Ch. 6

I finish breakfast and walk Ginny to her first class before I leave I give her a little kiss on the cheek. As I walk away, I see Cho standing there and I smile at her, but she turns away from me. I want to be her friend, but she just doesn't seem to want to try. I tried to explain to her that Hermione is just my friend, but she doesn't seem to understand. I'm going down to the dungeon for Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Snape. I remember complaining to my parents about him, they said just give him time, he will warm up to you. It's been six years, and I am one of his best students, but he still hates my guts. I did however find out the truth of why he hates me so much. I didn't tell mum or dad that I know. My dad use to tease Snape all the time when they were in school together, I'm just getting the payback. This makes me think of Rosie, how will Snape treat her? Oh hell, what am I going to do about that? I'll have to hope he doesn't treat her like he does me, I can handle the abuse, but Rosie she is as delicate as a Rose. She hasn't gotten her thorns yet. I hope she doesn't, but I know one day she will. Snape doesn't like me and I know he doesn't, I can tell through his actions but he can't fail me in any of my classes, because I am in the top of our class, Hermione of course is number one but I'm in the top ten, I feel bad for Ron he always seems to be struggling with the most simplest things. I get into class and see Hermione sitting in the front of the class; I go and sit by her. Ron didn't do good enough to take NEWTS DADA. I sit down and smile at Hermione.

"Hi Harry."

"Hey 'Mione."

"So tell me how did you ask Ginny out?"

I smile and start to laugh, how am I supposed to explain to people that I was so scared to ask a girl out, I mumble and stumble a lot and all that came out was Ginny I love you and I was wondering. Then the next thing I knew she was kissing me and all she said was yes, and I got confuses and asked her what.

"I really don't know how to explain it."

"Oh fine, I'll just ask Ginny."

I laugh, then I look around and see who we are having class with, it's a mixture of students from the different houses. Well that makes since, some students can't take a certain class because of the OWLs. So I notice some of the students, Malfoy, oh how I would love to go up to him and give him a piece of my mind. How could anyone every do that to their little brother I do not know, I would rather die than not have Rosie, yes she can have her annoying moments but that is what little siblings do. She completes our family though. Dad cried when Rosie was born, he said he had everything he needs in life now. His wife, a son and a daughter. Mum just smiled and said I have my beautiful baby girl now. Professor Snape comes in and looks around the room. He spots me, he sneers

"Oh why Mr. Potter the chosen one has decided that he does need to take NEWTs Defense Against the Dark Arts, why with what you did at the Ministry of Magic last year, I thought you would think this class is below you.'' he says then gives a chuckle

"No, sir I do not think this class is below me, I still have much to learn and I also need this class to become an Aurora, you know to follow in my father's footsteps." I smile up at him

He rolls his eyes, then turns around and goes to the front of the room. He looks around to see who else is in this class, he smiles at some and sneers at the rest. He looks back at me

"Tell me Potter, what is one of the hardest spells there is and why?"

"The Patronus charm, Expecto Patronum, is the hardest charm. It is very hard to conjure a full patronus, which takes form depending on who conjures it. It is the hardest because it takes every ounce of concentration that a person as, as long as the person is concentrating one the charm, the patronus will stay alive but if the person loses concentration the patronus will fade."

He gives me and evil look and sighs "Very good Potter, since you know all about Patronuses you should be able to produce one, can you show us?"

I stand up and smile, not many people know that I can conjure up a patronus. In my third year, one of Voldemort's followers broke out of Azkaban, and they has dementors all around Hogwarts, and they kept going after me, so Professor Lupin, taught me had to produce a Patronus.

"Yes, sir."

"Oh you can, well what shape does your patronus take then?"

"A stag sir."

"Let's see this stag."

He motions for me to come to the front of the class. I stand up straight and take my wand out. I think of my Mum, Dad, and Rosie and how much I love them and how much they mean to me. I think of Hermione and Ron, how they are the two bestest friends a guy could ask for, then I think about Ginny, and how much I love her, and how I am so lucky to have her in my life. I see all of their faces smiling at me.

"Expecto Patronum!" I yell and a stag comes running out of my wand. I keep my concentration on the stag and look at Professor Snape. He glares at me but nodes his head.

"Very good Potter, ten points to Gryffindor. You can lose the stag now, and go back to you seat."

I do as he says and the stag vanishes, I sit down by Hermione and she shakes her head at me and rolls her eyes. I give her a questioning look. Sure I know he was doing that in hopes that I would fail and embarrass myself in front of the class, but I wasn't going to let him get to me. Hermione is always telling me that I should just lie low when he does that, but what can I say, I love showing him that I am not an idiot. He goes around telling us what we will be learning this year, like silent spell casting. Before we leave he gives us a paper to write, one page of parchment on one of the unforgivable curses and why they are unforgivable. I walk out with the rest of the class and Hermione is telling me off.

"Harry you know he does that to provoke you. You shouldn't have done that."

"Done what Hermione? I should have pretended that I didn't know how to do that spell and that I couldn't produce a full body patronus? Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you the one boasting about it last year that I could produce a patronus? Telling everyone at the meeting to start the D.A. about it? You didn't mind it so much last year when people knew.''

"I'm just saying Harry that he does that because he knows it will get to you."

"Hermione, I know that, and I'm not going to act like an idiot and say I can't do something when I very well can."

"Will you please just listen?"

"Hermione, your one of my best friends. I love you like a sister, but please stop! You do this to me all the time. I'm sorry, if you think what I did was wrong, but I did exactly what he wanted me to do. Now if you don't mind, I have to get to potions.''

"Fine, and I have potions with you next. So does Ron...I believe." she smiles and blushes.

I roll my eyes at her "When are you and Ron going to get your act together and actually get together."

She stops dead in her tract and looks at me; I spin around a look at her with a questioning look. Her mouth drops open and it doesn't look like she is breathing, all of the color drains from her face.

"Hermione?" I say cautiously

"How long have you known?"

I laugh, and I can't stop laughing "Hermione, everyone know you like him. He likes you even though he won't admit it. Like I said your one of my bestest friends, I can see the way you look at him. You've liked him since our third year, and he started to like you in our fourth year. He was very jealous of Victor Krum, everyone can tell you guys like each other."

I laugh again and shake my head; I pull her the rest of the way to Potions. We have a new Potions teacher this year, Professor Slughorn. He was a teacher when my parents were in school; he came back as a favor to Professor Dumbledore. Mum and Dad said he was one of the best teachers when he taught them. I'm not very good at potions but luckily he will take students with exceeds expectations in his NEWTs classes, Mum has been tutoring me over the summer, trying to get me a little more practice. When we went to the book store, they didn't have any new copies of the book so I had to get a used one, well that's fine with me. There is some writing in the book but I am able to read some of it and what I can't read I'll just look at someone else's book. Professor Slughorn comes in and takes attendance, he comes across my name and looks up

"Harry Potter, your mother is Lily Evans right?"

"Lily Potter, but yes sir." my mum dropped her last name when she married my dad

"Oh she was one of my best students. Your father was a good student of mine as well, but Lily she was top of my class."

"Yes sir, she has been tutoring me in potions over the summer so hopefully I can keep up with the class."

He looks over at me a smiles "You probably get this a lot but you look so much like your father, but you have...''

"My mum's eyes, I get that all the time. My sister Rosie gets it too but she is told she looks just like my mother but has my father's eyes."

"Well I look forward to meeting her." he turns back to the class "Ok everyone gather up around here." he motions around his desk

The class moves to the front of the room around his desk with three different potions on the table.

"Who can tell me the name of these potions?"

Hermione hands shoots up, no one else's does. Professor Slughorn sees her hand and smile.

"Ah yes Miss...?"

"Granger sir."

"Miss Granger, well go ahead."

She goes up to the potions and smells them; she goes down the line like it is nothing. She gets to the last one and Professor Slughorn is smiling because she's gotten them all right. He gives Gryffindor twenty five points; I am shocked because that is a lot. He tells us that with the remainder of class we are to brew, Draught of living dead. Our prize is one little bottle of liquid luck, everyone gets back to their cauldrons. I open my book, and a lot of the directions are scribbled out, I figure what's the harm in trying the previous owner's way. Class is almost over and I am the only one whose potion is turning out right, I look over at Hermione and her hair is standing every which way because of the steam coming up. I put the last few ingredients in the call the professor over.

"Ah Harry let's see, if you got it right." he takes a small leaf out of his pocket and drops it in the potion. The leaf cripples up "Why yes you did, I would say one drop of this potion would kill us all. Well done my boy.''

He goes over to the vile of liquid luck and hands it to me "Use it well. Class dismisses."

I walk out of the classroom; I put the vile in my bag. I am on my way to the Great Hall for lunch and I run into Rosie, she is crying. I pull her aside on to a bench and sit her down. I kneel in front of her

"Rosie what's wrong? What happen?" I ask concerned

"I just got done with Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Snape."

"What happen?"

"Some of these boys started to make fun of Lucas, because they heard that his brother disowned him. Lucas wasn't saying anything he was trying very hard not to cry, I turn around and told them to leave him alone. Professor Snape came in and heard me call them a bunch of arrogant toe-rags; he looked at his list of students then found my name, when he looked at me his face dropped. I thought he was going to be mad at me but he turn on the other boys and gave them detention. Now everyone is calling me a teacher's pet, saying that Professor Snape is playing favorites. Every question he asked, and I answer correctly he gave Gryffindor points. Lucas even asked me what was going on; I told him I don't know. He didn't once give any of the Slytherin's points even if they answered the questions right."

"Is Lucas one of the people making fun of you?"

"Oh no, he had to use the bathroom so I told him I would meet him in the Great Hall, but on my way to the Great Hall, that Malfoy boy you told me to stay away from, well he heard about my class and he shot a spell at me, and now my arm hurts, and I can't get it to stop."

My face got hard; I'm going to kill him for hurting my little sister. She is holding her arm; I move her hand out of the way and roll up her sleeve. There is this huge black and blue mark on her arm, and it keeps growing. I take a deep breath, to try to calm myself down. I look at her, in the eyes, she is crying from all of the pain.

"Rosie, I need to take you to the Hospital Wing."

"But I'm supposed to meet Lucas."

"We need to take care of your arm first, after I get you to the wing, I'll go find Lucas and tell him what happen. Please Rosie; we need to take care of your arm."

She nodded her head and stands up, she tries to take her bag but it hurts her arm too much. I take her bag and walk her to the Hospital Wing. I'm going to kill him, for hurting my little sister like that. I'm going to teach him a lesson; he should pick on people his own size. I get her to Madame Pomfrey and I go to find Lucas.