Thoughts: 'Blah. Blah. Blah."
Flashback: Blah. Blah. Blah. ( [END]FLASHBACK before/after them)
Hedwig: "Blah. Blah. Blah."
Parseltongue: {Blah. Blah. Blah.}
Letters/Articles/Writing: Blah. Blah. Blah.
Chapter 4
"Do not worry, Hatchling. You will do fine."
Harry wakes up to Hedwig's voice echoing in his mind and the spotty remnants of an unpleasant dream that are quickly fading into nothingness. Harry takes a moment to whip his brain into some semblance of functionality before he even attempts to formulate a reply. When he's actually able to string words together cohesively, he responds, confused as to what Hedwig could be talking about.
"What? Words. Meaning?" Alright, maybe "cohesive" was a bit too optimistic for this early in the morning. Harry honestly isn't entirely sure that he understands what he said, so he doubts that Hedwig is going to be able to make heads or tails of it. He is quickly proven wrong.
"I sensed that you were in distress. You were having a bad dream about the Quidditch tryouts today. My words were an attempt at reassuring you, but obviously, you are not awake enough to appreciate them. I'm hurt, Hatchling."
Harry bolts upright in bed as soon as Hedwig mentions the Quidditch tryouts that are supposed to take place this afternoon. "Bloody hell, I am officially going to die!" Harry's attempt at a whisper fails spectacularly, and soon he hears rustling from the other beds.
"Merlin, it is way too early for this." Harry hears Draco mutter. "What is it this time?" Draco adds, though he doesn't really seem interested in Harry's response, completely unsympathetic to Harry's latest dilemma.
"Harry, I swear, if this is a repeat of the necklace incident of first-year I am going to strangle you." Blaise comments, sleepy displeasure seeping through his tone as he bundles his comforter over his head.
"I hate all of you." Theo suddenly enters the conversation, practically growling through his words.
"You know, what if I was actually dying? What then?" Harry thinks to Hedwig. His familiar laughs at him and Harry feels a wave of exasperation flow through their bond. "You're no help."
Harry stares aghast at his friends. Well, more specifically, he's staring at their beds. All three of them seem to have hidden themselves from Harry's view, taking a page straight out of Harry's book: If I can't see it, it can't see me. But Harry will not be deterred.
"No, guys, this is important!" Harry insists imploringly. Blaise merely groans and roughly moves his pillow so it's covering his head, holding it firmly to his ears, while Theo aggressively flings himself out of bed, grabbing his pillow and stomping from the room. Draco, however, sighs heavily and pops out from underneath the blankets, staring at Harry with icy, grey eyes that begrudgingly urge Harry to explain his predicament. "Quidditch tryouts, Draco. Today is the day, I can feel it. The void is calling out to me!" Harry says with a level of sincerity that makes the situation seem much more serious than it actually is.
"That's it!" Blaise yells, violently throwing back his comforter and grabbing both of his pillows, marching across the room. He stops briefly to launch his extra pillow at Harry's face before he exits the room in a huff, no doubt following Theo to the common room to set up camp for the next hour and a half.
Draco huffs, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up enough to deal with his best friend's antics. "For the love of Merlin," Draco starts, pausing and looking around the room before settling his tired eyes back on Harry. "What time is it?"
Harry furrows his brow in confusion but casts "Tempus" nonetheless. "Um… 6:00. Why?"
Draco slowly moves into a sitting position and slides off the bed, his bare feet meeting the floor. He starts to pull out his clothes, dragging his feet all the way to the bathroom and calling, "Get dressed," over his shoulder.
Harry, still confused, does what he's told, and by the time Draco has emerged from the bathroom he is dressed and ready to go… Somewhere… Either Draco is taking him somewhere to help quell his anxiety, or he's leading Harry into a trap. Either scenario is a viable option at this point.
"Come on, Potter. I want to show you something."
Harry follows Draco from their dorm and up the stairs to the common room. They pass a sleeping Blaise and Theo on their way out the door and Draco laughs fondly at the way they're curled up together on one of the couches.
Once they are both through the door, Harry shuts it as quietly as possible. They walk through the deserted corridors, their footsteps echoing eerily off the castle's stone walls.
"Where are we going?" Harry asks in a whisper as he catches up to Draco, matching his stride.
"You'll see." Draco replies cryptically.
'Okay, keep your secrets. I see how it is.' Harry muses sarcastically, casting a brief glance at his friend.
Their journey takes about seven minutes, and eventually, Harry and Draco are standing in front of a trophy case. Harry looks at Draco, tilting his head in confusion. Draco rolls his eyes.
"You're going to do fine, Harry." Draco says seriously, meeting Harry's gaze with a determined stare.
"You don't know that, Draco." Harry replies solemnly.
"Yes, actually, I do." Draco says, pointing to one of the plaques resting on the middle shelf of the trophy case. Harry looks over the plaque. At first, it seems insignificant, and Harry starts to think that Draco has officially lost it. But then he notices a familiar name etched into the plaque's golden surface. His eyes grow wide when he recognizes his father's name, and Draco places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's in your blood, Harry." Draco turns Harry to face him, gently grabbing his forearms. "As sappy and cliche as it sounds, you just have to believe in yourself. I believe that you are capable of doing anything and everything you set your mind to. You just have to learn to trust in your own abilities." Draco finishes by drawing Harry into a hug, his hands grasping at the fabric of Harry's shirt reassuringly. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm nervous too." Draco whispers before pulling away.
"I do feel better. Thank you, Draco." Harry smiles at the blond, taking another look at his father's name. 'He was a seeker.' Harry notes, feeling a surge of determination flow through him. He wants to be his team's seeker more than ever. It's the closest thing he'll ever get to sharing something with his father, and he's not going to let anyone take that from him.
"Come on, we should get back." Draco says, snapping Harry from his thoughts. "Besides, I think you need to run damage control with Blaise and Theo. You know how they can get. If you don't apologize you're going to be looking over your shoulder for the next week."
Harry's eyes widen as he realizes that Draco is right. He's been on the wrong side of their wrath before, and he has no intention of reliving that experience. I'm not going to give many details, but I will say that Harry now sleeps with a protection charm around his bed. He shivers at the reminder before grabbing Draco's hand and practically dragging the blond down the still deserted corridor.
"Come on, Malfoy. I'm going to need you to pick up the pace here, my life may very well depend on it." Harry urges frantically as he continues to tug Draco along.
"I really don't see how that's my problem." Draco mutters under his breath, not intending for Harry to hear his words. Well, too bad for him, because Harry's eyesight may be shit, but his hearing is perfect. Harry shoots a glare over his shoulder.
"I heard that, Malfoy."
"Good."
Harry rolls his eyes, giving no verbal response to his friend's teasing, instead opting to walk a bit faster, causing Draco to stumble along after him.
~~~Time Skip~~~
Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo enter the Great Hall together for breakfast, chatting good-naturedly about nothing in particular. Harry had managed to placate his two friends by apologizing profusely and promising to never wake them up for trivial things again. Well, that and agreeing to do their homework for the next week.
Suddenly, a small girl with flaming red hair flies by the group, accidentally bumping into Harry's shoulder. Harry stumbles slightly and the girl abruptly stops, turning on her heels and stuttering out apologies. However, she quickly ceases when she realizes who it is she has bumped into. Her entire body goes rigid as she stares at Harry, her eyes immediately honing in on his scar. Harry rolls his eyes but chuckles nonetheless.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Harry waves her off and continues to make his way to the Slytherin table with his friends, leaving an awestruck first-year in his wake. Harry can't help but think that her red hair looks eerily familiar, and he quickly puts two and two together when he sees her scurry over to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat next to Ron Weasley.
"Fantastic; Another Weasley." Harry hears Draco mutter as they sit down.
"Agreed." Harry replies, sharing his best friend's sentiment. She seemed nice enough, but Harry can't help but be cautious. After all, the last thing he needs is another enemy.
~~~Time Skip~~~
Harry, Draco enter the Potions Classroom together, immediately followed by Theo and Blaise, who had opted to trail behind a few paces so they could speak privately. Once they regroup, the four Slytherins quickly take their seats in the back of the class. Sitting in the back of the room is usually frowned upon, giving the impression that the student does not want to participate and engage in the lesson. However, Snape would rather his more adept students sit further back so he can focus on the students who are more likely to make mistakes, just in case he needs to perform a quick rescue when someone inevitably messes up and puts themself in a dangerous situation. Besides, he trusts the four of them to pay attention based on their previous performance in Potions.
Harry notices Hermione enter the room and they lock eyes, nodding at each other in greeting. Harry jerks his head to the open seat next to him and sends her a questioning look. Hermione smiles and rushes over to sit beside Harry, greeting him and his friends politely before pulling out her books, parchment, and quill.
Professor Snape has yet to enter. Harry suspects that he waits until the very last moment before class begins so he can sweep dramatically into the room. It's a strange form of intimidation, yes, but it works.
"So, how have your classes gone so far?" Hermione queries amiably as she finishes arranging her things on the table.
"Surprisingly not awful." Draco replies lightheartedly. "Well, other than Lockhart's sorry excuse for a lesson." Draco adds, his voice growing dark. Harry growls when Lockhart's name is mentioned, startling Hermione.
"Did he just growl?" She questions in disbelief.
"Yeah, he does that. You get used to it." Blaise supplies from his seat beside Draco, leaning over to address the bushy-haired Gryffindor.
Before Hermione can reply, Professor Snape bursts into the room in a flurry of black robes, walking at a brisk pace to stand in the middle of the room. 'Well, it's good to know he hasn't lost his dramatic flare.' Harry thinks, snickering to himself. Draco nudges Harry in admonishment, effectively quieting his friend. With one more soft giggle, Harry looks up at Snape, who gives him and Draco a brief nod of acknowledgment.
"I expect you have somehow managed to retain the rules I explained to you last year." Snape pauses, raking his eyes over the class, his gaze pausing when it reaches Ron. He narrows his eyes and says, "If you have not, then I suggest you exit this classroom before you thoroughly embarrass yourself and your house." His eyes are still fixed on Ron, who bows his head to hide his blush of embarrassment.
Harry hears Draco snort, like the hypocrite he is, and Harry gives him a sharp nudge to his side, chastising him. The underlying message does not go unnoticed to Draco, and he glares at Harry before returning his attention to Snape.
"Today we will be brewing the Fire Protection Potion. Since I have the misfortune to accommodate you for two hours instead of one, you should have enough time to brew something passable." Snape drawls, pausing for a moment before instructing, "You will find the necessary instructions on page seventeen. Begin." Once he finishes speaking, he retreats to his desk, picking up a weathered tome titled "Potions Through The Ages" and turning most of his attention away from the class of second-years.
Snape usually has them work in groups of two, but since there is an odd number of students in their year, there is always one group of three. As such, Harry asks Hermione to join his and Draco's group, sending a glance at Draco to ensure that he has no objections. Harry notes that he actually seems pleased with Harry's choice and, with an overjoyed smile, he turns his book to the correct page and begins to read aloud quietly.
"The Fire Protection Potion, sometimes called The Ice Potion, is used as protection from most magical fires. When drunk, you will feel a frigid cold throughout your body.
"The required ingredients for this potion are as follows: Bursting Mushrooms, Salamander Blood, and Wartcap Powder. When brewed correctly, the finished product will be blue in colour."
Harry finishes reading and each member of the group takes a moment to read over the instructions.
1) Slice bursting mushrooms with a knife, add to the cauldron and stir clockwise until the potion turns blue.
2) Add salamander blood to the cauldron, stir anti-clockwise until the potion turns green.
3) Crush Wartcap powder in pestle, add to cauldron and stir clockwise until potion turns red.
"It seems simple enough." Hermione comments once she finishes reading, and Draco and Harry nod in agreement.
"We should get started." Harry says, looking around the room while he decides which brewing station they should use. 'They're really all the same.' He determines. However, he does keep in mind that allowing the less able students to sit closer to Professor Snape would likely be better. One can never be too cautious, after all. Harry stands, picking up his book and marching over to the table furthest to the right on the second row, Draco and Hermione following close behind.
Once everything is settled, Draco volunteers to grab the needed ingredients while Hermione and Harry set up their workspace. When Draco returns with the ingredients they figure out who will be doing each part of the brewing process. Hermione is chosen to measure out the ingredients due to her perfectionist nature and compulsion to follow instructions to the letter. Because of his advanced cooking expertise, Harry slices the Bursting Mushrooms into even segments and crushes the Wartcap Powder. And finally, it is decided that Draco will be adding the ingredients and stirring the potion since he has the most experience in the art of potion-making.
They work for forty-five minutes, finishing with about a half-hour left of class. Their finished product looks promising, the color matches the book's description, and there were no unfortunate incidents during or after the brewing process. The group takes a moment to look around at the rest of the class's progress. Blaise and Theo seem to be on the last step in the recipe, which is further along than most of the other groups. Especially the Gryffindors, who lack the same focus as the Slytherins, preferring to talk absent-mindedly while working. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown are paired together, being the only other Gryffindor girls besides Hermione. They seem to be the most behind. Probably because Parvati has to keep reminding Lavender that this is a class activity and not a gossip session.
Harry turns his gaze to Ron and Neville. Neville seems to be having some sort of crisis. He's red in the face and practically seething at Ron as the red-headed Gryffindor stirs the potion anti-clockwise instead of clockwise after adding the Bursting Mushrooms. Ron simply waves off Neville's objections, telling him to, "Bugger off and let me do this." Harry scoffs, rolling his eyes at Weasley's arrogance. He honestly feels bad for Neville. Harry's never had much of an opinion of his year-mate, however, he can sympathize with his situation. After all, any day spent in the direct presence of Ronald Weasley is a dark day indeed.
About fifteen minutes later, Professor Snape calls time, prompting every group to step away from their workstation. Snape walks around the room, observing each cauldron and judging each group's success. When he gets to Ron and Neville's potion he glowers, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose before taking a spoon and lifting some of the potion into the air. Everyone in the room grimaces as they watch the viscous substance drip thickly back into the cauldron.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for this heinous excuse for a potion, and another five points for lack of cooperation." Snape says hotly as Neville withers under his intense stare and Ron turns red from fury and humiliation.
"What?! How is that fair?! I-" Snape cuts Weasley off.
"I am not paid to be fair, Weasley. I am paid to further your education in the sensitive art of potion-making. And, if you had listened to what Longbottom was saying to you, then maybe your attempt would have been at least marginally less humiliating. As it is, your brashness has now lost your house another fifteen points." Snape growls out. Ron opens his mouth to argue again, but Snape silences him with a glare.
Snape stalks away and comes up to Harry, Draco, and Hermione, inspecting their potion just as he had the others. After a moment, he nods, his gaze losing a bit of its heat. "More than adequate for a first attempt. Ten points to both Slytherin and Gryffindor. And Weasley, you may want to learn something from Granger. Perhaps, how to read and follow instructions?" Snape walks back to the center of the room and waves his wand, vanishing the potion from each cauldron before dismissing the class with a few terse words.
~~~Time Skip~~~
A few hours later, Harry and Draco are standing on the Quidditch pitch with ten other Slytherins. They are the only two from their year, other than Millicent Bulstrode, who are trying out. Harry is determined as ever to make the team. After the excursion Draco had taken him on earlier that morning, Harry is set on making seeker. The only problem is that Draco is just as determined to take that particular spot on the team. It's going to be a tough competition, not to mention the fact that they're going up against older students as well. Harry doesn't doubt that they will make the team though. He knows that they're good enough to secure a spot. After all, they have been practicing all summer, which has just added to their natural talent on a broom.
The Quidditch captain is a seventh-year named Marcus Flint. Harry isn't one to allow himself to be easily intimidated, but he can't help but shiver when he accidentally meets Marcus' gaze.
"Everyone up in the air. Now!" Marcus yells, prompting everyone on the field to scurry onto their brooms and take to the skies. They line up in the middle of the pitch and await further instruction.
When Marcus flies up in front of them, he has a bludger in each of his hands and a devious smirk on his face. Harry looks over at Draco fearfully, seeing the emotion mirrored in Draco's own eyes. Marcus' cruel smirk deepens.
"Now, let's see if you idiots know how to dodge."