished dressing.
"What do you plan on doing now that you are the last of your family?" Wednesday asked as she pulled on her inner robes.
"W-what do you mean?" Susan asked in return, a frown forming as she was upset by the topic.
"How will you move on from here?" Wednesday elaborated. "Will you rebuild your family, join another, or exact a terrible revenge on those responsible? I suppose you could commit suicide as well, but you don't seem the type."
Susan froze for a second or two as she processed the question. "I-I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I'm still... I mean... I..."
"Mourning the dead is a waste of time, and utterly pointless as well." Wednesday said bluntly. "If I was in your position, I would wage war on those who killed my family. My vengeance would be painful and unyielding. I would not stop until my enemies all lay broken at my feet. What are you going to do though?"
"I can't do that. I can't take revenge on you-know-who. He's the most dangerous dark wizard since Grindelwald, and I'm not even of age yet." Susan managed to say, entranced by the conviction in Wednesday's voice.
"That's no excuse." Wednesday disregarded Susan's argument. "No one is invincible, and age has nothing to do with lethality. Everyone seems so ready to accept that Harry defeated Voldemort when he was only an infant. Why is it so hard to imagine a teenager killing him?"
Susan opened her mouth to object again, but stopped herself. Nervously chewing on a lock of hair, she considered how serious Wednesday sounded.
"Do you know if Harry is going to continue the DA this year?" Susan asked as she thought about the choices Wednesday had pointed out for moving on with her life. "I should get as good at defense as I can no matter what I do."
"DA?" Wednesday raised a brow. "I don't know what that is, but we can ask him down at breakfast."
Susan nodded in agreement, and walked out of the dorm. Despair was no longer radiating from the orphaned girl as she continued to think more on the future than the past.
Wednesday followed soon after, taking a moment to place a few of her things into the pockets of her robes. The corner of her lips turned up slightly. Depression was always lovely to see, but the fire of vengeance was so much more entertaining. All the redhead needed now, was one good push.
-o-o-
The Ravenclaw fifth year girls dorm was quiet. Most of its occupants had already left for breakfast. Only one figure remained, sleeping peacefully with a smile. Luna's classmates had never warmed up to the strange girl, and her new outlook only served to make her more of an outcast. None of the other girls bothered waking her. As far as they were concerned, Luna could fend for herself.
Luna's eyes opened, and her smile widened. "You shouldn't be sneaking into girls bedrooms. It's not proper."
Sitting up, she looked down at her pillow where a severed hand slowly stretched out its fingers. "Does your family know that you're here? For that matter, how did you get into my trunk?"
Somehow Thing managed to look embarrassed... embarrassed, but unrepentant. Luna carefully picked him up, and waved her finger at him with her other hand.
"Now, wait here, and let me get showered and dressed. A girl has to have some privacy." Her smile never faltering, Luna gently kissed his knuckle. "Silly hand, I'll be right back."
-o-o-
The casual nature of breakfast at Hogwarts, with students coming and going, allowed students from different houses to intermingle somewhat. It wasn't uncommon to see a flash of green at the Ravenclaw table, or a couple yellow trimmed robes at the Gryffindor table.
Wednesday and Susan found Harry chatting across the table with Neville, while poking unenthusiastically at his food.
"Doesn't compare to Grandmama's or even Lurch's cooking does it?" Wednesday said as she sat next to Harry. After reaching into her robes, Wednesday set an earthenware bottle in front of him.
Harry's eyes lit up as he recognized the jar. He opened the jar, and sprinkled the contents across his food.
"What's that?" Neville asked in interest. "Some kind of herb?"
"Henbane." Wednesday answered as she added some to her own plate, and put the jar back into her pocket.
Susan, who had sat next to Neville, looked at the couple with concern. "Isn't that poisonous?"
"Flavorful too." Harry smiled, then took a large bite of his now tainted breakfast.
Seeing the shock on Susan's face, Neville set his hand on her arm to draw her attention. "Don't bother. Just, ah, be careful if they offer you something to eat. It doesn't hurt them, but we wouldn't be so lucky."
Susan asked a question to distract herself from thinking about how her classmates apparently considered poison a decent condiment. "Uh Harry, Wednesday said something about how you wanted to honor your godfather by taking his name... I though that he was a criminal who tried to kill you. At least that's what my aunt said."
"Well I suppose technically he was a criminal, but he was framed. Either way he's dead now." Harry grinned, and then explained his name change. "I'm not really honoring who he was either. It's more like I'm following in his footsteps. See, he didn't fit into his own family, so he ran away and became a Potter in all but name and blood. On the other hand, I make a much better Black than a Potter. I have some Black ancestry anyway, so I just took it a step further than Sirius did."
Harry pointed across the way to the Slytherin table. "Draco isn't so happy that I've inherited my godfather's position as head of the family, he was expecting it to go to him. Plus, I've made a few changes already, and soon the Black family will be revitalized. Got rid of that stupid blood prejudice that's been hardwired into the family for too long as well."
"Umm, doesn't that mean that you don't fit in the Black family either? I mean you're changing pretty much the foundation of their beliefs." Susan pointed out.
"You'd think that, but the prejudice thing is actually more modern than anyone realizes. I'm going back to the family's roots." Harry's smile grew wide. "Trust me. I fit in just fine with how the Black family is supposed to be."
"I guess I'll take your word for it." Susan said, not quite convinced.
"Susan was asking earlier if you're doing DA, or something like that this year." Wednesday said to her boyfriend, noting that her fellow Hufflepuff was trying to gauge whether or not Harry was serious, and had likely forgotten her earlier question.
"Hmm, you know, I hadn't even thought about it. I don't see why not, it could be fun. We can make it an official school club this year too." He looked over to the staff table, and stood up. "I'll be right back."
The others watched as Harry started talking with Professor Longbottom and Professor Tofty. While Harry was discussing things with the professors, Cormac McLaggen slid into Harry's spot next to Wednesday.
"Hey there beautiful." Cormac said with what he considered to be a winning smile. "So, what did Potter do to get a pretty girl like you?"
She turned to look at him with complete disinterest. "He survived."
"Sure, they say he survive the killing curse, but nobody else was there." Cormac scoffed. "We don't really know that he's the one who beat you-know-who back then. Doesn't really make sense does it, a baby beating a dark wizard like that?" He pointed out as his hand slowly drifted across the table toward Wednesday's.
"You'd be surprised how easy it is to kill even the most experienced murderer." Wednesday disagreed. "But that isn't what I meant."
In the blink of an eye, Wednesday's dagger appeared between the fingers of Cormac's hand. With a solid thunk heralding its arrival, it was clearly embedded into the table with some force.
"He survived me." Wednesday clarified, her blank expression never changing.
Cormac looked down at his hand. There was only a hair's breadth between the knife and his fingers. "Well, I guess I'll try again later, when you're in a better mood."
As the seventh year left, an awed Susan took a moment to collect herself, then asked about Harry's name. "How come you didn't correct him when he called Harry, Potter?"
"I don't care about what happens to him." Wednesday explained. "You on the other hand are my housemate, and we're supposed to be like a family correct?"
For a moment, Neville was glad that Wednesday hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor. He had been learning how her family treated each other. Then he remembered that Harry was acting much the same way, and didn't feel so lucky anymore.
"You should probably spread the word around Hufflepuff." Neville advised. "Harry really doesn't like being called Potter anymore. It's Harry or Black now. He's started twitching when someone calls him Potter."
-o-o-
The classes a sixth year took depended on their own preferences, and whether or not the scored well enough on their OWLs. This resulted in the classes being small enough that all four houses were together for each subject.
Harry's first class for the year was DADA, he sat next to Neville and Susan at the edge of the small group of Hufflepuffs. Seeing as DADA was one of the courses that required a wand, Wednesday had a free period that she was using to acquaint herself with the castle. Everyone was seated roughly by house, and quietly chatting while Professor Longbottom sat at her desk, working on something.
At the precise moment when the class was to start, Professor Longbottom stood and Addressed the class. "Seeing as Headmaster Tofty has already introduced me, I won't bother introducing myself. If you couldn't have been bothered to take note of who your new professors were, then you will find yourself having difficulty this year."
She strode out from behind her desk to stand before the class. "This is NEWT level, none of your other professors will coddle you, and I most certainly will not. I have high expectations for this class in particular. Your OWL scores in defense, on average, were the highest recorded in over fifty years. It has come to my attention that this is thanks to the efforts of Mister Harry Potter, now Harry Black."
Few of the students were surprised to hear Harry being praised for his efforts, but most weren't aware of his name change. Nearly everyone turned to glance at the young man, who wore a grin that displayed no sense of false modesty at all.
As they had discussed earlier, Harry stood and addressed his classmates briefly. "There is no longer any reason to hold my DA meetings in secret. Not only do we have a competent professor this year, but Professor Longbottom has agreed to sponsor an official defense club this year. We haven't figured out all of the details yet, but by the end of the week, there will be notices in all four common rooms for the club."
After Harry sat back down, Professor Longbottom continued by outlining her syllabus. "You will be learning about a few of the darker creatures such as dementors and inferi, as well as the darker curses such as the unforgivables; however, the bulk of this year will be used to go over the spells you have already learned, and you will be learning to cast them silently."
After a brief lecture of the importance of silent casting, Professor Longbottom had the class pair up and attempt first year jinxes silently. Watching everyone waving their wands at each other with naught but frustration on their faces was rather amusing. Harry felt it made up for the fact that he could not achieve results either.
The end of class finally arrived, and everyone was relieved until Professor Longbottom assigned homework. "I want you all to write an essay detailing the theory behind silent casting and its real world applications."
Immediately Hermione's hand shot up into the air. "How many inches should the essay be?"
Several students groaned, they were hoping they could get away with minimal effort if a length wasn't assigned.
"Your essays should be as long as is necessary to complete the assignment." Professor Longbottom explained, then went on to clarify. "You're all nearing adulthood if you are not already there. I shouldn't have to tell you how long is sufficient. So long as you write enough to complete the assigned essay thoroughly, then that will be long enough. Your grade will let you know if you failed to write enough. On the other end of the spectrum, points will be taken away for overly long essays. Padding your work will not be appreciated, nor will writing about obscure details that could have been left out."
Harry managed to hold in his laughter until he and Neville had left the classroom.
"What's so funny? Did I miss something?" Neville asked, looking around.
Harry shook his head. "No, I just think it's funny that Hermione is probably upset that she'll get a bad grade if she writes as much as she usually does."
-o-o-
Wednesday made her way to the ancient runes classroom with time to spare, thanks to her previous exploration. Not seeing anyone she knew, or any other Hufflepuffs for that matter, she sat alone.
Overall the class was primarily composed of Ravenclaws and Slytherins. She was the lone Hufflepuff, and Hermione was the lone Gryffindor. Wednesday noted the glare that Hermoine sent her way, and smiled in return.
As far as Wednesday was concerned, the class was rather boring. The one thing that kept her amused was that despite Hermione's attempts to pair up with a Ravenclaw, Professor Babbling wound up having the two of them work together.
Hermione tried her best to pretend she wasn't bothered, but Wednesday could tell her presence was upsetting the bushy-haired brunette. Hermione's relief when the class finally ended was almost palpable.
Homework for the class was to start designing a runic array to make a rudimentary flying broom. Wednesday had never considered actually flying on a broomstick before, it seemed so... cliché. She then remembered that Harry had a broomstick with him when they first met. She decided to ask him about it. If nothing else, she could take a look at the runes on a real broom to give her an idea of where to start.
-o-o-
Having missed Luna at breakfast, Harry and Wednesday looked around specifically for their blonde friend during lunch. Instead of at the Ravenclaw table, they found her sitting by herself at the Slytherin table. Curious, the two sat on either side of Luna.
"Okay, not that I mind, but why the Slytherin table?" Harry asked, ignoring the glares he was receiving from several of the nearby students.
"It's like the houses are united this way." Luna answered with a smile. "By the way Wednesday, Thing has been naughty. He snuck into my trunk somehow. Do you think your family is missing him?"
Wednesday paused in the act of filling her plate. "I'm sure he let them know where he was. He's very responsible. Maybe he just wanted to surprise you?"
"Where is he anyway? You two were all but inseparable all summer." Harry asked, noting that the hand wasn't anywhere in sight.
"He's being punished for sneaking into the girls dorm. He knows better than that." Luna replied, then she held up her arm and stared at her sleeve. "Did you know that if you itch all over from head to toe, it starts to feel erotic after the first few hours?"
Harry, not knowing how to respond to that, decided to change the subject. "So, did any of the Slytherins give you trouble for sitting here?"
"Oh no, not at all." Luna shook her head firmly. "There were a few that wanted me to get lost, but I told them I don't know how. I always know where I am. I think they were going to let me know how, but Draco Malfoy came over and whispered to them all. They left without telling me how to get lost, I guess Draco wanted to make sure I figured it out on my own."
Luna smiled brightly. "That was nice of Draco wasn't it? He must have known that I always enjoy discovering new things on my own."
-o-o-
"Okay Draco, seriously... What is wrong with you?" Thomas Selwyn, a seventh year, demanded. "First you go on about we need to start calling Potter, Black. Now you won't even let us clear our own table of unwanted trash like that nut Lovegood. Your father has influence, but that only accounts for so much."
"What influence?" Draco asked bitterly. "He barely has any say over what happens with mother and me anymore, let alone anywhere else."
Draco groaned. "Look Selwyn, you want to try messing with Lovegood go right ahead, but before you do, take a look into her eyes. My aunt is saner than that girl."
"So what, she's crazy. I'm not afraid of crazy." Selwyn countered, his frustration apparent.
Looking up, Draco notice that Harry and Wednesday had joined Luna. "I've warned you. Do what you want, only don't come crying to me later."
Selwyn sneered. "Your pathetic, I don't know how you ever managed to get us to listen to you in the first place."
Muttering under his breath, Selwyn made his way over to where the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw were sitting at HIS table. Thomas was an imposing young man. He weighed in at 210 pounds, and stood an impressive 6 foot, 2 inches. Intending on using his size to intimidate, he clamped a meaty hand onto both Harry and Wednesday's shoulders. From behind Luna, he threatened in a low tone. "In case you didn't realize it, this is the Slytherin table. I'd hate it if something unfortunate happened because you three were sitting at the wrong table."
Because she couldn't see, Luna flopped her head straight back so she could look up at who was speaking. He was standing rather close, so her head collided with him forcefully.
Selwyn's eyes watered, and he half stepped, half fell backward. His strength vanished, and his hands slipped limply off of Harry and Wednesday's shoulders as they moved to belatedly protect his nether region.
Leaning back, and craning her neck further, Luna could finally see the Slytherin seventh year gasping for breath. "I meant to sit at the Slytherin table, so it is the right table. Thank you for worrying about us though. You're very kind." She cheerfully and sincerely thanked him.
-o-o-
After lunch, Luna had arithmancy, but the sixth years as a whole had the block of time set aside as a free period. The intent was to allow them the extra time they'd need for homework and study. Seeing as it was the first day though, many sixth years used the time for less scholastic pursuits.
Walking in the vague direction of Gryffindor tower, Wednesday asked about Harry's Firebolt. "Can I see your broomstick? I'd like to examine it."
Lavender Brown had been on her way to her dorm when she overheard Wednesday, and she couldn't stop herself from snorting in amusement. "A little forward don't you think? But I'm sure any guy would love to show you their 'broomstick.' If you know what I mean."
Wednesday thought for a moment, then turned to face Lavender as she figured out what the other girl meant. "No, I meant his flying broomstick. I already know what his penis looks like."
Not too long ago Harry would have lit up with a deep blush. Having left behind any embarrassment in regards to his relationship with Wednesday, he instead gave a short laugh and smirked at his girlfriend's blunt statement.
Lavender's eyes widened, and her hand shot up to cover her gaping mouth. Noticing that Harry wasn't denying anything, she gasped. "Merlin, you're serious aren't you?" She quickened her pace. "Just wait 'till Parvati hears this!"
"That's convenient." Harry said with mirth. "I can't think of a faster way for the news to spread that we're together."
-o-o-
After Harry retrieved his Firebolt, and Wednesday discovered that the runework was far beyond her ability to decipher, Harry suggested they go down to the quidditch pitch where he could at least show her how a broom was meant to work.
Doing his best to channel Madam Hooch, Harry showed Wednesday the basics of flying. Surprisingly, she was terrible at it. Though, her poor flying skills might have had something to do with the fact that she refused to mount the broom any way other than sidesaddle.
After several minutes of trying to adjust and compensate for how Wednesday sat, they gave up and Harry offered to take her for a ride.
Sitting lady-like behind Harry, Wednesday wrapped her arms around him. "Show me what this thing can do then." she whispered into his ear.
Smirking, Harry kicked off and shot into the sky.
The Firebolt was never intended to hold more than one person, but neither Harry nor Wednesday was very heavy, so it managed without too much trouble. The main issue was it had a tendency to veer right, thanks to how Wednesday sat. After taking an initial lap around the pitch to get used to how it handled, Harry began to show off.
Pushing the broom to its limits, Harry tore across the field as if he were bearing down on a snitch. Approaching the goal posts fast, he smiled and aimed dead center of the middle ring. He threaded the ring with inches to spare, and then dove toward the ground. Leveling out and turning hardly a foot from the grass, he gave a whoop of joy as he spiraled back across the pitch. Another sharp turn pulled them out of their ground-burning corkscrew, and sent them shooting up into the sky. He climbed quickly, dodging now and again to avoid other joyriders taking advantage of the free time. Slowing down, Harry leveled off high above the pitch, where he would often hover during games.
"So, what do you think?" Harry asked as he shifted to look at his girlfriend.
"Do you always fly like that?" She asked while she tried in vain to smooth out her windblown hair. "I think I should have worn my braid for this."
Harry managed to hold back his laughter. Seeing the always composed Wednesday Addams with a completely wild head of hair was hilarious. He half expected that her hair would somehow still be smooth and pristine despite their breakneck broom ride.
Keeping a grip on his mirth, he answered her. "Actually, usually I fly a lot more reckless. I can't really show you without two whole teams in the air, and the bludgers add a level of fun too."
"And the truth about how crazy you are finally comes out." An amused Katie Bell commented as she lazily rose to be even with Harry's Firebolt.
"I thought I'd take advantage of the weather and fly around for a bit. I'm not really surprised to see you up here, but taking your new girlfriend for a ride like that... Are you trying to kill her off or something? 'Cause if you are, I'll gladly take her off your hands instead." Katie winked at Wednesday playfully. "Leanne told me you put on quite the show this morning."
Harry looked between the slightly quizzical expression on Wednesday's face, and the smirk on Katie's. "You're the best chaser Gryffindor has Katie, don't make me kill you."
Katie laughed. "You're no fun Harry. Seriously though, are you dusting off your old 'Dark Lord' persona? Your girlfriend looks like she'd make a great dark lady."
"Dark Lord?" Wednesday asked with a raised brow as she stared at Harry.
"Half the school was terrified that he was going to kill off all of the muggleborn students in his second year." Katie explained "There was a whole big thing with the supposed 'Heir of Slytherin' and 'Slytherin's monster.' A lot of people thought it was Harry. Then there was a rumor that at the end of the year he found the secret lair of the monster and killed it with his bare hands, but I don't know what actually happened."
"Dumbledore killed it with a rooster. A rather anticlimactic end, but apparently that's the easiest way to kill a basilisk." Harry corrected her with a shrug. "If you really want, I'll tell you about it later, but as long as you're here I'd like to ask you something. Would you like to be captain instead of me this year? I know I'm supposed to do it, but I was hoping to duck the responsibility."
"Nice try." Katie said holding up her hands to refuse. "I'm not crazy like Wood and Angelina were. This is my NEWT year. I don't have time for that headache."
"I think I'm going to need all of those free periods on my schedule this year. I've given myself more things to do than I'd intended." Harry lamented. "Quidditch, the defense club, my classes... I'm going to have to sneak out at night just to take care of the other things on my plate."
Katie looked at Wednesday with a teasing smile. "Is she one of those things on your plate?"
"I had better be. It was frustrating sleeping alone last night." Wednesday remarked as she tried again to smooth out her windblown hair.
"Ooh, the rumors are true." Katie whistled at how nonchalant Wednesday was while talking about her sex life. "I like you, let me know if you ever get tired of Harry."
Upon seeing Harry's eyes narrow, Katie threw up her hands defensively. "Kidding, don't worry Harry, I wouldn't steal your girlfriend. Though, if you break up, then all bets are off." She said with a saucy wink, then laughed as she sped away to leave them alone.
Swinging himself around to face Wednesday without having to look over his shoulders, Harry took her into his arms and kissed her roughly. "You're mine, and there will be blood if someone tries to take you from me."
A glimmer shined in Wednesday's eyes, and she smirked visibly. "Does there have to be an attempt to come between us for there to be blood.?"
Harry smiled. "Merlin I love you." he said before crashing his lips into her's again, groaning softy as he felt her sharp teeth slice open his bottom lip.
They floated high above the pitch for a few more minutes. Eventually, they reluctantly ended things before they escalated too far. After all, they did still have one more class for the day. Harry headed back to his room to drop off his Firebolt, while Wednesday swiftly returned to the basement to fix her hair.
-o-o-
Harry and Wednesday were greeted at the door of the potions classroom by Professor Slughorn. The large professor wore a paradoxically insincere yet genuine smile.
"Mister Black, Miss Addams, come in then. Before you get comfortable, I was wondering if the two of you would care to join me for dinner along with some of your fellow students?"
"Sir?" Harry asked, while Wednesday merely stared at Slughorn appraisingly.
"When I used to teach here, I would always gather a little group of students who I felt had it in them to be the best of the best." Slughorn explained eagerly. "I'm starting up my 'Slug Club' again, and would like you both to join me."
Not seeing any particular reason to refuse, they agreed, and then made their way to where several other students were gathered around three full cauldrons.
Once everyone had arrived, Professor Slughorn made his way over to the three cauldrons. "Under normal circumstances, I would have brewed the potions in these cauldrons in preparation for this class months ahead of time. Seeing as I was somewhat of a late addition to the staff this year, I have cheated a little, and these are merely illusions."
Based on appearance alone, Hermione was able to correctly identify all three potions as polyjuice, amortentia, and felix felicis. This earned her several points for Gryffindor, and later on an invitation to the Slug Club.
Slughorn then produced three flasks, two large and one very small. "I have here, samples of all three potions from my personal stores."
Holding onto the tiny flask, he passed around the other two, and told everyone to examine the potions and take note of what they smelled like. "You'll note that polyjuice is a particularly unpleasant smelling potion, and it only gets worse once the final ingredient is added, usually a few hairs from the individual to be impersonated."
Wednesday passed the polyjuice on, noting that she felt it was rather pleasant smelling. Receiving the amortentia next, she inhaled deeply.
"Amortentia on the other hand, has a unique odor for everyone, and it is universally appealing." Slughorn noted, then called on Wednesday to use for an example. "Miss Addams, might I ask what it is you smell?"
Taking another deep breath, Wednesday thought for a moment. "Almonds, Iron, and Harry."
A few of the other students stifled laughs, and Slughorn smiled knowingly. "Amortentia smells like those things we find most pleasant. If you two weren't already dating, then that would have been a clue that Mister Black would find impossible to ignore. Would anyone else like to share what they smell, to demonstrate how it is indeed a unique scent for us all."
After a moment where no one volunteered, Hermione was about to go ahead, when Slughorn spoke up. "No, then I suppose I'll share. I smell pineapple, good mead, and well, I'll just keep the final scent to myself." He added with a chuckle.
Instead of passing around the felix felicis, Slughorn held it high for all to see. "Now we will have a little competition to see where everyone is. The winner will get to keep this phial of liquid luck, so you all have a grand motivation to do your best. Whoever manages to brew the best draught of living death, in the time we have left, will be the winner."
Eager for such a valuable prize, everyone immediately set to work. Of all the students brewing, there were two clear standouts, though for entirely different reasons.
Hermione Granger's potion was progressing steadily through the stages as would be expected from the textbook. Each step done perfectly, producing the correct appearances as she brewed. It was clear that she would not have time to finish, but what she was doing was all but perfect.
The other notable student was Wednesday Addams. Slughorn could only watch in morbid fascination as Wednesday ignored the instructions entirely. Adding ingredients that were not called for, and omitting ones that were, it seemed at first that she was merely playing potioneer.
Hermione noticed the way that Wednesday was haphazardly brewing, and scoffed at how the girl wasn't even trying.
Slughorn made certain to watch Wednesday carefully to ensure that she did nothing that would prove dangerous. With five minutes left to brew, he was rendered speechless as her potion changed from a deep red, to a pale lilac, finally settling in as a perfectly clear potion.
Making his way over to Wednesday's cauldron, Slughorn waved his wand over the potion, then dropped in a leaf that he had treated specially to gauge the quality of these potions. The leaf slowly disintegrated as if being burned to nothing by the potion.
"My dear girl, if you could be so kind as to write down the process you used to brew this. I would very much like to study how you have managed to create a near perfect potion in such little time, and without the standard methods. Where did you learn to brew like this?"
"Professor Frump is my grandmama. She started teaching me how to brew potions like this since I was old enough to crawl into her cauldron." Wednesday explained dispassionately.
-o-o-
"You cheated." Hermione hissed at Wednesday after potions class let out, and she caught up to Wednesday and Harry. "You should have followed the instructions."
Wednesday raised an eyebrow, and studied Hermione for an uncomfortable few moments. Then she pulled the phial of felix felicis out of her robes and casually tossed it to Hermione. "Take it then, I don't particularly care. I don't need that to have a perfect day."
Catching the phial after fumbling around for a bit, Hermione looked at Wednesday incredulously. "That's not the point! You can't just brew however you want, it's too dangerous. You could have blown us all up!"
"I never blow anything up unless I intend to." Wednesday responded as she turned away, leaving Hermione fuming silently.
Hermione stood there tight lipped, glaring daggers at Wednesday's retreating form, trying to figure out what the dark girl was up to. Shifting the phial in her hand, she looked at it, as if for the first time. That bint may have just given her the means of getting Harry back. Smirking, she ran off to find Ron.
-o-o-
The Slug Club dinner was... interesting. The only truly comfortable people in the room were Professor Slughorn, and Cormac McLaggen. The professor was in his element, systematically interrogating each of the students he'd invited in the guise of idle conversation. He'd ply the ones that impressed him with complements and promises of future favors, while making the ones that fell short of his expectations feel out of place and uncomfortable. McLaggen on the other hand was just full of himself enough that the thought of not belonging never occurred to him.
"Wednesday, now that's a unique name." Slughorn pointed out as he stirred a generous dollop of honey into his tea. "However did your parents come up with it."
"It's from an old song, and so is my middle name, Friday." She explained, then recited the lyrics in her usual monotone. "Wednesday's child is full of woe, and Friday's child works hard for a living. My parents wanted to give me a name that would inspire me properly. It could be said that they succeeded."
For the first time that evening, Slughorn faltered. "Ah... yes... I see." Recovering quickly, he followed up with a compliment. "Well, clearly your middle name reflects well upon your placement in Hufflepuff."
Continuing his questioning, Slughorn brought up her wealth. "I understand your family has quite a bit of gold to their name. Your father made a substantial donation to the school. If it wasn't for your test scores and obvious talent, one might make the mistake of thinking he was trying to bribe the school into accepting you." He chuckled at his own little joke.
"He was. Father doesn't often spend money wisely." She pointed out bluntly. "Or rather, he places little value on gold. Instead he focuses on more important things."
Try as he might, Professor Slughorn could not prevent the glimmer in his eyes from shining brightly at that declaration. Any trepidation about the pale girl vanished, as he thought of the benefits he might reap should he gain her favor.
-o-o-
Considering the late hour that the Slug Club let out, Harry and Wednesday decided to turn in for the night.
After a frustratingly passionate kiss, Harry whispered into her ear. "Tomorrow I'll show you one of the school's secrets. We'll have plenty of privacy there as well."
"I'll be sure to wear something appropriate." She whispered back as she dug her nails into his scalp, causing him to groan.
Being in a high traffic hallway, they reluctantly parted ways. Both were looking forward to, and making plans for their rendezvous as they headed toward their respective common rooms.
-o-o-
BONUS SCENE
The Chamber of Secrets
-o-o-
The cave-in separated Harry from Ron and Lockhart. Harry could vaguely hear Ron calling his name to see if he was alright. His vision was a bit hazy, and he could taste blood. Reaching up, he touched his forehead and his hand came back covered in the thick, red liquid.
Staring at the blood on his hand, and feeling where his skin had torn when one of the rocks bounced off of his head, he felt a sense of déjà vu. His vision cleared, and his mind did as well. He hadn't realized it, but he hadn't been thinking clearly until now.
"HARRY! Answer me mate!" Ron's yelling grew frantic.
"I'm fine Ron." Harry said calmly as he poked at his wound, feeling his bare skull. He smiled. "Never better."
"What're we gonna do?" The redhead's voice trembled as he was caught up with worry for not only his sister, but Harry as well.
"Try to shift some of the stone. I'll go see what this heir to Slytherin is like." Harry said as he picked up his wand, and started walking away from the cave in.
"You mean you're going to try and save Ginny by yourself?" Ron asked with equal parts hope and concern.
"Sure, I'll do that too." Harry replied as he walked out of earshot.
-o-o-
Harry stood over the still form of Ginny Weasley, she was so pale that he idly wondered if she was already dead.
"She won't wake you know." A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning, Harry saw a boy. No, not just any boy, it was the boy from the diary, Tom Riddle. "Is she dead then?" Harry said, completely unconcerned.
"Not yet, but she soon will be, and there's nothing you can do to save her." Riddle said with conviction.
"Okay." Harry shrugged.
Riddle was about to launch into a tirade, wondering about how this young boy could possibly have defeated his true self, but was taken aback by the child's indifference. "This isn't right, where is the heroic boy-who-lived? Ginny told me all about you Harry Potter, but I wonder if she was seeing you, or who she wanted you to be."
Harry looked around the large chamber, all but ignoring Riddle. "Where is it then, the basilisk? I'll bet it would make a really cool pet. I can talk to snakes you know. I bet I can get it to do whatever I want."
Frustrated that the foolish girl had clearly been making things up about the great Harry Potter, Riddle realized what a fool he was. Of course a child couldn't defeat his true self. He was probably alive and well, biding his time and amassing allies. No matter, he would just kill these children, set loose the basilisk as a distraction, and then find his true self. At least he knew that his study of horcruxes had not been in vain, it clearly worked.
Calling out to the beast, Riddle ordered the basilisk to come out and eat this annoyance before he could somehow interrupt his absorption of Ginny's life. He was in uncharted territory here, and wasn't about to let an unknown variable mess things up.
Harry looked up in interest as the massive stone head of Salazar Slytherin opened its mouth, and the king of serpents slithered out. Keeping its eyes closed to avoid killing its master, the basilisk immediately found the scent of a bleeding human, and reared up to strike at the tiny morsel.
"My name is Harry Potter, would you like to be my pet? I'll make sure I find a way to let you out to eat. I'll bet you're hungry." Harry asked the monstrous snake in parseltongue.
The Basilisk froze. It wasn't sure how to proceed. When it had been a hatchling, its first and true master told it that it should obey the one that spoke parseltongue, for they should be his master's heir. There hadn't been any talk of what to do if there were two who could speak properly.
In the moments of the basilisk's indecision, a crow echoed throughout the chamber. The giant beast shuddered, and slowly fell, stone dead.
Riddle's outraged scream filled the room, and Dumbledore stepped into sight. A rooster held securely in one arm, he held his wand low with the other hand. Without comment, he pointed his wand at the dead creature, and sharply jerked his wand toward the black diary that lay next to Ginny. A fang from the basilisk tore free, and embedded itself into the diary.
Black ooze flowed from the pierced book, and Riddle's screams intensified, this time laced with pain. Harry stared in fascination as Riddle's spectre slowly vanished. As the pained echoes of Riddles lamentation faded away, Harry's smiling face turned toward Dumbledore.
Sighing, Dumbledore stunned Harry, and knelt to check on Ginny. Noting that the girl would recover, he stood back up, and surveyed the scene. "I had such high hopes that you wouldn't backslide again Harry. You did so well throughout the year, even with so many of the students against you." Sighing again, he went to work concocting a scenario for Harry to remember.
Perhaps instilling a sense of heroism akin to those fabricated Harry Potter storybooks would do to steer him on the necessary path. Yes, this could easily be spun to paint Harry as a knight in shining armor, coming to the rescue of the fair damsel in distress. Harry would remember calling Fawkes somehow... perhaps by showing loyalty to himself. Yes, Dumbledore thought, this could definitely work. Harry would remember drawing the sword of Gryffindor from... the sorting hat? Why not, its more believable than the rubbish in those ridiculous books. Then in a climactic clash, Harry would slay the basilisk and receive a mortal wound at the same time, only to be healed by Fawkes. Of course Harry would have to remember deducing that stabbing the diary with a fang from the beast... Perhaps the very one that pierced his own arm... Yes, before being healed by Fawkes, he would grasp the only weapon at hand, and strike the diary, ending Tom's revival.
Feeling rather proud of himself for his impromptu fairytale style rescue, he polished up a few details, and set about altering Harry's mind, yet again.
-o-o-
Author's note: I may add bonus scenes like this one in future chapters. They'd all pretty much be glimpses of what really happened during Harry's adventures. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.
On a much less pleasant note, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the bombings in Brussels. The hate that spawns such cowardly acts of terrorism needs to be stopped. Politicians around the world need to stop worrying about offending people, and do whatever is necessary to prevent such tragedy from occurring again.
To Guest reviewing chapter 12: I think most of the casting for the movies gave us better looking versions of the characters. It's the movies, there aren't a whole lot of ugly people acting. Instead of a hideous toad for Umbridge, we get a woman who is only ugly because of the way she dresses and acts. Instead of a socially awkward bushy-haired, nerdy girl for Hermione, we get Emma Watson, who grew up to be a knockout. I could go on, but most of the actors are prettier/more handsome than the characters they portray.
To anon reviewing chapter 12: I'm not sure, but I think I heard that JKR told Alan Rickman what her plans were for Snape. I don't believe he ever revealed what exactly she told him. She may have tweaked Snape's fate just for Alan Rickman. Only she knows for sure.
To Mizu reviewing chapter 12: Thanks for continuing to read and review!
To Guest reviewing chapter 6: While not terrorists, the Order is a vigilante group. No government appreciates vigilantism. Considering they attacked the home of one of the oldest pure-blood families without evidence of transgression, the line between vigilante and terrorist does seem to blur a bit.
To justafan reviewing chapter 12: Well, she's not going to try and do the house elves' job, but it is certainly safe to assume that Ron and Ginny will wind up thoroughly embarrassed by their mother.
Snape tried to do the whole redemption through Voldemort's defeat, but things aren't working out too well for him.
One or two, maybe even a small group of people, surrounded by Addamses for an extended period will become corrupted by their magic. Wednesday all by herself won't be able to affect the Hufflepuffs, at least not like that.
My own view of the state of the Slytherin house tells me that Salazar has been spinning for a while, and probably fast enough to run a generator that could power all of London. As for Helga, who can really say whether or not she'd approve of what Wednesday's influence is going to bring?