Of Apples and Oranges

I: vi: Potions Apprentice

The potionmaster scowled at what was brought before him. His greasy black hair that fell onto his shoulders suddenly whipped around, for his head had snapped to the left in disgust.

"Unbelievable. You want wolfsbane but know nothing of its contents." he belittled. "I know I'm missing some potion ingredients like fluxweed and bicorn horn, but I know I still have wolfsbane."

Aurum tried her best to smile in the face of such discontent. She didn't want him to be disappointed in her, but that was all she got from him.

"I thought it was monkshood. We call it monkshood, Professor Snape." Aurum smiled at the branch which held lilac flowers.

Snape snatched the branch from her giving palms. He waved it in front of her face. "This is lilac! Monkshood is a violet color!"

"Sorry sir. I guess you could say I'm colorblind." Aurum sputtered with laughter. "Do you get it? Because I'm—"

"You are not a dog! You are a wolf!" Snape boomed. Aurum shrunk in fear of his suddenly thunderous voice. She ran to fetch the plant he described.

Aurum came back with the right branch and he surrendered the stirring spoon to her. He carefully instructed her which way to stir and when to stop each go around. Gently, he informed her of when to whip and cream the potion until it was finally done.

"That should be good for a week's worth. Since you've already got another week's supply, this should give you a head-start." Snape murmured. He looked down at her with uncaring eyes. "I suppose you've got a knack for potion making. The mixing and chopping and all. I was surprised due to your ignorance of ingredients, but you somehow managed to pull it through. Though with my instruction I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised."

"So you think I could brew potions like you?" Aurum grinned, happy with her small bit of praise. She had already grabbed a chalice and was now downing some of the potion she already had.

"No."

Aurum nodded, only a tad distraught and disappointed. She gave the chalice back to Snape.

"Now go before the full moon rises. I'd hate to have to fight off such a small wolf like you. I don't think it would hardly be fair for someone your size to fight me." Snape sneered.

The bouncing blonde left as she was dismissed. In the doorway coming in was Professor Lockhart whom she greeted cheerily on her way out. Down the halls she bounded and through each door she skipped, humming all the way.

"Hallo, Professor!" Aurum greeted McGonagall in the halls.

The Head of Gryffindor House was slightly startled by this sudden greeting. She turned around to greet the small, golden blonde Slytherin cheerily. Her mood was rather hesitant, seeming afraid of what might happen if Aurum was to turn then and there. Aurum sensed this and tried to put on her best smile.

"I'm really glad you're helping me, professor! How come it's you and not Professor Snape, though?" Aurum asked.

"I've had experience with past students of Gryffindor, so now Albus just puts me in place of helping young wizards and witches afflicted with lycanthropy. Of course, that was before wolfsbane was made. You have taken it, haven't you?" McGonagall asked warily. When Aurum nodded, she continued, "Yes, well, thank goodness. I'm getting too old for fending off against werewolf students."

"Did you have Remmy? I mean—Remus Lupin? Sorry, he's one of my gramma's friends so we just call him by a nickname." Aurum chuckled.

"Yes, I did help him. However, after his fifth year I believe it was—or maybe the fourth—was it the sixth? Oh dear, anyway... He began going out with his pack of friends, one of them being Mr. Potter's father. I still have no idea what they were doing. I worried so much about them. They turned out okay enough, I suppose." McGonagall attempted a warm smile.

There was a loud smack in the hallway adjacent to their corner. It sounded as if someone had tripped on their robes in haste.

"Go on and get to the Shrieking Shack. It's by the Whomping Willow." McGonagall instructed Aurum. The blonde ducked into a hole behind a statue of a knight. McGonagall pushed the statue back to its original position with a charm.

"Professor!" a pair silver eyes exclaimed as they came out of the dark and into torchlight, revealing themselves to belong to Draco Malfoy. "Where is she going? I thought it was past curfew."

"It is, and you should be going to bed," McGonagall said. "You don't wish to have detention, I assume?"

"Why doesn't she have defention too?" Draco demanded to know. "Isn't there a monster running around from the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes, well, I don't think it should bother her very much at all. It would probably melt as soon as it saw her smile."

"I want to know what she's doing. She's my friend, but she's been acting strange. Even Crabbe has noticed." Draco huffed.

"If she wanted you to know, she would have told you." McGonagall took out her wand and made Draco turn around swiftly. "Now off to bed with you." she pushed him towards the Slytherin Common Room.