The Potions Master

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to Merlon."

"With the black hair?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

Arthur had to deal with whispers following him wherever he went after leaving the dormitory the following day. People would queue outside classrooms and stand on their toes just to look at him, or double back just to pass him in the corridors again, staring, which got on his nerves.

He just wished they'd all stop because he was actually focused on both his classes and making his way through the large castle.

There were roughly a hundred and forty two staircases at Hogwarts. Some are wide, others are sweeping, narrow, rickety and some would even lead somewhere different on a Friday, some would even have a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump over.

There were also doors that would not open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in the exact right place, which Arthur found funny. And there's doors that aren't even doors at all, just solid walls pretending to be doors.

And because things seemed to move around a lot, it can be really hard to remember where anything was.

The people in the various portraits all kept visiting each other and Arthur could've sworn he saw the odd coat of armour walk.

When it came to the ghosts, they weren't much help, either. It would always be a bad shock when any of them glided through a door suddenly when you're trying to open it.

Nearly Headless Nick didn't mind always pointing new Gryffindors in the right direction, whereas Peeves would just be a menace, especially if you were late for class. He'd do things like drop waste paper buckets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with chalk or even sneak up behind you while invisible, grab your nose and screech at the top of his lungs "GOT YOUR CONK!".

However, despite Peeves being a menace, Argus Filch, the caretaker, was even worse than the Hogwarts poltergeist.

Both Arthur and David ended up getting on his bad side on their first morning. He found them trying to force their way through a door which they didn't know was the entrance to the out of bounds corridor on the third floor. No matter what they said, he didn't believe them that they were lost, which they were, thinking they were trying to break in on purpose and even threatened to lock them up in the dungeons when Quirrell came to their rescue as he was passing by.

Filch also owned a cat named Mrs Norris, a dust coloured and scrawny cat with bulging red eyes that made Arthur feel uncomfortable.

She would patrol the corridors by herself and if anyone broke any rule in front of her, she'd whisk off to get Filch, who would arrive, wheezing, a few seconds later. He also knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (well, except for the Merlon twins, of course) and would pop up suddenly like the ghosts.

And once you do manage to find them, there's the lessons themselves. Arthur saw that there was more to magic than waving wands and saying incantations.

There was Astronomy class where the students had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the various names of stars and the movements of the planets. Arthur found these lessons fascinating and seeing the surrounding area of the school at night made him feel peaceful.

With Herbology, they'd go to the warehouses behind the castle three times per week and be taught by a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, who was also the Head of Hufflepuff house. The students would learn how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi and also learned what they're used for. Arthur found this subject to be cool because of how practical it was and the plants and fungi were just insane.

Then there was the most boring subject, though it really shouldn't be: History of Magic. It was also the only subject to be taught by a ghost. Professor Binns was so old that when he fell asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up the next morning to teach, he left his body behind, unaware of the fact. He would drone on and on as they all wrote down names and dates, even getting Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. This proved to be a really disappointing subject for Arthur.

Charms turned out to be a cool subject like Herbology because of how practical it was. Professor Flitwick, who's also Head of Ravenclaw house, taught the subject and he's so tiny that he had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first lesson when he took the register, he reached Arthur's name and made an excited squeak before toppling out of sight, amusing the whole class.

Transfiguration was a subject that Arthur found hard yet rewarding. Professor McGonagall taught the subject and is also Head of Gryffindor house. Arthur, of course, was right about how she wasn't one to cross. She was strict, stern and yet clever. She also gave them all, including her son, a talk when they arrived for her first class.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

She then changed her desk into a pig and back into a desk. Every student was impressed to say the least and couldn't wait to get started. However, they soon learned that they wouldn't be changing furniture to animals for a long while.

They all made complicated notes and after they were done, each of them was given a match and had to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, the only ones that made any difference with their matches were Chrys, Mike and Arthur, though just barely for him. McGonagall would go on to explain to the class how theirs were all silver and pointy, even giving the three a rare smile.

The one subject everyone looked forward to the most was Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, because of Quirrell, the class was nothing but a joke. His classroom had a strong smell of garlic, which apparently was used to ward off a vampire Quirrell met in Romania, afraid he'd come back to get him one day.

He told everyone that his turban was given to him by an African prince as thanks for getting rid of a zombie, though everyone didn't exactly believe this story. This was because when Seamus asked how he fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and talked about the weather. They also noticed an odd smell hanging around his turban, with the Merlon twins saying that it was stuffed with garlic so that he can be protected wherever he went.

Overall, Arthur was just glad that he was able to keep up with other students, not being behind them at all. Some students came from Muggle families and didn't know of witches and wizards before they got their acceptance letters. There was also so much to learn that even those like David were on the same page with the other students.

Friday proved to be an important day for the two friends as they finally got to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost.

"So what do we have today?" Arthur asked David as he spread jam on a slice of buttered toast.

"We have double Potions with Slytherin. My brothers told me that Snape favours Slytherins and bullies those that aren't Slytherin." David said, clearly not looking forward to Potions. The same can be said for Arthur upon knowing this.

"Just great." He muttered.

As he took his first bite of the slice of toast, the post arrived. It took a few days to get used to having many owls stream into the Great Hall, circling tables until they saw their owners and dropped letters and packages onto their laps.

Arthur sent his first letter to the Dentleys a few days ago with Athena, letting them know how he was settling in and that he already made friends. Later that same day, he got a letter back, all of them saying that they're happy for him.

Whenever she wasn't used to send or deliver letters, she'd be by his side, nibbling a bit of his breakfast before going to sleep in the owlery. This morning, though, she fluttered and landed between his plate and a pile of buttered toast before dropping a note next to his plate. Arthur tore it open instantly. It was written in a very untidy scrawl.

DEAR ARTHUR,

I KNOW YOU GET FRIDAY AFTERNOONS OFF, SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME AND HAVE A CUP OF TEA WITH ME AROUND THREE? I WANT TO HEAR ALL ABOUT YOUR FIRST WEEK. SEND US AN ANSWER BACK WITH ATHENA.

HAGRID

Having his own quill with him, Arthur wrote 'Yes, please. I'll bring David with me. See you later.' on the back of the note and sent Athena off.

He was grateful that he was going to have tea with Hagrid later because Potions ended up being the worst subject for various reasons.

During the start of term banquet, Arthur had the suspicions that Snape despised him, well,,, despise was not even close to describing how much he loathed him.

The Potions lessons took place down in the dungeons, where it was colder than in the main castle and was made even more creepy than it should with the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.

A lot like Flitwick, Snape started the class by taking the register and when he reached Arthur's name, he paused.

"Ah, yes. Arthur Pendergast. Our new… celebrity." He said softly. Draco and his cronies all sniggered behind their hands to this and Arthur knew this would be hell.

Snape eventually finished calling the names and looked out at the entire class with his black eyes that, unlike Hagrid's, had no warmth in them, being cold and empty, making one think of a dark chasm.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." He started off, his voice barely a whisper, which made the whole class pay attention to him, a lot like McGonagall. Snape seemed to be gifted in keeping a class silent with little effort.

"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 human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death… if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." He continued on, leaving the whole room silent. Both Arthur and David looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Chrys, meanwhile, looked offended at being called a dunderhead.

"Pendergast!" Snape suddenly snapped.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" He asked him. Arthur suspected Snape's doing this to embarrass him in front of the class. But thankfully, he read One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi plenty of times, easily remembering what he read.

"They make a sleeping potion called the Draught of Living Death." He replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Snape.

"Hmm…. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" He then asked.

"It's… a stone taken from a goat's stomach and can save someone from most poisons." Arthur answered, taking a moment to remember.

"And what is the difference, Pendergast, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"They're both the name of a plant also known as aconite." Arthur once again answered. He also saw in Snape's eyes just how displeased he was with the results, knowing that he was being seen for singling out a student for no reason, noticing the whole class staring at either him or Arthur.

"Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" He snapped at the entire class, who all rummaged for their quills and parchment, including Arthur.

Things didn't exactly improve from that point on as the lesson continued. Snape had put everyone into pairs and had them all mix up a simple potion to cure boils. He would sweep around in his long, black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticising almost everyone except for Draco (whom he seemed to like) and much to his disdain, Arthur, who paid close attention to the instructions and measurements to avoid getting into more attention.

He was telling everyone to look at the perfect way Draco stewed his horned slugs when he got cut off from clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. It all came from a far corner of the room and it seemed that Neville had somehow melted Seamus' cauldron into a twisted blob with their potion seeping across the stone floor, burning holes into shoes,

Within seconds, the entire class stood on their stools whereas Neville was drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaning in agony as angry red boils started springing all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire!" Snape snarled as he cleared the spilled potion away with just one wave of his black wand. All Neville could do was whimper as boils popped up all over his nose. Arthur started feeling so bad for him. It's like Neville had bad luck for no reason whatsoever.

"Take him up to the hospital wing." Snape then spat at Seamus. He then looked around the class until his eyes found Arthur and David on the other side of the class. He snarled once more, seeing that he couldn't embarrass Arthur for a second time.

Double Potions ended an hour later, much to Arthur's delight. Everyone climbed up the steps out of the dungeon and Arthur was thinking the same question over and over as they did: Why does Snape hate him so much?

"You're lucky. Snape's always taking points off Jack and Kevin, even over the smallest of things. Besides, we're going to Hagrid's remember?" David commented.

When five to three arrived, the pair left the castle and made their way through the grounds. Hagrid happened to live in a round, small house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They saw a crossbow and a pair of galoshes outside the front door.

When Arthur knocked, they heard frantic scrabbling inside, as well as several booming barks from a dog.

"Back, Fang, back!" Hagrid's voice rang out.

His hairy face then appeared in the crack he made when pulling the door open.

"Hang on. Back, Fang."

He let the boys in, struggling to keep hold on the collar of a huge black boarhound.

There were only two rooms inside, one being to the side, leading to a back door. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire and in a corner was a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home." Hagrid said as he let go of Fang, who charged straight at David and licked his ears. It seemed that like Hagrid, Fang isn't as fierce as he looks.

Hagrid was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate as the boys sat at the table. He first looked at David's silver hair.

"Another Merlon, eh? I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the Forest." Hagrid noted.

Arthur watched David try to take a bite out of a rock cake, which resulted in him almost breaking his teeth, making him wince. David, though, pretended to enjoy it as the two told Hagrid of their first lessons. Fang ended up resting between them, Arthur scratching the top of his head.

The two were amused and pleased when Hagrid called Filch an old git.

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang some time. D'yeh know, everytime I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her. Filch puts her up to it." He ranted.

Arthur would go on to explain about Snape's lesson and Hagrid assured him that Snape didn't like any student that wasn't in Slytherin.

"Then how do you explain the fact that he hates me?" Arthur questioned

"Rubbish! Why should he?" Hagrid questioned, though he didn't meet Arthur's eyes when he said that, like he was keeping some information from him.

"How's yer brother Kenny? I liked him a lot, great with animals." Hagrid conversed with David.

Arthur knew without a doubt that Hagrid changed the subject on purpose.

Whilst David told Hagrid about Kenny's work with dragons, Arthur noticed and picked up a piece of paper that was underneath the tea cosy on the table.

It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet that read:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on July 17th, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

'But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you.' said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Arthur's eyes widened upon seeing the article. He remembered David saying on the train about how someone tried to rob Gringotts, yet he didn't mention when it happened.

"Hagrid! That Gringotts break-in happened the day we were there to make a withdrawal in my vault!" Arthur stated. There definitely wasn't any doubt about it when Hagrid still didn't look him in the eyes. Hagrid just grunted and offered him a rock cake.

Arthur was thinking many thoughts in his head about the break-in. If the vault mentioned in the article is vault seven hundred and thirteen, the same vault Hagrid took that small package from, what's so special about that object that someone would want to break-in and steal it?

As the two boys left and made their way to the castle for dinner, they each had their pockets full of rock cakes that they were too polite to refuse. And Arthur found himself thinking the most over tea with Hagrid over any of the lessons he had so far.

Did Hagrid collect the package in time? Is it currently at Hogwarts (since Hogwarts is apparently more secure than Gringotts)? And what did Hagrid know about Snape that he didn't want to tell Arthur?

I've decided to do a reversal of the potions class scene in the book and film because honestly, Snape should be taken down a peg or two more often. I just despise him to no end.

Hagrid's hut would of course look like as it did in the films from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards.

And before you say that Arthur was too perfect for answering Snape's questions, he's different compared to Harry. He likes reading, has a good memory and is smart enough to know what Snape was doing. Harry, however can be forgetful when it comes to certain things.