She didn't want to spend all school year worrying about her list. After everything she has been through the first round of life, she wanted them to have a chance to just be kids as much as possible.
The notebooks were a hit. Parchment was only used on Homework. She heard Scrivenshft's Quill Shop in Hogsmead had started stocking up muggle school supplies to help keep up with the new demand.
Lockhart was as bad as she remembered. She gimaced with Ron and Harry at his dramatics and when he pulled out the test about him, she purposely pulls out the defense book in view of Draco and his group of friends. She had put a slight spell on it to help draw its attention. Really, she was kind of obvious about it that she saw Harry smirking at her acting. She grins back at her brother. Like her, he didn't care for the test, but with nothing else to do, starts writing down ridiculous answers.
--
She needed Harry to know he was a parselmouth through his mother, not Voldemorts soul piece giving him the ability, without bringing up the Horcrux situation yet, during the summer. She after their return from Paris and already having a meeting to do the blood adoption, she asked them to do an inheritance test on Harry so he could learn about it. She declined a legacy spell before the adoption but did accept an inheritance spell after the adoption incase she gained some new abilities.
Now that they were back in school, Mission stop the Basilisk before it petrifies Mrs. Norris could begin. She distracted the common room by pulling out 10 copies of The Beginners 101 of Potion Ingredients. Explaining the hows and whys that Professor Snape never bothered to explain. She set up mainly Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ginny to read about it together and encouraged the 1st years to take interest as well. The upper Years peaked through and answered questions for the firsties. Maybe there will be less meltings and explosions this year.
She borrows Harry's cloak and slips away to hijack a rooster from Hagrid. Going down to the Chamber alone was eerie but her knew parselmouth skill helped her get in and awaken the beast. The moment she heard it move out of the mouth, she sent sparks at the rooster to get it to make noise. When she heard the thud of it collapsing, she peaks around the corner of where she had hid to make sure it was dead. With a sigh of relief, she walks over and shrinks it down, placing it in a sealed box under stasis.
She was about to get lectured she was sure but here she went anyways to the office of the potions professor. She enters nervously when she hears his grumbling 'Enter'.
"Ms...Potter. What could I possibly help you with when you haven't even had your first potions class yet?" He sneers at her.
"Well..." she slides the box forward to him. "It's kind of a funny story. I gained an ability when me I got adopted and well...I may have gone exploring after a theory." She looks anywhere bu this glaring eyes.
"And what playtell is this new ability that you just had to explore the castle with?" He yanks the box forward and starts unsealing it.
"It just so happens Harry inherited parselmagic from his mother," she blurts right as he opens it. His mouth drops at the sight of the shrunken Basilisk.
"This was in the school," he growls in disbelief.
"Yes sir...I had went to wash my hands in Myrtles restroom and happened to notice there was a snake on the faucet. I didn't expect the whole sink to move. I went down and found the entrance to the Chamber that I had read about from Salazar Slytherin. the irony of a a couple of escaped chickens and a rooster wandering outside the chamber did hit me when I opened the chamber and accidently awakened the very alive beast from the stories. ...So yes. I grabeed the rooster and got it to make some noise before I could be killed by its gaze and here we are."
She had him lost for words. She covered her paper trail so her story could check out but she was sure it was still crazy to hear.
"And why bring it to me?" he finally got out.
She looked at him like he was missing a few loose screws.
"Your an adult. A professor. And a professor of potions who can use it for ingredients. I don't need or want it. Do with it what you will. I only ask to not tell anyone about it. I have school to care about. and classes to prepare for. Plus we both know Britiain has the lease abount of wizards with parselmagic which only came from Slytherin himself. The heirs of Slytherin jokes and questions will never end. Voldy was his direct descendent, Lily Potter was more like a distant cousin. The more you learn right?" he gapes at her more as she shrugs and leaves. "See you in class on Friday Professor!"
--
He kept quiet to her relief though he stared at her like she was a crazy person too often. Luckily no one else noticed.
By the time they made it to their 1st Friday of the school year, somehow dozens of copies of her potion books she had given her fellow lions had been made and see started seeing students in other houses heading them in the library, outside, and in the halls.
Which meant by the time they entered the potions class after lunch he was a slightly angery less professor. She wondered if that meant all his previous classes had been better than usual.
Neville had his copy wide open next to him as he started his potion displayed on the board. She kept an eye on the boys but it wasn't much needed. She focused on her own, every now and then keeping an eye on her surroundings. It was mostly quiet. Snape, everynow and then made a correction on cuts or stirs but to their relief no criticism.
Not all the potions at the end of class was perfect, but they were a lot better than the norm. A few shades off in color here and there. No injuries.
"Miss...Potter, a word," his voice stopped her as everyone left for their next class. She gestures for the boys to wait outsdise the class. At his desk he hands her an old book. She recognized it immediately but doesn't say anything.
"Thank you. For the...Basilisk. and the book spreading around the school. A first year had spilled about the book and you. As you are not asking for anything, I wanted to give you my old potions book. There is more than one but the rest are at my summer residence. I'll send them to you. They have...my own personal notes inside. I trust you to use it well. You're dismissed." She smiles aat him in thank you and runs out, slipping the book into her bag.
"What did he want?" Ron and Harry looked at her worried.
"Nothing much. He knew it was me who brought that book everyone has. He decided to give me his personal potions book from when he was a student." she grins in excitement. "Come on, lets drop our bags off to our rooms and head to lunch. I'm starving!"
--
Harry, Ron, and the twins screamed the Happy Birthday song to her at Dinner on the 19th. Harry had given her a Potter crest bracelet and earring set that morning and th Weasleys had a large cake made that had been able to serve the entire Great Hall. She was red with embarrassment but filled with happiness. Her birthday had been alone last year, not having made friends with Harry and Ron until after halloween.
When halloween came upon them, She suggested they at least eat before heading down the the Deathday part for Sir Nicholas. She made sure to let their head of House know about the party when they had been first invited.
The children were glad to eat before they arrived. All the food at the party had gone bad with many of the ghost passing through it, mouths wide open. She asked planty of ghost questions to keep from being bored and sat in the back with the boys when the Headless hunt ghost showed up. All in all it was an interesting experience though they all agreen they wouldn't be going to another one. Professor McGonnagal awaited them outside the room to walk them back to their common room. There was no hissing in the walls or a petrified cat hanging in the air with red words on the walls. She sank into bed knowing she made some kind of difference.
Snow quickly took over the grounds as November and December came through. All their classes were going well. DADA was still run by a fool in pastel clothing but he bagan less teaching, more answering fan mail and telling stories after Draco and Daphne convinced him to let them all read his books in class while he told his tales and act them out with each other. Really they were all reading the defense book she had first brought to class and the acting was really them practicing said spells with each other. He didn't even notice the difference which was really sad and pathetic. On good news, he awarded lots of points to his classes, specially after the other years started following their examples.
She caught Scabbers a week before Winter break. She faked his sick death for Ron's sake and then once in the clear, got the necklace on him and sent him off in a box with a school owl to Head Auror Amelia Bones. The note inside was anonymous and she had inserted a fake memory into his mind to think he had faked his death to finally leave the Weasley family.
She didn't ready hear more about it until the were on the train back home. She was sure they'd be recieving a letter from Ron soon all about it as his father was probably bring brought in to question about the animangus.
Harry was excited for the break. They were spending Christmas in Sweden where he would be learning to Ski as was Granger tradition.
They said goodbye to the Weasleys and left home to pack so they could leave the next day.
