The Awakening Power

Chapter 13: A Meeting in Hogsmeade

The Awakening Power

by Sib

Chapter 13: A Meeting in Hogsmeade

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Harry walked to the front of the Potions classroom, feeling very pleased with the results that day. It had been a complex assignment, but somehow having Professor Melanadray made a huge difference in his outlook on the subject.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I must say your work has been excellent lately," Melanadray said to him as he turned in his potion for marking.

Harry noticed bashfully that she looked particularly pretty today with her hair clipped up with a bright red bow. "Um, thanks."

"Oh, would you mind waiting after class? I could use your help with something," she said, smiling at him.

"Sure, no problem," Harry said, feeling pleased despite himself about her picking him to help her.

He went over to Ron and Hermione. "Hey, I'll catch up with you two later. The Professor wants help with something."

Ron gave him a smirk, causing both Hermione and Harry to glare at him.

"What?" Harry said, annoyed.

"Sure, Harry. You're quite the helpful bloke, aren't you? Always willing to lend a hand to someone in need," Ron said, snickering.

"All right, all right, just go," Harry said irritably, as he went to the side of the room to wait.

After the last few students filed out, Harry walked up to Professor Melanadray's desk.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Harry," she said. "It won't take long. I just received a big box of potions, and it's much easier with two people."

"All right," Harry said.

She moved to the side of the classroom and opened up a storeroom, gesturing to him that he should follow her in.

"Here we are. I'll pull them out of the box, and you mark off the inventory on this sheet, all right?" she said, handing him a clipboard.

"All right, Professor," Harry said.

Melanadray giggled a bit and leaned forward. "You don't know how odd it is to hear you call me that."

"Um, really?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. You know, Harry... may I call you Harry, at least when we're not in class?" she asked.

Harry nodded.

"Well, Harry... you may call me Melissa if you like... anyway... I'm not that much older than you are... in fact, we just missed being classmates at Hogwarts. I left the year you came," she said, looking at him carefully. "Thirty ounces of ground bat wings."

"What?" Harry said.

She waved a potions bottle. "Thirty ounces, ground bat wings."

"Oh," Harry said, writing down the quantity.

"One ounce, spider hearts," she continued.

Harry repeated the quantity as he wrote it down.

"It would have been fun to be classmates, wouldn't it?" she said. "You know, I was in Gryffindor, too... we could have been friends. Six ounces, pickled toad."

"Er, yeah, maybe," he said, wondering where she was going with all of this as he wrote down another quantity.

She reached up and pulled out her hair clip, shaking her shiny long, blonde hair out and letting it cascade over her shoulders. Harry felt very flustered watching the process.