Chapter Three

Tori waited until she was sure all the girls in her dormitory were asleep before slipping out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown and tip-toing her way back to the empty Slytherin Common Room in the dead of night.

The Slytherin Common Room was one of Tori's favourite places in the castle. The green-tinged lighting was beautifully atmospheric and the fire in the grate was enchanted to never go out, so despite the fact that their Common Room was hidden beneath the depths of the castle, it always felt warm and welcoming whenever she stepped through the stone dungeon doors. But tonight the emptiness made the room feel cold. She shivered and pulled her thin dressing gown tighter around her.

She reached into her pyjama pocket and withdrew the pouch of ash she'd been saving for this moment. She threw the Floo Powder into the fire and watched as the flames surged, turning bright green. Bending to her knees in front of the grate, she stretched forward until her face was completely submerged by the flames and whispered, "Lyle House".

At once she felt herself transported to the grand Victorian mansion she'd spent the summer in – though her body was still securely kneeling on the plush carpeted dungeon floor. When she looked up she saw a stern-faced, black-haired lady rushing towards her.

"Tori!" the woman whispered. "I do wish you wouldn't just drop in unannounced like this! You'd better have a good reason for contacting me this time."

Tori smiled, grimly. What had she been expecting? A warm, loving welcome? No. They were past that.

"Hello, Mother," she whispered. "There's something I need to tell you. It's happened."

xx

"Hey," Chloe said casually to her fellow fifth-year Gryffindor girls at breakfast the next morning. "Have any of you ever spoken to Derek Souza?"

"Souza?" Miranda shuddered in disgust. "I heard that boy's part troll. It would explain a lot." She motioned waving away a bad smell and she and Beth both laughed cruelly.

Kari shook her head. "I heard he had giant blood. That's why he's so huge."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Only last week you were spreading that rumour that he's a werewolf. It's no wonder he always looks so grumpy, with these ridiculous rumours following him everywhere he goes."

Miranda raised her eyebrows. "Why are you suddenly so defensive over him?"

Chloe shrugged. "Have you ever spoken to him?" she asked again.

"No," Miranda said, as though the mere idea of speaking with Derek Souza disgusted her. Chloe shook her head and turned back to her bowl of porridge. They used to be so close, but she didn't know why she bothered to put up with Miranda, Beth or Kari these days.

Rae smiled at Chloe sympathetically. Rae had been distant over the last couple of weeks but she seemed to be making an extra effort this morning to be friendly. Chloe smiled back – and then yelped in shock as an owl flying overhead dropped a note in her porridge bowl. She picked it up and was surprised to see her name penned in elegant lettering. She didn't usually get many letters. Chloe ripped it open quickly.

"What's that?" asked Rae.

"It's a note from Professor Davidoff," Chloe said as she scanned the letter. "I'm to attend a remedial Potions class tonight at eight o'clock." She frowned. "I didn't think my last essay was that bad…"

"At least it's with Davidoff," Rae said. Professor Davidoff was her favourite teacher and he did little to hide that Rae was his favourite student. As a result, he was usually kind to Chloe too.

"Yeah," Chloe sighed. "But extra lessons… ugh."

xx

The rest of the day passed slowly for Chloe. Derek Souza's book was still tucked away in her satchel, but the opportunity to return it to him didn't present itself. She didn't pass him in the corridors and she only caught a glimpse of him sitting at the Ravenclaw table at dinnertime. At seven o'clock she found herself sitting in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room with Derek's book open in her lap. But the text was far too complicated for her understanding. She flicked through the pages, noting complex diagrams and lengthy descriptions of plant usages. One page had been folded over and she turned to it, her curiosity aroused. But it was only a page describing the many uses of wolfsbane in lengthy detail. She sighed and closed the book. Perhaps she'd just give it to Simon the next time she saw him. That would distract him from asking her about Peeves.

Rae was doodling a phoenix in flight, red and yellow flames flickering out from its tail-feathers. She sighed happily and said, "D'you think the rumours that Professor St. Cloud has a pet phoenix in his office are true?"

Chloe shrugged. "How should I know? I can't even remember the last time we saw him at a feast."

In fact, now that she thought about it, Chloe was sure that she hadn't seen their distant headmaster since the start of the term, months ago. But that wasn't surprising – most students believed he didn't even live in the castle – just dropped by every now and then to check on the progress other teachers had made during his absence.

Rae put down her pencil and stretched her legs out in front of the fire. "So, I saw your admirer today," she said conversationally.

"Ad-admirer?" Chloe spluttered. "Since when do I have an admirer?"

Rae grinned. "Simon Bae. You know he's had his eye on you for weeks now."

Chloe shook her head. "He's a friend, that's all."

"He likes you," Rae said firmly. "I can tell. He wouldn't make so much effort to be your friend if he didn't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe asked, stung.

Rae shrugged. "I don't mean that you're not worth it. 'Course you are. But I know guys like Simon. Last month the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams met for a friendly practice session on the grounds and we all went for a butterbeer afterwards. He spent the whole night chatting up our Captain and never once looked my way. Girls like me, we're beneath him." She gestured to her shabby robes. "But now that he's chasing after you, I'm someone worth spending time with." She shook her head in disgust.

Chloe was shocked. "You're not… jealous, are you?" she asked timidly.

Rae snorted. "'Course I'm not. I just don't like the guy. He's charming, sure, but only to people he thinks have something to offer him. Have you seen how he treats Tori? She was blatantly flirting with him the other day and he walked away while she was in mid-sentence."

"So… you're warning me away from him?" Chloe asked incredulously.

"No." Rae grinned. "By all means, girl, enjoy the attention of a cute guy while you've got it! I just wanted to make sure you knew that he's not as friendly to everyone else as he is to you. But hey, no one's perfect, right?"

"Right." Chloe thanked Rae and collected her books together. She left Derek's book on the table beside her chair – it was too heavy to carry with her potions equipment so she'd return it to her dormitory later. "I'd better make my way to the dungeons."

"Oh, right, Davidoff's lesson. Good luck!" said Rae.

Chloe waved goodbye to her friend as she ducked through the portrait hole. Rae's advice kept her mind occupied from the moment she left Gryffindor Tower to the moment she arrived outside Davidoff's study. In fact, she was so lost in thought that she might have wandered straight in if the voices inside hadn't caught her attention.

"Good, good. That'll be all for today, I'm afraid. I have another appointment with a student in a few minutes. I look forward to hearing your results – am I correct in thinking that it will occur three nights from now?"

A grunt of assent. Then the door opened and Chloe found herself facing the brother of the boy she'd just been thinking about. Derek Souza, still in his Ravenclaw robes, glared down at her. Then he seemed to recognise her and he frowned in confusion.

"Oh!" Chloe exclaimed, drawing back from the door quickly. "S-sorry! I –"

She broke off as Derek stepped out from Professor Davidoff's office, his bright green eyes locking onto hers once more before flickering away.

"Same time next week then, Mr Souza?" Chloe heard Professor Davidoff call.

"Yeah," Derek said in a low rumble. Chloe realised it was the first time she'd heard him up close. His voice sounded gruffer than she'd expected.

He looked at her again, the faintest trace of puzzlement in his expression. Then he turned and walked away, back up the flights of stairs towards the Entrance Hall.

Chloe stood very still for a moment, watching him leave. Then she knocked cautiously on the half-open door to Professor Davidoff's study.

"Ah, Miss Saunders," said Davidoff. As she peered in he bustled to the front of his desk. "You're early. You just caught the end of one of my other remedial lessons. But please do come in, and close the door behind you."

Chloe frowned. Derek was taking remedial potions lessons, too? But why would Derek need remedial lessons? Everybody knew how clever he was. And she remembered the book she'd left in Gryffindor tower. Anyone reading a book on developing their own potions surely didn't need extra lessons to catch up.

She put her down satchel and looked up just to see Davidoff throw a length of black cloth over his cluttered desk – the same desk he'd been standing in front of as she entered. It was as if he wanted to hide something from her, she realised. A trickle of fear ran down her spine at the thought but she shook it off. It was well known among the students and staff that Professor Davidoff was a private person.

"So," Chloe said, "was there something wrong with my last test paper, Professor?"

"Well yes," said Professor Davidoff, smiling benignly, "That's what I wanted to discuss with you. But I wonder if you might be willing to do me a favour before we begin?" He withdrew a small vial from a fold in his robes and continued before Chloe could reply. "This here is a little potion I've been brewing for many months. I've tested it on myself and many other willing subjects already with successful results. The ingredients are all completely harmless, of course. If you don't want to try it, I would understand, but I think you'll find that it could be surprisingly beneficial to you."

Chloe felt as though a lump was caught in her throat. Now she really felt afraid. Professor Davidoff had never scared her before – but then she'd never been alone in a dungeon at night with him before, either. And she was still on guard from his suspicious meeting with Derek.

"W-what does it do?" she asked.

Professor Davidoff laughed heartily. "Oh, did I not say? Silly me! It's nothing to be afraid of, dear girl – no. It merely clears the mind, keeps you calm. It's a useful little remedy for nervousness, I've found."

He pushed the bottle closer to her and Chloe found her hand wrapping around it. His eyes watched her carefully. Despite Davidoff's casual words she knew she didn't really have a choice. Could she pretend to drink it? She considered it as she raised the bottle to her lips but the professor was watching her too keenly. Almost against her will, she took a sip. The clear liquid trickled down her throat and left a sickly sweet aftertaste behind.

"Excellent!" said Professor Davidoff, clapping his hands together and beaming down at Chloe. "Now, let's get started, shall we? There were a few simple but disastrous errors in your last test paper, Miss Saunders that I thought best to go over with you in private, to save you from embarrassment in front of your classmates. Your answer for question 2b, for example…"

Chloe nodded along and spoke when prompted to for the rest of the evening, but her mind was clouded with dread. What had she done? What effect would this potion have on her? And what secrets was her potions professor hiding from her?

A/N: Anonymous and signed reviews are very welcome! As always, anyone who leaves a signed review will be sent a preview of the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. :)