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The train ride was abnormally peaceful. It was a nice break from the tense atmosphere that had been there all summer. I was finally on my way to Hogwarts with my friends and everything was okay.
Most of the ride, the three of us would chat about random things. Sometimes, our friends from other compartments would join us for a bit. When the talking eased into a comfortable silence, I would read the latest copy of the Daily Prophet while Edmund slept on my lap and Lucy practiced some charms. She was getting pretty good at them and was even able to summon a full-body Patronus purely for entertainment.
The hours passed by comfortably and before we knew it, we had arrived. The train screeched to a stop, its passengers clamoring excitedly by the doors, eager to get off. I shut my book and put it away before nudging Edmund awake. He groaned in disappointment before sitting up to stretch.
Standing up, I helped Lucy grab our carry-on bags from the overhead shelf as we waited for Edmund to wake up. Lucy had to clap loudly a couple of times to keep him awake. Eventually, we made it out of the compartment in one piece and dove into the line of people waiting to get out.
After a few minutes, we stepped out into the evening air. It was already dark and you could see the many stars through the trees. I took a deep breath, happy to be back in the unpolluted air of the Hogwarts grounds. That breath was quickly sucked back in when a few Ministry officials demanded that we empty all of our pockets. They even searched through my book. I wonder what that was all about.
Once they let us pass, we continued past the stacks of trunks. Most people had already passed since the inspectors were insistent that Lucy leave every bit of food from the train here, much to her displeasure. Now, we walked down the gravel path without a single box of sweets.
"Can you still see them?" Lucy suddenly asked, trying to focus on something in the distance.
Edmund and I followed her gaze to the carriages on the path ahead of us. Each one was pulled by two Thestrals. I smiled with a mixture of awe and sadness. Edmund nodded, leading the way towards them, "Definitely still there,"
"Huh," there was a hint of jealousy in Lucy's voice.
We selected a carriage at random before Edmund led the way inside. There were already three people in there, and I didn't like who it was.
"Pevensie," Draco greeted Edmund with a sly grin, not noticing Lucy or me behind him. "You just missed Potter's horrid face. I kicked his nose in. The bastard deserved it for spying on me."
"And you didn't tell me before?" Edmund feigned being hurt, "You know I wouldn't have wanted to miss that."
"If it weren't for your obnoxious hiding skills, I would've," Draco jeered, leaning back comfortably between Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. "Where were you anyway?"
"Trying to lose these two," Edmund turned his body slightly to gesture to Lucy and me, still standing on the ground. "Wouldn't stop chasing after me. Especially that one, she keeps insisting we're together." He turned back to Draco, "You of all people would know how much of a nuisance fangirls can be."
Draco didn't suspect a thing and sneered at Lucy and me as though we were humorously pitiful, "Scram before you regret anything. A blood traitor and a piece of filth have no right to stand near me."
As angry as we were, both Lucy and I knew we couldn't afford to mess this up. I mustered up the best 'desperate lover' face I could, looking at Edmund, "This isn't you. Why do you side with them? Do you even care about me anymore?"
Edmund rolled his eyes and leaned towards me from the carriage. A perfect copy of Malfoy's glare was carved into his features, "How many times do I have to tell you? You are nothing but a toy. I enjoyed the entertainment you supplied for a short while, but now you serve no use to me. Leave. Both of you."
Lucy began to sob, her lips pursed together in a failed attempt to conceal her pain. She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the carriage, stomping back the way we came. When we were a fair distance away from them, I let out an annoyed sigh. Lucy kicked the gravel in front of her, obviously bothered, "He's way too good at that."
"Believe me, I know," I said. Truthfully, his words hurt me a little, even if they weren't true. I shook off the stinging hurt and looked for another carriage. There was only one left, "There. Let's hurry, I'm starving."
We hurried toward it, jumping on just as the Thestrals began to move. Harry and Luna jumped in surprise as we fell into the seats opposite of them. As I caught my breath, I noted a few strange things about Harry's appearance. Other than looking older, his nose was dripping blood and his glasses were crooked. I recalled Draco's words about kicking his nose in.
"Evening," Lucy smiled, "How was your summer?"
A little taken aback by her sudden casual questions, Harry took a second to respond. "Dreadful, really. You?"
"The same," I pursed my lips, "I'm just glad we're home. Though, it looks like the welcoming party wasn't too welcoming, was it?" I gestured to his bleeding nose.
"No," he let out a pained laugh, "No, it wasn't."
---
During the ride to the castle, we used that time to catch up with each others' lives. Harry must've had the most exciting summer. Dumbledore had come to him a few days before to take him to see Hogwarts' newest Professor. I'd already forgotten his name, but I was looking forward to having a new Potions Master.
By the time we arrived, each of us clad in our uniforms and robes, the sorting ceremony had already concluded and people were in the middle of dinner. Many heads turned to us in surprise as we entered the Great Hall fashionably late, no doubt looking a bit frazzled.
I parted with Lucy and Harry to walk with Luna to the Ravenclaw table. Luna launched right into the pudding as soon as we sat down, while Cho and a few of our other friends launched right into questions about where we were. I had the feeling they were getting pretty tired of us always getting ourselves into messes.
Saving me from many explanations, Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly. The hall quieted and everyone craned their necks to watch the old man standing at the owl podium. He regarded us with a warm fondness, "Very best of evenings to you all. First off, let me introduce the newest member of our staff. Horace Slughorn."
The students applauded as a man I didn't recognize stood up from the teachers' table. I assumed this was the man Harry had gone to see. Dumbledore continued his speech, "Professor Slughorn, I'm happy to say, has agreed to resume his old post as Potions Master. Meanwhile, the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts will be taken by Professor Snape."
I'm pretty sure only the Slytherin table was enthusiastic about Snape's new post. Everyone else was dreading it. Dumbledore paid it no mind, "Now, as you know, each and everyone one of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight. And you have the right to know why. Once, there was a young man, who, like you, sat in this very hall, walked this castle's corridors, slept under its roof."
I got uneasy just by the way he was speaking. It was obvious that the boy he spoke of was no innocent student. Something either happened to him, or he did something.
"He seemed to all the world a student like any other. His name?" The stubborn old man paused for effect, "Tom Riddle. Today, of course, he's known all over the world by another name. Which is why, as I stand looking out upon you all tonight I'm reminded of a sobering fact. Every day, every hour, this very minute, perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle's walls. But in the end, their greatest weapon is you. Just something to think about. Now, off to bed. Pip-pip."
I gawked at him. There is no way he was in his right mind. Who would tell children that and then not give them the answers they deserve? If it wasn't for the swarm of Ravenclaws sweeping me towards the doors, I might've gone up there and given him a speech of my own.
Instead, I climbed the many stairs to the top of Ravenclaw tower. It was colder than usual in the common room. The cold wind seeped through the cracks in the stone walls, chilling me to the bone. There was something unnaturally dark in those winds.
I quickly made my way to the room I shared with my friends and changed into the warmest pair of pajamas I had packed. After digging out a few of my toiletries, I brushed my teeth and washed my face before storing them in a drawer. I decided to unpack the rest tomorrow instead of tonight. I was far too tired to deal with that right now.
After bidding goodnight to my roommates, I pulled the curtains around my four-poster bed shut and fell asleep.
---
"Look at all of them," I laughed as Lucy and I walked through the crowd of confused students trying to find their new classes. "We're top of the food chain now. We know every nook and cranny of this place and they're struggling to find Charms."
"Might I remind you that you are one year ahead of me," Lucy said matter of factly, "You're at the top of the food chain. I am not. A seventh year thought I was a lost third year!"
"Well, that's just stretching it,"
She agreed enthusiastically before becoming confused when I stepped away from her. I pointed at the door behind me, "Potions, remember?"
"Oh, right," she let out a puff of air, "Let me know how to get on the new Professor's good side before my first class with him, would you?"
I ignored her, "Bye, Lu!"
"Bye!" She shouted over the heads of the students.
I turned around and pushed open the door before stepping inside the dusty classroom. It was much quieter inside the room. The only sounds came from the excited students shuffling around and greeting their friends before class began. A few heads perked up curiously when I walked in.
I walked past most of the desks, a few people's eyes still on me. I greeted the Professor with a small smile before heading towards Hermione who stood near Neville. I wasn't going to lie, I felt rather confident coming into this class. I had studied up a lot on potions in my free time and had gotten a lot better at them.
"Morning," I smiled at Hermione and Neville.
Hermione looked ecstatic to know another person in this class. Not many people took this class unless they wanted to become an Auror. "Ah, Y/n. I'm so glad you're taking this class too. We can all study together."
Neville looked nervous, "I'm not too good at studying. I'm not sure I should join you guys."
"Don't be silly, Neville," I patted his shoulder, "I'm not the best either. But we've got Hermione, she'll show us how it's done."
Hermione smiled proudly before her eyes drifted past me to another person just entering the room. I turned around and froze, unable to decide how to react.
Edmund strode in, the epitome of confidence and power. I'd never seen him like that. He glanced at me, no emotion in his eyes, then went straight for Draco and Blaise. I could feel Hermione flinch beside me, "Did something happen between you two?"
"Not that I know of," I turned back to them, "But he's got to keep up false appearances around them. And so do I."
For once, Neville looked angry, "I've never seen him look at you like that, though. There was no love in his face."
"He's getting terrifyingly good at acting," I explained, more so trying to convince myself than them.
"Right then, settle down," Professor Slughorn moved to the middle of the room where a large table with potions equipment sat. "Gather around. We've got a lot to go over and not a lot of time."
Hermione led the way to the table, making sure to stay clear of Edmund and the others. Slughorn began to lecture on the proper procedures in potion-making, everything of which I already knew. I allowed myself to zone out before the door creaked open a few minutes later.
Harry and Ron stepped through awkwardly, gaining Slughorn's attention, "Ah. Harry, my boy, I was beginning to worry. We've brought someone with us, I see."
"Ron Weasley, sir," Ron smiled nervously, "But I'm dead awful at Potions, a menace, actually. So, I'm probably just gonna--"
Harry stopped him from backing away as Slughorn interrupted, "Nonsense, we'll sort you out. A friend of Harry's is a friend of mine. Get your books out."
"I haven't actually got my book yet, and nor has Ron," Harry said hurriedly.
"Get what you want from the cupboard," Slughorn instructed before turning back to us, "Now, as I was saying, I prepared some concoctions this morning. Any ideas what these might be?"
I peered down at the cauldrons of liquid in front of us. Hermione raised her hand before missing a beat. Slughorn raised a brow, "Yes, miss..."
"Granger, sir," she lowered her hand and moved towards the potions, "That one there is Veritaserum. It's a truth-telling serum. And that would be Polyjuice Potion. It's terribly tricky to make. And this is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It's rumored to smell differently to each person according to what attracts them. For example, I smell freshly mown grass, new parchment, and... spearmint toothpaste."
Hermione shook her head slightly before returning to her spot next to me. Slughorn nodded and paced in front of the table, "Now, Amortentia doesn't create actual love. That would be impossible. But it does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. And for that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room."
He placed the lid on the cauldron and the group of girls gravitating towards it fell back. I had to disagree with him on the statement that Amortentia was the most dangerous potion in this room. I've had a few rough encounters with Polyjuice potion that could top mere infatuation.
A Gryffindor girl pointed at a small vial at the edge of the table, "Sir, you haven't told us what's in that one."
"Oh, yes," Slughorn held up the tiny glass vial of clear liquid. "What you see before you, ladies and gentlemen is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis. But it is more commonly referred to as--"
"Liquid luck," Hermione finished.
I gawked at the small vial. In all my time practicing the potion, I had never made it correctly. How Slughorn managed to whip it up this morning was beyond me.
"Yes, Miss Granger. Liquid luck. Desperately tricky to make, disastrous should get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all of your endeavors succeed." Multiple heads looked up at that statement, "At least until the effects wear off. So this is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of liquid luck to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death. The recipes for which can be found on page ten of your books."
Everyone hastily opened their books and shuffled through the pages. Slughorn smiled, "I should point out, however, only once did a student manage to brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this prize. Nevertheless, good luck to you all. Let the brewing commence."
Hermione, Neville, and I rushed towards the table we stood near before, closely followed by Harry and Ron. Each of us set out our equipment and ingredients, hurrying to get started before the others. I flipped to page ten in my book and got to work.
The first step was a menace in itself. The instructions said to cut up one Sopophorus bean, but it seemed impossible. Each time anyone tried to cut it, it would escape our grasps and hit someone in the head. After a few minutes of trying to slice it, I lost my patience and began to stab at it, much to Ron's amusement.
On the third stab, the blade hit the bean and made it fly from the table. I watched in horror as it sailed straight for Draco's head. Just in time, Edmund stepped in its path, his back towards me. The bean bounced off of his head with a dull thunk before falling to the ground. Edmund's hand rubbed the back of his head as he turned around in confusion. His eyes found mine and I offered a guilty smile. He only glared and turned back around.
Annoyed, I pulled out another bean and stabbed at it angrily until it finally broke. Just as I was about to squeeze the juice of the bean into the steaming cauldron, Hermione shot Harry a withering look as he squeezed juice into his cauldron easily. "How did you do that?"
"You crush it. Don't cut it," he advised.
"No. The instructions specifically say to cut," she looked very stressed.
"No, really," Harry smiled amusingly.
Hermione frowned and looked down at her book again. I held back a smile and continued with the potion. A few minutes later, Seamus's cauldron exploded, a girl's potion became a moving slime, and Goyle's melted his stirring wand.
Neville and I were getting increasingly frustrated with our options. We were stuck at the same point, neither of us able to get our potion to turn a perfect black. Instead, ours looked like a dirty green.
"I don't understand," Neville groaned, reading the instructions again, "We did everything right."
"At this point, I'm about to dump the rest of my ingredients inside and hope for the best," I admitted, continuing to stir my potion in a counter-clockwise motion.
Neville hesitated for a moment before shrugging and dropping a handful of herbs inside. It promptly exploded. I laughed as he pulled back from the cauldron, his face covered in soot just like Seamus's.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Edmund had turned around to watch us. His frown held a bit more anger than usual, but he concealed it well. I turned to look at him, raising a brow. He held my gaze for a second before looking away and continuing his potion.
I scoffed. What did this man think he was doing? He'd never acted like this before, even undercover.
"Merlin's beard," I suddenly heard Slughorn gasp from his spot beside Harry, "It's perfect. So perfect I dare say one drop would kill us all."
I took back my statement about being confident in my potions abilities.
-It's getting a little more interestinggg. I'm planning on speeding things up soon, so it'll get even more fun. Oh, and as I was writing this, an owl flew by my window so if I mysteriously disappear just know it's because I finally got my letter. Love you all! Thanks for reading!-
-Mocha