A/N: Don't forget about the poll on my profile page!

Fun Fact: If Rose were a witch, she would have 9" Beech wooded wand with A unicorn hair core, it would be rigid and of course, she would have been in Ravenclaw. :)


(Harry POV)

I arrived early with Henry that day, my anxiety greater than I'd expected it to be. I'd felt my scar burn that first day when he'd looked at me and though the feeling had been fleeting, it had been pretty scary in my opinion, especially with everything Uncle Zander and Aunt Rose had told me over the years.

I found my seat beside my brother and as we talked, of our after school plans, we laughed and joked around. Kids would begin to trickle in after a few moments and glancing at the clock, I scratched my forehead, where my scar would normally be, though I hadn't really had a good look at it in years if not months.

It was nearly twenty minutes later when the last few kids trickled in, Draco now to my left and Urie to Henry's right. Just as I finished taking my equipment out so I could take notes, the door behind us closed loudly and in walked the hook-nosed teacher from our first day. He was thin, with long, greasy black hair that framed his face and with his overgrown black robes on, he gave me the appearance of a bat. It sounded like a mean thought once it had crossed my mind, but until this teacher proved himself to be kind, I wouldn't regret the thought.

Walking swiftly to the front of the room, he turned to face us with a swoosh of his cloak. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "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."

Silence followed this little speech and I looked at Henry, who was watching their teacher rather intensely. I knew he loved potion making and would definitely want to prove that he was in fact not a dunderhead, though he was rather mischievous, I knew he was excited to learn as much as possible. Looking back up at Professor Snape, he had moved on to calling roll and when he landed on my name, he looked at me and as he did, a sharp chill ran down my spine. "James, is it?" Looking in my eyes, I could feel him trying to probe through my mind, but having already expected this from my first day, I held firmly to the walls that pushed him out.

"Yes." I said, and at my boldness and lack of ability to read my mind, he narrowed his eyes. He looked at Henry, whose name he'd called first and looking between us, I knew he was suspicious but with no grounds to say anything, he simply decided on a question.

"Read your books before coming here Mr. Darken?"

"Yes." Henry said and Snape looked at him for only a moment before continuing his roll call.

It was only seconds after he'd finished though when he looked at both of us and said suddenly. "Darken, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

I wrote the question down quickly as Henry stood up, faced the class and said, "I remember this from a potions song my dad taught me.

"Go to Sleep

Beneath the moon

Sleep little sheep

For once it's failed, this tune

We cannot sleep

Unless our minds we keep

However

Asphodel and wormwood

Two ingredients true

make a sleeping potion

So powerful through and through

The Draught of Living Death

It will kill, many but few."

Everyone in the class cheered, except for Snape, who had a very sour expression on his face indeed. Henry and I had been sung so many magical songs like that growing up, yay I honestly hadn't realized how much they'd probably taught us until just now.

"Very well." Snape looked at me now, his black eyes cold as he continued to try and get through to our minds. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"Isn't a bezoar something you get from a goat's stomach?" I asked. I'd remembered something about it in one of my books, but then again, I remember it being a stone and I wasn't sure if I was remembering that correctly. "Hmm, I'm pretty sure it will save you from most poisons though." I decided. It was better to add things that I knew were true, just in case I got the first part wrong.

Snape looked very surprised at my answer, though quickly, he recovered and walking over to our table, he narrowed his eyes as he said, his voice quiet. "What is the difference, Darken, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

I looked at Henry in utter confusion, my heart now racing. Weren't those the same? No, if he was asking for differences, then they had to be… "Time's up. They are not different, but are the same plant which is also known as Aconite."

I looked back at Snape and kept my expression neutral as Henry sat beside me and Snape barked at everyone to write all of that down. "It was a dirty trick." My cousin whispered and I nodded. "He's sus—"

"Shh." I said subtly and he nodded as we continued to take notes.

To my relief, Snape turned his sour attitude away from Henry and I and began to take his obvious frustrations out on the poor Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. He 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 Malfoy, who was paired with Urie. He seemed to like Malfoy a lot, even for a Slytherin, so I knew Henry and I would ask him about it later.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in everyone's shoes. Within seconds, Our whole class was standing on our stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, 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?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Ron and Dean Thomas, who had been working next to Neville.

"You - Weasley - 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 ten points you've lost for Gryffindor."

This was so unfair that I opened my mouth to argue, but Henry kicked me behind our cauldron.

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty. Even on Slytherin students."

As we climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, my mind was racing, my spirits low. That had been a really hard class and the way I'd seen Snape act had not been pleasant at all.

(Henry POV)

"That was so not okay!" I raged as we made our way back to our common room and Urie nodded.

"He was like that last year too. Though… he is the only reason I passed potions." Having failed last year, Urie was made to retake her classes this year and if she failed again, she'd have to go into a program that would better help her to learn and grow her magic. I would feel bad for her, but she'd failed for goofing off too much, though she said that there was more to the story that she wasn't comfortable sharing yet.

"Well, he seemed to looooovvveee Draco." I said, making kissy noises and the blond boy shoved me, his face glowing now.

"Shut it, Darken."

"How do you know him?" Harry asked as I cracked up, continuing to make kissy noises.

"He and my father have been friends for years." Draco said as Henry finally stopped his teasing and we entered our common room to drop off the majority of our stuff and grab the box of quidditch balls, before leaving to go and get dinner. We'd just eat outside, too since we've been cooped up inside all week.

On our way outside, after getting several plates of food, we stopped when I turned, hearing Hagrid call for me and 'James'.

"Hey Hagrid." I grinned and he smiled.

"Jus' got done talkin' to yer dad." He told Harry and I.

"Oh? He's doing good?" We'd been so busy that we hadn't really got the opportunity to go see dad, though we'd planned to go do it tonight before he went home to be with mum for the weekend. He didn't get to go home all weekends, but since the teachers took turns, I knew he would go home when he could. He and mum hated being away from one another.

"Yeah, he was actually wonderin' if yeh three wouldn' find if I joined ya three fer tea tonight."

We nodded, "Yeah, sure." I nodded, then. "We'll be there around nine. We're going to hang out by the lake." Hagrid nodded and waving to us, he left as Draco scrunched his face.

"That giant oaf is—"

"Don't start that." Harry warned and Draco looked at him. "I'm not going to let you judge someon3 before you even know them, especially Hagrid. He's really nice."

"I—"

"If you don't like him then keep it to yourself." I said and after a moment, Draco nodded with a huff.

"Oh, don't look so pathetic." Urie laughed.

We walked outside, any tension from seeing Hagrid already beginning to dissipate as we made our way to the lake and sat under a group of trees, and passed food between us. Eating and talking, we talked more, and told stories from our time as little kids and laughed at how stupid we were.

"You did not—!" I laughed as Urie told us about how last year, when she'd been asked what she wanted to be when she was older, she'd stood up and proudly said that she wanted to make her money on street corners.

"Flitwick was so embarrassed." She cackled and even Draco laughed. "My father wrote to me though after he got a letter and I got a howler. I wasn't embarrassed though, I just started playing a rock song over it until Professor Snape took me outside and scolded me."

"You can have our dad, because yours suuuckksss." I said and she grinned.

"I think I'm too independent for that. I've practically raised myself if I'm being honest and I'd have no idea how to have…" she seemed to stop and she looked over at a group of Gryffindors and let out a breath.

"He's so cuteeee."

"Who?" I looked around her and that's when I saw Dean, Ron, Seamus and the boy who'd shared the boat with us on our first day, all playing soccer.

"Which one?" Draco said, his voice full of suspicion and Urie pointed to the boy, who's name I'd forgotten.

"Jakoba Skyknight." She grit her teeth.

"Oooh, I know his family." Draco began. "They're from Canada I believe. His father moved him here a few years ago so he could run his business from this side of the world, better. I heard it's doing great in the States and he wants to expand."

"I met him last year." Urie said, "I think he's interested in a muggle though." She whined as she looked away from Jakoba and I snickered. He was a handsome guy, with curly black hair that framed his face and went a little down his neck, and to his eyes, which were an impossible shade of dark blue. I'd heard of his family, too. Something about his grandfather being a Phoenix tamer or befriending a lot of them, or something."

"I'm surprised he's in Gryffindor." Draco said, "One of his older brothers is Slytherin and the other is in Ravenclaw. Fraternal twins in fifth year."

"I don't wanna talk about him." Urie complained, falling on her back and we laughed.

"You brought him up." I pointed out, then. "In any case, you're what? Twelve?"

"Yeah." She pouted and Harry laughed.

"Don't fuss over dating yet, dude. Let's play Quidditch!" Grinned, she jumped to her feet as my cousin pulled out the quaffle and tossed it to her.

We tossed around the quaffle for a while, then playing with the snitch, we played basketball with the quaffle, using the snitch as a way to end the game early. I'd had dad put a charm on the snitch, so unless I had him take it off, the snitch would go higher than eye level for any of us.

After playing for a while, we did our homework, then putting away our things, we all waved as Harry and I hurried off to go meet Dad.


A/N: Snape does not like that he can't read their minds.
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