Chapter Eight: Felix Felicis:
Harry came to potions early the next day and sat down in his usual seat right by Ron and Hermione. Dean was now at their table as Neville was not taking potions anymore. He had got an OWL in potions but his grade was not high enough for Severus's expectations. Instead he was working hard on his mastery in Herbology as he had not only got his NEWT in it but was fast becoming a great apprentice for professor Sprout. Harry saw at the front of the class a small cauldron with what looked like molten gold leaping merrily from within. He wondered what it was and turned to Hermione who was a bit puzzled too by the gold liquid. She knew what it was but not why Severus would make this potion at all, it was very hard to do so and he had to have a very good reason to.
"Wonder what that is?" Harry asked her.
"I think it is liquid luck, but if that is the case, very few can brew that." Hermione replied.
"Well professor Snape is not a potions master and teacher at Hogwarts for his looks." Ron said quietly.
"Ron that was not nice!" Hermione hissed at him.
"I bet you think he is good looking then?" Ron shot at Hermione.
"Yes he is, if I were only ten years older I would go out with him!" Hermione shot back at Ron getting him to turn red with anger.
"Fine date him see if I care!" Ron hissed back.
"Um guys this really is not the time." Harry warned them.
The door to Severus's office opened and Severus entered the class that was already very quiet, even the normal bickering of Ron and Hermione stopped as he swept into his class. Everyone was wondering what Severus had planned. He walked to stand by the small cauldron on his desk and surveyed the sixth years all gathered here. Harry was feeling excited, not a feeling he usually had in potions, something was up and he wondered what. Severus looked over at him and then at the rest of the class.
"Who knows what this is?" Severus said and only Hermione's hand went up. "Miss Granger I am aware you know what it is, however please allow one of your classmates to answer."
"Sorry sir." Hermione said pulling her hand down and blushing.
"Mr. Potter if you have spent as much time studying as you have in other activities you should know what this is." Severus said, not cutting Harry any slack just because they now got along. "Care to enlighten the class?"
"Just my luck," Harry murmured.
"Not all of us are endowed with the hearing of a bat, do speak louder Mr. Potter."
"Um its liquid luck sir, you drink it and get lucky." Harry said. "Its proper name is Felix Felicis sir."
"Very good, why then if it is liquid luck as Mr. Potter put it. Why was it not used last year in the battle?" Severus looked around and at Draco who was not paying as much attention as he should. "Mr. Malfoy?"
"Well as anyone who has half a brain knows sir Felix can only give so much luck, as a war or battle is so complicated the luck simply put would not work, it was used in the second world war by Grindlewald in Germany, he had the muggle leader take it but it did not work out in the end."
"Very good, five points to Slytherin." Severus said. "Now aside from battles and war what would one use this for? Mr. Weasley?"
"I don't know sir, if I had a chance to take some probably to, well get a girlfriend sir?" He blushed as the class laughed and Hermione glared at him. "Sorry sir I could not think of anything else."
"I see, I am sure many of you have noble reasons for wanting a taste of this." Severus said and a small smile came to his face. "However, in order to earn this you will have to work for it. You will spend the week learning how to properly brew a blood replenishing potion, after this you will work in class on finding improvements to the potion. The student that does the best will get a bottle of Felix, if you manage to make a poison you will fail this part of your class and be out of the contest is that clear?"
"Yes sir." The students said.
Harry was nervous, so far he had done well in following directions from a book. But to experiment and improve a potion? That was to him crazy, how was he to do that? He knew the NEWT level classes were harder, but Potions was taking the top of his hardest classes. He mentally groaned as he realized what was expected of him. Sixth year was even harder than he expected, he was studying as hard if not harder than last year with little time for eating and Quidditch. He wondered not for the first time if his working for his NEWT in potions was really a good idea. He just did not have his mother's talent for potions try as he might. He found he liked Transfiguration and even Herbology a bit better though he respected Severus and the fact he was really a good professor.
Of course every class the sixth years took now, from charms to transfiguration to the defense classes they were being taught how to cast spells wordlessly. Harry found this not as hard as it would have been had he not learned Occulumency but still it was not easy. No he had to work just as hard as everyone else and found that defense was the hardest class of all for this. After the fifth time in one defense class he found himself staring at the ceiling from an expertly cast silent spell from Hermione he had very nearly snapped. He had got up and cast a very effective spell at her and turned her hair green. She didn't realize what he had done for a few moments as she forced him to put up silently a shield charm to stop her from jinxing him.
"Hermione your hair." Ron said when he was able to take a break and see her hair.
"What Ron?" Hermione said.
"Um it's green?" Ron said and watched as she looked at her plait of now green hair.
"You were planning on telling me when Harry?" She said looking ready to kill him.
"Um you hit me with a jelly legs jinx, a pillow knee, a full body bind, a stupefy and another jelly legs!" Harry snapped. "Just because you get this faster than the rest of us does not mean you have to give me a headache!"
"Headache Harry?" Hermione snapped as Harry had said the wrong thing. "I will show you headache!"
Moody turned from where he was coaching Neville and watched as Harry and Hermione faced each other wands out. He knew he should stop this but who was he to stop a witch from letting of a little steam? He would stop it soon enough but let the teens get some frustration out first. Draco looked at them wide eyed as did Ron who tried to calm them down. Yet that was not going to happen as these two were very stressed and taking it out on each other. Hermione struck first and Harry blocked it and shot a charm at her. He was fast but not fast enough and she turned his hair a bright blue. Harry hit her with a cheering charm and she got it off and sent another color changing charm at him that hit Draco. The charm turned his hair green and he threw a charm at Ron who was laughing hard at him now. Ron's hair turned purple and Moody knew he had to put an end to this now.
"Enough!" He roared limping up. "Since you seem to like color changing charms I think you can go to lunch that way."
"No professor!" Hermione said. "Harry started it sir, make him go to lunch with blue hair sir!"
"Yes, everyone can see how you wasted time in class today!" Moody said. "Oh and five points each from Gryffindor and five from Slytherin!"
"Way to go scar-head." Draco shot at Harry.
"Hermione started it!" Harry grumbled.
"I did not you did Harry!" Hermione said, "just because as a witch I actually have brains!"
"Where do you keep them in your books?" Harry shot back then realized what he had done and looked at her in horror. "Hermione I…"
"Keep it up and I will do worse than change your hair Harry!" Hermione hissed.
"Must be that time of month." Ron muttered.
"What did you say?" Hermione shot at him going very red.
"Enough class is over!" Moody snapped at his class. "Go to lunch now or it's detention for the lot of you!"
Severus was sitting in the great hall talking to McGonagall when he looked up and stared. McGonagall looked up as well and saw Ron Weasley with purple hair, Harry Potter with bright blue hair, Hermione Granger with bright green hair and Draco Malfoy with dark green hair enter the hall. Moody slumped to his seat and McGonagall turned to him wanting to know exactly what this was all about. He knew, knew that transfiguration could not be used as a punishment! She glared at him as he tucked into his lunch and looked at her with his magical eye.
"I didn't do it." Moody said.
"Let me see, they lost control threw color charms at each other and you made them keep the results as punishment?" Severus asked.
"Yes, look better that way too." Moody growled.
"Indeed, it seems Mr. Malfoy is enjoying his hair." Dumbledore said smiled.
"Oh goody as if he needs more of a swelled head." Severus muttered.
"You are partly to blame." McGonagall said to Severus.
"I am not! I have raised that boy as best I could as his godfather."
"Delusional." Moody muttered.
"Well it is not my fault for his swelled head, ask his father about that one." Severus said putting a piece of chicken in his mouth.
"True but you do let him get away with more things than most." McGonagall retorted. "Second year…"
"He would not have been on my team if he were not a good seeker." Severus replied. "I only want winners on my team. Lucius could have bought gold plated brooms and if his son had not been a good player he would not have been on my team."
"So glad to hear you can be fair." McGonagall replied.
"At least I did not break the rules and let a certain first year at that time have a broom and be seeker on my team." Severus said innocently.
"He was very good and Harry is an orphan you know what his home life was like." McGonagall replied.
"Hnn yes you just wanted to win the cup." Severus said smirking at the look he got from McGonagall.
He went back to eating and knew that Draco was going to milk his green hair for all it was worth. Sure enough everyone in school would regret Draco and his green hair before the day was out. When time came for the students to remove the charms Draco refused. So for the next week he went classes with green hair. As it technically was not against the rules he was allowed to keep it. That is until Severus told him to remove it or he wrote his mother. The thought of Narcissa marching up to the school scared Draco into putting his hair back to normal much to the relief of the rest of the school.
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Now we cannot have Severus always nice can we? No, he is a no-nonsense man in the classroom and will stay that way. I do love Severus he is awesome to me! As for Moody's punishment, the teens did it to themselves and deserved to go around like that!
Anyway you guys rock! As always do review!