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Chapter 8

A Delicate Potion.

The day seemed to drag on and on.

While Ron occupied himself with talks of Quidditch with Seamus and Neville. Harry and Hermione spent most of third period glancing at each other and wondering what Dumbledore was going to tell them. Harry had already advised a list of questions he would ask. He wanted to make sure that he didn't leave anything important out.

"Poor Harry," Hermione said to herself.

With the stress of schoolwork, the return of You-Know-Who and new season of Quidditch coming up, it was just enough not to go crazy with all he had to deal with. It amazed Hermione how strong Harry can be. It's barely been a week and already unexplainable scary things have been happening and he's taking it in stride as opposed to Hermione who on the other hand was freaking out.

Halfway through potions Harry got in the conversation with Ron about who was the best quidditch player. Viktor Krum or Oliver Wood. The two names sparked up lost feelings with Hermione so she decided to move to an empty table and begin work on her assignment due in four weeks. Her mind travelled back to the train where she said she'd take time out for herself, that now seemed impossible. So caught up in her thoughts, she did not notice the person standing behind her peering down at her work until she felt a soft murmur coming from the person's lips. It was familiar. She whipped around just in time to see someone wearing a white suit push past her desk and make he's way to the front of the class.

Hermione struggled to see through the scattering students, rushing to the seats. Once everything died down, she finally got a glimpse of who it was.

Professor Snape.

The room fell silent. Harry, just realising Hermione was not sitting beside him anymore, glanced over towards her. He saw her expression change, as did most of the students. It was a little unsettling to see Snape like this. He did not look the way he normally did, he was actually quite, cheerful. He smiled, which almost gave Neville a heart attack when he saw it. Snape rushed over too calm him and that freaked Neville out even more, and not to mention it caused a few stuns from the rest of the students. Including Draco Malfoy.

All class he was confusing the hell out of everyone. One minute he was friendly and caring. The next he was cold and malicious.

He would give every student who wasn't in Slytherin cheek. Then, apologise for being so rude. He would deduct points from Harry at every available opportunity. Just then, he took points away from Gryffindor because Harry breathed too loud. Most of the Slytherins laughed at this, but not Draco Malfoy. He sat there looking Snape up and down trying to figure out what the hell was going on in his head. Hermione caught Malfoy's glances and it seemed for that class they were no longer enemies, but suspicious students trying to gather thoughts about their Professor.

Despite what Hermione and the rest had built up in their minds about Snape's attitude today. There was something different about him, something that nobody could quite catch on. Ron joked that Snape must have gotten laid over the summer, to the entire disgust of everyone in ear shot, but they knew. All jokes aside. Something big happened, something that has turned this once despised evil monster, into a rollercoaster full of emotions. He was up one minute and down the next.

Potions finished quite quickly, to everyone's gratitude. The students piled out as fast as they could, erupting into a debate about Snapes mental health. The rest of the day was very uneventful. By the time Harry, Ron and Hermione were heading towards Dumbledore's office, they were all exhausted. But still eagar to hear what he had too say. Making themselves comfortable in the chairs, waiting for their Headmaster too arrive, Hermione noticed that all three seemed to drift off into their own worlds.

Ron, was fast asleep, snoring his head off. Which annoyed Hermione a great deal, the paintings however didn't seem too mind as they to were snoring their heads off aswell. Harry was talking with the sorting hat. Laughing about all the funny things that students have done to recieve detention. Hermione found this rather unamusing, she just sat there thinking about everything that had happened in the past week at Hogwarts. Trying too make sense of it all. Everything with Malfoy, Hagrid and Harmonica.

A new letter was due very soon and Hermione still hadn't done anything about getting information out of Malfoy. She felt a weird sense of urgency when thinking of him. She tightened the hold around herself as she peered up at Harry. Getting the truth out of Malfoy must became her number one priority. Harry's life was at stake here and she had three chances to find the truth out and she was doing nothing. She had everything mapped out, but there was no action. It was unlike Hermione. Once her mind was made up, that was it. No holding back. But, something was holding her back. And until now she did not realise it. She felt like something inside of her was pulling her away from the scenario. Giving her other things to think about, to worry about. Maybe the truth is something she cannot handle. Finding out the real truth of what terror You-Know-Who is planning to do to Harry. What if she learns of the plans and is incapable of telling anybody. No-one believed Harry when he came out of the maze in fourth year and proclaimed that You-Know-Who had killed Cedric and that he had regained his power.

The thought of something bad happening to Harry terrified her, she wouldn't know what to do. Harry and Ron are her best-friends. They are all she has. Losing them would be like losing herself. Her thoughts were interupted by the slamming of the door. Ron jumped up and looked around, Harry's laughter died as he watched a frustrated Dumbledore sit behind his desk and eye Harry to his seat.

Dumbledore's angered stares vaulted as he glanced at each Gryffindor. Hermione was getting very worried and Ron was clutching his seat tightly. Harry just stared straight-ahead, he had seen worser things then an angry Dumbledore. He was not scared or phazed by it. Even though it seemed rather unusual. He just waited for Dumbledore too speak. After opening his mouth and closing it several times he finally grasped the courage to speak.

"You three are not going to like what I have to say," He began, talking in a way that shocked all three of them. He was serious. He didn't calmly explain what was on his mind. He blurted it out. He had become a stranger to Ron, Hermione and espiacially Harry. The Dumbledore they knew was not the Dumbledore here. "Something happened last night. Dumbledore...I was in my office, brewing a small delicate potion. When, out-of-the-blue, somebody bursts in. The lights go off and I wake up like this."

He pointed to his body and then looked up for some sympathy, but all he got was three confused stares. They had absolutely no idea what Dumbledore was playing at.

"He's finally lost his mind." Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Always knew this day would come," Hermione replied.

Instead of agreeing with them, Ron unclitched his hand and sat up straight.

"Are you trying to distract us so you don't have to explain what the hell was in the forest yesterday?" He asked, crossing his arms and staring blankly at the Professor. Hermione and Harry boycotted their crazy thoughts and too, looked at Dumbledore waiting for an answer. Dumbledore shook his head, and rubbed his temples.

"NO." He shouted, frustrated. "I am simply trying to tell you that I am not Dumbledore. I am somebody else."

The crazy thoughts bolted back into Hermione and Harry's heads. They each stared at Dumbledore, or whoever it was, and then looked at each-other. Harry was the first to blurt out the question everyone in the room was waiting for.

"Who are you then?" Harry asked. Dumbledore was about to answer when the door opened and shut very quickly. The four of them shot around to see who it was.

Malfoy.

He was smirking at Dumbledore, as if the golden trio were not in the room, he walked in more and examined Dumbledore up and down.

Then laughed. "I knew there was something off about you." He began, "Ever since Potions class. It took me awhile to figure it out, but after seeing you two at lunch, it all just came togeather."

Dumbledore gulped, and raised his eyebrows. "I am a little surprised that Granger didn't figure it out herself, seen as she's been doing a lot of thinking lately. I suppose your wondering what I'm talking about. I will explain..."

Malfoy walked over to where Dumbledore sat and he turned to face the three of them.

"He is different because he took a Valicant potion and someone mixed it with Dumbledore's morning coffee. The man before you is not Dumbledore. He is Professor Snape."

All three gasped.

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