Chapter 8: My First Class With Professor Snape and Meeting Sirius

So far, this has been the worst week ever. Last night, I found out that it was something my parents did not plan. Ron continues to ignore me. Miguel and Scar continue to abuse me, making everything even worse than it has to be. I was in a very bad mood so not wanting to be bothered, I kept to myself in the castle, sitting against the walls, crying. This has been my worst week ever. I'm starting to regret going to this school.

I was startled when I felt a touch on my knee. I looked up and saw my parents, Harry and Hermione, as well as my wives, Nala and Margo. Uru and Sarabi were with them as well.

"Lana? Sweetie, are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"What the fuck does it look like? No, I'm not okay. I found out I was a fucking accident. My grandparents suggested putting me up for adoption." I spat. Everyone looked at me, stunned.

"...Oh my God. I'm so sorry Lana." Margo said, pulling me into a hug. I cried into her shoulder, loudly.

"Even if you were something that was unplanned, I'm sure they still love you," Sarabi said.

"No, they don't. They probably hate me. I'm just a burden." I said.

"No, you not," Sarabi said.

"Yes, I am!" I shouted.

"Sweetie, I know this is tough for you right now... but you must remember that love and support come from unexpected places. We love you no matter what." Uru chimed in, her voice soothing trying to lower my tension.

Nala nodded in agreement. "People have different ways of showing love. It may not always be obvious, but it doesn't mean that it's not there. Give them a chance to surprise you." Nala said.

"Yeah. You are not a burden, Lana. You're my wife and I'll always love you. Your parents love you more than you realize." Margo said.

Sobbing, I manage to choke out, "But they've always made me feel unwanted. Miguel, Scar, Ron, my grandparents... I don't think they care at all. Especially Scar and Miguel."

"It's natural to feel that way. Have you ever considered talking to them?" Hermione asked me.

"No. I am afraid of their reactions and what they will say." I said.

"It may be worth having that conversation. You never know what they will say. It might surprise you." Sarabi said.

"I guess... I'm just not ready for it yet." I said, choking out a sob again.

"That's okay. These things take time. We will be here for you when you are ready." Uru said.

"Thanks everyone," I said.

"You're welcome. We should head to class before we are late." Harry said.

"Okay," I said. Margo offered me her hand and helped me up.

"I can walk you to class if you'd like." Margo offered.

"Sure, thanks," I said.

"Lana, before we go there is something I need to talk to you about," Harry said. Harry took a deep breath before continuing, "The potions class teacher, Professor Snape. You've never met him, so I should warn you to be on your best behavior during his class."

"Why?" I asked.

"He's very strict and has a temper. One wrong move and you could end up in detention." Harry said, his tone serious.

"Okay Dad, I'll behave," I said.

"Okay, good," Harry said.

"Oh no, it's almost time! Come on!" Hermione shouted, grabbing my hand. Together, we sprinted down to the dungeons of the Hogwarts castle. We made it to potions class with just one minute to spare. I sat down next to Hermione, taking a moment to catch my breath.

The teacher was running late so to kill some time, I put in my headphones to listen to some tunes. As I was minding my own business, I heard Draco calling my name.

"Yo, Potter!" Draco called.

"What?" I snapped.

"You cheated, didn't you? You cheated when you put your name in that cup?" Draco sneered.

"No, I didn't! Leave me alone Draco, I'm not in the mood for your bullshit right now." I said angrily.

But Draco continued to ignore me. "I'm betting you won't even last a second in the tournament," Draco said.

Now pissed off, I stood up from my chair. "Shut the fuck up before I punch you in the fucking throat!" I yelled.

All the Slytherins "Oohed."

"Okay, break it up you two." Uncle Peter said.

Hermione placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay sweetie. Let's not cause any more trouble." Hermione said. I took a deep breath and sighed. Just then, Professor Snape stormed into the classroom, slamming the door open. He glared at me when he was walking past. "Sit down, Potter." He spat. I did as he said, sitting down in my seat.

Harry was right. Professor Snape was not someone to mess with. Professor Snape turned his attention to us. "Today you will be making a potion for me. The potion that you will be making for me is the Wolfsbane Potion. You may begin," Professor Snape said. We all stood up and went to work. We got the ingredients out so we could start working on our potions. This was complicated. I found myself getting frustrated a few times. Hermione noticed I was struggling, so she helped me out with the potion.

Even with Hermione's help, I soon found myself stuck on another step. Hermione was busy working on her potion, so I decided to try to figure it out on my own. Again, I was struggling. As if things couldn't get any worse, Professor Snape walked up to me.

"Are you finished with your potion yet, Potter?" Professor Snape asked.

"Not yet, sir," I replied.

"Then why are you just standing there?" He spat.

"I'm just having trouble with this step, could you help me?" I asked.

Professor Snape gave me a cold look and said, "I am not helping anyone out. I expect you guys to figure this out on your own."

With that he walked away, leaving me to deal with this on my own. Hermione turned her attention to me. "Here, I can help you with that. I'm sorry Lana, I had to work on my potion too." Hermione said.

"It's okay Mom," I said. Hermione helped me with the steps that I was struggling with. After a while, we finally finished the potion.

"How's it going, Lana?" Nala asked when she walked up to me.

"I finally finished with it," I said.

"That's good," Nala said.

I called Professor Snape over so he could look at the potion. Professor Snape inspected the potion with a serious look on his face. "All right, looks good. You're dismissed." Professor Snape said. I sighed with relief, thankful that this class was over. But trouble was just beginning when Draco bumped into me, purposefully knocking over my potion.

"Dude, what the hell!?" I yelled.

"Whoops didn't see you there, Potter," Draco said with a laugh. That does it. I've had enough of this kid. I tackled Draco to the ground, throwing a punch at him. Draco delivered a punch back at me. Draco and I kept fighting until my family rushed over to us to break up the fight. Jessica and Mufasa held me back.

"Calm down, Lana. Stop it before you get into trouble." Jessica said.

"You've caused enough trouble already," Mufasa said.

Professor Snape walked over to us. "What is going on?" He demanded.

"It was Draco! He bumped into me on purpose!" I shouted.

"No, I didn't! Lana bumped into me first!" Draco said.

"Silence!" Professor Snape spat. There was a long moment of silence before he spoke up, "Clearly your clumsiness caused you to knock over your potion, Potter. It was not Draco's fault, and you took his anger out on him, picking a fight for no reason."

"Come on Professor, didn't you see Draco bumped into Lana on purpose?" Pavitr said.

"It wasn't her fault. Draco pounced first." Uru said.

"I saw what I saw. Lana, 20 points will be taken from Gryffindor. And you will be seeing me on Saturday morning for detention." Professor Snape said.

I opened my mouth to argue, but Harry stopped me, nudging me with his foot. "Don't push it, Lana. He can turn nasty." Harry warned. "Not like he already was," Harry added under his breath. Ahead of me, I saw Scar and Miguel giving me nasty looks. They pulled me out of the classroom. When the other kids left, Draco saw me and smirked.

"Oooh someone's getting in trouble!" Draco sang.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I screamed when I felt my shock collar and the bands around my wrists going off.

"Enough!" Scar yelled. "Your behavior in class was unacceptable!"

"Seriously! Getting into fights! Getting detention!? Detention!" Miguel screeched, his voice high.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! Look, I'll do better tomorrow. I just had a bad day yesterday which is why I behaved the way I did. I will behave from now on I promise, just please don't punish me again I already learned my lesson with the detention I got." I pleaded; my eyes filled with tears.

Miguel and Scar looked at each other for a moment. "What do you think?" Scar asked.

Miguel sighed. "Her apology seemed sincere enough. I guess we'll let her off this time since Professor Snape punished her enough by taking points away and giving her detention." Miguel said.

Scar turned to me. "Okay Lana, we'll give you another chance," Scar said. Scar grabbed my chin with his paw, forcing me to look at him. "But if you screw up again, your punishment will be a lot worse," Scar said, his voice dangerously low.

"This is your last chance," Miguel said, his voice also dangerous. I sighed when they walked away. I hate my husbands. Why did I have to marry them? What did I do to deserve this? Was this God's way of punishing me for my sins? My thoughts were interrupted when my friends, Hobie and Pavitr walked up to me.

"Hey, don't listen to them," Hobie said.

"Yeah, you deserve better," Pavitr said.

"Thanks," I said. When I saw Ron walking past me, giving me another glare, I quickly ran away from him.

"Yo, calm down Lana!" Pavitr called. But I didn't listen. I just kept running and running until I knew I was far away from Ron. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going because I bumped right into Professor McGonagall.

"Oh my! Mrs. Potter, do watch where you are going." Professor McGonagall said.

"I know, sorry Professor." I apologized. I quickly left, making my way back to the Gryffindor common room. Later that day we had our pictures taken with the Dailey Profit. It was just us five champions who got selected for the Triwizard tournament.

"What a charismatic quartet. Hello, I'm Rita Skeeter. I write for the Daily Prophet. But of course, you know that, don't you? It's you we don't know. Heh, you're the juicy news. What quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks?" Rita said, slapping Flur's cheek. "What mysteries do the muscles mask? Does courage lie beneath those curls? In short, what makes a champion tick? Me, myself, and I want to know. Not to mention my rabid readers. So, who's feeling up for sharing?"

"Shall we start with the two youngest? Lovely." Rita said. Rita pulled me and Harry aside. Oh God. I was not looking forward to this. Good thing I spent extra time covering up the cuts and bruises on my face before the pictures. We went to a small separate room.

"Hm. This is cozy." Rita said.

"Uh, it's a broom cupboard," Harry said.

"Yeah, and it's cramped in here," I said.

"You guys should feel right at home, then," Rita said. "Don't mind if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill, do you?"

"Oh, um, no," Harry said.

"Go ahead," I said.

"So tell me Harry, Lana, Here you guys sit, a mere boy of 12 and his daughter-"

"I'm 14. Sorry." Harry said.

"-About to compete against three students not only vastly more emotionally mature than yourself but who have mastered spells that you wouldn't attempt in your dizziest daydreams. Concerned?" Rita asked.

"Um, I- I don't know. I haven't thought about it." Harry said.

"Just ignore the quill," Rita said when she noticed me and Harry being distracted by the quill that was writing down notes. "Then, of course, you're no ordinary boy of 12, are you?"

Seriously!?

"Fourteen." Harry corrected again.

"You're story's legend. Do you think it was the trauma of your past that made you so keen to enter such a dangerous tournament?" Rita asked.

"Uh- No, I- I didn't enter," Harry said.

"The cup randomly selected us. I don't know how it happened." I said.

"Of course, you didn't," Rita said, giving us a wink. "Everyone loves a rebel, Harry and Lana. Scratch the last." Rita said. The pen scratched something off the notepad.

"Speaking of your parents, were they alive, how do you think they'd feel? Proud? Or concerned? That your attitude shows, at best, a pathological need for attention. At worst, a psychotic death wish?" Rita said.

"Hey! My eyes aren't "glistening with the ghosts of my past." Harry said. Rita just smiled.

Tonight was a surprise. Harry told me that we needed to have a meeting with Sirius, his Godfather and also my Godfather. I met up with Harry in the Gryffindor common room.

"Sirius?" Harry called. Harry and I looked around the common room for our Godfather. As we were looking around the room, we noticed a paper of the Daily Prophit with mine and Harry's face on it. We took a look at the paper but quickly threw it away because we didn't like the stuff that was written about us. As Harry threw the paper in the fire there was a loud hissing noise.

Our attention was turned to the fire. To my surprise, Sirius's face popped up in the fire. I was shocked because I thought he would come into the room like a normal person but I guess not.

"Sirius. How-?" Harry stuttered.

"I don't have much time, so let me get straight to it. Did you or did you guys not put your name into the Goblet of Fire?" Sirius asked.

"No!" Harry shouted.

"We did not put our name in that cup!" I yelled.

"Shh," Sirius said. Harry and I turned our heads, then turned our attention back to Sirius. "Sorry. I had to ask. Now, tell me about this dream of yours. You mentioned Wormtail and Voldemort. But who was the third man in the room?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know," Harry said.

"You didn't hear a name?" Sirius asked.

"No. Um... Voldemort was giving him a job to do. Something important." Harry explained.

"And what was that?" Sirius asked.

"He wanted... me and Lana. I don't know why. But he was gonna use this man to get to me. But I mean, it was only a dream, right?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Yes. It's just a dream. Look, Harry. The Death Eaters at the World Cup, your name and Lana's rising from that goblet. These are not just coincidences. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore." Sirius said.

"What are you saying?" Harry asked.

"I'm saying the devils are inside the walls. Igor Karkaroff? He was a Death Eater. And no one, no one stops being a Death Eater. Then there's Barty Crouch. Heart of Stone. Sent his own son to Azkaban." Sirius was interrupted when we heard the door open.

"Do you think one of them put my name in the goblet?" Harry asked.

"I haven't a clue who put your name in that goblet, but whoever did is no friend to you guys. People die in this tournament." Sirius said.

"I'm not ready for this, Sirius," Harry said worriedly.

"Neither am I. I'm scared." I said.

"You guys don't have a choice. I don't have much time left. Lana, I need to talk to you about your marriages." Sirius said.

"You know about my husbands?" I said, shocked.

"Yes. Your father told me. Just so you know we will do everything we can to get you out of the abuse." Sirius said.

"Thanks," I said. Suddenly we heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

"Someone's coming," Harry said.

"Keep your friends close, Lana and Harry," Sirius said before disappearing from the fire. As if things couldn't get any worse, Ron walked down the stairs. I kept my head low when Harry walked up to him.

"Who were you guys talking to?" Ron questioned.

"What? Who says we were talking to anyone?" Harry asked.

"I heard voices," Ron said.

"Maybe your imagining things," Harry suggested.

"Wouldn't be the first time. You're probably just practicing for your next interview I expect." Ron said before walking away. When Ron was out of sight, Harry and I went to check the fireplace but there was no one in there. The paper that Harry threw into the fire burned to a crisp.

"Lana?" I heard Gwen say from behind me. Gwen and Miles were walking down the stairs. I turned around, not wanting to talk to my parents right now.

"I'll give you guys some space to talk," Harry said. Harry left the room, leaving me alone with Gwen and Miles. My parents sat down next to me. Tension filled the room as I stayed silent.

"Lana, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out that way. I was just upset because of my parents," Miles said.

"But why didn't you guys tell that I was an accident before?" I questioned, with sadness filling my voice. I felt tears welling in my eyes.

Gwen sighed deeply, her expression filled with guilt. "Because we didn't want you to feel like you were unwanted," She explained. "We love you Lana, and we didn't want the circumstances of your birth define your worth or how much we cherish you."

Her words struck a chord within me, mingling with the pain and confusion. I understood their intentions, but it was hard not to feel a surge of hurt. The revelation had shaken the foundation of my identity, leaving me grappling with a newfound sense of insecurity.

Miles reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he brushed away a tear that escaped my eye. "Lana, please understand that we never wanted to hurt you," he pleaded, his voice filled with genuine remorse. "We were just trying to shield you from unnecessary pain. We love you more than words can express."

I sniffled, trying to steady my breathing as I gazed at the two people who had raised me. Their love was undeniable, and I knew deep down that their intentions were rooted in protecting me. As difficult as it was to process, I couldn't ignore the bond we shared.

With a shaky breath, I nodded, a mix of acceptance and lingering heartache. "I understand, but it still hurts," I admitted, my voice quivering. "I need some time to process all of this."

Gwen and Miles wrapped their arms around me, pulling me into a comforting embrace. "Take all the time you need, Lana," she whispered, her voice filled with tenderness. "We're here for you, no matter what."

In that moment, as we stood together, tears mingling with understanding, I realized that even though the truth had shaken our foundation, our love had the strength to rebuild and heal.