Chapter 4
Walking down the stairs to the entrance hall, Åsa nervously muttered 'jeg kan gøre det' as many other people, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors passed her to get some breakfast. Not being near her sister last night we really awkward because it took her two hours to get to sleep past the curfew. Usually Fritzie and Åsa stayed up after the curfew to read some books about cryptozoology or mythical creatures.
"How long will take you to get down here?" A voice stated from the bottom of the stairs. Fritz was standing at the bottom, hands on hip, tapping her foot impatiently as her sister took one step per minute. Fritzie's hair was in a braid, which was rare since she couldn't do anything but a ponytail and pigtail. She was wearing same uniform as Åsa but she had a Slytherin crest on her cloak and a green and silver tie.
Åsa had her hair loose, it covering up her Gryffindor crest while her tie, which was gold and red, was hidden mostly behind the vest that was required. She smiled, her red eyes lighting behind her black, grey, and marble colored glasses. Quickly running down the stairs, but carefully, she got to her sister, who had two bags of books unlike Åsa who had one bag of regular clothing.
"Here are your books." Fritzie gave Åsa the red colored bag, while Åsa gave Fritz the violet colored bag. "I'll be right back. Stay here."
As Fritzie ran back to the dungeons, Åsa stood in the entrance hall waiting like usual. Suddenly a pair of hands set themselves on her shoulders, scaring the living daylights out of the blond. Turning around, after squeaking, she noticed that it was the two Weasley twins. The two were laughing loudly as Åsa glared at them.
"What's going on?" Fritzie's voice questioned, coming up behind Åsa.
"They just scared me." Åsa muttered, grabbing her sister and dragging her away from the older twins. The two talked outside the Great Hall for a while before they were dragged away by Millicent and Lavender. After sitting down, the two new friends grabbed some milk and cranberry orange muffins.
"Don't you think it's weird?" Lavender asked, setting down her goblet.
"What's weird?" Åsa replied after swallowing some of the muffin.
"That you and your sister are in enemy houses." Lavender stated before finishing her muffin.
"Kind of, but we'll never be enemies. We have to live with each other, anyways." Åsa sighed, finishing up her milk and muffin.
Today was Friday, the day they go to the dungeons for Potions with Slytherins. Many of the first year Gryffindors were in disgust when they learned that it was the Slytherins they were going to work with, but Åsa was fairly happy since Fritzie and her could work together.
The two didn't hang out much during the day since Åsa started to hang out with Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Neville, and Hermione, who Åsa let into the group with the others consent. Åsa started to notice that Fritz was hanging out with Millicent, Pansy, and some other second year Slytherins.
When the six finished eating their breakfasts and reading their family mails, they started towards the dungeon. They were talking about their favorite classes, which was mostly Herbology, Charms, and Astronomy. Since they were earlier than most Gryffindors and Slytherin, they decided to look around the dungeons.
While walking around, the group of first year Gryffindors kind of got lost in the dark area. But, luckily, Hermione knew the spell Lumos from when she studied spells, so it was a little lighter than it was. All of them froze when they heard footsteps coming towards their direction. Lavender nearly screamed in fright, but Dean and Seamus both shut her up. Åsa sighed in relief when she heard her sister's voice call out in the distance.
"Åsa? Åsa's friends? Potions is about to start!" Fritzie's voice echoed down the corridor. Åsa started to drag Lavender and Hermione, while Dean and Seamus dragged a scared Neville through the darkness towards their friend's sister's voice. After they got to Fritzie, who nearly scolded Åsa in front of her friends, they followed the other Danish witch and her silent friend, Millicent, to the Potions room.
The door was open, which allowed them to sit down where ever they wanted. The six were the first Gryffindors in classroom, which was a little awkward since all the Slytherins were either just looking at them or whispering things about them. Åsa and Fritzie, like at their public school, sat next to each while Åsa friends sat next to her and Millicent sat next to Fritzie.
Seamus sat next to Åsa, Neville next to Seamus, Dean next to Neville, Lavender next to Dean, and Hermione next to Lavender. All of them talked to each other, not awkwardness around the group of first years, and they even got Millicent to join in the conversation. At first she wasn't comfortable talking to Gryffindors, because of the rumors around Slytherin, but then she relaxed a little when Fritzie told her that they weren't like that.
Not noticing other students sitting around them, the door suddenly slammed shut and the familiar Professor Snape walked into the room and to the front. All of them stopped talking, along with all the people around them who either joined their conversation or started their own. The greasy black hair was the same as well as the cold, charcoal black eyes that had no warmth in them what-so-ever.
Snape, just like Professor Flitwick, started the class with roll call. He went through all of the names like none of them were important, but he stopped at Harry's name.
"Ah, yes," he said in his usual soft voice, "Harry Potter. Our new – celebrity."
Åsa noticed that Draco Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle, started to laugh quietly as if Professor Snape said something funny, which he didn't. He finished the rest of roll call with his regular monotone voice and then started with the rules of Potions classroom.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. "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."
As Professor Snape continued his speech, Åsa and Fritzie were having one of their stare down conversations that no one ever noticed between them. Being twins, the two could always figure out what they were saying with the gestures of their eyes and eyebrows.
"Potter!" Snape stated, making both girls stop their conversation. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
By the look on Harry's face, Åsa could tell that he didn't even know what asphodel and wormwood was just like her. There was silence except the sniggering of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.
"I don't know, sir," Harry replied.
"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything." Åsa also noticed that Hermione was raising her hand, which wasn't such a surprise, but Professor Snape ignored her hand.
"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" That was the only thing that Åsa could answer, which it was in the stomach of a goat. She found that out when she just opened to a random page of her Potions book.
"I don't know, sir." Hermione's hand was higher than before when Harry said those words, but Snape still ignored the smartest of the Gryffindors.
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Snape questioned. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
When he questioned Harry, Hermione stood up and stretched her hand as far as it could go.
"I don't know," Harry replied quietly, "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"
Some people laugh, which was Fritzie, Åsa, Seamus, Dean, and Lavender. Seamus winked at Harry, but Professor Snape was clearly not pleased by Harry's answer.
"Sit down," He growled at Hermione, who followed his directions. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plan, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"
Quickly getting out a parchment, all of the people started to write down those important parts of his description. After they finished writing about the topic, he put them into pairs of two. Fritzie was put in a group with Millicent while Åsa was put together with Lavender, who didn't do anything but watch Åsa do the potion.
Professor Snape seemed to criticize everyone but Draco, Åsa, and Fritzie, which confused a lot of people including the twins. They were just following instructions but it seemed that they brewed the potion perfectly, both of them, and finished before anyone else. The two watched when Neville melted Seamus' cauldron and got the potion everywhere. The potion drenched Neville while everyone was standing on their chairs, which made him have, boils pop on his body.
"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled, cleaning the potion with a swish of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"
His reply was a whimper as Neville was in pain from the boils covering his skin. Professor Snape told Seamus and Åsa to take Neville to the hospital wing. As the three walked out of the classroom, Åsa heard Snape blame Harry about Neville's accident.
"You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."
After the two told the nurse about Neville, they walked back to the dungeon area and sat back down at their stools. The class soon ended, which made everyone flee the classroom but mostly Ron and Harry, with Åsa trying to catch up with them.
"Harry! Ron!" Åsa nearly screamed out, making the two boys stop at the top of the stairs. She quickly ran up the rest of the steps almost tripping over her shoes, making some of the people laugh.
"Yes, Åsa?" Harry questioned the girl.
"I-I just wanted to hang out with you guys some more. We haven't hung out since the train!" Åsa exclaimed, making both of the boys look at each other. She noticed that they were debating on letting her hang out, so she kept quiet and waited for their answer.
"Sure." Harry broke the silence of the three. "We're going to Hagrid's hut. Want to come?"
"Of course!" Åsa smiled, walking with the boys. They were talking about Professor Snape and how he chose to be mean to Harry only, which Åsa disagreed with. She pointed out that he was being mean to Harry, but there was the other Gryffindors and Slytherins that were getting criticized by the professor.
The three walked down the hill towards a large hut, which kind of fascinated Åsa in a weird way. Harry knocked on the door, only to get loud barking as a reply. Hagrid was heard pushing back his dog, Fang, to get to the door. Hagrid opened the door making his hairy face appear, but he didn't fully open it.
"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."
Hagrid let the three in while holding onto his dog's collar. Åsa noticed that it was the breed of a black boarhound, which was her favorite type of dog. The hut had only one room, which had hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling, a kettle above the fire, and a giant bed was in the corner with a quilt over it.
"Make yerselves at home," Hagrid stated, letting go of Fang, who went straight towards Ron and Åsa, licking both of their faces. While Åsa was laughing, Ron was trying to get the dog off but failed miserably.
"This is Ron and other friend Åsa Gunnarssen," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring water, which was boiling, into teapots and giving them some rock cakes.
"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid stated, glancing at Ron's face but mostly the freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest. And I remember Åsa 'cause her sister was a Slytherin."
As Harry and Ron pretended to like the rock cakes, Åsa actually liked them since they were better than some of her siblings cooking skills. The two boys started to talk about their first lessons as Åsa grabbed seconds, which didn't go unnoticed by any of the people around her. Åsa noticed that Harry's robes were covered in drool because Fang decided to rest his head on Harry's knee. They started to talk about Filch, who Hagrid stated as 'that old git.'
"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her – Filch puts her up to it."
After that, they started on about Snape's lesson. Hagrid told him not to worry about it because Snape didn't like any of the students, but some.
"But he seemed to really hate me."
"Rubbish!" Hagrid stated. "Why should he?"
Suddenly Hagrid changed the subject to Ron's brother, Charlie, and Åsa got into the conversation because they were talking about Romania. Åsa, as the other two were talking, noticed that Harry had picked up a piece of paper and she read it from the corner of her eye.
'Gringotts Break-In Latest'
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, 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.
"Hagrid!" Harry stated suddenly," that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"
All three of the first years noticed that Hagrid didn't meet Harry's eyes when he stated them. The four of them switched the conversation to something else. It was soon time to go to supper so the three of them politely took some of the rock cakes, which were given to Åsa when they were far enough away.