Chapter 37: Extra Potions Lessons
Harry read the letter aloud quietly, so only Hermione, Ron and Katie could hear.
Snape returned last night. He’s in pretty bad form, and we have no details about what’s happened to him “ it’s most likely that he and Dumbledore will refuse to tell any of us anything, so don’t look forward to finding out any more. Just thought you’d like to know.
Remus Lupin
“Well, that was informative...” muttered Ron.
“I bet you anything it’s all we’re going to find out,” said Harry.
“Why?” asked Katie.
“Well, because nobody except Dumbledore has any real clue what Snape’s been up to “ so I doubt there going to tell us anything about where he’s been the last month and a half...”
Harry folded the letter and put it in his pocket, then casually returned to his breakfast.
‘Dees sossjuses er fantashtk,” he said, his mouth full.
Ron gaped at him incredulously.
“Who cares about the bloody sausages “ what are you going to do about Snape?”
“Well there’s not much he can do Ron...” said Hermione, pouring him some pumpkin juice.
“How d’you figure that?”
“Ronald “ how long have we wanted to know why Dumbledore trusts Snape, and what he’s been up to with the Death Eaters?” she replied, buttering his toast.
“Well “ ever since we’ve known there’s something to know...”
“And how much have we figured out?” she continued, cutting his toast.
“Nothing at all...” he said, scowling at Hermione.
“Exactly “ now I believe you have a Charms essay to finish before Professor Flitwick’s class, which begins in precisely 17 minutes “ so I suggest you eat your breakfast so you can get it done.”
“What are you, my mother?” he snapped.
Hermione, dropped the spoon she had been using to scoop the lumps out of his porridge, and looked back at him, clearly hurt.
“I’m sorry, Hermione,” Ron said automatically. “I’m just... you know...a little tense.”
“It’s alright, I know,” she said apologetically.
Harry and Katie began to applaud.
“What’s the matter with you two?” Ron asked.
“Nothing “ just a congratulatory clapping of the hands, mate. You two are really doing good with your resolution to stop fighting...” he said, patting Ron on the back as he and Katie got up and left the Great Hall, laughing. They were stopped at the staircase by Malfoy.
“What are you laughing about, Potter ? Didn’t take you long to get over that Muggle-loving fool snuffing it, did it?” Malfoy growled.
“Shove off, Malfoy,” he replied angrily.
“Whatever you say, Scarhead...” he retorted. Then he turned to Katie, looking her up and down. “Hate to admit it, Bell “ but you’re way too much woman for Potter, I have to wonder why you’re wasting your time with him” he said smirking, and then, shoving past Harry, he descended into the dungeons. Katie turned red.
“I’ll kill him,” Harry said through gritted teeth. “I. Will. Kill. Him.”
“Don’t mind him, Harry...” she said soothingly, though clearly still flustered from Malfoy’s comment. “Come on “ I have to get my things for Potions; class starts in fifteen minutes...”
She began ushering him up the stairs to the common room. Harry could feel his blood boiling as he checked his Charms Essay for errors, not really taking anything in, as he was busy imagining a number of violent ways in which Malfoy could die. Crookshanks kept jumping up onto the table and sitting on his essay, smearing the ink on his freshly corrected mistakes.
“Get off,” he snarled as he shoved the screeching cat onto the floor.
Katie gave him a warning look as she came down from her dormitory with her book bag
“Let’s go, or I’ll be late “ I’ve got to get all the way to the dungeons...” she said.
Harry threw his essay and quill into his own bag and followed her through the portrait hole, kicking a rat that that was squeaking on its way in.
“Harry! I know you’re in a foul mood “ but if you want to vent your anger, you could just wait for Quidditch practice tonight, and stop taking it out on poor defenseless creatures,” she said.
“Well, they’re shouldn’t be bloody rats in the school anyway,” he replied, bad-temperedly.
“We have toads, owls, cats, spiders, ghosts a poltergeist, and who knows what else “ I don’t think that rat was causing anyone any harm...” she sighed.
“Well it was bothering me. It reminded me of Malfoy the ferret...” he said, a grin coming to his face as he remembered the day that Moody’s impostor had bounced Malfoy all around the Entrance Hall.
“That’s more like it,” Katie said as she saw him smile. “I was worrying I wouldn’t get to see your handsome smile before having to leave you for class.”
This, of course, just made his grin even bigger. He walked her down to the dungeons before heading back upstairs for Charms; he took a seat next to Ron and Hermione. He opened his mouth to complain about Malfoy “ but realizing that Malfoy was probably the worst name to mention around Ron at the time-being, he decided against it. Then Professor Flitwick came tottering into the classroom, squeaking excitedly.
“Today, we will be beginning work on the Protean Charm. It is, of course, N.E.W.T level, and therefore, extremely difficult. You will all need to concentrate very hard if you’re going to get this charm working properly...”
Harry and Ron both flashed grinning sidewards glances at Hermione, who, the year before, had already proven she was fully able to do the Protean Charm.
“Time to work your magic,” whispered Ron.
“What’s he mean by that?” asked Harry.
“That’s Ron’s code for ‘you already know it, so you have to help me’” Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.
“Oh...” said Harry. “Alright then, Hermione “ time to work your magic,” he said, grinning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Those Protean charms are impossible, Hermione “ how’d you manage to learn them by yourself?” Ron asked as they left from their exhausting Double Charms lesson.
“I’m brilliant “ it’s why you love me...” she said.
“Yeah, right...” Ron said quietly.
“Excuse me, Ronald “ what was that?” she said, cupping her ear.
“I said ‘you’re right’...” he replied loudly, clearly trying not to laugh.
Hermione hit him playfully as they sat down for lunch “ at least she disguised it as playful, because Harry later found Ron in the dormitory nursing a bruised arm.
“We have Quidditch practice, tonight, Hermione...” Harry said. “Stop trying to injure our Keeper.”
“Oh, right” said Ron. “I forgot about practice...”
Harry clutched his chest dramatically.
“What? You’re kidding? You forgot about Quidditch,” he said, jokingly. “But we’re playing Hufflepuff in two weeks, and we still have to meet our 500 hour practice quota.”
“Shut up, Harry “ it was forty hours...” Ron said. “You know, I can always assign you extra practice hours if it’s that important to you...”
“No, it’s alright, really...”
“I don’t know, maybe you should “ you’re starting to lag on your Feinting...”
“Really, Ron. It’s okay.”
Ron opened his mouth to respond with, most likely, more threats of mandatory practice for Harry when they were interrupted Katie, who sat down and urgently hushed them
“Look up at the staff table, quickly...” she said.
“Katie, what “ ” Harry started, but stopped when he saw what she was pointing at. Professor Lupin was sitting quite close to Professor Alchemina and they were talking and laughing “ they looked very friendly. Hermione, Ron, and Harry turned back to Katie who was clearly waiting to tell them some juicy bit of information.
“I had double Potions this morning, and Professor Alchemina mentioned something about Lupin, and she had this cute little smile on her face “ then, I stayed behind to help her bottle up some of the cypress essence...anyway, Lupin came to meet her and walk her to the Great Hall for lunch...”
“You don’t think there’s something... going on, with the two of them, do you?” asked Harry.
“Of course!” said Katie. “Look at them.”
They turned to look at the two teachers again; Alchemina was using a napkin to wipe something off the side of Lupin’s face very gently.
“Blimey,” said Ron. “Look’s like Lupin’s got himself a girl...”
“This should be fun,” said Harry, smiling mischeviously.
“What should be fun?” asked Hermione distractedly, still looking at Lupin and Alchemina.
“We have Defense Against the Dark Arts right after lunch...”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So,” said Harry loudly as he placed his books on a desk at the front of Lupin’s classroom. “Professor Alchemina’s fantastic, don’t you think Hermione?”
“Oh “she’s wonderful... an excellent teacher...” Hermione responded just as loudly, looking at Lupin from the corner of her eye.
“She’s gorgeous, too,” said Ron. “Ow!”
Hermione had elbowed him.
The three of the sneaked a quick glance at Lupin, who was bent over his desk reading the Daily Prophet and looking like he was trying not to listen to their conversation
“Professor Lupin...” Harry said.
Lupin looked up “ his cheeks were a little pink.
“Yes, Harry?” he said
“What do you think of Professor Alchemina?”
“She’s nice,” he said, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably.
“Just nice?” Ron asked.
“She’s a lovely person...” Lupin asked, avoiding eye contact with the three of them.
“Do you like her?” Hermione asked.
“Of course not, why would you think like her...what could possibly give you that idea?” he said quickly “ he still had not looked them in the eye.
“Professor Lupin, I think Hermione just meant ‘do you like her as a person’,” Harry said innocently. “But now that you mention it...”
Lupin looked at the three of them finally, and saw their smirking faces. Realization dawned upon him.
“You three...” he said shaking his head, trying not to smile, his face turning redder
“I think someone fancies the Potions professor...” Harry said .
“I’m going to assume you’re not referring to Professor Snape,” Lupin said, smiling darkly.
“So “ is it true?” said Ron. “Has someone been taking extra Potion’s lessons “ maybe learning how to whip up a Love Potion?”
“That’s enough...” he said grinning, his face now glowing crimson. “Now sit down, it’s time to start class...”
“Whatever you say, Professor,” they said in unison, sitting down, thoroughly satisfied with themselves.