The Tenth Weasley

Chapter 7

*Chapter 7*

Potions was as I expected it to be, horrific. Throughout we were being ridiculed by the professor about things that we could in no way know about without spending the weeks before hand reading every text book we were told have, which, of course, Hermione did. The lesson started off bad and it just went downhill from there.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began, speaking softly and quitely yet we managed to catch every word due to the silence in the classroom. He seemed to, like Professor McGonagall, have a special talent for keeping a class silent. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of softly simmering cauldron with it's shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

None of us dared to speak, the silence was once again deafening. Me, Ron and Harry exchanged looks of dread, silently debating if he was being serious or not. Beside me Hermione sat up straight, as if eager to prove that she was not one of the 'dunderheads' he claimed to usually teach. Many of the Gryffindor's that were sat in the classrooms seemed to fear Professor Snape, even some of the Slytherins were taken aback from his small but powerful speech. Malfoy sat at the front of the class smirking slightly, as if he knew he was exempt from the underlying threats made by him.

"Potter," he suddenly said, breaking the silence although now I expect many of us would have welcomed it back. Everyone's heads turned towards harry as he sat, waiting for the question with apprehension."What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry looked at Ron and I in confusion, both of us were just as confused as him. Besides me Hermione's hand shot up.

"I don't know sir." Harry replied. Snape's lips turned into a sneer, he definitely expected that answer and was obviously pleased by it.

"Tut-tut, fame obviously isn't everything." Snape's sneer seemed to grow in size as he continued to ignore Hermione's hand. "Lets try again potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Again Hermione's hand stretched high into the air as Harry sat silently, trying to think of the right answer. Everybody could tell that Harry didn't have the faintest idea of what a bezoar was, never mind where you would fine them. At the front of the class Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were shaking with laughter. "I don't know sir." Harry replied again, obviously embarrassed.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter." Harry kept staring straight forward at Snape. I knew he had looked through his books when he was at the Dursley's, as had me and Ron, because we discussed it on the train ride here but did he really expect us to remember everything in 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi'? Snape continued to ignorantly ignore Hermione's still raised hand. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" At this Hermione stood up, her hand stretching towards the dungeon ceiling, looking as if she was going to burst.

"I don't know sir," Harry said quietly," I think Hermione does though, why don't you try her?" Many people laughed throughout the classroom, I even noticed Seamus winking at Harry but I knew it wasn't his intention to be cheeky or cause people to laugh, he was genuinely suggesting Snape turning his attention to the eager girl who was still stood up. I, however, mentally face palmed, he was in for it now and Professor Snape obviously had the same idea.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as Draught of the Living Dead. A bezoar is a stone taking from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"Everyone scrambled for their quills and parchment, not wanting to anger the intimidating teacher anymore as they had another hour or so in his class. Over the noise Snape added, "and a point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek Potter."

As the lesson continued it did not improve for the Gryffindor's. Snape put is all into pairs and set us the task of making a simple cure for boils. He kept circling the room like a shark, looking for prey, watching us weigh nettles and crush snake fangs. By now all of us knew that he favoured Slytherins but as if he wanted to rub it in even more he managed to criticise almost everyone apart from Malfoy, who seemed to be the only exception to his 'I hate all of humanity' rule. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Somehow Neville had managed to melt Seamus's into a twisted blob and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes as it continued to spread rapidly. Within seconds, the hole class were standing on their stools, me included, while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy," snarled Snape, whilst cheering the potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville once again whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. Snape, seeing he wasn't going to get an answer, turned to Seamus and said, "take him to the hospital wing." After checking that nobody else needed medical attention, not that he seemed to care, he rounded on Harry, Ron and I, who had been working next to Neville. You could tell by the look on his face that he had something sinister planned for us.

"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." This was so unfair but there was nothing we could do about it without angering Snape even more. Obviously Harry didn't realise this as he opened his mouth to argue, but we managed to stop him just in time with a firm kick in the shin.

"Don't push it," Ron muttered. "We've heard Snape can turn very nasty very quickly without a reason behind it." Finally poisons was over, I had never felt so relieved in my life.