————————>Double Potions was always a horrible experience, but these days it was nothing short of torture. Being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape who seemed determined to punish Cassiopeia as much as possible for looking like her father, was about the most unpleasant thing Harry could imagine. He didn't seem to understand she hated Sirius as much as him.
When the Gryffindor students arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. For one wild moment, Cassiopeia thought they were S.P.E.W. badges — then she saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:
Support CEDRIC DIGGORY - The Real Hogwarts campion
"How long did it take you to make those," Cassiopeia asked Theodore.
"I don't know, I couldn't sleep. Draco and his goons were up all night making them" Theodore replied tiredly.
"Like them, Potter's?" said Malfoy loudly as the twins approached. "And this isn't all they do — look!"
He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green:
POTTER STINKS!
The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around them.
"I really don't know if that's true, Potter's cologne is very nice," Cassiopeia whispered to Draco
"I thought you hated him, first your telling me he smells good, next you'll be going on a date," Draco said, raising his eyebrows
"You didn't tell him, did you?" Nataniel said, laughing at her face
"Tell me what Cas-"
"Furnunculus!" Harry yelled.
"Densaugeo!" screamed Malfoy.
Jets of light shot from both wands hit each other in midair and ricocheted off at angles — Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up — Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.
"Hermione!"
Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth — already larger than average — were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin — panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry.
"Draco-"
"And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice.
Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain."
"Potter attacked me, sir —"
"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted.
"They couldn't keep their testosterone level's down," Cassiopeia interjected.
"— and he hit Goyle — look —"
Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.
"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!"
He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth — she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back.
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."
Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight.
"Let's see," he said, in his silkiest voice. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."
Cassiopeia sat there staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing horrific things happening to him. . . . She knew how to do the Cruciatus Curse . . No . . As much as she hated him . . . No one should have to go through that, she thought while stirring her cauldron.
"Good Afternoon, Alhena," a pleasant Nico sad, placing his bag down and sliding into the seat beside her.
"Nico," she greeted stiffly, still feeling awkward.
"Well, I'm not sure what else to say since I'm already taking you out on a date," he said, raising his voice so her cousin could hear on the opposite side of the room. "Get-to-know-you questions?"
"Lay it on me," she replied, not removing her eyes from the knife in hand.
"Favorite color?"
"Green, yours?"
"I find myself enjoying whatever color rests on the top of your head," he replied cheekily, resting his hands on both hands. Cassiopeia let out a low chuckle as she added her ingredients.
"Antidotes!" said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly,
"You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one. . . ."
Snape's eyes met Cassiopeia's, and she knew what was coming. Snape was going to poison her. Cassiopeia imagined picking up his cauldron, and sprinting to the front of the class, and bringing it down on Snape's greasy head —
And then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on her thoughts.
It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at the Potter's, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room.
"Yes?" said Snape curtly.
"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter, Nico Potter, and Cassiopeia Black upstairs."
Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face.
"They have another hour of Potions to complete," said Snape coldly. "They will come upstairs when this class is finished."
Colin went pink.
"Sir — sir, Mr. Bagman wants them," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs, Bagman wants Cassiopeia on the page as well. . . ."
"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. "Leave your things here, I want you all back down here later to test your antidote."
"Please, sir — they got to take their things with them," squeaked Colin. "All the champions —"
"Very well !" said Snape. "Potter's, Black — take your bags and get out of my sight!"
"It's amazing, isn't it, Harry?" said Colin, starting to speak the moment Harry had closed the dungeon door behind him. "Isn't it, though? You being champion?"
"Yeah, really amazing," said Harry heavily as they set off toward the steps into the entrance hall. "What do they want photos for, Colin?"
"The Daily Prophet, I think!"
"Great," said Nico dully. "Exactly what I need. More publicity."
"Maybe my name won't be on the front page of 'Sirius Black's love life'" Cassiopeia said amusingly.
"Well they got your best angle," said Nico, causing Cassiopeia to roll eyes with a grin.
"Good luck!" said Colin when they had reached the right room. Cassiopeia knocked on the door and entered.
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Hi! Lol, it's 4 am. I'm sleep-deprived. How are you all? I hope you are all staying safe. Covid cases are rising where I am, though I'm enjoying this lockdown. I don't have to interact with anyone and I get to stay in bed all day.
I just found out that it is fanon that Sirius's middle name is Orion and James's middle name is Fleamount.
Question, (Very important, will not influence this book):
Favorite person from the marauder's era as a love interest:
James Potter:
Lily Evans:
Sirius Black:
Remus Lupin:
Petter Pettigrew:
Marlene McKinnon:
Dorcas Meadowes:
mary Macdonald:
Regulus Black:
Have a good morning/afternoon or night