I am so very, very aware of how long it has been since I have uploaded anything for any story, and I am sorry. There is no excuse because I have had all the chapters for first year completed for almost a year. I've simply been busy with other things :( But now, I will be uploading all the chapters that I finished last summer for the first year. If anyone is still here, wow; I'm impressed by your patience, and I hope you think the wait was worth it.
Chapter 14: The Plague of Parkinson
It was finally Friday. It had been quite the first week, thought Nagini as she walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. Classes were interesting, but just as interesting were the relationships that were already developing between the Slytherin first-years.
Both Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy seemed to be doing their utmost to be the ones in charge. Parkinson was a bully through and through and really was not very bright. Draco was rather arrogant, but he did have his moments. Nagini remembered that he had explained who Harry Potter was to her instead of laughing at her like Parkinson did. Daphne Greengrass was Parkinson's loyal sidekick. She agreed with everything Parkinson said and went along with all of her ideas. Millicent Bulstrode was quite dim. Nagini found herself wondering if the girl actually had a troll for ancestor, after all Millicent did resemble one. Millicent followed Parkinson blindly; she did whatever the other girl said. Nagini was sure that Parkinson would use her to intimidate other students into doing whatever she wished. Crabbe and Goyle were also like that. They followed Draco wherever he went and laughed at everything he said. They seemed almost like bodyguards, their hulking frames dwarfing Draco's scrawny one.
Blaise and Theo were different. They, like Nagini, had no interest in joining anyone's gang, whether it was Pansy Parkinson's or Draco Malfoy's. Blaise was rather quiet, only rarely entering into conversations, but Nagini had the feeling that nothing escaped his notice. Theo was the complete opposite: he was cheerful all the time, almost annoyingly so, and always had something to say. Nagini found herself sitting with them at meals and near them during classes. Nagini figured they felt themselves drawn together because all three of them were avoiding the developing Slytherin gangs.
And then there was Tracey, thought Nagini. Every day, Tracey sat with Nagini and the two boys, and she sat next to Nagini in classes, but Nagini worried about her. She knew Tracey was very timid and easily intimidated; Tracey could not stand up to Parkinson even if her life depended on it. Nagini worried that one day, Pansy's bullying would get to Tracey, and Tracey would run to Pansy, enduring abuse the other girl poured on her, in the vain hope that she would be safer in the inner folds of Pansy's circle.
Nagini pushed these thoughts to the back of her head as she entered the Great Hall and made her way to the Slytherin table. Blaise and Theo were already there. Theo was chatting about what they should do that weekend, and Blaise was studiously observing his scrambled eggs, apparently ignoring Theo, but Nagini knew that Blaise caught every word. Nagini rolled her eyes at the pair of them and sat down next to Theo.
"Morning," she said as she pulled a plate of toast toward her.
Blaise nodded in greeting, but Theo turned to Nagini with a grin on his face. "Good morning!" he announced brightly. "We were just talking about what we should do this weekend since we don't have any classes."
Nagini raised her eyebrows. "You mean you were talking about it, and Blaise was sitting here either listening intently to what you had to say or trying to pretend he didn't know you."
Blaise snorted slightly, and Nagini's mouth quirked in a slight smile in response. Theo, however, lost his grin. "Oh, ha-ha, but still, what should we do?"
"How about we get through today first?" suggested Nagini. "Then you can plan whatever it is that you want to do."
"Alright, fine," grumbled Theo.
Just then Tracey joined them at the table. "Good morning," she said quietly sitting down beside Nagini. Nagini looked over at her. The other girl avoided her gaze, and Nagini wondered what exactly had happened this time.
"Everything all right, Tracey?" she asked.
"Sure," replied Tracey with a forced smile. "Everything's great. I'm just looking forward to the weekend, that's all. What classes do we have today?"
Nagini didn't answer her; instead, she stared curiously at Tracey, waiting for the other girl to finally meet her gaze. When it became apparent that Nagini wasn't going to say anything, Theo spoke up, "Transfiguration and Charms before lunch and Potions after." Tracey nodded, looking down at her plate.
It had been Pansy. Nagini was sure of it. No one else could make Tracey that unresponsive to her. Nagini glanced up from her Transfiguration notes to watch Pansy, who was sitting directly in front of her. The other girl twirled her hair with her quill, clearly not paying attention to what McGonagall was saying. Nagini supposed that she wasn't paying attention either, but then again, she already understood the concepts McGonagall was explaining about simply by copying down the corresponding notes.
Nagini glanced up to make sure McGonagall wasn't watching her then tore a piece of parchment of the roll on her desk. On it she wrote, What really happened this morning? With another glance at McGonagall, Nagini passed the note to her left, where Tracey was sitting. Nagini watched out of the corner of her eye as Tracey read the note then looked over at Parkinson before writing a reply and shoving it toward Nagini.
Nothing. Just leave it alone. Nagini sighed in frustration. McGonagall paused and glanced at the back of the room, so Nagini ducked her head and pretended to still be copying down the notes from the blackboard.
When McGonagall passed out the matches and told them to get to work changing them into needles, Nagini turned to Tracey. "Honestly, Tracey, tell me what happened. I can help you."
Tracey ignored Nagini, staring at her match as if she could wish it into a needle. "Please, Tracey. I'm supposed to be your friend."
Tracey turned to Nagini then, her eyes flashing. "I told you to leave it alone! I don't need your help with anything." Out of the corner of her eye, Nagini noticed Pansy watching their exchange, smirking broadly.
"Is there a problem here, girls?" Both girls looked up, and Pansy's smirk widened. McGonagall had come over and was now glaring at them.
"No, professor," answered Nagini quickly.
"Really?" McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Very well, then, Ms. Ferestael, please demonstrate the spell for us." Out of the corner of her eye, Nagini saw Parkinson smirk. Nagini's eyes gleamed. She would show her. She raised her wand, pointed it at the match lying on her desk, and clearly pronounced the incantation. The match transformed into a shining sliver needle.
"Very good, Ms. Ferestael," said McGonagall, seeming slightly surprised that Nagini managed the spell on her first attempt. "The rest of you, keep practicing."
As McGonagall returned to the front of the room, Nagini turned to face Pansy, who was staring dumbfounded at the needle on Nagini's desk. "You heard the professor, Pansy," said Nagini smirking, "keep practicing." Pansy glared at her and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Nagini's smirk widened, and she raised her eyebrows. Pansy snarled something under her breath and turned back to her own match.
While Nagini didn't know what exactly Pansy had done to Tracey, she was determined to retaliate, no matter the cost. She needed Tracey to trust her. If Tracey abandoned her, Nagini would have no allies in the dormitory—after all, even she was at her most vulnerable while she slept. Besides, she felt protective of Tracey; the smaller girl needed someone to look out for her. Nagini knew that Pansy had warned Tracey to not tell her anything, and she needed to show Tracey that she could deal with pug-faced Pansy. Hopefully, Tracey would realize that she was safer with Nagini than with Pansy. And to her delight, later that morning, Nagini had her chance to torment Pansy just as Pansy had tormented Tracey.
When the Slytherins walked into the Charms classroom that morning, Professor Flitwick had just finished distributing large white feathers to each of the desks. He waited until everyone had taken a seat before beginning. "Today, we will begin the Levitation Spell. For now, we'll simply practice the words and wand movement, but towards the end of class, you can all try out the spell on the feathers you have there on your desk."
Nagini smiled; she saw her opportunity. She, of course, already knew the spell, as it was the one Theo had caught her using on Platform 9 ¾. Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Theo took that moment to lean toward her and whisper, "Should be an easy class today, huh? Hope you don't get bored."
Nagini looked over at him. He was smirking slightly. Clearly, he also remembered their first meeting. "Oh, I won't be bored," Nagini replied, eyes gleaming.
The beginning of the class passed slowly as Professor Flitwick taught them the correct incantation and wand movement: "Remember, it's swish and flick!" and "Don't forget to make the 'gar' sound nice and long; we don't want any accident after all!" Nagini had taken the required notes with the rest of the class and dutifully practiced the wand movement and pronunciation when directed, but her eyes kept drifting to the clock.
Theo was right; she was bored out of her mind. How many times did they need to practice saying the same two words over and over again? It wasn't as if 'Wingardium leviosa' was particularly difficult to pronounce. And how hard was it to 'swish and flick' a wand? After what seemed like ages to Nagini, Professor Flitwick finally announced, "Now, let's try combining the incantation and wand movement. Everyone has a feather on their desk, and by using the feathers, we will, hopefully, avoid any accidents."
Nagini smirked. We'll see about that, she thought. While everyone immediately turned to their feathers, eager to try out the spell, Nagini ignored hers and, instead, concentrated on Pansy, who was once again sitting directly in front of her. With a swish and flick of her wand, Nagini murmured the incantation, and Pansy's feather floated gently off her desk. Pansy looked completely shocked, but quite pleased with herself. Nagini smiled and, using her wand, directed Pansy's feather to dart about every which way, almost poking Pansy in the eye. Pansy's expression of delight soon turned to confusion, with just a hint of fear. Nagini smiled satisfied.
Theo chuckled from beside her. "Having a bit of difficulty with your feather, Pansy?" he called cheerfully.
"I don't know what's happening!" cried Pansy. "It was working fine just a moment before."
Nagini laughed softly and allowed the feather to float back down, landing gently on Pansy's desk.
"That's quite alright, Ms. Parkinson," said Flitwick, who had come over to watch. "Just try again, and remain calm."
Pansy nodded fervently and raised her wand to try the spell again, but no matter how enthusiastically she waved her wand, the feather remained still. Pansy repeated the incantation over and over again with a determined look on her face, but to no avail. Nagini had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from breaking out in laughter.
When she had finally composed herself, Nagini again pointed her wand at the girl in front of her and murmured the incantation under her breath. With her wand as a guide, she caused Pansy's hair to float gently upward until it stuck straight up. Nagini jerked her wand, and the hair remained frozen in the air. Nagini glanced around. Professor Flitwick hadn't noticed; he was too busy reminding Millicent, Crabbe, and Goyle of the proper pronunciation of the spell. After a moment, Theo noticed and started laughing. He nudged Blaise and pointed at Parkinson; Blaise smirked. Nagini looked to her left out of the corner of her eye. Even Tracey was smiling, and a small laugh escaped her.
By this point, Theo was laughing even harder, and Pansy had finally noticed. "What?" she demanded, turning around to glare at him.
This only made Theo laugh harder. "N-nothing," he choked out.
Pansy gave him a strange look then turned around. As soon as she had turned her back on them, Nagini released the laughter that had been building inside her. Theo turned to her, calming down. "Was that you?" he asked.
"Me?" asked Nagini, innocently, raising her eyebrows. "Now, why would you think that?"
Theo raised his own eyebrows. "No reason, I'm sure," he began, "but considering you're the only one in this classroom, aside from Flitwick of course, who can perform the spell at this point, I'm pretty sure it was you."
Nagini's only response was a small smirk, and Theo rolled his eyes at her before turning back to his own feather.
By the end of class, Blaise, Theo, and Draco were the only one to have performed the spell successfully, aside from Nagini's stunt with Pansys feather of course, but they only managed to levitate their feathers about a foot off the desk. Flitwick went around the room collecting the feathers, and Pansy threw hers in the box in disgust; she still hadn't been able to levitate it off the desk. Just before Flitwick reached her desk, Nagini pointed her wand at her feather and said clearly, "Wingardium leviosa." Her feather gracefully rose off her desk and soared toward the ceiling to Flitwick's utmost delight. "Well done, Ms. Ferestael," he exclaimed as he collected her feather.
"Show off, much?" muttered Pansy as she pushed past Nagini toward the door. Nagini's heart sunk. While she enjoyed infuriating Parkinson (especially since the other girl didn't know that Nagini was to blame), she had also forgotten her promise to her father. She was not supposed to stand out too much. Surely, Nagini tried to reason with herself, one spell would be alright. After all, it hadn't been an incredibly difficult spell, and she hadn't used it until the very end of class. With any luck, everyone would assume she had spent the entire class trying to get the feather to float and only then managed it. Disappointed, Nagini resolved to be more careful in the future.
"Well, that was fun!" exclaimed Theo coming over to her.
In spite of herself, Nagini smiled. "And you thought I'd be bored."
He grinned. "Well, I'm glad I was wrong. That was hilarious! It's just too bad Pansy didn't figure out what was going on. That's the only thing that would have made it even better."
"I wonder what she'll do when she discovers her hair is standing on end," said Nagini.
"Whenever that is, I hope I'm not there," said Tracey. "Mark my words, she'll take it out on whoever's nearby, never mind that they had nothing to do with it."
Detecting a slight bitterness in the other girl's voice, Nagini looked at Tracey sharply, but Theo piped up, "Well I, for one, do hope to be there. She's going to go bonkers!" He burst out laughing again and doubled over.
"I agree with Theo," said Blaise quietly. Nagini looked up at him in surprise; she had almost forgotten he was there, he was so quiet. "You should be careful, though," he said turning to Nagini. "If she finds out it was you, she'll make your life a living hell."
Tracey nodded her head vigorously, but Nagini just shrugged as they walked out the Charms classroom and to lunch. Pansy Parkinson didn't scare her.
The Slytherins walked down to the dungeons after lunch for their first Potions class. The first years sat at their desks behind their cauldrons, the Slytherins on one side of the room and the Gryffindors on the other. Nagini took a seat in beside the center aisle in the second row, next to Tracey and Theo. Pansy, Daphne, and Millicet sat in front of them. Professor Snape took roll call, and after reading Pansy Parkinson's name, he paused. "Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new—celebrity." Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggered in the back, and even Nagini smirked. From what she understood, Harry Potter was famous, revered even, simply because he had survived an attack from her father as a baby. It was something he had no control over as a one-year old, and no one knew how he did it. In Nagini's opinion, people should wait until he had actually done something heroic before idolizing him rather than fawning over him because of something that happened ten years ago that he probably couldn't even remember. Unfortunately, the majority of the school did not seem to agree with her. Everyone, students and teachers alike, adored him. Except for the Slytherins and Professor Snape. Nagini was simply glad that there was at least one teacher who wouldn't be blinded by the glory of the Boy Who Lived.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," continued Snape. Nagini looked up. She hadn't even realized he had finished the roll call. She had been too absorbed in her thoughts. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. 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. . . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
The class was silent, and Nagini shivered. The way he described it, potion-making really did sound beautiful. She wanted to be able to do everything he had said—bottle fame, brew glory, stopper death—and more. She had not been able to attempt any of the potions at the orphanage, so she was looking forward to learning how to brew the various concoctions she had read about throughout the summer.
"Potter!" called Snape, and Nagini jumped slightly in her seat. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Nagini strained her mind, trying to remember. The phrases rang a bell, and Nagini thought they had something to do with a sleeping potion, a very powerful one at that. But wouldn't you need to add other ingredients, anyways? she wondered. After all, I don't think you can make a potion out of only two ingredients.
The rest of the class, except the girl with bushy hair whose hand had shot up in the air, stared at each other in confusion as Potter looked back defiantly at the Potions Master. "I don't know, sir."
Snape sneered at the boy before him. "Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything." The Slytherin boys snickered behind Nagini, and she rolled her eyes at them. Like they knew the answer, she thought, but she couldn't prevent a small smirk from forming on her own face. At least some people weren't overly-impressed by Harry Potter's story.
"Let's try again, Potter," continued Snape, ignoring the rest of the class. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
Nagini knew the answer to that question—a goat's stomach. She remembered it because it had seemed so strange at the time, why on earth would a stone from a goat's stomach be a remedy for most poisons, anyway? She shrugged the thought away. It was a magical world, after all. She supposed anything was possible.
Nagini glanced around at the rest of the class. They were all watching the exchange with vivid interest. The Gryffindor girl stretched her hand as high as it would go without leaving her seat. Nagini rolled her eyes at her. Didn't she realize after the first question that Snape wouldn't call on her?
"I don't know, sir," replied Potter evenly.
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Nagini smirked at the boy's obvious rage. Behind her, Draco and his gang were laughing under their breath. Pansy and her own gang were also giggling.
"What is the difference, Potter, between monskhood and wolfsbane?" Nagini furrowed her brow in confusion. Was that a trick question? she wondered, for she was sure that monkshood and wolfsbane were the same thing. This time, the Gryffindor girl stood up, her hand reaching out to the ceiling. Nagini groaned and felt like banging her head against her desk. Was the girl an idiot, or did it somehow slip her attention that Snape wasn't calling on her for the answers? The Gryffindor was obviously a know-it-all, and an insufferable one at that. There was no reason for her to answer every question, unless she felt the need to show off, that is, thought Nagini.
"I don't know," replied Potter quietly, and Nagini refocused her attention on the confrontation. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"
A few of the Gryffindors laughed, and Snape seethed. "Sit down, Ms. Granger," he snapped. Hermione Granger, thought Nagini as the bushy-haired Gryffindor sat down, blushing heavily. Lovely. "For your information, Potter," continued Snape, "asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"
Nagini, like the rest of the class, scrambled to copy down all that Snape had just said. Nagini couldn't keep a small grin from her face. She had known the answer to every question he had asked. She didn't fool herself, though. The only reason she had remembered was because she had spent the entire summer just paging through her schoolbooks and practicing spells. She knew she would have to study a lot in order to remember all she was taught.
"And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter," added Snape. The Slytherins smirked, and the Gryffindors groaned at his announcement.
After taking a few more notes on potion-making in particular and a potion to cure boils in general, Snape put them in pairs to brew the potion. Nagini was with Tracey, and together they began following the instructions in their textbook. About fifteen minutes later, Nagini looked up at a loud hissing sound to see the dungeon filling with acid green smoke. One boy, a small rather plump Gryffindor, was drenched in the potion. He moaned as red boils appeared all over his arms and legs. Obviously, it was his potion that had gone wrong. He had to be a bit of an idiot, thought Nagini. The directions weren't that difficult to follow, and no one else was having any trouble with the potion.
"Idiot boy," snarled Snape, obviously agreeing with Nagini's assessment of the Gryffindor, as he waved his wand, vanishing the potion. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Nagini rolled her eyes. Could the boy read? It was obviously stated in the directions to take the potion off the fire before adding the porcupine quills.
"You—Potter—why didn't you tell Longbottom not to add the quills?" demanded Snape, rounding on the Potter boy. "Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."
Just then the bell sounded, and everyone gathered up their things and filed out of the dungeons. While Nagini was glad that at least one teacher didn't treat Potter as a special case, she began to think that Snape was taking it too far. She sincerely doubted Potter intended to make himself look better by allowing Longbottom to ruin his potion. The simple truth was that the Longbottom boy was not the smartest wizard in their year, to put it lightly. For some reason, Snape truly hated the Potter boy. Nagini wondered why but then pushed it out of her mind. It didn't really matter, after all. Maybe she would learn the reason one day and maybe not.
With that, Nagini hurried to catch up to the other Slytherins. Theo was once again asking everyone what they should do that weekend to celebrate surviving their first week at Hogwarts. Seeing Nagini, he turned to her. "We got through today," he told her, repeating her words from breakfast. "So what should we do this weekend?"
Nagini shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "We can do whatever we want and more besides. Remember, though, we do have homework we need to complete before classes on Monday."
Theo groaned at her words, and Nagini laughed lightly at his dramatics. She didn't mind the homework. It was an excuse to be in the library, and she intended to be the library quite often. After all, knowledge was supposed to be her greatest weapon. What better place than the library to acquire it?
A/N: Look for the next chapter sometime within a week. Like I said, it's been written for awhile, and this time I'll try to post the rest of the chapters in a timely fashion.