Chapter 107: Luck Be a Lady
Steeling himself, Harry pushed open the door to the Potions classroom, mentally preparing himself for today. Yesterday was relatively easy with Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy and Charms. Today, he knew was going to test him with Potions and Defense sandwiched around Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.
"Ending the day with Snape is someone's idea of a joke," Neville said. "It has to be."
"It can't be that bad," Hermione said.
"I can't see how it could be worse," Neville replied.
"Imagine a world where it was Umbridge," Hermione said, her comment bringing both Harry and Neville up short. Seeing they stopped completely, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked at them. "I take that to mean I win this round?"
"Like you've ever lost one," Neville muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Hermione whipped around.
"Nothing," Neville said quickly as stopped dead in his tracks.
"Wow," Daphne said. "The Thunder Man done in by a girl."
"She's no ordinary girl," Harry said which earned him a kiss on the cheek.
"Is your mission to make every boy here your little puppy," Daphne joked.
"Oh no, you've figured me out," Hermione said as she placed her hand over her heart and widened her eyes. "I've been so subtle, too."
Before long, the door to the potions classroom opened with Horace Slughorn beaming at them.
"Welcome!" His reedy voice welcomed them. Everyone stepped back in shock at his greeting. "Everyone come in."
As the class filed in, they did a double take. In place of Snape's dark, dingy Potions classroom stood a brightly lit, well-ventilated classroom. Slughorn had charmed windows to show the weather outside. At the center of the classroom were four cauldrons. Harry swore the class even smelled better. The delightful aroma of treacle tart, broomstick polish, and, unless he was imagining things, Crookshanks. Even Ron, who had hardly spoken since he and the rest of his siblings returned, let out a contented sigh.
"Welcome everyone," Slughorn said brightly. "Welcome to Potions. I am Professor Slughorn. I will be your new potions teacher. In other classes, you can use your wand and your magic to manipulate, transform and enchant. However, everything you can do with a wand, you can do with potions. As it is your O.W.L. year, you will be tested both by me and by the Wizarding Examination Authority with everything you have learned in the last five years. With an OWL in potions, doors you previously thought were closed will open and it is my job to help those doors open to you.
"Now, can anyone tell me what is in each of these cauldrons?"
Several hands shot for the roof and Slughorn chortled at their enthusiasm.
"Miss Greengrass," Slughorn pointed first to the blonde and then bubbling clear potion. "Given your family, I should hope you could identify one this one?"
"Vertiaserum," Daphne said. "It's the truth potion."
"10 points to Slytherin," Slughorn said. "This potion is so powerful that three drops into any liquid will put the drinker into a catatonic state. In this state, they will answer any question completely and honestly. Before any of you try, these cauldrons have all been charmed so that any liquid that is withdrawn with anything but a specific cup will evaporate and return to the cauldron. So no use in stealing this to find out if your crush likes you. You'll just have to ask the lucky witch yourself, lads."
Slughorn chortled at his joke while everyone else looked around at the rest of the class, wondering who else had the idea.
"Now on to the next one, yes Ms. Patil?" Slughorn pointed at Parvati. "I trust you can tell me about this pink one?"
As Slughorn pointed it out, Harry finally noticed the source of the smell and his euphoria and just like that, the effect cleared.
"That would be a love potion," Parvati said.
"Exactly!" Slughorn said. "10 points to Gryffindor. You can spot it by its signature swirls. Now this potion, Amortentia, doesn't create love, it simply mimics its effects on the drinker. In its current state, it is unfocused but add a few of your hairs to it and your target will become besotted by everything you do. It takes the drinker all their will to shake off the effects. Slipping it to someone who is already engaged, betrothed or married could subject you to Line Theft Charges and it is strictly regulated. Now, speaking of regulation, we have the next one. Yes, Mr. Goyle."
"That's Polyjuice Potion?" Greg asked.
"Yes!" Slughorn's finger shot to the ceiling again. "And can you tell me what it does?"
"It changes how you look?" Goyle said, sounding none too confident.
"Yes and no," Slughorn said. "This potion with something of your target added- I recommend hair but you could use their blood, fingernails, toenails or… well you get the idea."
The class squirmed at the uncomfortable thought.
"Yes, it tastes as bad as it sounds," Slughorn chortled. "But it does more than change your appearance. I am told everything down to the DNA changes- if you need to know what that is, ask your muggleborn friends. You don't just change faces, you become that person. If improperly brewed, it can kill. If you take it with animal hair, it will transform you into an animal hybrid and it will take weeks to wear off- and that's the best-case scenario. As powerful as this potion is, it is also dangerous and exceptionally tough to brew.
"And what is the last one?" Slughorn pointed to the last one which looked like liquid gold. "Ah yes, Miss Granger?"
"Felix Felicis," Hermione said. "It is also called liquid luck."
"Yes!" Slughorn shouted. "It is by far the most difficult potion to brew. It takes months to brew and you have to be exact with every step but if you do, it can give you the luckiest day you've ever had. I have taken it once and it is still my best day ever on this planet. However, taking it for any sporting event or for tests- especially O.W.L.s is strictly prohibited. Yes, Miss Patil?"
"If it takes so long to brew and I'd assume you couldn't move it while you did," Parvati asked. "How is it you have this ready?"
"Excellent question," Slughorn smiled. "I have been brewing this on occasion as different places will commission me to brew for them. As for moving them, I have a special charm that can put potions in perfect stasis. Usually, when you put a potion into stasis, it still goes inert and isn't as potent. Not for me, however.
"So who can tell me what the common link between these potions is?" Slughorn asked the class. Everyone in the room looked at one another, each confused and deep in thought. Taking a shot, Harry raised his hand.
"Change," Harry said. "All of these potions change a fundamental part of your existence, at least for a while."
"One changes your ability to hide, lie or keep secrets; another changes the way you feel about a person; the other changes who you are and the last one changes your fate, if only for a day."
"20 points to Gryffindor," Slughorn beamed. "That, my friends, is what Potions is. It is the art of change. We take items and we chop them, mince them, juice them and do all assortment of things to them. After that, we add them to a mixture and stir them to transform them into a potion that can cure, kill, enthrall and enrapture our fellow witches and wizards. It is the most dangerous as Potions can be slipped to anyone and as such, must be respected. Every book reads like a cookbook with each potion a particular recipe but just like the best chefs, the best potioneers will know, instinctually, what needs to be changed and what has to stay the same. One extra stir, a stir in the opposite direction, prepares this potion ingredient like this. I can teach you to follow the recipe but for some of you, I will not have to tell you how to make it better. You will either know or you won't. I look forward to seeing what you can do.
"And that is precisely what you will be doing today," Slughorn waved his wand and the Wit Sharpening potion wrote itself on the board. "I want you all to create the Wit Sharpening Potion for me today so I can assess your skills and see where we need to grow as a class before you get to your tests at the end of the year. As a bonus: the potion that is the best will win a prize."
Slughorn pulled a vial of golden liquid out of his robes.
"The winner will have a day's worth of Liquid Luck," Slughorn announced to gasps. "Good luck, get to it."
The dungeon was filled with scrapping chairs, excited chatter and the sound of cauldrons getting set.
"I'll grab the items we need if you get our stations set up?" Harry asked Hermione who eagerly nodded. Next to them, Lavender was doing the same while Parvati fetched the items.
For the next hour, the classroom was quiet as the students brewed. Slughorn would wander from time to time and help correct the students. He helped Goyle hold his stirrer differently so his stirring would not be as aggressive. With Malfoy, who Harry noticed had a very determined look on his face, Slughorn helped change the way he held his knife so the cuts were more precise. He stopped Seamus from setting his potion on fire and prevented a fierce-looking Ron from a mistake that would have created fumes so toxic, that they would have had to evacuate. Slughorn kept a steady watch, tweaking and helping all students.
"Your cauldron is too close to the flame," Slughorn said to Harry. "You'll be overcooking your potions and while they'll still be acceptable, you will not get up to the Exceeds Expectations level or above and the potion will not have its desired effect. Look at Miss Granger: she has the cauldron just at the right height so the flame licks the bottom of it but does not fully touch. This will give the potion the right consistency. Which is why her color is nearly perfect."
Hermione blushed under the praise as Harry moved his cauldron, noticing the color and consistency shift.
"Ah but your stirring is perfect," Slughorn said. "That's what I always admired about Lily. She knew when to stir and when not to stir. Drove the other students barmy when she outdid them. Ah yes, a perfect time to add a counterclockwise stir, Miss Patil. Do you know why we add those?"
"It stops the potion's flow to allow the ingredients to settle together," Lavender answered for her.
"Just what I expected for Lavender Petal," Slughorn said. "We should have about five minutes of brewing left. Who will be the lucky winner?
At the end of the time, Slughorn walked around the classroom and returned to his desk at the head of the classroom.
"When I call your name, come stand in front of me with a vial of your potion," Slughorn instructed. "Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, Dean Thomas and… Tracey Davis."
The six students stood in front of the class with their potions in hand.
"Now you can see the subtle differences," Slughorn said. "This potion is supposed to be milky white. Miss Davis has a great color but her consistency is a little off compared to Miss Greengrass whose consistency is perfect. Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas has a delicate touch and you can see his consistency is great but the color is just a shade too light. Mr. Nott has the color but he took his cauldron off the heat too early and the potion is too thick. So the three best are Miss Greengrass, Miss Granger and Miss Patil. However, if I have to pick one, I think I have to pick… Miss Granger."
Slughorn handed her the vial of Felix Felicis.
"Miss Granger here understood the nuance to this potion," Slughorn said. "A few times, I witnessed her pull the stirring rod out of the cauldron while the potion still was in motion. As it started to settle, she would stir a little more. She was very particular about adding each ingredient with care. Watch her next class and you'll see a very inspired brewer. Congratulations, Miss Granger."
The class clapped, some more earnestly than others, for a blushing Hermione.
"For the next class, I want two rolls of parchment on this potion, the intricacies of brewing it, what happens when you brew it wrong and what it actually does. See you all next class."
As Harry walked out of the classroom next to a beaming Hermione, he found himself coming to terms with the class they just had.
"Sort of strange, isn't it?" Neville spoke as they reached the Entrance Hall. "That's the best Potions lesson we've ever had. Pomfrey has done well with the Potions Club but Slughorn understands more of the nuance."
"Yeah," Harry said. There was still something that bothered him about Slughorn but he couldn't put his finger on it. "He was something else."
"The way he understands the subject and can teach it," Hermione said in a breathless tone. "I wish we had this for the last five years."
"Which means we should prepare ourselves for Defense this afternoon," Lavender said. "Snape's teaching? In that class?"
"At least he can't just put instructions on the board and tell us to work," Parvati said with a chortle.
"Come on," Hermione interjected. "We'll be late for Care of Magical Creatures.
Throughout the rest of the day, Hermione was on cloud nine until the end of the day when Snape threw open the door to the defense classroom.
"In," Snape instructed and the class filed in wordlessly. Without waiting for everyone to sit, Snape began. "As you all know by now I am Professor Snape. To this point, you have had four teachers for this course and now it falls to me to get you all ready for your Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. I hope you all are ready because I am not just preparing you for a career; I am preparing you for life.
"Fighting the dark arts is a lifelong fight. The dark does not sleep, it cannot be distracted and it does not wait for you to be ready. Your teacher last year stressed 'Constant Vigilance' if I am to be believed. Well, he was right. I am here to teach you how to keep yourself and others safe.
"What are the four keys to defense? Potter? Surely you know with your experience last year."
"Block, deflect, evade and disarm," Harry said.
"Correct," Snape said. "You need to be able to block incoming attacks or deflect them, move your body so you won't be hit by that attack or prevent the person from attacking you. Right from the book. Ignore half of those.
"Several spells cannot be blocked and deflecting them is a good way to hurt the person next to you. Your focus should be to evade all spells coming your way and to disarm your opponent- whether that means removing their wand or their ability to wield it. How you decide to do that is up to you.
"Before we can get started, I need to see your skills," Snape said. "I will call names and you will duel one another. The last one standing will win 10 house points. The first match is Abbott vs… Potter."
Harry and Hannah stood across from one another. With subtle communication, they confirmed they wouldn't use the full range of their abilities. They traded stunners back and forth until Harry finally disarmed Hannah.
"Adequate," Snape said. "Weasley and… Thomas you are up next."
Ron powered toward one end of the dueling ring while Dean sauntered toward his.
"Begin," Snape instructed. Before he finished his word, Ron unleashed a brace of bludgeoning attacks, forcing Dean to evade. Ron kept up his offensive onslaught, his pent-up rage fueling his attacks. When he had pushed Dean to the back of the dueling ring, a stinging hex hit him from behind.
"Ow!" Ron yelped in pain. "What was that for?"
"You let down your rear guard," Snape explained as if commenting on the weather.
"That's not fair!" Ron said. "You said this was one-to-one."
"And you expect every fight to be fair?" Snape asked rhetorically. "You think you'll always be facing off against one person at a time?
"You can never assume that your opponent is going to attack from your front," Snape said. "Continue."
Ron resumed his assault as Dean continued to dodge. Seeing Snape ready his wand, he put himself between him and Ron. Waiting for the sound of Snape's spell, Dean flattened himself to the floor. As the stinging hex hit the redheaded boy, Dean trained his wand on Ron and disarmed him.
"Winner, Thomas," Snape said. "Rather ingenious to use my attack to your advantage, Thomas. Always look for a way to turn your disadvantage to your advantage. Granger and Jones."
On and on the duels went with the group who trained this summer prevailing at every turn.
"It would seem some of you are more accomplished than others," Snape said as he made marks on his clipboard. Eventually, it came down to the final four of Harry, Neville, Susan and Hermione. Harry defeated Neville with an overpowered stunner and Susan defeated Hermione with a clever combination of smoke transfigured into gelatin to restrain Hermione thereby forcing her to submit.
"Final match Bones vs. Potter," Snape instructed. "Don't go easy this time, you two. I know you can do better."
Before Harry and Susan got set, Snape launched two stunners at him. Harry blocked them both by summoning a desk into its path. The desk splintered but Harry hardened the desk and shot it back toward Snape who vanished it with a wave of his wand. Susan tried to take advantage of the opening and launched a whole string of curses at Harry, starting with incarcerous, followed by conjuring a stone slab which she threw at him with a cloud of mist behind it. Harry sliced the cords in half and turned them both into adhesive which he attached to the slab which he stuck to the floor of the room.
"Not this time," Harry said. Just before the cloud reached him, he blew it back toward her with a hard swipe of his wand.
Snape made himself known again with a trio of bludgeoning attacks, all targeted toward Harry. Harry rolled backward and deflected the one spell still headed toward him. Harry conjured a swarm of birds and sent them toward Snape. Before they got there, Snape turned them to ash. While Harry went back to focusing on Susan, Snape brought the ash back together and turned it into a slimy substance. The substance dropped to the floor and crawled toward Harry. While he tried to find Susan in the cloud, Harry braced himself. Susan came out flying with an ice block headed toward him. Harry let it move past him but that's when Susan brought it back toward her, right around Harry's back. The ice shattered as Harry dropped face-first onto the floor at the same time that Snape's slime arrived, holding him to the floor. As Susan turned the ice to stone and summoned his wand.
"Winner Bones," Snape said. "10 points to Hufflepuff. Adequate use of different elements to conceal your movements and attacks. I hope you all were watching closely as the daughter of an Auror acts. She is what everyone should aspire to be when defending themselves. Potter was… admirable… but he left himself open to attack far too often. If you are not as powerful as your opponent, which if you're defending yourself, assume you are not, you will want to mind your defense first and use that to wait for the opportune moment to either disengage or put your opponents on their heels. That is all for today. Class dismissed."
"Can I get up now?" Harry said from the floor.
"Oh right," Susan said, vanishing the stone and handing Harry his wand.
"And this sludge?" Harry asked.
"You, being your father's son, should know how to get out of a sticky situation," Snape said with a small sneer.
Harry glared at the man as he grabbed his wand. First, he tried to dispel the substance and when that didn't work he tried to vanish it. Nothing worked until he heated his wand and dried out the substance and physically broke his connection with the floor.
"Commendable," Snape said. "Now I think you're probably ready for dinner."
Thoroughly annoyed and positively filthy, Harry was among the first to file out of the room.
"Harry!" Susan shouted but Harry pushed onward until she pulled him back. "Harry!"
Harry snapped his head back at her, trying to soothe himself but his glare never faded. Before they could say anything to one another, Neville guided them both into an empty classroom. Hermione and Hannah followed behind with Hermione warding the door for privacy.
"Are you okay?" Susan asked, her blue eye seeking out his green. "What am I saying? Of course, you're not; everyone can see you're pissed."
"Of course I'm pissed!" Harry said. "Snape just used that whole lesson to target me! Every duel he only attacked me! Then slipped in a barb about my dad. I honestly preferred it when he ignored me. If this shit keeps up, I'm likely to hex him."
"That still doesn't explain why you let me win," Susan said with an annoyed look. "I've tried that trick on you before and you snuffed it out before I could finish it. Why did you let it work this time? Same with you, Hermione. You all but let me win."
"I don't want Snape to know what I can do," Harry said. "I think Hermione is the same way. He's supposed to report back to Tom what he sees and hears around here. I'm keeping my best stuff off the radar. The only time I'm going to use it will be in the Room of Requirement or with Flitwick."
"Makes sense," Neville said. "But you can't let Snape get to you. If you think he's passing information, the last thing you need him to tell Riddle is how to piss you off. I don't know if you want to hear this but you need to: you're the person everyone is looking to now. Not the Ministry and certainly not Dumbledore. He's let too many people down far too many times for anyone to believe in him. It's you, Harry. We need you."
"And I need you," Susan said as tears crept into her eyes. "I wake up every morning and I don't know if I'll be getting a message of my Auntie's murder. The only thing that keeps me going is that we're going to beat them. If we lose you or you lose yourself, I…"
Hannah pulled her friend into a hug.
"You better now?" Hermione asked. "Because this was just the first class. You know Snape is going to test you and you also know he won't be the only one. You're the glue that ties this whole thing together. The alliance you formed? It will fall apart without you."
Harry sagged a little and fell into the nearest chair.
"Yeah I'm sure that feels heavy," Neville said. "We're here to share the load and help you as best as we can but there's only so much we can do. Just promise me you'll keep your head, okay? Cause I can barely keep up with one girl, let alone three."
"Four if you count Daphne," Hannah said.
"Five with Luna," Hermione said.
"Parvati and Lavender make seven," Susan added.
"Then there's Tracey, Millie and Ginny," Neville finished. "How did we allow ourselves to be so outnumbered by witches? It's just the two of us, Vinny and Greg."
"There's Dean, Fred and George," Harry pointed out.
"Yeah but they come with Fay, Angelina and Alicia," Neville said. "And Katie."
"At least it's pleasant company," Harry said with a wry smile. "Imagine if it was Hermione taking care of Ron and myself."
"Don't even joke about that," Hermione said with a scowl. "I can barely keep you contained. Ron? I can't even comprehend."
"Come on," Neville hauled Harry out of the chair and set him back on his feet. "You're in a better mood now so that means we can eat now."
"Fine," Harry said. "Heaven forbid we keep you from food for more than three hours."
As they exited the room, Harry felt that he didn't need to win Slughorn's competition. With this group around him, he was plenty lucky already.