𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝐏𝐉𝐎 𝐗 𝐇𝐏]

vi: ariana's worst fear

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But sir –!"

Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces.

"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again.

"And, sir, I'll need this Shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's Shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved just for him.

Harry took Malfoy's Shrivelfig as Ron set about trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the Shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.

A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned –

"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right-"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. ​Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

​Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.

"Help me," he moaned to Hermione.

"'Hey, Ariana," said Seamus Finnigan, who she was working beside, "Have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning – they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."

"Where?" asked Ariana.

"Not too far from here," said Seamus, who looked excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she 'phoned the telephone hotline. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

"Interesting." she said.

Seamus leaned over to Harry's table and said the same thing.

​"Not too far from here..." Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely.

"What, Malfoy? ​Need something else skinned?" Ron demanded.

​But Malfoy's eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed on Harry. He leant across the table.

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Harry offhandedly. Ariana frowned in concern. He wasn't actually thinking of doing that, was he?

​Malfoy's thin mouth was curving in a mean smile.

"Of course, if it was me," he said quietly, 'I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."