It was his own, it was not mine,
Far be it that I should repine

Chapter 8: It was his own

Potions class was surely a lot easier to teach now that the dangerous combination of Gryffindor and Slytherin was a thing of the past. Sure, there were still a couple of Gryffindors scattered throughout his Slytherins, but their numbers were now so few that the imminent threat of cauldron explosions was severely diminished. Especially because those resorted into Slytherin were definitely not prone to doing just that. Except perhaps Potter.

Snape glanced at the raven-haired boy who was carefully stirring his cauldron. He had teamed up with Zabini, today. And though his Slytherin didn't seem particularly pleased with this situation, he was aware that he would just have to make do, Snape knew. His Slytherins would not disobey his orders and as long as Potter was a Slytherin, they would have to put in extra effort to make sure that the boy would understand and pass potions. Just as they had done for Messer's Crabbe and Goyle. After all, it would not do for any of his snakes to fail his own subject. No, that would not do at all.

"Mr Potter," Snape growled, slightly startling the boy out of his thoughts. Daydreaming when he should be focusing, Snape thought. As always, the golden boy was expecting things to come to him effortlessly. But this time, he wouldn't have Granger to help him out.

"Yes, sir?" Potter answered rather demurely.

Snape smirked. "Tell me what the secondary effect is of this potion." He couldn't help but feel somewhat smug when the Potter boy looked a bit confused.

"Secondary effect, sir?" he parroted stupidly.

Snape raised one sardonic eyebrow as he kept his gaze locked firmly on the boy. "That is what I said, yes. The primary effect is, as we all know…"

"The lifting of weak curses and other harmful spells, Sir," Potter answered.

"That is correct," Snape said evenly. "But those who have actually read the assigned chapter would also be able to tell me what the secondary effect is. So once again, Potter, what is it?"

"Erm…" stammered Potter as the blasted boy tried to inconspicuously leaf through his book to find the information missing from his small Gryffindor mind. Snape couldn't help but notice the state said book was already in and furrowed his brow. Such disrespect the brat had for his new things. Did he not care that books cost a lot of money? Getting all of life's blessings and necessities for naught clearly made him spoiled beyond repair.

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape then said, now done with Potter and his incompetence. "Tell Mr. Potter the answer, if you please."

"It also lifts glamours," Malfoy said easily, his voice haughty and Snape couldn't help but notice the small sign of alarm in Potter's eyes.

Malfoy shrugged. "Perval Millar – that's the wizard that invented the potion –," Malfoy added condescendingly, "Didn't mean for that added effect and even tried to get rid of it but he hasn't been able to. Nor has any other potioneer."

"Ten points to Slytherin," Snape said. "That is correct, Mr Malfoy. And the precise reason why this potion is not used by Aurors. Even though the effect can be very helpful, they would rather not expose themselves by accident."

Snape purposefully locked eyes with Potter. "It would after all be very dangerous to have your glamour charm be discovered at the most… inopportune moment," Snape smirked inwardly when he saw the now clear panic in Potter's eyes. Good. Let's let that sink in for a while. Sooner or later, the former Gryffindor would surely give himself away. And Snape would be there when that happened.

That was close. Harry worriedly followed the other Slytherins to their next class – transfiguration – as he mulled over what Snape had said. That was clearly no coincidence. No, the way the dour man had looked at him spelt trouble. He knew. There was no question about it. But why hadn't the man done anything about it yet? Was he just thinking about the right punishment? Or maybe Snape just enjoyed torturing him like this. Letting him know that he knew.

What a jerk. But Harry was not going to let the man get to him like that. Whatever beef he had with his father back in the day, it was childish of the Potion Master to not let that go already. And it was ridiculous that he always took it out on Harry. "Screw this," Harry muttered under his breath. He was not going to let Snape get to him like that. It was bad enough that he had to sleep with the snakes and let himself get beat up on occasion. He was not also going to let Snape torture him mentally.

"Screw what?" someone asked him. Harry glanced over his shoulder to see Greengrass looking at him indifferently.

"Just thinking out loud," Harry said quickly. "Don't worry about it."

"Who said I was worried?" Greengrass asked icily. "I was merely wondering what had our great saviour so worked up."

Harry didn't particularly love the sarcasm she didn't even try to hide in her words, but at least this girl attempted a civil conversation with him.

"This whole situation," Harry said, deciding to at least be somewhat honest. "Forgive me for not enjoying my current predicament."

Greengrass rolled her eyes. "That much was obvious," she replied. "Be that as it may, though, I doubt that you're the only one unhappy with this situation."

"And?" Harry said, not able to keep himself from snapping at her a little bit. "It's not like it's my fault. I didn't set the tower on fire, you know?"

Greengrass shrugged, staying calm despite Harry's temper. "I don't know," she said matter of factly. "As far as I know, you just might have." She smiled a little bit. "But then, as far as I know, it could also have been house elves, Professor McGonagall, rats in the walls or that escaped murderer. Who's to say?"

"You're joking," Harry said.

"Just a little bit," Greengrass said. "But whatever the case, we are stuck with each other for the time being. Don't worry though, as you know, some of us realize that this is an opportunity for us. Not everyone is as brash as Draco."

Harry was just about to say that Malfoy was a prat when they entered the Transfiguration classroom and he swallowed his words. It was for the better anyway. Malfoy would've surely heard him and gotten back at him for it later. Not that the prat needed an excuse to be a snake but whatever.

The classroom was a bit crowded because they had Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. But that meant that Harry could see some of his old housemates again. Like Hermione! She saw him as soon as he walked into the room, beaming at him.

"Harry!" She called out, waving at him and motioning for him to come sit with her. He took an immediate step in her direction before he felt a hand tug at his arm.

"Class unity, remember?" someone hissed at him and Harry turned around to see Malfoy glowering at him.

"That doesn't mean that I can't be nice to other houses, right?" Harry asked, trying his best to keep his cool.

"Fine," Malfoy said, also clearly trying to be on his best behaviour. "But do try not to badmouth us to your friend, because that would be breaking the rules."

And Harry could really do without another detention. "Thanks for the reminder, Malfoy," he said. "I'll keep that in mind." And with that, Malfoy nodded at him and Harry went to sit by Hermione.

"Hey," she said as soon as he took a seat next to her. "It's good to see you."

"You too," sighed Harry. "You wouldn't believe how much I miss you guys."

"Yeah, it's rough," Hermione admitted. Then, she lowered her voice. "But it's probably so much worse for you."

"It's been alright," Harry lied, trying his best to at least not break this rule. "It's an adjustment for everyone, of course."

"That's very mature of you," Hermione said.

"Hermione!" someone then exclaimed. "Come sit with me."

"In a minute, Padma," Hermione replied.

"Oh," Harry said. "I thought we might be working together."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said apologetically. "But Padma and I have an agreement about who takes what notes and we like comparing during classes. It's really a great way of studying!" She gave him a pitying look. "If you want, we can always study together later in the library," she offered. "And maybe Ron can join us as well."

"I think Ron is stuck in his mandatory study sessions in Hufflepuff," Harry sighed. "It's alright, Hermione. We'll catch up later."

"Definitely," Hermione confirmed. She made to leave but then lingered a while longer. "Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" she asked. "If you really want me to stay with you, I'm sure Padma will understand."

Harry shook his head. "It's ok," he assured her. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Soon, you'll be stuck with two dunces again."

Hermione snickered. "Oh, you," she said and off she went.

Truth be told, Harry wasn't entirely happy with this arrangement but he did understand that Hermione enjoyed spending classes with someone as studious as her. And it wouldn't last forever, so honestly, she should enjoy it. As long as everything would go back to normal in the end, it would be fine.

"Come sit over here, Potter," Nott said and Harry obediently went to sit next to him, doing his best to present himself as a united front with the Slytherins. It wasn't long after that, that McGonagall came in and started the class.

Harry couldn't help but notice her eyes resting momentarily on his with a pitying look before carrying on as usual. "Today, we will be learning something that hasn't been part of the curriculum for many years," she said. Harry noticed the glee in her voice as well as Hermione suddenly becoming a tad too excited.

"In all my years, I've certainly never taught it," McGonagall continued. "And I must emphasize to each and every one of you that there's a reason for that. If not practised in a regulated environment, this could prove to be quite dangerous."

At this point, Hermione wasn't even sitting anymore. She was half standing, half leaning over her desk as if doing her best to get a good look at McGonagall.

"I am talking – of course – about Animagi."

Hermione squealed in delight but Harry couldn't help but feel confused. What in Merlin's name was that supposed to be? A quick glance around the room proved that he was one of the only ones who didn't know what was going on.

Nott elbowed him lightly and inconspicuously in the ribs. "An Animagus is someone who can freely turn into an animal," he supplied in hushed tones. "Not many people can actually do this and those who can, need to register themselves with the ministry."

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully.

"Just try not to embarrass us," Nott whispered back, his tone neutral.

Right. The keeping up appearances thing.

"Why are we learning about this now, Professor?" Hermione asked unprompted; causing most of the Slytherins to groan in annoyance. Hermione just ignored them. "I mean, since it's apparently unusual."

"Professor Dumbledore thought it was… a nice change of pace after everything that has happened," McGonagall said carefully. Harry noticed the small smile on McGonagall's face and wondered if this was Dumbledore's way of cheering her up.

She clapped her hands. "Now pair up everyone. And choose your partner wisely because we will be pursuing this for a couple of months, at least."

"A couple of months?" Hermione said. "But Professor, won't we fall behind in the rest of the normal curriculum?"

"Just shut up," Draco hissed under his breath.

Even McGonagall seemed annoyed now. "I can certainly arrange my classes myself, Ms Granger," she said icily. "Thank you."

That shut her up. And even though Harry felt kind of sorry for her, he also kind of understood the Slytherin's annoyance now that he wasn't actively part of her group. The scraping of chairs alerted Harry that people were starting to form pairs already. He glanced at Hermione but she smiled back at him apologetically while Padma dragged her away with her. Good for her, he supposed. None of the other Ravenclaws showed much of an interest in him either. And he couldn't very well blame them. He would never study the amount that they would expect of him.

He sighed and turned his attention to the Slytherins. They were also forming their expected groups. Strangely though, Greengrass was still sitting there, staring straight at him. Every now and then, a girl would approach her and say something to her but she would just shake her head and move them along with an elegant swish of her hand. Her icy stare never left Harry and he started to feel mildly uncomfortable. But then she smiled ever so slightly and Harry supposed it could do no harm. So he approached her, feeling incredibly watched and not only by her.

"Er… hi," he said uncomfortably.

Greengrass merely raised her chin a bit in acknowledgement.

"Do you have a partner yet?" Harry asked.

"I haven't accepted any offers so far," she replied easily.

"Would you like to be mine?" Harry asked and for a fleeting moment, he saw a hint of surprise on Greengrass' face. "My partner, I mean," he added quickly. "For this project." He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "You know what I mean."

Greengrass smiled demurely. "I do," she said. "And I would."

"Are you sure, Daphne?" Malfoy suddenly asked, his expression sour. "He might bring down your entire grade."

"Oh, I don't know," Greengrass said. "He has surprised people before. Multiple times, in fact. I expect that this time will be no different."

Harry didn't feel nearly as confident in himself as she seemed to be but he would take it. "Thanks," he said. "I'll do my best."

"See to it that you do," Greengrass said. "I will not forgive you easily if you just muddle through."

"Okay, is everyone ready?" McGonagall asked, her keen eyes sweeping through the classroom. "Good. Now, let me preface this by saying that it is exceedingly difficult to become an Animagus. In fact, most of you will probably never achieve this feat. That is why I will not be grading you based on results. But I will be grading you based on your efforts and your theoretical understanding of the process."

She raised her hands when people started groaning. "I know, I know," she said. "My tests are usually practical in nature, and I promise you that most of your tests concerning other subjects will still be practical but if I did that in regards to Animagi, most of you would fail for no other reason than simply not having the affinity for the art. And that's hardly fair."

Everyone's discontent subsided a bit as McGonagall turned around to flick her wand at her large bookcase. "Now," she said. "The first step to becoming an Animagus is by understanding Animagi." Two books floated towards each student in her class. Harry deftly caught the ones that soared toward him while Greengrass waited patiently for them to land on her desk. Harry read the title of his. The first one was 'Metamorphosis Mastery: The Art and Science of Animagi Transformation' while the second one could have been written by a muggle. It was called 'The Zoological Odyssey: A Comprehensive Guide to Earth's Creatures.'

"What's this book about?" Zabini asked loudly, holding the second book between two fingers as if it were filthy. "This is just a book about animals," he said. "There's not even anything about magical creatures in here."

"Nor should there be, Mr. Zabini," McGonagall said. "Since an Animagus will never take the form of a magical animal. Can anyone tell me why that is?"

Hermione's hand shot in the air, as well as those of nearly all the Ravenclaws while several Slytherins raised theirs lazily.

"Yes, Ms Greengrass," McGonagall said, calling on Harry's partner.

"It's because magical or fantastic creatures have innate magical abilities," she said, her voice somewhat monotonous. "Copying those in transformation would require magic of a level that no wizard in our history has ever come close to reaching. Not even Merlin himself. Not only that, but our magic simply doesn't combine with that of other creatures. It could lead to catastrophic outcomes."

"That is correct," McGonagall acknowledged. "Speaking of catastrophic outcomes, it is important that you all know what to expect before we start practice."

Harry frowned. If Hermione had given a reply even close to what Greengrass had said, she would have gotten points for sure.

"That's why I need you all to read Metamorphosis Mastery cover to cover." McGonagall raised her voice to keep talking over the expected complaints coming from everyone. "I will let you all decide how much time you get for doing so. We can read it together in class or you can read it independently but we will not be moving on to the next step until you've all read the book. So it's up to you how fast we will be moving."

That effectively shut everyone up again. Furtive glances were cast across the room while McGonagall stood there with her arms crossed.

Harry honestly wouldn't mind reading the book in his own time. As it was, he didn't have a lot to look forward to after classes and during the weekends. And it might be fun to be able to turn into an animal. Not that he expected to be one of the people who could actually do it but it would be very cool to be able to turn into a lion or something. That would scare the crap out of the Slytherins and make sure that no one would take him for a snake ever again.

"So?" McGonagall prompted. "Hands up, who votes for reading the book in their own time? Note that I will be quizzing you to make sure that you actually did the reading."

Despite the book being as thick as the width of Harry's palm, he raised his hand. And he noticed that literally everyone else did too. This warranted a warm smile from their Transfiguration Professor.

"Well done everyone," she said with approval. "Then I will get back to you on your progress next week. As for the rest of this class, please read chapters one through three."

"It sounds like you enjoyed yourself, Minerva," Snape said, sipping a wonderful glass of red wine. "Unbelievable that Albus finally decided to indulge you."

"It was very nice of him, really," McGonagall replied, swirling her own wine as she sat back in Snape's comfy couch. "It's not entirely becoming of me, but I must admit that I… er…"

"Cleverly used the situation at hand to your advantage?" Snape offered. "Why Minerva, I never imagined I would see the day."

"Oh stop," McGonagall said, waving her hand at him. "As if you wouldn't have done the same."

"Absolutely I would have," Snape agreed. "But I am a Slytherin. And you are more Gryffindor than Albus himself."

McGonagall shrugged. "It's fine," she said. "The students are all willing to engage in self-study. I'll still be able to teach my normal classes as well."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "Truly?" he questioned. "I've rarely been able to encourage such studious behaviour when it comes to potions. You must teach me your methods, Minerva."

"It's simple," she grinned. "The promise of even the slightest possibility of turning into a 'cool' animal is enough to get a room of teenagers going. They do like to dream big."

Snape snorted. "There are no potions that can do that," he said. "I can promise many things but most are too subtle for such feeble minds to comprehend."

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "There you go again," she said, holding out her glass for Snape to refill which he did amicably. "Why do you pretend to have such contempt for your students? I know you love to teach."

"Only to those who are willing to learn," Snape sneered. "And not many are."

"Funny," McGonagall said. "I don't seem to have that problem."

"And what exactly are you implying?" Snape growled, his tone dangerous.

"Oops, look at the time," McGonagall sputtered, setting her glass down, slightly askew as its bottom haphazardly came to rest on the edge of a book. "I really should go. Can't keep you occupied for too long."

"Is that so?" Snape asked sardonically.

McGonagall laughed. "And drinking all your wine to boot. Next time, you should come visit my quarters instead."

"I'm afraid I'm allergic to gold," Snape replied. "But worry not, Minerva, it is always my pleasure."

"Well," McGonagall replied. "Most of the time, you must mean." She winked cheekily.

Snape smiled. "Indeed," he agreed. "Most of the time."

Creating good memories. How did one go about doing that? Harry sighed. If he really wanted to be able to summon a patronus, he was going to have to step up his game. Because it was darned sure that he was never going to even come close to defending himself against the dementors if he didn't make some changes in his life right now.

He needed to create a good memory! While he was resorted into Slytherin without his friends nearby. He sighed again when – just like that – an opportunity arose.

"Good afternoon." Harry forgot his musings to face one of the few people in this Merlin-forsaken house that would talk to him.

"Hey, Greengrass," he said.

"I think it's about time that you call me Daphne," she replied. "I'm growing tired of these useless honorifics."

"Fine by me," Harry answered easily. "Harry and Daphne it is." Harry was glad that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. He would have definitely felt a certain way about this exchange.

"Care to join me outside?" Daphne asked.

"Me?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Certainly," Daphne said. "Unfortunately, my usual girlfriends aren't here and so I have no one to go with but you. Otherwise, I have no choice but to stay inside which would be quite a waste on a day as beautiful as this one, wouldn't you say?"

Harry smirked. "You know, if you want to go somewhere with me, you don't need to make up excuses," Harry teased. "Just ask. You're my only friend in here so I'll definitely say yes."

Daphne seemed to be slightly taken aback by that statement but then smiled at him. It was warm but Harry could sense that he still needed to be somewhat careful.

"How uncouth of you to simply point that out," Daphne said, shaking her head.

"I don't very much like beating around the bush," Harry shrugged and then – trying to be comical – he offered Daphne his arm. "Shall we?"

Daphne smiled and without hesitation, elegantly took his arm and went to walk by his side. "We shall."

AN: If you read this chapter despite me taking forever to update, thank you so much. I can't make any promises but it seems that I am in the position to update more often again. As always, many thanks to my Big Bad Beta.

Please review ;)