Complications // Severus Snape

• Ch 2 We'll See •

The feast was...well, a feast. I didn't eat too much; my body wouldn't be able to handle it. After we finished, Sage split up from us to lead First Years to the the common room.

When Shay, Ava, Aura and I entered our dormitory, we all smiled at the sight. It was quite beautiful. "Okay, I choose this bed," I said, pointing to a bed. Shay chose her bed next, and then Ava and Aura chose from the remaining beds. We never liked having the same bed, so we switched it up every year. However, our dormitory only had five beds, so this was the first year of repeats. Soon, Sage entered the dormitory and claimed the only bed left.

Ava and Aura were talking about Quidditch at the opposite end of the room, Shay was making something out of Butterbeer caps, and Sage and I were left to find something to do. "So, how was your trip here?" Sage asked me. "It was...interesting. Yours?" "Oh, it was alright...I was heading back from the Prefect meeting when I got trapped in a compartment full of angry Slytherins...it didn't end well..." she sighed. "I was wondering why you had those cuts...speaking of which, you're bleeding again." I pointed out the bleeding cut to Sage.

"Thanks." "I guess we should go to sleep pretty soon, I mean, we have lessons tomorrow." They all agreed and we went to sleep. I dreamt an odd dream, in which the Sorting Hat was controlling my mind because it was a top-secret agent to Voldemort, and I killed Professor Snape. It was not a very nice dream at all.

I awoke the next morning to discover everyone else still fast asleep. I looked around and noticed that it was still dark outside. I couldn't sleep, so I looked at my bedside clock to see that it was only 02.13. I sighed, rolled out of my bed, and slid on my slippers.

After igniting my wand, I crept quietly out of the dorm room, out of the common room, and onto one of the 142 staircases of Hogwarts. What are you doing? You'll get chucked out before you even start your lessons! You should head back straight away. But I didn't. I kept roaming the castle, until I happened across the Potions classroom.

I stepped inside and continued the search. The Potions Master was Professor Slughorn, who attempted to make students feel important by hosting parties. I was invited to one of these parties, but there was a dreadful incident with my food coming to life and trying to eat the other guests, so Slughorn took a bit of a disliking to me afterwards.

While exploring, I found a book and flipped through the pages. I stumbled across the Sleeping Draught, which I decided to brew.

I decided to play with the recipe a bit, like I had a few times before. Hopefully this time wouldn't result in an explosion, fire, disease or any other unfortunate event.

After gathering the ingredients (flobberworm mucus, lavender, and valerian sprigs) I started to brew the potion. Sure, I made some adjustments, writing them down on a scrap of parchment that I had placed beside the Potions book. The potion turned out quite well. I could smell the lavender strongly, more so than described in the book. I added festuca arundinacea, a grass that contains melatoinin, to help make the draught stronger, which looked like it had helped.

I poured my draught into bottles and carried them back up to my dormitory, along with my parchment. Before taking my draught, I copied down what I wrote on the parchment into my potion book on the appropriate page in the appropriate places. Afterwards, I swallowed a fraction of the Sleeping Draught I had brewed, and fell asleep.

*   *   *

The effect of the Sleeping Draught was supposed to take nine hours to wear off, but not with four tired girls armed with pillows surrounding me. I woke up with a yawn. "Yes?" I asked mid-yawn. "Amarina! It's the first day of lessons, come on- you don't want to be late!" said Aura. I stood up and got changed into my uniform.

I quickly slipped on my Ravenclaw robe and ran out of the common room and into the Great Hall. "Have the timetables been handed out yet?" I asked Sage, panting. "No, not yet." she said, not looking up from her book. "Trying to catch up on lessons before they begin?" I asked with a smile.

"No, actually it's a Divination book. The Dream Oracle by Inigo Imago." she replied, flipping the page. "Ah, so you're interested in oneironmancy, are you?" I asked. "Not quite...I just had a strange dream last night that I'm bothered by, so I'd like to do something about it." she said, scanning the pages. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for." Professor McGonagall passed out our timetables. Sage and I took the same classes: Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy. "So it's Wednesday..." I said, scanning my timetable.

"Do you want to get headed off to Defense now?" I asked Sage. "Mm hm," she agreed. We armed ourselves with our textbooks which in my opinion were sketchy... Magick Moste Evil by Godelot. Sage and I stood up and headed for the Defense classroom. "What do you think of the textbook?" I asked Sage. "Judging by our books, we're going to be learning how to use the Dark Arts rather defend ourselves against them." she sighed. At this point Ava, Shay and Aura had caught up with us."Yeah, I'll bet you anything that the professor's a Death Eater." Ava said darkly.

"We can't assume that just from a textbook," Sage said. "No, but I can assume what the professor looks like. He's probably tall, with pale skin, cold black eyes, long black hair and wears billowing black robes everyday." said Shay. At the moment she finished saying that, we were entering the Defense classroom when we came face-to-face with-

"You're our professor?" Shay cried, shocked. Our assumed professor was not tall, but average height. Her eyes weren't cold and black; they were a forest green. Her hair wasn't long and black; it was medium-length, and a chocolatey brown. She didn't wear billowing black robes, but rich crimson ones.

Sage, Ava, Aura and I laughed hysterically at Shay's picture that she painted in our minds, which was about the complete opposite of the actual professor. "I am Professor Blair Cecil. I am going to teach you." she said slowly and clearly, as if she were speaking to small children, or people who didn't speak English.

"I didn't know Professor Dumbledore would let professors as young as yourself teach." I said. The professor stared at me for a solid two minutes. "Oh, how silly of me. I have not taught you the rules yet. I will once class begins. Now find seats."

Professor Cecil sat on her desk, staring at us like a vulture. She finally spoke, once the bell sounded. "Now," she said, "I will go over today's agenda. First, I am disappointed in you already. It seems as though you have...teamed up. I will give all of you new seats. Second, I will go over the rules of this classroom. Third, I will review what we have gone through. Fourth, you will be handed a piece of parchment which written upon it is information you should know to be prepared for your next class with me."

After changing the seating chart severely, Professor Cecil listed the rules. At the mention of a familiar, Slytherin girl raised her hand. "Yes?" asked Professor Cecil, disgusted that someone had the nerve to do such a thing. "Will you show us your familiar, professor?" she asked. "You will look out for that on your parchment." said the professor, annoyed. "Yes, miss." said the Slytheirn. "Now, let us review." said Professor Cecil, flicking her wand, which caused twenty rolls of parchment, ink bottles and quills to zoom into our desks. "You have ten minutes. Go." I stared at the parchment in shock.

I guessed on half of the review because my memory isn't the best. Shortly after I stopped writing, Professor Cecil called for time. "I will now give you the parchment scroll containing information to prepare you. You are dismissed."

Ava caught up with me as we were walking out of the classroom. "Okay, I am officially declaring it; that professor is evil!" she said angrily. "That 'review' is going to mess up my grade in that class for sure! Oh, how I'd like to meet her familiar in an abandoned corridor-" "Ava?" Ava looked at me. "Yeah?" "How about we see just what she's playing at?" "You've lost me." Ava said. "We need to look through Cecil's stuff." "How?" "I dunno. But once I think of something, are you in?" "I'll do it if it'll get her sacked," Ava offered. "Deal," I said. I am going to find out who Blair Cecil really is. We'll see who she is. We'll see.