The first day of classes passed by well enough until double period Potions with Slughorn. Gryffindors and Slytherins were put together for the class as per Professor Dumbledore's tradition and naturally the Slytherins were the first to occupy the room, preferring to stake out their territory. Snape had taken his usual place near the front of the classroom while Hermione and Pansy intentionally targeted the table directly behind him much to Severus's dismay. Hermione spotted Luna walking through the door with her new gaggle of Gryffindors and decided to push Snape a bit further.
"Luna!" She called out casually, "Can you come over hear please?" Severus turned around to scrutinize the situation as Luna skipped over to Hermione's side with the others lagging behind cautiously.
"Hermione," Luna said happily.
Hermione smiled at her long time friend. "Sit next to Severus there so we can talk to you." Snape inhaled through his nose quickly, glaring at the smirking girl behind him.
"What a marvelous idea, Hermione! I was so hoping to be able to talk with Severus again," Luna chirped.
By that time Lily had resolutely made her way over to Luna while the Marauders continued to stand behind the scene warily.
"Hello there, my name is Lily Evens. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet so I thought I'd introduce myself to Luna's friends. How are you liking Hogwarts?"
Hermione stared at the girl before her while a flash of pain shot through her heart. Harry's eyes. When it became apparent that Hermione needed more time to recover, for she was still staring at Lily like the redheaded girl was actually a heliopath, Pansy quickly stepped in.
"Hello Lily, it's nice to know this head case has made a friend over in that house of yours. One does worry about her sometimes," Pansy cut in. Lily and the Gryffindors listening in on the exchange looked ready to retaliate in Luna's defense, when they heard a soft tinkling laughter arise. They all simultaneously turned to face the sound to see Luna shaking with mirth, much to the Gryffindors' and Snape's confusion.
"Oh Pansy," Luna suddenly gasped between giggles, "you are always so funny!"
Pansy grinned at the merry girl before turning back to the gaping Gryffindors with her eyebrow raised.
The Gryffindors seemed to be stunned into silence, unable to quite comprehend the relationship between these three mysterious girls. Snape on the other hand was staring at Luna like she was completely mad.
Before any of them could ruminate on Luna and Pansy further, Hermione finally recovered herself and stuck her hand out towards Lily.
"I am very happy to finally meet you Lily; I've heard nothing but praise for you and I am very pleased that Luna has made new friends who seem quite ready to take up arms in her defense."
Lily took the brunette's hand tentatively, shifting slightly under the strange praise and turned quickly to Severus as a means of changing the subject.
"Snape, seems you're being friendlier that usual. Actually deigning to interact with lower life forms are we?" Lily turned back to Hermione, "Best be on you're guard dear, this one's prejudiced." Severus visibly winced at her words.
Hermione smiled sadly at Lily, realizing that Snape's worst memory had already taken place at the end of the last school term. "I think sometimes outside pressures can cause people to give impressions they don't really mean to give. Severus has been nothing but concerned for us since we first met him."
Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise but said nothing, wondering if she did indeed need to rethink her harsh judgment of her former best friend while the Marauders sputtered in outrage at Hermione's description of Snape. Severus for his part was turning slightly red at the turn in the conversation.
"That one's barmy, she is," Sirius said in reference to Hermione, who merely raised one eyebrow in amusement.
"And just who might you lot be?" She asked in a light tone with only the slightest bit of pain underneath, trying to avoid looking at the boy that looked so much like her best friend but not exactly finding comfort in addressing any of the other Marauders whom she had actually already been acquainted with.
It was Remus that stepped forward to answer surprisingly. "These two wankers are Sirius Black and James Potter. That's Peter Pettigrew and my name is Remus Lupin. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Hermione's attention zeroed in on the boy that she had once called professor and was pleased to note that he looked a lot less tired than she remembered, happy and attractive while his friends still surrounded him.
"Are you lot friends of Luna as well or just passing through?" Pansy suddenly asked fully aware of the answer while still feelingly like she wanted to mess with them. That Black boy had called Hermione barmy after all and, ironically enough, Pansy didn't take well to people insulting her friends, especially Hermione.
Sirius seemed to bristle at Pansy's words and quickly responded. "Of course we're Luna's friends. Why would we have been standing here all this time if we weren't?"
Pansy threw one of her old smirks at the Gryffindor boy and replied quite seriously, "Because you have taken a keen interest in the newest members of the school and are trying to scoop out any details you can for you're own nefarious purposes."
Sirius's face flushed at the somewhat accurate accusation but he carried on like any good Gryffindor would. "You don't know what our purposes might or might not be so don't just go presuming things and as for Luna, she admitted to being our friend just this morning at breakfast," Sirius finished smugly, as if he had just cinched the argument.
Pansy smiled sweetly at him, a smile that anyone who knew her could tell was sinister, and replied calmly, "of course I don't pretend to know you're purposes only that they are nefarious and that you, sir, seem to have a remarkable ability to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. In any case, seeing as Luna has accepted you as a friend I will try to withhold judgment until such a time comes that I am free to pronounce it."
Sirius stared at her slack-jawed while his friends seemed to be making quite the effort not to laugh out loud at the display. Before Sirius could regain his sensibilities enough to retort however, the stream of conversation was broken by the entrance of Professor Slughorn and the Gryffindors had to quickly find seats surrounding Luna and the Slytherins.
Hermione was quick to realize that not much had been altered to Slughorn's curriculum from this era to the time she had taken his class in the future. They were asked to identify the same potions and then attempt to make the Draught of Living Death whereupon the most successful student would be given a vile of Felix Felicis. Hermione was not quick to raise her hand like she was as a young girl but Slughorn still saw fit to call on her and her friends in an attempt to gauge the new transfer students' abilities.
He asked Pansy about the first potion to which he received the answer, "It's Veritaserum. It makes whoever drinks it tell the truth."
"Very good my dear girl and now Miss Durant if you would be so kind as to identify the next one?" Slughorn fished.
Hermione barely had to glance at the familiar potion before answering in what was sure to be a bored tone.
"Polyjuice Potion. Transforms the drinker into whatever form supplies the final ingredient: human hair."
"Excellent! Textbook even! Now Miss Summerbee, why don't you finish the job?"
Luna smiled serenely before answering in a distant voice, "This potion is called Amortentia. It is the most powerful love potion in the world. But don't be mistaken; it does not manufacture love, as that is impossible, it merely creates obsession and infatuation. It is a dangerous potion for those very reasons."
Slughorm genuinely beamed at Luna and exclaimed, "After an answer like that, there is no need for me to even elaborate further. Let us move on to the main event!"
After explaining about Felix Felicis, they all spread out to work on their potions separately. Predictably, Hermione and Lily's potions were extremely well made, but none could compare to Luna and Severus's flawless brews. It was difficult to decide on a winner but in the end Slughorn decided that Luna's was slightly better and bequeathed her the prize.
Severus, for his part, seemed to be stunned senseless by what had happened. He had expected the daft looking girl to be sub par at potions considering her strange nature, and yet here she was beating him out for top of the class. Just what sort of alternate universe had he stumbled into? He always got the best grades in potions. It was his thing. Was it even possible that this weird girl could be a potions prodigy much like himself? He almost felt like he had misjudged her, which left an awfully bad taste in his mouth. Severus Snape hated being wrong. Thinking gravely of the last time he had been wrong, he decided to make a point of talking to her to make up for it.
As Luna graciously accepted Slughorn's prize, Snape made his first attempt at addressing her of his own free will.
"I'm impressed Summerbee. Have you always been that good at potions?"
Luna smiled serenely at him, delighted that she had gotten praise from her former potions professor.
"No, no Severus. You must call me Luna. I do appreciate you're compliment however. I've always enjoyed making potions very much as I find it a brilliant means to an end. If you like, we could share methods and secrets sometime," Luna said serenely.
Severus had not expected her to reply so warmly but he'd be daft to turn down the opportunity to discuss potion making with some one who actually met his standards.
"That would be… nice."