Chapter Three: The Preparation of Potions

Harry woke up the next day feeling rested and refreshed. He was amazed he was able to sleep at all, seeing as he was so excited to get to perform magic. Changing into his school clothes he changed into his school clothes and followed Ron to the Great Hall. Once there he found himself a seat and quickly and efficiently ate his food.

Mcgonagall, his Head of House, walked around the table, giving students pieces of paper with words on them. The words told the students who received the paper from their Head of House what their class schedule was. Harry and Ron soon found they had Potions first thing, with the Slytherins, in the dungeons.

"We have Potions with the Slytherins!" Ron groaned.

"Is that bad?" Harry asked, not sure what was wrong with that.

"Yes it is that bad," Ron said, answering Harry's question.

Neither of them were sure where the Potion's classroom was, so they followed some Slytherin's after breakfast. Surprisingly they were led down to the dungeons which were suitably creepy and smelly, as all dungeons should be. The Slytherins were joking and laughing and seemed very excited, while the Gryffindors with Ron and Harry seemed much more wary, like a puppy being introduced into a new home, only to find out that it smells like cats.

Entering a room right behind the Slytherin's the two found themselves in a room that made the dungeon look cheery. Various cauldrons were set up in front of small two-person desks, and they were all bubbling ferociously. The cauldrons, not the desks. As Harry and Ron took a seat at one of the desks, Dean turned around, his Irish accent making his speech difficult to follow.

"Do either of you know what-"

"No talking. I'm taking points off for that," a man cut in, striding into the room, cloak billowing behind him like a blanket in front of a large fan.

As soon as the man came in Draco perked up, evil grin growing wider on his pale face. The man was tall and had a long hook-like nose. He looked around the class, noting everybody, and decided to take attendance. Pulling out a sheet of paper similar to the one Mcgonagall had used to store the names of the students for the sorting ceremony, only this one just had the names of the students in his class.

He called them out alphabetically, starting with the Slytherins. He gave Draco a special grin when he said his name, one that the boy returned gleefully. After finishing calling out the Slytherin's names he awarded each Slytherin there five points for having shown up. His face then acquired a bit of a scowl as he switched to the Gryffindors. He called them out, making sarcastic comments as he said each name.

"Finnegan…good to see they're letting African's attend, I always knew they were almost human. Weasley…I'm surprised to see you here, didn't think you're parents had enough money to let you attend. Potter…," Snape paused there and looked at Harry for a long time, his sallow skin paling, like the inverse of how someone who needs a blood transfusion looks after they receive said blood transfusion. "Our new superstar."

"Sir?" Harry said, confused.

"Potter!" Snape snapped, startling said boy, "Since you're so famous you can answer this question: What can you do with the powdered head of a monksbane?"

Snape looked at Harry over his hooked nose, his question acting like the bait a fisherman would put at the end of a hook, waiting for the fish that was Harry. Snape's nose was the hook that speared Harry and the boy's puzzled expression was the fish being reeled in. Snape grinned as he hauled the fish up and said the phrase that would gut said fish.

"Your inability to answer proves that you are not famous. I'm taking points off for your lack of knowledge!"

"What?!" Harry asked, shocked, and several similar shouts of protest arose from the Gryffindors, but they were halted by Snape hurling the gutted fish into his cauldron.

"How dare you talk back to me?!" the Potions Master yelled, over the sound of his bubbling cauldron, "Go see the Headmaster at once while I teach the good students. And the Gryffindors."

Dejected, but reluctant to lose more points, Harry grabbed his things and left the classroom, Ron flashing him a sympathetic glance.

"I'm taking points off for that," Snape said, catching the glance. Draco sniggered.

Harry left the dungeons and headed up to the Headmaster's Office. The halls were empty as everyone had gone to class. Since everyone was in class but him, there were no students to tell Harry how to get through the gargoyle into the office, so he was unable to get into the office. Wondering if he should go back and ask Snape for advice the decision was made for him when the janitor walked up to him, a cat in his lap.

"I'm Argus Filch!" the man declared.

"I'm Harry-" Harry started to say.

"Are ye' trackin' mud in my school?"
"N-no."
"I think you are! You're going to the Headmaster, mudtracker!"

And without any chance to defend himself Harry was grabbed by the ear and taken up the stairs to the Headmaster's office. Once there Filch said "Skittles!"

The gargoyle moved aside and Harry was pushed up the stairs.

Once there Filch left, mumbling something about finding his cat. Harry gulped before entering the room.
It was amazing. Moving pictures of old Headmasters adorned the walls and a Phoenix preened itself by the side of the room. At the head of a huge and well-lit desk sat Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard ever. He smiled upon seeing Harry and conjured a chair for the boy to sit in.

"Have a seat my dear boy. What brings you here?"

"I think I'm trouble," Harry said, retrieving a chair from the wall and pulling it in front of Dumbledore, "Professor Snape-"

"Snape, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile, "He hasn't graduated from Professor-school yet."

"Oh…okay. Snape took away points and Filch said I tracked mud."

At that Dumbledore smiled. "Those two. Will they never change?"

"I don't think so sir," Harry said.

"Would you like some muggle candy?" Dumbledore asked, offering a Jolly Rancher to Harry. Harry shook his head and Dumbledore put it in his mouth, chewing it enthusiastically.

Dumbledore suddenly turned serious as if someone had turned his face to stone but dribbled enough water on it to allow the illusion of movement, even though it was merely the skillful use of hydraulics.

"It's a good thing you're here," Dumbledore said, sucking loudly on his lollipop, "I was going to call for you soon anyways."

"Why Professor?" Harry asked, filled with curiosity, like a toddler would upon seeing a meat grinder for the first time.

"Because I have something to tell you about your past," Dumbledore said. At Harry's questioning look he continued. "Your parents died when you were a baby."

"I know," Harry said, "My Aunt and Uncle said they died in a car crash."

"No Harry," Dumbledore said, "That is merely a lie told to you by your relatives because they hate magic and wanted to stop you from learning it. The truth is they were killed on Halloween, Oct 31, in 1981."

"But…but that's nearly ten years ago!" Harry said, shocked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, opening a bag of M&M's, "But the surprises aren't done yet. You see, they were killed by a powerful Dark Wizard, Voldemort."

"Who is that?"
"You-Know-Who," Dumbledore, speaking the words quickly, "The most dangerous wizard for nearly a century. He died when the curse he cast on you rebounded."

"But why did he want to kill me?"

"Because Snape told him of a prophecy about you and him, and he found out where your parents were because they were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew. Once he found your house he killed your father, then your mother and then tried to kill you. However your mother's love reflected the curse and destroyed his body."

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked.

"Magic, Harry. I used Magic."

Harry was stunned by revelation after revelation, but he managed to gather his wits enough to ask one question.

"What did the prophecy say?"
At that Dumbledore smiled and said Harry wasn't old enough to know that yet. He also told him not to be mad at Snape, he didn't mean to kill his parents. Harry nodded, understanding of the terrible forces driving Snape.

"But why did Voldemort turn evil?" Harry asked, "Couldn't he just be happy being like everyone else?"

"Well you see," Dumbledore said sagely, "If everyone was the same, there would be no differences."

Harry looked confused, but Dumbledore told him it would make more sense when he was older.
"You should probably toddle on back to your dorm Harry, it's late and it has been a long day."

Harry nodded, getting up and turning towards the door. Before he left he turned around and asked Dumbledore one question.

"Sir? What was his name?"

"Hmm?" Dumbledore said, although he already knew what Harry was asking.

"The man who killed my parents, what was his name?"
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, name was…Voldemort."