Nine Lives and Bad Luck

15

     "There's a refreshing outlook- for a Gryffindor, and how do you think the other lions will take your all inclusive attitude?"

    "Well, that's hardly my problem, and if they try to make it mine then so be it."

     Draco sneered at his comment, "How Gryffindor."

    "Is it?" He raised an amused eyebrow at him. Lavender rolling her eyes dragged him away with a comment about how he was the one who wanted to be ready before each class started and now he would be late. 

Harry offered his best mysterious smile as he waved goodbye and allowed himself to be partnered with Dean Thomas- Seamus Finnegan and Ron were still engrossed in quidditch and racing brooms and after they were seated, Dean Thomas rejoined them. Harry turned around to quietly join Neville and Lavenders' conversation as Parvati suffered from her earlier confidence now facing down a full blown interrogation on proper ingredient preparation by Hermione.

He was quick to turn around and ready his quill- Percy's carefully worded warning was not going to go unheeded- at the first click of shoes against stone and snap of robes. Professor Snape began his lecture with a sneer- aimed in particular at the first year Gryffindors - and continued until Parvati dared to interrupt it to try and calm Neville down as he seemed to shrink within himself with every other veiled insult.

"Miss Patil, since you seem to see yourself as so much better than the rest of the class; where would I find a bezoar and why might I need one?" Patil paled, her eyes wide, "Well?"

"A bezoar is a, it's a neutralizer for most poisons, typically you'd get it from the uh stomach of a... a goat, sir. And keep it on hand for when you needed it."

"Very well, Mr. Longbottom!" Neville flinched, his hands beginning to shake despite his efforts to stop them. Snape eyed him for a long moment before continuing, "tell me; what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Neville visibly relaxed at the plant question, jumping back to attention when that earned him a sneer, "They're the same plant, sir, also call- also known as aconite, sir." Harry smiled encouragingly at Neville, offering a thumbs up.

"I don't recall asking for a third name." A pause, by this time he swore the pauses were there to have people all the more startled when the next name was called. It was working, "Mr. Tiamat, if you insist on distracting your peers,"

Harry found it odd that they couldn't seem to look him in this eyes although they seemed puzzled at his newly black hair- while it did have tints of red in the light, it looked entirely black in the dim light of the dungeon classroom. If he didn't know the braid still kept it presentable he would have worried he looked like the vagabond the Dursleys used to love to accuse him of being, given the look he was being given.

"Perhaps you should enlighten us with what little knowledge you can manage to drag from inside your own vapid skull rather than relying on your peers. What would I get if I added asphodel into a wormwood infusion?"

Harry froze, running through as quickly as he could the bits of information could piece together. Asphodel was seen as the eternal lily and had strong connotations towards death such as with Persephone queen of the underworld. He knew this already and it had been confirmed to hold true in potions by Neville's mention of how the plant was often used to preserve things. Percy had mentioned wormwood as well- when mentioning Neville and Harry's responsibility he had compared them with a few upper year Gryffindors' who had been using wormwood for its euphoric properties but one had added too much into the batch- leaving four of them in a state of paralysis. It was likely a last ditch healing potion...Or maybe something else?

He didn't know, but he doubted that would be taken as an acceptable answer, "A brew made for preserving a person on the edge of death until help can be given... I'm not sure of the exact name, sir."

"Clearly you should have read further into your book then or you would know it is the base for the drought of the living dead." That was as good as a compliment as far as Harry was concerned. He released his breath.

Harry fancied the group might as well take the end of year exams at the end of the month if Hermione kept up her constant flow of quotes from the textbooks, pre-class drilling on information, and interrogating each in their turn for whatever information she could squeeze from them. Ron let out a small, muffled snicker and the Professor whirled on him.

"Is there something amusing Mr. Weasley?"

"No, it's ju- well, of course he'd know something for that question, his name is Asphodel."

Snape paused, eyes glancing to meet one- two- three if Dumbledore was to be believed (Snape pushed that thought to the side to come back to)- of a kind, green eyes. Painfully, he glanced away. "Well if you find it so simple then answer me this; Lethe River Water, mistletoe berries, and Valerian sprigs are ingredients in what potion?"

Ron paused stuttering some and Snape's lips twisted in a mocking smile as he stared down Ron, the first Gryffindor to falter in his mini inquisition. Fifteen points were swiftly taken. Which led to protests being raised from Ron Weasley, Parvati, and Dean Thomas. Seamus scowled along with them and Heromione frowned worriedly. Lavender was near tears by the time thirty points each were taken from all three boys, Parvati, and then both Harry and Neville, as their seat partners, for good measure- 'association' he had called it. He then fired off a few questions to Slytherin- answered correctly- gaining a total of fifty points before continuing as if the questioning had never occurred.

"Now as Mr. Malfoy so rightly claimed," a pointed look was delivered there to the Gryffindor side, "those three ingredients are what compose the principal ingredients for the forgetfulness potion. Something it appears many of you will never find the need of seeing as you do such a fine job as it is of not retaining information inside your worthless skulls. Nonetheless, the steps are on the board- I fully expect each partner group to have a labeled vial on my desk at the end of the day. Get to work."

Hermione cornered him and Parvati when they both went to grab their ingredients, "Asphodel, we can't let anyone slip up, clearly he has high expectations." That was one way to phrase it. "Make sure neither you nor your partner slip up- and try to keep an eye on Weasley and Finnegan's potion if you can? But be discreet. Parvati try and get Neville to calm down; he'll be absolutely useless with how much his hands are shaking right now!"

The three quickly scattered before they could be reprimanded or lose anymore points and gathered the remaining ingredients and hurried to their seats.