CHAPTER 10:

I BITTERLY REGRET LILY'S DEATH

Harry was enjoying Hogwarts. Oh, he did prefer what would have been called 'Muggle' education back home on Gaia (Reeve had helped tutor him in a variety of subjects, with some help from Nanaki when he could get away from administering Cosmo Canyon, and Yuffie when she was able to get away from Wutai), but to learn about magic was amazing.

Of course, it wasn't without its downside. History of Magic was, frankly, boring as shit (although he didn't voice the expletive out loud: Aerith berated him whenever he used swear-words, thinking Cid and Barrett a bad influence), with Binns droning on and on about goblin uprisings. Defence Against the Dark Arts was better, but only because Jenova took over when Quirrell's stammering got to be too much. He wondered about the DADA teacher with the turban. And while Astronomy was interesting, it also took place late at night. And it was hard not to get lost within the castle.

However, Transfiguration, while hard, was enjoyable (Jenova's demonstration of Hojo notwithstanding), Charms was very enjoyable (Flitwick being a delight as a teacher), and Herbology was, while dirty, interesting. It was also the area which Neville Longbottom indisputably did well in.

He didn't get to see Aerith or Jenova as often as he would have liked, though Cait Sith often came up to him during meals in the Great Hall. As it turned out, Hermione was fascinated by the robotic cat, as she didn't know that any robots existed with that level of technology. After some considerable debate with Jenova and Aerith, especially as Hermione wasn't quite a friend yet (her bossy demeanour being rather off-putting), they brought her to a quiet corner of the library and told her some of the truth: that Harry had, for the past several months, been living in a parallel world. Ron, who had been there, was brought along to confirm it, and Harry showed her his bangle, which had Materia on it.

The bangle was an Aurora Armlet, capable of absorbing ice-based magic. It had four Materia implanted in it, three of which Harry got for his birthday: a Final Attack Materia, a Phoenix Summon Materia, and a Full-Cure Materia. He also had an Enemy Skills Materia, one given to him by Yuffie as a means to help protect him.

This, of course, provoked even more questions from the inquisitive girl. Her eagerness was rather off-putting, but Harry offered to lend her his personal copy of Loveless. She was certainly willing: her name came from one of Shakespeare's plays, though Harry didn't know it. The Winter's Tale, to be precise. And she liked reading things other than textbooks.

Harry, meanwhile, wondered what to do about Neville. He remembered what Sirius had once told him, that Neville's parents had been tortured into insanity by a quartet of Death Eaters. He considered approaching Neville about that, but wondered if he shouldn't. Aerith had decided that they should wait until their relationship with the shy boy strengthened before they brought that painful issue up.

Neville was told the truth about Harry, though, and while he found the concept of another world a bit hard to believe, he did accept it, especially after being shown the Materia.

Soon, the end of the week arrived, and Harry would have his first Potions lesson. He tried to calm himself: he had revised the textbook as best as he could as Snape had told him to. As much as the spirits of his parents told him that Snape was a bastard, his mother remembered the gawky and relatively kind boy Snape had been. And Potions, as a subject, was fascinating.

He received a letter from Hagrid during breakfast, inviting him to tea later that afternoon, as there was a free period after class. Harry and Ron decided to go, and Aerith had apparently been invited too.

The Potions class was held deep within the castle, in a cold and dank dungeon. The room was rather creepy, given the strange ingredients held in jars.

Snape was, as he always was, tall, dark, and forbidding. As he took the roll, he paused at Harry's name. "Ah, yes. Harry Gainsborough. Our new…celebrity," he said quietly. Harry hoped that the disdain evident in the word was at the fame around Harry, and not at Harry himself, though it was probably a vain hope. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle chose that moment to snigger.

Snape, after taking the roll, looked down at them all with his dark, dark eyes. While his voice was somewhat nasal, it was also commanding and resonant. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he said. If nothing else, he knew how to capture the attention of an audience. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe that this is magic." He stared at them as if daring to foolishly attempt to prove him wrong. "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…" Snape was in his element here, Harry could see. Potions was one of the man's greatest passions, and you could see it, subtly, in his eyes. The fervour dancing in those dark irises.

His voice nearly inaudible, and yet all the more captivating for it, continued. "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death…" Suddenly, his voice, while not raising much in volume, all but lashed out. "…If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Harry fought not to gulp. He knew Snape was going to ask him a question.

"Gainsborough!" Snape snapped. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Panicked, Harry tried to recall the information, but found nothing. "I'm sorry, sir. I do not know."

A faint sneer twitched at Snape's features, even as he ignored Hermione's outstretched hand. "Clearly, fame isn't everything."

Harry shook his head. It wasn't.

"Let's try again. Gainsborough, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Ah! This one he did know! "Bezoars are stones found in the digestive system of many animals, but the most useful one in Potions is found in the stomach of a goat: it's a potent antidote for most poisons."

Snape didn't sneer this time. "Perhaps you know how to open a book after all. Let us see if you have retained more than one fact: can you tell me the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Harry sighed in relief. He knew this one as well. "No difference at all, sir. They are the same plant: aconite, a key ingredient in many potions."

Snape looked down at Harry thoughtfully, before saying, "Correct." His eyes flickered to Hermione. "Granger! Seeing as you are so eager to contribute, could you tell the class what Potter failed to know."

"Yes, sir! Asphodel and wormwood, when combined, are key ingredients for the Draught of Living Death. It is a potion so potent, only the antidote can wake the drinker."

Snape looked at the girl coldly, before nodding. "Correct, though verbatim regurgitation of facts is not an admirable trait." He then looked at the rest of the class, ignoring the hurt look on Hermione's face. "Well? Why aren't you writing this all down?" he snapped.

Harry did so, as did the rest of the class, rummaging for quills and parchment.

The lesson continued. Snape put up a recipe for a simple boil-curing potion, and had them pair up. Harry and Ron worked on their potion, and Harry took the lead, helping correct some of the mistakes that they nearly made. Reading the textbook in advance helped.

Unfortunately, Neville, in his nervousness, made a mistake Harry only noticed a moment too-late while he looked over to the boy. Snape was praising Malfoy's stewed slugs when Harry saw Neville's porcupine quills enter the cauldron he and Seamus were working on.

It was too late to get the boys away. Working on instinct, even as the mixture began to boil over, Harry brought up his arm, concentrated on the Materia, and yelled "Mighty Guard!"

A brief glow suffused Neville and Seamus, before the cauldron they were working on burst and sprayed Neville with liquid. The other students shrieked and got onto stools as the potion splashed onto the floor, hissing as it did so. Snape stormed over, waving his wand to clean up the faulty potion, and snarled, "Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking it off the fire?"

Neville was staring at the cauldron in sheer shock. He didn't say anything in his defence.

Snape then rounded on Harry. "Gainsborough, what did you do?"

"I used a special magic, sir. It helps protect against physical and magical attack. It was the only thing I could think of to do in time, sir."

Snape seemed to debate with himself, whether to take points off Harry, before rounding on Neville. "A point from Gryffindor, Longbottom. You were lucky Gainsborough had just enough presence of mind to give you protection. You have also earned yourself and your partner a failing grade for the day."

Harry nearly protested at the injustice of it, but Ron kicked him under the table. "He can get nasty, I heard."

Harry reluctantly nodded, and returned to his potion. As much as he was glad he didn't lose any points, he didn't want to see Neville get into trouble.

Once the lesson was over, Snape told Harry to stay behind. Harry told Ron he'd meet him for lunch in the Great Hall, and stayed, standing, uncomfortably, under Snape's scrutiny.

Eventually, Snape asked, "What was that magic, Gainsborough?"

"Mighty Guard. I said what it did: it casts Protect and Shell magic, which are shields against physical and magical attacks respectively. I used this to cast it," he said, rolling back his sleeve to reveal the Aurora Armlet, and tapping the Enemy Skills Materia.

"I recognise the armlet and the other Materia: I was there when you got them for your birthday," Snape said, standing from his desk. As he wiped the recipe for the boil-cure potion from the blackboard, he said, "You were angry at me for what I did to Longbottom. At least Weasley had the good sense to remind you to mind your tongue, lest you lose even more points for Gryffindor. Potions is an exacting business, and the recipe must be followed to the letter for a reason. I have experimented enough with Potions myself to know that creativity can often lead to painful, and even lethal results. Had you not acted, the potion would have probably given Longbottom boils rather than cure them."

Harry remained silent. He was angry, but Snape, for all his nastiness, was correct.

"Good. You know how to guard your tongue better than your father," Snape said, finishing wiping the blackboard, and turning back to Harry. "I daresay your adoptive sister has been a good influence on you. She reminds me a lot of your mother. I…bitterly regret her death. Indeed, in the language of flowers, that is what my questions stood for. They were not just to test your knowledge, which you performed…adequately."

"You bitterly regret her death," Harry reiterated quietly.

"Indeed. I was able to speak to her for a time after I came to your birthday, Gainsborough. Minerva appeared to me, along with your parents. I only wished to speak to Lily, of course. Too much has happened between Potter and myself for me to even consider speaking to his shade. I wanted the love I felt for her to remain secret: only Dumbledore was to know. But she told you. Gainsborough, do not expect me to like you or favour you. But know that I have made a promise to your mother's shade that I will do my utmost to protect you from any threat against your life, and educate you about Potions. What I want from you is a commitment to learn all that you can, not to sit on your laurels. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly, sir. I want to be known not as the Boy Who Lived, but the Boy Who Strived."

Snape considered this for a moment, before a faint smile touched his features. Still somewhat acid, but there was a sentimental touch to the smile that Harry realised was genuine. "Then make that your goal, Gainsborough. Perhaps they should have made you a Hufflepuff. And remember that I do not want you discussing this conversation with anyone who doesn't know. That is all, Gainsborough."

Harry nodded, and left, but not before saying, "Thank you, sir."

Snape nodded, before contemplating his notes. It seemed that Potter's spawn was capable of being like Lily after all.

Aerith, Cait Sith, Harry, Ron, and Neville all went down to Hagrid's hut. They'd invited the timid boy along in the aftermath of his disastrous first lesson with Snape. They had even tried to get Hermione, but she was currently reading the copy of Loveless Harry had loaned her, and said she might come another time.

Hagrid lived in a relatively small wooden hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Aerith was reminded, somewhat, of Gongaga, the hometown of her boyfriend, Zack. Late boyfriend, she reminded herself, though it was good to see him at times at the City of the Ancients. Still the same, eager young man.

As it turned out, Hagrid owned a rather large boarhound by the name of Fang. Large and intimidating but, like Hagrid, a real softy. Shown inside, they were served tea and rock cakes. They nearly broke their teeth on rock cakes, before Aerith suggested dipping them in the tea that they were given.

They discussed life at Hogwarts so far, including Filch and his cat, Mrs Norris, as well as Snape's first lesson. Harry decided to keep quiet about the relationship between Snape and Lily Potter, and so just told Ron and Neville that Snape had kept him behind to check the Materia.

"So, even Muggles can use this, eh?" Hagrid asked, peering at Harry's bangle, and the Materia set into it.

"As long as they have magical reserves. But actual people who can use magic without it are rare, unless they use a Limit Break," Aerith explained. "The Final Attack Materia triggers when it senses the person dying. By itself, it does nothing, but paired with a Revive Materia, it can bring the person back to life. The Phoenix summon brings forth a powerful phoenix, who not only damages your foes, but revives you and any of your allies who are recently dead or dying. So, paired together, it means Harry should survive if someone tries to murder him."

"There won' be anyone like that," Hagrid boomed.

"Hagrid, it's nice to see you believing in the good in the students, but Harry is considered to be the one who defeated Voldemort." Aerith grimaced when she saw Ron and Hagrid flinch. Neville squeaked. "And there would be the children of many Death Eaters in Slytherin's ranks who might want revenge. Putting this on him is a not unreasonable precaution. Of course, in a straight-out battle, he might have an edge. Remember what we told you of Sephiroth."

"Aye, I won' be forgettin' that in a hurry," Hagrid said with a shiver. "To think there's someone much worse than You-Know-Who."

"Worse than You-Know-Who?" Neville whimpered, unable to grasp the concept.

Harry nodded. "Voldemort was powerful, but he only wanted to conquer. Sephiroth…he wanted to destroy our world and become a god ruling over the ashes. He is seriously scary."

"And if it weren't for Harry, Sephiroth may have killed me not long after Harry and I first met," Aerith said. "Sephiroth nearly turned me into a shish-kebab with his sword. That we managed to defeat him was a near-miracle. He was a prodigy in both physical and magical combat from an early age. Even after we destroyed him, enough of his will existed and tried to pull Harry's soul with him into death. Harry managed to defeat him in a battle of wills. But you must realise that this was a near-thing."

"I wish I could be that brave," Neville said quietly, looking down at his feet. "Like my parents. They were Aurors, you see. But…" For a moment, he was silent, before he gathered the courage to admit, "My parents were tortured into insanity by the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Junior."

Aerith gently put a comforting hand on his back. "We know. We've known for a while. A friend of Harry's parents and yours told us. We just didn't want to talk to you about it because it must be a painful experience. But…well, you know about Harry and his parents. How about I tell you about mine? My birth name is not Gainsborough, but Faremis. My father, Gast Faremis, was a Muggle scientist and a good man, while my mother, Ifalna, was the last known member of our kind on my world. But shortly after I was born…remember that man Professor Calamitas mentioned in Transfiguration, Hojo?"

Neville's eyes widened, remembering the horrific monster. Aerith knew about the incident from having to help Pomfrey stop a couple of nightmares.

"Hojo was a Muggle scientist, but an evil one. He took my mother and myself away to be experimented upon. We escaped when I was a young girl, but my mother died in the process, though not before asking my adoptive mother to look after me. She was a Muggle, and yet, she treated me like I was her own daughter. Neville…just remember, you're not alone."

Neville nodded, weeping slightly. Harry's eye, however, was caught by a newspaper article, relating to a Gringotts break-in. Nothing had been stolen, though, as the vault in question had actually been emptied earlier that day. And looking at the date, it corresponded exactly with the date that he was shopping in Diagon Alley…and when Hagrid had taken that parcel out from the vault. And when Harry mentioned this fact, he noticed that not only Hagrid became evasive, but Aerith seemed to not quite meet his eyes either.

"You know something, don't you?" Harry asked Aerith as they made for the castle, Ron and Neville having already gone up ahead.

After a brief moment, Aerith nodded. "Harry…this is business Dumbledore has Jenova and myself working on. It's secret business, and it's best that you don't know. I can't ask you to forget about it, but please, concentrate on your schoolwork. I know you want to help, and are more than capable of doing so, but if you learn too much, you could be in danger, and so could your friends. But if you see or hear or learn anything, come to me, Jenova, or Dumbledore. I'm almost always in the Hospital Wing anyway, so come to me."

Harry nodded. He was somewhat hurt that his sister wasn't telling him the whole story, but at least he understood a little why. If she was being secretive about it, then it must be dangerous. But at least she said she could come to her if he heard anything.

But even so, he couldn't help but wonder what was in that grubby little package Hagrid had removed from Gringotts. Not gold, but definitely something valuable. And something it might be worth killing for, given the way Aerith warned him. But what?

CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:

Harry has a somewhat different first Potions lesson and a much-needed talk with Snape, Neville reveals his past, and Harry begins to have his suspicions about the Stone. As with Chapter 7, some of the dialogue here, particularly Snape's speech, is taken verbatim from the book.

Now, in case you're wondering why Snape takes the point off Neville rather than Harry, remember that this Snape is already subtly more different than in canon. He has seen that Harry is not James Potter reborn, and while he is still struggling a little with that, and still a dick, he's beginning to show some self-reflection. This is also why, after Harry answers two of the questions, he asks Hermione to answer the first one. In normal circumstances, teachers would give points for those good answers, but Snape still only tends to give points to Slytherin. And, of course, in canon, he refuses to let Hermione answer. Here, he does, though he cannot resist a snide remark.

Also, when Neville screws up, Harry, although too late to stop Neville, takes swift action to help him. Snape saw it happen, and takes a point off Neville, but not Harry. Keep in mind that canon Snape is a spiteful bastard, and frankly, this one still is. Just a little less spiteful. And his argument to Harry, while mean-spirited, is still a valid one: Neville should have followed the instructions to the letter. That Harry keeps his temper in check does…well, not impress Snape, but at least has him gain a very small modicum of respect for the boy. You'll also notice that here, I've implemented the popular fan theory that Snape is deliberately giving Harry a message in the language of flowers, only this time, he spells it out to Harry when they're alone.

Also, you'll note that Hermione is on better terms with the others than she is at this point in canon. Not that much, but remember, she was a stuck-up little know-it-all initially. The troll incident will happen, but will play out differently than in canon: Aerith is attending Nick's deathday party, after all, and she's going to be taking at least Harry, Ron, and Hermione along. That will happen sometime in the next episode.

Speaking of the next episode, you may have to wait a while for it to come out. I know that this episode came out quickly, but that was because the chapters did come out quicker than I expected. But, as Sander Cohen from BioShock once said, my muse is a fickle bitch with a short attention span.

No numbered annotations this time. Sorry. Ditto with the soundtrack suggestions.