Disclaimer: I do not own harry potter. I am just borrowing the characters for my pleasure.
Chapter 3
Harry woke up the next day refreshed and happy. He was even happier when he saw that both Severus and Draco were still in bed with him. He woke them up with a kiss in the cheek each. "Good morning, Severus, Draco."
They both smiled at him then greeted him good morning. Severus then left to go to his own room to freshen up, while Harry made his way to the bathroom. Before opening the door of the bathroom, he looked at Draco who was still on the bed and staring at him.
Harry smirked at him then said, "Want to join me?"
Draco blushed but quickly got up and made his way towards Harry. Harry wrapped an arm around Draco when he reached him then opened door and entered, closing the door firmly afterwards.
XX
A blushing Draco together with a smirking Harry made their way towards the great hall along with the first-year Slytherins. The moment they entered the great hall, Harry immediately looked at the Gryffindor table and a pair of twins and smiled soothingly. The impatiently waiting and twitching twins relaxed when they saw Harry and his smile and they smiled back.
He then looked at Severus and smiled, which was returned with a small twitch of the lips and a nod. His head then unconsciously began to travel towards the other side of the table but he stopped himself, not wanting his mood to ruin because of looking at his parents and Dumbledore.
The first-year Slytherins sat on the Slytherin table and began to quietly eat breakfast. After finishing it, they then patiently waited for their head of the house to hand them their schedule. The Slytherins simultaneously scowled at the noisy Gryffindor's table where they could hear the boy-who-lived loudly brag about one thing or another.
Each of the house's head made their way towards their table and began to hand out the schedules. Severus and Harry's hands brushed as Severus gave him his schedule and Harry smiled at him. Harry looked at his schedule then nudged Draco. "Let's go search for our class so we won't get late." Draco nodded his head then they stood up from the table and exited the great hall.
XX
"There, look."
"Where?"
"Next to the blonde one."
"Is he really the boy-who-lived's brother?"
"I know right. They look nothing alike."
"But you have to admit, the brother is more handsome than the boy-who-lived."
Harry smirked at the last comment. They might have thought that they were whispering quietly but his sensitive ears caught everything. Draco, who was next to him, blushed when Harry wrapped an arm around his waist and smirked at the ones who had been whispering.
They were making their way towards the potions classroom. It was in one of the dungeons where it was colder and a bit creepy with the prickled animals floating in glass jars all around the classroom's walls.
Severus had started by taking the register, just as Flitwick had done during charms, and he stopped at Lexus's name. He had looked up at Harry during his name call and he had nodded as a sign to allow Severus to do whatever he wanted to his brother.
"Ah, yes." Severus said softly, "Lexus Potter. Our new-celebrity."
Draco giggled at that and blushed when he realized that he had just giggled. Severus finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His black eyes were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels but for Harry they were beautiful.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making." He spoke in barely a whisper but they caught every word. "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."
Harry smiled at the way Severus spoke. If anyone had any doubt about the love for potion that Severus held then all they had to do was listen to his speech.
"Potter!" Harry looked up at see that Severus was addressing Lexus. "What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
By the expression on Lexus's face it was clear as day that he had no idea what Severus was talking about. Ron Weasley, who was sitting next to him, had the same expression while the bushy haired girl, Hermione Granger, next to them had her hand in the air.
"I don't know sir," said Lexus.
"Fame clearly isn't everything." Severus said with a sneer.
He ignored Granger's hand, "Let's try again. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
"In the jungle?"
The whole class snickered while Granger stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without leaving her seat.
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"
Lexus gave a light glare at Severus which was probably meant to be strong.
Severus, still ignoring Granger's quivering hand, asked another question. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
This time Lexus got a confident look on his face and answered. "Now that one is easy. Monkshood is for monks and wolfsbane is for wolves."
The whole class stared at him, stunned, then as one they all burst out laughing. Some of them were laughing so hard that tears flowed from their eyes. Severus had an unnoticeable smile as he looked at Harry, who was also laughing, then he turned a venomous glare at Lexus.
"If you don't know the answer then don't say anything that comes in your tiny mind and you," He glared at Granger, who had stood up and had her hand stretching towards the dungeon ceiling. "Sit down!" He then looked at Lexus again. "For your information, 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?"
There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Even though Harry already knew the answer, he had copied them and was now talking softly with Draco. Over the noise, Sanpe said, "A point will be taken from Gryffindor house for your amazing stupidity, Potter."
Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the potions lesson continued whereas for Slytherin, it was the best class ever. Severus put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Draco and Harry who were a pair. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Harry and Draco had stewed their horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon.
Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to melt his and his partner, Seamus Finnegan's cauldron into a twisted blob and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Longbottom, who had been drenched in the potions when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.
"Idiot boy!" snarled Severus, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"
Longbottom whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.
"Take him to the hospital wing." Severus spat at Finnegan. Then he rounded on Lexus and Weasley, who had been working next to Longbottom.
"You-Potter-why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."
XX
The next day, there were rumors that Lexus and Weasley had gone to the forbidden corridor on the third floor and had seen a three headed monstrous dog.
During breakfast, Lexus was boasting about how he had fought against the dog so that Weasley could escape. Harry snorted when he heard that and laughed softly when he saw the proud looks on James and Lily's face. He could not believe that they actually believed what Lexus was talking about.
But Harry was curious about what the Cerberus was guarding, after all it couldn't have been there for fun.
TBC