I got up early with hermione the next morning, got dressed, and went downstairs and met up with the boys. They were halfway across the common room, so we ran to catch up with them.
"What's the matter?" I asked, once we caught up with the boys. "You look absolutely-"
"Oh for heaven's sake." Hermione cut me off.
I saw that she was staring up at the common room noticeboard, where a large new sign had been put up.
GALLEONS OF GALLEONS!
Pocket money failing to keep pace
with your outgoings?
Like to earn a little extra GOLD?
Contact fred and george weasley,
gryffindor common room,
for SIMPLE, PART TIME,
VIRTUALLY PAINLESS jobs.
(We regret that ALL work is undertaken at applicant's own risk.)
"They are the limit." Hermione said, taking down the sign, which fred and george had pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first hogsmeade weekend, which was to be in october. "We'll have to talk to them, y/n, ron."
Ron and I shared an alarmed look with each other. "Why?"
"Because the three of us are prefects! It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!"
Seeing that it was best not to argue with her, I looked back at harry. "Anyway, what's up? You look really angry about something."
"Seamus reckons harry's lying about you-know-who." Ron said when harry didn't respond.
Hermione sighed, and I knew exactly where she was going with this. I heard it all last night. "Yes, lavender thinks so too."
"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention seeking prat, have you?" Harry snapped.
I looked at him, startled. "No. We told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you calm down."
There was a short pause.
"Sorry." He said in a low voice.
"It's okay."
Hermione shook her head. "Don't you remember what dumbledore said at the last end of term feast? About you-know-who." I went stiff. "He said his 'gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust-'"
"How do you remember stuff like that?" Ron looked at her in admiration. I swear, if he doesn't tell her his feelings soon, I will riot. I give it until next year.
"It's hermione, what do you expect, ron?" I forced out a laugh.
"I listen, ron." Hermione said, with a touch of asperity.
"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you exactly what-"
"The point," Hermione pressed loudly. "is that this sort of thing is exactly what dumbledore was talking about. You-know-who's only been back two months and we've already started fighting among ourselves. And the sorting hat's warning was the same; stand together, be united-"
"And harry got it right last night." Ron retorted. "If that means we're supposed to get matey with the slytherins - fat chance."
"Some of them aren't that bad." I muttered. "Well, besides pansy, nott, crabbe, goyle and my dimwit of a brother."
"Well, I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of inter house unity." Hermione said.
We had reached the foot of the marble staircase. A line of fourth year ravenclaws were crossing the entrance hall; they caught sight of harry and hurried to form a tighter group, as though frightened he might attack stragglers.
"Yeah, we really ought to be trying to make friends with people like that." I said sarcastically.
We sat at the gryffindor table, and saw professor mcgonagall walk up to us, handing out our timetables.
"Look at today!" Ron groaned. "History of magic, double potions, divination and double defense against the dark arts... binns, snape, trelawney and that umbridge woman all in one day! I wish fred and george'd hurry up and get those skiving snackboxes sorted..."
Unlike ron, I was happy with my schedule today. That just means I get to spend more time with draco. I smiled down at the timetable, trying to hide it from my friends.
"Do my ears deceive me?" Fred said, arriving with george and squeezing onto the bench with me, pushing me closer to harry. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"
"Only to spend more time with you." I batted my eyelashes up at him.
He smiled down at me, and booped the top of my nose.
"Look what we've got today." Ron said, shoving his timetable under fred's nose. "That's the worst monday ive ever seen."
Fred scanned the column. "Fair point, little bro. You can have a bit of nosebleed nougat cheap if you like."
"Why is it cheap?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Because you'll keep bleeding til you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet." George said.
"I think I'll take the lessons." Ron pocketed his timetable.
"And speaking of your skiving snackboxes," Hermione eyed the twins. "you can't advertise for testers on the gryffindor noticeboard."
George looked astonished. "Says who?"
"Says me. And ron and y/n."
"Leave me out of it." Ron said hastily.
I shook my head. "Leave y/n out of it! Y/n didn't agree with hermione."
Fred and george snickered.
"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, hermione." Fred said, buttering a crumpet. "You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a snackbox before long enough."
~~~
I sat next to draco in potions. We were waiting for snape to show up, and the two of us talked in hushed whispers.
"Harry asked me last night if I've seen the dark lord."
Draco eyed me from the side. "What did you say?"
"I lied and said that I never saw him."
"Good. You're brother would be proud."
I rolled my eyes. "Screw my brother. He can go to hell."
"What happened between the two of you? Ever since summer, he's been mean."
"Ever since he got the dark mark, he's been acting strange. I mean, he always acts strange, never shows any kind of emotion, but this... I think he's under the imperius curse."
"And why would you think that?"
I went to open my mouth, but snape walked in. "Settle down." He said, shutting the door behind him. "Before we begin today's lesson, I think it's appropriate to remind you that next june you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'acceptable' in your o.w.l, or suffer my... displeasure. After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me. I take only the very best into my n.e.w.t potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye."
I couldn't help but think 'please'.
"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," Snape continued. "so, whether or not you are intending to attempt n.e.w.t, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I have come to expect from my o.w.l students. Today, we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at ordinary wizarding level: the draught of peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy handed with the ingredients, you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." Snape waved his wand, and writing appeared on the blackboard. "The ingredients and method are on the blackboard, you will find everything you need-" He flicked his wand again. "-in the store cupboard, you have an hour and a half... start."
I got up from my seat, and fixed my skirt. "I'll get the ingredients, okay? You just get everything ready."
"Already bossing me around, I like it." Draco winked.
I laughed, rolling my eyes. I followed the rest of the class, and went to grab everything I needed. I piled the jars into my arms, and made my way back to the table, setting everything down. Draco and I worked on our potions in silence. I was measuring an ingredient, when I noticed the weight was more than what I put.
"What the-?" I started to scoop some ingredient away, but the weight stayed the same.
Soft laughter came from my left. I looked over, and saw draco trying not to laugh, but failing. I hit his shoulder, and he removed his finger from the scale.
"Sorry. Just trying to have a little bit of fun."
I raised an eyebrow. "Mmhmm."
We went back to work.
With ten minutes to go, snape said, "A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion."
Thankfully, mine was, and so was draco's. Snape walked around his students, examining each cauldron. She stopped at harry's, and looked down at it, a horrible smirk growing on his face.
"Potter, what is this supposed to be?"
Draco peaked up, clearly waiting to see what would happen next.
"The draught of peace." Harry answered, tensely.
"Tell me, potter, can you read?"
Draco laughed, earning a snack in the chest from me.
"Yes, I can."
"Read the third line of the instructions for me, potter."
Harry squinted at the blackboard. "'Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes then add two drops of syrup of hellebore.'"
"Did you do everything on the third line, potter?" Snape asked.
"No." Harry said quietly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"No. I forgot the hellebore."
"I know you did, potter, which means that this mess is utterly worthless. Evanesco."
The contents of harry's potion vanished.
"Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name and bring it up to my desk for testing. Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potions making, to be handed in on thursday."
I filled up my flagon, and wrote my name on it. Draco took mine, and took it and his up to snapes desk.
I don't know how I feel about this chapter.