Disclaimer: Don't own them make no money off of this etc.
Harry looked over the notes for his enchanted shoes. He just had to turn them in to Prof. Flitwick today. This would be one of the three permitted enchanted items he was allowed. The enchantments where fairly common. A growing charm that allowed the shoes to expand for his growing feet, a mud, snow, and water repelling charm, and a self polishing charm. The shoes had been ordered through Hermione's parents from a muggle department store. Buying the shoes from the wizarding world would include the charms already so that hadn't been an option. The all leather shoes had been a bit expensive but man made materials didn't take well to being enchanted. The hidden library happened to have a couple of notebooks on basic enchantments which had helped. After the Christmas break they would begin the first enchantments.
Ron and Hermione where both going home for the holidays which would leave him the only student in Gryffindor for the holidays. In fact this year the total number of students staying at Hogwarts over the holidays was 3 including him. The other two where a pair of sisters in Hufflepuff in their 7th and 5th year respectively. They ignored Harry only showing up at meals in the Great Hall. The circular table was back. Several of the teachers where also gone leaving only the heads of house. Snape found Harry in the Hidden library after breakfast. "Mr. Potter might I ask what you are doing here with out Miss Grangers prompting?" Snape asked.
"Desmonda Fly's note books." Harry admitted. "I'm hoping she developed something else other then the Floo for travel. So far the only form of magical travel I like is by broomstick."
"What forms of transportation have you used Mr. Potter? Snape asked.
"I've used the Floo, a Portkey for the World Cup, the Knight bus." Harry replied.
"You have forgotten the Hogwarts Express." Snape informed him.
"That runs on muggle train tracks, Sir." Harry replied.
"I see your point. You will study apparition in you sixth or seventh year. Which will give you another form." Snape said.
"I want a quiet form of travel apparition leaves a loud noise when you use it coming and going. Ron's adult brothers used it when they came home for the World Cup."
"Planning on sneaking out at night Mr. Potter." Snape asked with interest.
"No Sir." Harry admitted.
Snape thought for a minute. "I will over see your research on one condition. You help me research potions in here. One hour of potions research for one hour transportation research."
"What sort of potions are you looking for Sir?" Harry asked.
Snape wrote down a list of ingredients for Harry. "Potions that use at least 75% of these ingredients in its preparation. If you will start with the newer books I will start with the older books."
"What does the potion do that has these ingredients?"
"It's a poison that has no antidote. I am attempting to find something from which to make one. To do that I need to find the originating potion this was developed from. I've already checked all the references in the restricted section plus my own reference library." Snape replied. #### "Bezoar wont do?" Harry asked. #### "It would only slow the affects regrettably."
Harry set the book he was studying on the small table and took the list from Snape. He sorted out the list of past teachers Hermione gave him looked under potions and took his first book down.
Snape looked over his shoulder at the list. "Gregory Weasley taught Charms not potions Mr. Potter."
"Hermione made me check the contents of each book then made this list. Weasley taught charms yes but his hobby was potions." Harry replied.
"His hobby was potions?"
Harry turned to a potion recipe in the middle of a book on charms research. "See."
Snape scanned the potion in question and the accompanying notes. The potion itself was harmless and common. However it was one that was affected by how the ingredients where prepared the heat used and timing. The notes also contained varying the order of the ingredients. "While I doubt Weasley would have anything on that list. Do make sure and if he researched anything with these two ingredients let me know." Snape circled two ingredients which where very variable in how they reacted to other ingredients depending how they where prepared and added.
They spend a pleasant couple of hours in the hidden library. Over the next few days it became the norm for them to meet in the hidden library after breakfast for a couple of hours. Desmonda Fly indeed have other methods of transportation worked out. Though her notes indicated that the methods didn't lend themselves to the sort of travel the Floo network did.
It was Gregory Weasley who had a potion that had all the ingredients. It was a cleaning solution. He didn't go far with it as all his notes indicated that it had a distressing habit of turning to poison with any change.
"You will be taking that list to Prof. Flitwick I hope." Snape asked.
"Hermione first. She'll narrow it down to 2 or 3 do able methods then we'll take it to Prof. Flitwick. We might come back to the others later. But this time the easiest ones are going to be discussed and learned." Harry replied. #### "Why is Miss Granger the arbitrator for this?" Snape asked.
"She knows what we can do and she's already doing 6th year theory of magic. She took her Theory Owl last year." Harry replied.
Snape blinked. "Is she in any more advanced classes?"
"Ancient Runes. Her parents allow her only to be in two advanced classes." Harry replied.
"I wonder why she wasn't sorted Ravenclaw." Snape mused. "It has come to my attention that you have never experienced Solstice Rites. Few practice them these days but the more traditional families."
"You mean the Pureblood families!" Harry snapped.
"Not at all. I simply mean that the old blood families which is any family where one of the lines of descent has been continually magical. Several of these families make it a habit to take under their wing the muggle born. The Weasley's come to mind as well as your Father's family. Most of those families are considered half blood. With only the Weasley's being considered pure blood that I know of.
"I didn't know that." Harry replied.
"There is much about the traditions of the Magical world that you don't know. If you would join me for Solstice Rites I'll begin to rectify that lack of knowledge." Snape told Harry.