Chapter 11: Potions class

Note: Hello lovelies I hope you all are doing well! Welcome to chapter 11! 3 :/ they still haven't fixed the downloading docs so once again I had to copy-n-past on to here ~Sigh~ I do hope that everything moved over. Anyways thanks goes out to my beta once again for reading over everything! They are amazing, and help make sure that my story flows! In other news, I have some kinda of sad news~ I will not be updating next week *Pauses so everyone can cry out* Yes I will not be able to update because I have family coming down and have a very busy schedule so instead of trying to work around everything I decided not to post. 3 but do not fear I will be back the week after and update! :3 soo yay! Anyways enough from me on to the chapter!

Harry, for the most part, loved his classes so far, the professors were awesome, with exception of Professor Quirrell, who couldn't get through a sentence without at least every other word coming out a stutter. Harry was looking forward to the class after reading a little about it back at Severus's but, after walking away from the class with a headache and notes that seem to have a stutter themselves; it left him and rest of the group looking through the book to see what was happening in the class.

Harry had gone to Severus quarters now at least three times to talk with Levi, and as well as inform his head of house of a headache that happened in DADA. Severus frowned at the news, but Harry only chalked it up to the way the man talked, and ran around in circles. Severus gave him a headache reliever for when he was having troubles in the class, and told him come to him for when he need more.

It was now Friday and Harry had gotten through the week having only gotten lost just once. Lucky, Filch, the caretaker of the castle, and his cat Mrs. Norris, who was a beautiful creature with beautiful sandy coat and gleaming yellow eyes, though she could never replace his lovely Neit, helped him.

Harry smiled at the older man standing in front of a door, knowing that it wasn't his classroom, and had no idea if it up or down, or even left or right. This castle was so huge and confusing since stairs just appeared and disappeared all of the sudden, Harry was just unlucky this time when the stairs suddenly moved on him.

"I'm sorry sir, I seem to be a little lost do you think you could help me?" The man seemed to go into a shock state at the moment Harry asked, leaving Harry confused and wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Y-You called me sir." The older man seemed to be touched at the words, and glad that Harry didn't seem as rotten as the rest of the children. "Of course I will help you, since you asked nicely, but remember, that door is off limits to all students. Do not let me catch you around there again, or I will have to take you to either your head of house or the headmaster." With the warning, curiosity bloomed in Harry, but he didn't say anything and followed the man to his next class.

Harry was more than happy that he didn't get in trouble for that incident, nor had been in trouble showing up late for McGonagall's class; he was even more elated when he got the spell on his first try, while the rest of his class was struggling to even get done. The only others that were able to complete the spell were Draco and Hermione. Transfiguration was one of his favorite classes, followed by Charms it was interesting to say the least, to Harry, Herbology was another class he would have liked, sadly it brought back too many painful memories for him. He was happy the Neville found a class that he was able to excel at, when he seemed to have trouble in about every other class. History of Magic would have been very interesting, if the class was not taught by a ghost who seemed to be able to put everybody to sleep in the first minutes of class. Harry and Draco quickly learned that it was easier to learn everything from the book, than what Binns was mumbling about in front of the class. The last class he was looking forward to every much was Potions, not only was it taught by Severus, but also it reminded him of cooking. Even though he had been forced to cook for his family back home, Harry truly loved to cook when he was given the chance, and he had begun to miss it.

Draco and Harry walked into their double Potions with Gryffindor, and quickly took a seat next to Hermione and Neville, while Theo and Blaise took a seat behind them. All of them were talking about the homework that they have already been assigned that week, and how they need to get together in the library and set up a study session as not to fall behind on the work. Of course a certain red head was unhappy with the bonds that the Gryffindors where forming with the snakes, and spoke up.

"Yeah wouldn't want Miss Bookworm or the Hufflepuff to fall behind." Ron sneered, his lip curled in distain at the six friends. Some other Gryffindors took his side, knowing that Slytherin was a dark house, and really disliked the other two just for being put in the house.

At the same time that Ron spoke, Professor Snape walked in and stalked his way to the front of the class room.

"Everybody sit down, there will be no silly wand waving or incantations, 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 put a stopper in death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Severus said, a sneer was on his face as he looked at every single student in the eye, putting a little fear in them. Of course, this didn't work on Harry nor Draco since they knew that he was a big teddy bear when he wanted to be. It still didn't stop the shiver that ran down Harry's spine, remembering all the times his uncle wore a similar face, of course, his was not as perfected as Severus's, and the random beatings that came with it. Draco put a comforting hand of Harry's knee when he felt the smaller boy shutter, then glared at Ron when the boy snorted. Ron didn't know Harry like Draco did, and probably thought that his own Head of House scared him.

Severus noticed the way the red head was acting, so picked him for his target this year. "Mr. Weasley," Severus said turning his black coal eyes upon the red head, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

The red head looked dumbly on at the professor, Harry was surprised that he didn't see any drool rolling down his chin. Hermione's hand shot up as soon as the question left the older wizards lips.

This is such an easy question, Harry thought to himself a small smile twitching on his lips, the longer the red head just sat there, the more annoyed Severus got.

"Alright Mr. Weasley, seeing as this question might be too hard for you, how about this one," Severus snarled at the young wizard, "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione's hand was once again up in the air ready to be called upon for the information, and Ron just blinked and shook his head this time instead of just sitting there.

Severus sighed, "Such a disappointment. Alright I will give you one more chance. What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Harry just shook his head, he had no idea why Severus was giving the boy so many chances, it's clear the boy hadn't opened his potions book up yet.

"I don't know sir," The boy said, finally finding his voice instead of sitting there like a fish out of water, mouth open and gasping for air.

"What a sad day, 10 points from Gryffindor for coming to class without opening your book, Mr. Weasley." Severus said, looking around the room spying the students that knew the answers and who didn't. He turned his eye to his young charge, "How about you, Mr. Potter do you know the answers to any of the questions I just asked?"

Harry was a little stunned at first when Snape turned to ask him if he knew, of course he did, it was all within the book, with a small nudge from Draco, Harry was able to respond. "Y-Yes Sir." Harry said, shaking his head to clear the thoughts that were drifting around his head away. Severus raised an eyebrow to his young charge, encouraging him to continue on with his answer, "To answer you first question, what asphodel and wormwood together do, it creates the Draught of Living Dead, next a bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat, and last, there is no difference between monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant." Harry said, trying to conjure the knowledge from what he read and understood from his potions textbook.

Severus just smirked at his young charge, "Very good Mr. Potter, 20 points to Slytherin, for opening your book and reading before coming to my class." Severus then turned to look at the rest of the class just staring at him, "Well, why aren't you writing this all down?!" That got everyone's attention and they scrambled to get their quills and parchment out and start taking notes.

The rest of the class was peaceful, Ron was sulking through the class upset that he was picked on during the time, and knowing that he wasn't the only one that didn't read from the textbook just yet. Draco and Harry only snickered at the sulking Gryffindor and went about talking the notes from class to ready themselves from when brewing sections of the course. The first potion that they were tasked in making was a potion to cure boils. They had just started to separate into their different groups, the two odd ball Gryffindors sat with the first year Slytherins, with few strange looks cast, but they just shrugged it off when Draco and Harry started to talk with them. Half way through the brewing, Snape was just scowling over everyone's shoulders, a few comments here and there about what they were doing wrong. Harry's and Draco's potions where looking just right, so was Hermione's and Pansy's, who had partner up with her. Neville was having a harder time and had a darker smoke color then what it was supposed to be, but it was still a good potion.

A hissing sound pulled everyone's attention to the Gryffindor's side of the classroom, somehow Ron and Seamus had mange to melt a cauldron, their potion slowly slithering its way on the floor burning holes into every shoe it touched. The Gryffindor's where up on their stools just to be sure to keep their shoes intact by the end of the class. Ron, who had been standing right next to the cauldron, was covered in red angry blisters. Snape hissed at the first years, managing, on their first day, to mess up a cauldron on such an easy potion.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled at the red head, spelling away the hissing potion, before addressing another Gryffindor to escort Mr. Weasley to the infirmary. He then turned to the rest of the class, "Who can tell me where they messed up?" Snape asked, looking at the rest of the class. Hermione and Draco both raised their hands, "Ms. Granger, do tell where your housemates manage to mess up."

"Well sir, they added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire," Hermione said.

"Correct Ms. Granger, five points to Gryffindor, for being able to read instructions." Snape then turned on his heels and stalked his way, once again, through the class room.

Once free from their potion class with the Gryffindors, Harry and Draco made their way up to the Great Hall for lunch. Talking about how stupid the red head could be for messing up such an easy potion. It was shortly into their lunch that owls started to come in, Draco's great eagle owl, Morpheus, came and delivered chocolates from his mum and the Daily Prophet. Harry took the decreed paper and started to flip through it to see a very interesting article that made him raise an eyebrow.

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at

Gringotts on August 20, widely believed to be the

work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing

Had been taken. The vault that was searched had in

Fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so

keep your noses out if you know what's good

for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Harry frowned when he finished the article, that had been the same time Severus took him to his vaults and that giant had gotten that small brown package. To Harry it seemed like too much to be a coincidence that the same day and time, for that not to be anything. That is something he was going to ask Snape about tonight. Draco noticed Harry was lost in thought. "Harry everything okay?"

Harry just shook his head no, but didn't tell him anything about it. Not wanting to worry his friend about anything, "Just thinking that I need to see Levi tonight, but with all the homework we have, I don't know how I am going to do it." Harry said, easily coming up with a quick lie for his friend, Draco just smiled.

"I can join you, and we can work together, and at the same time you can hang out with Levi." Harry couldn't say no, or it would cause suspicion on his part so he just nodded. He would have told him sooner or later, at least he wouldn't have to keep his only friend in the dark.