The Bravest Snake

CHAPTER 3

It took a lot longer to get to the Gryffindor dorms than Draco was expecting.

The staircases shifted, the portraits moved, and Peeves caused mischief by throwing walking sticks and laughing manically. The arduous trek was even worse since all the first years were ready to fall over with fatigue. How was Draco ever going to find his classes in this place?

Percy Weasley, the prefect leading them, stopped when they reached a portrait of a fat lady in a silk pink dress. ''Password?'' she asked.

''Caput Draconis,'' Percy replied, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a large hole in the wall. Draco immediately stored the password away in his brain as everyone crawled through the tunnel and ended up in the common room. It was decorated in red, gold, and brown, with a roaring fireplace and squashy armchairs surrounding it. The tables interspersed were just the right size for a puzzle or a game of wizard's chess. If I ever make Gryffindor friends, I would want to hang out with them here, Draco thought.

Percy directed the boys up a spiral staircase to their dormitory, a circular room with five four poster beds around it hung with scarlet curtains and their trunks at the foot of the bed. Draco let Lyla out to explore and settled into bed. There was a little nook above the bed for putting pictures or trinkets. Draco just placed his watch there, a minifigure of his favorite Quidditch player, Viktor Krum, and a few of his favorite books.

The day's exhaustion was wearing on everyone, so nobody spoke as they all pulled their pajamas on and went to sleep. Draco held his dragon stuffed animal, who he had slept with ever since he was small. The stuffed animal reminded him of all the good parts of home, and always eased his mind enough to sleep.

Draco woke at exactly seven o clock in the morning and got dressed. He had always been an early riser, and it was a wonder that his excitement for the school year had allowed him to sleep through the night. For his first act of rebellion at Hogwarts, he decided not to gel his hair back. It wasn't like his father was here to stop him!

As he headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, he was waved over to the Slytherin table by a very sleepy Harry. ''Sit with me!''

Draco jogged over. ''I thought we had to sit with our Houses for meals.''

''Nah, that's only for the feasts,'' said a Slytherin prefect named Selina Haneda, waving her hand dismissively. Harry beamed and pulled Draco into the seat next to him. Draco could feel the eyes of the Slytherins on him as they ate together.

''How's the Gryffindor common room?'' Harry asked, not waiting for a response. ''The Slytherin one is amazing! There are so many books in there, almost as much as the Ravenclaws have, and we have a great view of the lake! Everyone alerts each other when the giant squid swims by.''

Draco let his new friend chatter on through breakfast, and on the way to their first class together, which was Double Potions with both Slytherins and Gryffindors. Potions was in the dungeons, and it was frigid down there in the big room with questionable items floating in jars on the shelves all around the room. Draco made a mental note to ask for some nice, thick gloves for Christmas.

Once they got there, they saw that they had to sit in groups of two. Ron quickly dragged Harry away. Harry sent Draco an apologetic look but didn't resist, which was totally fine. Totally fine.

Instead, Draco picked a table near the front, an empty chair where Hermione was sitting and organizing various quills and notebooks. She smiled as he sat down, and he politely waved back. Hermione seemed nice. She could be a good friend.

Snape did roll call, but he paused when he was about to read Harry's name. ''Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity.'' Draco narrowed his eyes. He didn't like Severus Snape. The few times he'd been invited over to Malfoy Manor were not pleasant times.

''You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.''

Draco could practically smell the excitement and desperation to prove herself from Hermione. He too didn't want Snape to think he didn't know anything. There were tons of potion books at his manor, and he had read all of them.

''Potter!'' Snape snapped suddenly. ''What would I get if I added powdered root of ashpodel to an infusion of wormwood?''

The Draught of Living Death, Draco thought and stretched his hand up. He was confused as to why Snape was asking him this, as this was only in the potion books for third years.

''I don't know, sir,'' Harry said, red coloring his cheeks. Draco couldn't help but feel pity for him. Anyone would crack under the pressure of being forced into the spotlight, especially when he had received nothing but attention since he stepped into the Wizarding World.

Snape's lip curled as he ignored Draco's and Hermoine's hands. ''Fame clearly isn't everything. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?''

In the stomach of a goat. Draco saw Hermione come to the same conclusion and raise her hand so high she was nearly standing up.

''I don't know, sir,'' Harry replied once again, his voice thick with barely suppressed anger.

''What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?''

''I don't know, but I think Hermione and Draco know, why don't you ask them?'' Harry shot back. The whole class gasped in surprise. Snape was very intimidating, and it was a big feat to stand up to him as just a measly first year.

''Sit down, you two,'' he barked at Hermione and Draco. Hermione's dark brown eyes shone with anger, but Draco gently pulled at the sleeve of her robe. Snape knew many ways to make someone's life miserable, so he didn't want to get into trouble.

''Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, which also goes by aconite, obviously. Didn't think to open a book before coming here?'' Draco rolled his eyes as Snape spoke. The questions he had asked were only found in books for third years and up. He saw Harry from the corner of his eye, squeezing his quill so tight it was about to snap.

The rest of the Potions lesson only went worse. Snape scratched the recipe for a simple potion made to cure boils on the blackboard, one that Draco had made before. He was glad for the well equipped laboratory back at Malfoy Manor.

''We can use my cauldron,'' Draco said to Hermione, setting his large pewter cauldron down between them. ''I'll go get the ingredients.'' He was quickly able to get the ingredients from the cabinet, and the pair set to work. Hermione didn't have any experience making potions like Draco did, but she had obviously read a ton.

Just as they were finishing up, a loud hissing echoed through the cavernous walls of the dungeon. Neville and Seamus had managed to melt their cauldron and spilled the acidic potion on the floor and all over Neville. Everyone scrambled onto their tables as Snape quickly cleared the potion away and yelled at the two boys, ordering Seamus to take poor Neville to the hospital wing.

Harry and Hermione growled, but Draco quickly pulled them away. ''Snape can and will ruin your life if you give him a reason to. Trust me, he's a family friend.''

''I'm not one to dislike teachers, but Professor Snape is just so cruel!'' said Hermione. Then she turned to Draco. ''What class are you heading to?''

''Transfiguration,'' Draco responded. Hermione brightened at his reply and invited him to walk with her. Draco waved goodbye to Harry as he set off with what he hoped was a new friend.