Even after this long, long day, the events of this morning were still playing inside my head and I just couldn't get my mind straight. Somehow I managed to talk with Draco about the mudblood nickname he gave to Hermione, but when I started talking all I could say was that I don't want to hear him calling her that ever again. In the end, he agreed to that, but I think that he will do whatever he pleases when I'm not around... And who I am to say anything when I'm not even sure if we are really friends at all. With these thoughts in my mind, I dragged myself towards my father's classroom, and for the first time, I wished that I was not there.
As we agreed after lunch, the Weasley brothers were hidden somewhere in the classroom so they could see my prank up close.
I sat down at my usual place beside Hermione and since tables in this classroom were placed in a half-circle my table somehow had a view of the whole classroom.
My nervousness started to kick in as I waited for my father's arrival.
''What is wrong?" Hermione probably noticed that I was shaking because she put her hand on my shoulder, and she was wearing her usual concerned look.
"Nothing, I am just tired. The quidditch practice was really rough, and I think that I got a few bruises." I smiled fakely, and she gave me a weak smile in return.
"How is Ron?" I tried avoiding the topic with this, even if I didn't really care what happened to him.
"Oh …. umm he is better, I suppose" She sighed. "But he is still throwing up slugs. Madam Pomfrey said that it should stop by tomorrow!" She was probably taken aback by the fact that I asked her about Weasley's health to the point that she stuttered, and she never do that.
Our conversation soon died down since my father entered the classroom.
I had to act quickly or I would miss my opportunity to end this masquerade as quickly as possible. I cast a tripping spell on him, and thank Merlin that the pillar was in front of him and he managed to catch himself on it.
He stood up and scanned the room with his famous, 'I'm going to kill you' look, and those who were holding their laughs quickly calmed down.
I waited for some kind of sign from twins that this was enough, but that never happened.
So I decided to continue with my so-called prank. After some time I thought of a spell for constant sneezing, but I gave up on that one. It would be way too normal.
"Today I am going to show you how to brew the Fire Protection potion and I expect from you to write three pages of what his purpose is and what the are side effects."
You could hear groans from every corner of the classroom. Apparently, no one was pleased with the homework, except maybe Hermione and me since both of us already knew the answer to all that.
Since Snape was my father and he just enjoyed teaching me everything he could, I already knew how to brew this potion and I focused my attention on finding what ingredient I could use to mess up someone's potion, for sake of the prank of course.
"And now go get your ingredients," I didn't even realize that my father finished with his lesson until Hermione shook me and I snapped out of my thoughts.
"I am going to get our ingredients." said Hermione and she turned around.
"Wait!" I took her hand "I will go," I need to pick something that I could use for the prank and I can't let Hermione see that.
"Are you sure, you weren't all yourself this morning and you know that I don't want a bad grade just because we were missing an ingredient," she was clearly upset but not because of me, but rather she was worried about her grades. Amazing, I have such good friends.
''Don't worry, I have everything under control," I smiled and went towards the shelves with ingredients.
While I was trying to catch the bottle with salamander's blood from one of the highest shelf, I accidentally knocked over one tiny bottle and lucky for me it didn't break. I slowly picked it up as if I was afraid that it would break if I wasn't careful enough. In my hand, I was holding a bottle of powdered root of asphodel and it turned out that it was just the thing I needed. This was one of the main ingredients for Wiggenweld potion and since it has healing effects it won't cause anything more than a small explosion of the potion.
Pleased with myself, I went back and slowly set them on the table.
While we were brewing the potion Hermione couldn't calm down, and she would constantly complain about my way of making the potion.
''You're not following the book again!" she would say ever so often. She just couldn't get that I knew what I was doing. It is starting to get annoying, and I know she is my friend but I seriously need to talk with my father and change my partner, with someone more understanding.
From my right side I could hear Hermione complaining and on my left side were Potter and Weasley who just didn't know how to shut the hell up. I couldn't stand it any longer and in a split second, I decided who was going to be the one suffering from my prank.
"Excuse me, professor, but would you be so kind as to tell Potter and Weasley to be a little bit quieter I can't concentrate because of their constant babbling?" I paused for a moment thinking of how my voice sounded sweeter than it should. "And I assure you that the rest of us here would agree," I pointed at the closest people around our table.
''I sure can. Miss Moore, thank you for your concern!" he said almost smiling. You could see that spark in his eyes when he was preparing to scold someone.'' Potter, Weasley, come here!" He demanded.
When the three of them disappeared behind the shelves I used the opportunity to slip the powdered root which I had been hiding in my pocket for nearly thirty minutes. Since they were right beside me no one noticed the flying bottle ending up in Potter's cauldron.
The rest of class went normally as if nothing had happened.
''Put your tools down, time is up!" Snape's voice could be heard loud and clear across the classroom.
Most of the people were nervous, some of them weren't even close to finishing, but for me and Hermione that wasn't a problem. We finished fifteen minutes ago. Well for me at least, because she was saying how we finished too early and that the BOOK says that it has to brew for much longer.
"Miss Moore, umm I see you haven't been following the instruction." I could see the look on Hermione's face that clearly said ' I told you so' but I was confident with my potion, that I remained rather calm. "Hmmm very good indeed, you made it more powerful than the original one." I smiled, and Hermione's mouth just hung opened not believe in her ears. "Ten points to Slytherin," and he started walking away and when he looked at me he stopped. He probably noticed my anger. "And to you as well Granger, ten points to Gryffindor," it must have been hard for him to do that since he barely managed to say it.
He moved to Potters and Weasley's table clearly not pleased with how their potion looked. ''Still not good with this. Colour is off and what is this?" he leaned over to have a better view of the potion.
Since potion didn't explode like I was hoping it would, I just had to do it myself.
When he was close enough with a flick of my wand, potion burst right in my father's face.
Most of the classroom tried to contain their laughter but all was in vain when he cleaned his face. The whole classroom burst into laughter and, I of all people, couldn't move a muscle. I started shaking but not from laughing, I was scared to death, and Weasley brothers almost broke their hiding place which turned out to be a near closet.
His body was completely normal and his hair was in place but his face... Ooo his face was in really bad condition. He had a body of a thirty-two-year-old man but the face of a three year old baby.
I stood up and literally jumped over the table.
"Professor, please could you come with me!" I pleaded.
He let me take his robe and we quickly went towards his office. But before we entered the office he shouted.
"Class dismissed! Potter, Weasley! My office, tonight after classes! As for the rest of you get out of my sight!" he shouted louder than ever, he was so angry that even on his baby face you could see a vein that used to pop out when ever he was angry.
"That stupid excuse of a wizard!" he started pulling his hair in order to calm down. But I just could take him seriously with his face like this.
"Calm down I will fix it immediately!" I said trying to calm him down.
When I cast that spell I hadn't realized that the potion will do this, I just thought that it would do something to his hair, not the face. If I knew that this would happen, I would never done this. I have embarrassed him in front of the whole classroom and that was the thing I tried to avoid.
I took of my rubber band that I used to tie my hair and I tied his so that it wouldn't get into his eyes. Surprisingly his hair was soft to touch and he actually let me do it ,which really surprised me. When I finished with tying his hair , I took out my wand and fixed his face.
With his hair tied in a little bun, you could actually see how young he really was. His face was relaxed and his eyes, now free of his hair, were easily spotted and tiredness was noticeable in every way possible.
He pinched the bring of his nose in frustration "Thank you!" he said in his usual emotionless voice.
''Why do you keep your hair so long, wouldn't it be easier to take care of it if it was shorter?"
He sighted heavily. 'Have I said something wrong?' I thought.
"She had that weird idea that I look better with longer hair." He smiled sadly at himself.
Suddenly I become very curious of who he was talking about .
"Who was she?'' I slowly sat down beside him.
As if he snapped out of a really long dream he said, "Oh...just an old friend of mine!"
"Could you tell me something about her?'' I could see that he was troubled by my question and I somehow regretted ever asking it.
"Maybe next time." He gently patted me on the head.
I didn't dare to ask anything else since he became unusually quiet .So I just decided to change the subject and tell him about the picture.
"I have to tell you, that I have retrieved the picture !" I said while guilt rising up inside me. I am not proud of how I got it but now the most important thing is that my father and I were safe, well until I made another stupid mistake.
"That is wonderful. I knew you could make it!" He ruffled my black hair playfully, so it looked like I had a giant black cloud around my head.
" What is it, sweetie?" Somehow this man always knew what I felt.
"Nothing, I am just happy that I can stay here!" I lied I just couldn't get out of my head the thing he said about Potter. He wasn't the one that should be called 'a stupid excuse of an wizard' I was that and that sentence kept ringing inside my head like a curse.
''Would you like to join me tonight while Potter and Weasley have their detention?" you could see that thing in his eyes again, he was so excited to punish them that it was almost too funny to watch.
''I wouldn't miss it for anything!"