Chapter three:

Potions class from hell

Dumbledore made an announcement at breakfast,  that a rabid werewolf had apparently been sighted in the forbidden forest and that he had, therefore, called for the help of Remus Lupin, who would be searching for the beast together with Hagrid. Since Lupin was already a werewolf, he would not be changed by a bite, but Dumbledore cautioned everyone with a somber expression, not to go near the forbidden forest, and not to leave the safety of the school, especially at full moon.

Harry had to admit that the excuse was pretty good,. This way, there wouldn't be any excitement or questions, as to why the former teacher was here. Sirius would show like a normal dog anyway and not raise any suspicion.

His worries diminished a bit while eating. He was certain that he would be informed about the new plans of the order, if he wouldn't even be able to attend the meeting. He did have a tight connection to Voldemort after all and had even fought him on several occasions.

His good mood vanished though, as he was walking to the next class together with his friends. Potions with Snape.

Ron and he had managed to finish their homework the previous night, not without some trouble and a writing, which had been growing bigger and bigger towards the end of the essay. If he was honest to himself, he wouldn't be surprised to get a bad rating for it, only because of the terrible handwriting. Snape was a stick-up-his-ass orderly-loving fanatic, and essays, which weren't written with care seldom got any decent grades. Hermoine had, when she had seen their work, predicted, that they may even get a straight, fat F for it, knowing about Snape's moods.

Ron and he had only shrugged her worries away. They had finished to write a quite decent essay in the end, they thought, as much as it was possible for such a boring topic, and there was nothing to fault it for, except for the slight cheating with the length.

All right. If Harry was honest, both Ron and him had been too tired and hungry to brood another hour over the essay. It wasn't the first time they had done something like this, and neither him nor Ron had Hermoine's ambitions to be best at every subject and get good marks everywhere. They didn't get sick over bad grades they may be getting in Potions. They could perfectly live with a four or five for this essay.

As they entered the classroom now, Snape was nowhere to be seen. Harry sat down at his customary place, as well as the other students strode purposefully to theirs. Even though it was highly unusual that Snape was late for class, no one was suicidal enough not to be sitting orderly at his desk, when he came in. His mood had steadily gotten worse lately.

Harry had just sat down, as the teacher practically swept into the room like a giant, menacing shadow. Harry sometimes wondered how the man had managed to acquire this feature. He sometimes reminded Harry of a human Dementor. Harry shuddered slightly at the thought of those terrible creatures. But there was no way a Dementor could be capable to show such a bitter, hateful face, as Snape was displaying right now.

"Homework on my desk, right now," he growled, while he was walking along the students' tables to his desk. And instantaneously, the students rose intimidatedly from their banks, to deposit their essays on Snape's Desk.

"Isn't he a real joy this morning?" Ron whispered behind the palm of his hand. Harry chuckled.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for unasked talking in class," Snape's voice cut through the room immediately.

Harry threw Ron an exasperated smile, which Ron answered with a shrug and rolling eyes.

They brought their essays to Snape's desk after all the others did, almost throwing them on top of the ones already lying there. When they returned to their places though, they got greeted by a reproachful glare of Hermoine.

"You will be brewing the invisible potion, which we have been studying last week in theory." Snape let his glance sweep over his class and his expression darkened even more, if that was even remotely possible.

Harry was used to Snape's usually cold stares. If he ever showed any emotion at all, it was usually rage or hate. But now, Harry could swear that he saw unhidden abhorrence in those black eyes. "And I want you to brew this potion by heart. It's time that you learn to pay attention in class."

Every student was staring at their teacher with unbelieving horror. Alright. Everyone but Hermoine and Harry thought to hear a terrified yelp from Neville's direction. Brewing a potion by heart they had only read about once, was not only impossible, it was plainly dangerous. They had at least have to be given time to study the ingredients once more. Otherwise the risks were too enormous. Everyone knew that and Harry couldn't believe that the Headmaster would agree to what the potions master now asked of them.

"Ahem…Professor?" Malfoy interjected hesitantly.

"Twenty points from Slytherin," Snape cut him off harshly. Malfoy jumped a little in his seat, staring shocked at the teacher.

Harry was certain that the dull noise he thought to have heard, was his jaw, as it hit the ground. Never before had Snape taken points off his own house for unasked questioning. Quite the contrary. And then he had done so to Draco Malfoy, Slytherin's golden boy, who could usually get away with everything in potions.

As Harry saw all the incredulous gapes directed at the teacher, he figured that the others were as surprised as he was. Snape turned his attention away from the students and grabbed the first essay off the top of the pile, while he reached for a quill and a bottle with - as everyone knew - red ink in it. He unrolled the parchment in his hands, but before starting to read, his eyes wandered back to the still frozen students.

"If I remember correctly, we are studying potions here, and not transfiguration. As much as I would welcome if some of you would transform your neighbors into the ingredients of the potion, it would only leave me to deal with some hysterical parents."

Catching the not so subtle wink, the students began to get off their seats and move to the shelves at the sidewall where the standard ingredients were stored. Harry though, had his gaze glued curiously upon the parchment in Snape's hand. Since he had delivered his essay after all the others, he could be pretty certain that it was his work, Snape was reading now. Judging by Snape's mood today, Hermoine's prediction of a bad rating was getting more and more probable.

Snape lowered his eyes to glance disgruntled at its beginning, before he unrolled the parchment the whole way and, with narrowed eyes, wrote something at its bottom.

"Potter!"

Immediately all the students stopped, where they just stood and turned their interest to Harry. Snape lifted the parchment in the air in front of his face.

"Failed and twenty points deduction for a unreasonable homework," he commented dryly.

For the second time within five minutes, Harry found himself speechless. Ron however was the angrier for that matter. "You can't do that! You didn't even read the essay. And twenty points is way too much, anyway!"

Snape gifted Ron with a look, as if the boy were nothing but an especially disgusting insect. Demonstratively, he reached for the next parchment, checking the name shortly, before scribbling something on its lower end with his red ink.

"Ron Weasley; failed and forty points deduct for a unreasonable homework." This time, Ron swallowed a indignant answer and stared at the teacher, as flabbergasted as Harry.

"And if you don't want to lose any more points, I suggest that you get up from your seats and start to brew the potion."

When they arrived at the shelves, they were both literarily fuming, and Ron's face looked as if it had entered a competition with his hair, so flushing red it was.

"I warned you," Hermoine hissed, as they approached her.

"Miss Granger," Snape's voice again cut through the room. Like before, everybody stopped their actions and looked up at Hermoine. But where before curiosity had been in the faces, now they were filled only with compassion. At least from the Gryffindors. The Slytherins were watching her with restrained curiosity.

Hermoine bit her lower lip nervously and met the professor's gaze. Snape was holding two parchments now, and Hermoine exhaled in relief. Her essay was perfect like all her work, even if she would probably not get any points due to the mood Snape was in. But that was something she had certainly gotten used to in the meantime, since Gryffindors rarely got any acknowledgement in potions, no matter how good their work was. But at least he didn't seem to have heard her talk, which was already a good thing.

"I do believe, Miss Granger, that I asked for an essay of the length of the parchment that I handed out. So can you tell me, why yours is two parchments long? You always pretend to be so intelligent. Why is it then, that you're not able to tell one from two parchments? Failed and fifty points deduction for Gryffindor."

Hermoine's mouth dropped and shut a couple of times, much like a fish out of the water, gasping for oxygen, but no sound left her throat. Her eyes were wide in unbelieving shock and Harry truly feared that she would pass out any minute.

She finally was able to vocalize something, which sounded like a yapped "what?", before her mouth shut close in a tight line and her eyes hardened.

"But that…that's unfair," she finally protested.

Snape didn't let her furious outburst get to him and only sneered at her. "Another fifty points deduction for Gryffindor."

That announcement stole every further argument from Hermoine, and this time, Harry was certain, that she would pass out right away. She couldn't have looked more devastated, if someone would have told her that earth was flat, all the books in the world destroyed and she last in class. She stood there, shaking slightly in anger about this monumental injustice and couldn't take her eyes off the potions master who was already studying the next parchment.

Most students went right back to work, collecting ingredients. Snape was in his worst mood ever and everybody tried to do his best to act invisible. Not even the Slytherins were safe today, if Snape got notice of them.

Harry and Ron stepped forward and grabbed the still gawking Hermoine by her arms, pulling her back to the shelves. "Don't get worked out about it Moine," Ron whispered.

The redhead had tried to talk so quietly, that Snape wouldn't hear him, but as soon as the words had left his mouth, a big enormous bang shook the whole room.

The already nervous students jumped back and a few of the girls yelped in surprise.

All eyes darted to the origin of the noise.

Snape was still sitting on his chair, his eyes lowered, so that his lanky hair was hiding his face but his desk lay turned over on his side, parchments, quills, books and the inkbottle were strewn wildly across the stone floor in front of the desk. The inkbottle was lying on its side and the red of its content was spreading slowly over one of the essays.

Slowly, like in slow motion, Snape lifted his head and his eyes were burning with pure hatred.

Watchfully and menacing he pushed off his chair. His eyes were narrowed and his nostrils flared, as he tried to keep control of himself.

"All essays failed and one hundred points deduct from both houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Class dismissed."

Nobody hesitated for one single second to hurry to their desks to get their things and leave the room as fast as possible. And not one dared to make the smallest protesting sound.

Only after having walked a few meters away from the place of horror, Harry dared to breath freely again.

"Dear Jesus," Hermoine moaned and let her back collapse against the brick wall in the corridor. "That was…that was…"

"That was the worst potions class ever," Ron finished her sentence.

"What the hell is wrong with Snape? He's always been a nasty git, but this here…," Harry said.

"He can't do this. My essay was perfect," Hermoine moaned again.

"Snape has finally lost it," Ron decided.

"And we're not going to simply accept it. Come on, let's go talk to the Headmaster," Harry said.

**************

T.B.C.