Harmony and the Philosopher's Stone

6-The Potions Master

When I left the Great Hall to go to Potions, Harry ran up to me from behind and stopped me in the trail of kids flooding out of the hall.

"Wait!" Harry said, grabbing my arm. "I have to ask you something."

I pulled us out of the way, since we were in front of the doors. "Shoot," I told him.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I was going to ask you, why haven't you asked about me scar? You're the only person I know who hasn't mentioned it, and I appreciate that and all, but how come?"

I looked at Harry quizzically. For some reason, I got a weird feeling in my stomach. "Um, what scar?"

Harry almost smiled at me in disbelief. "You must be a muggle born, then. A while ago, Voldemort-"

"Don't say his name!" an older student warned, walking by us.

"Wait, Harry, what are you even talking about?"

Harry sighed. "I almost got killed when I was one by Voldemort with the killing curse but all he did was give me a scar. He killed my parents, too, but now everyone thinks I'm famous. I'm really not." Harry ended his speech with a whisper.

It started to sound like Harry was regretting talking to me. But... this was strange. 

"Okay, well, this might sound weird, but... can I see it?" I asked hopefully.

Harry quickly brushed up a piece of his hair, and behind it he had a lightning-bolt scar.

◆◆◆◆

After Harry went to Potions, I was left dazed outside the Great Hall. Why did Harry have such a similar scar? What could it mean?

There weren't many people left eating breakfast. I leaned against the wall behind the giant doors, and then I saw Draco Malfoy and two of his friends walk out of the hall. Unfortunately, he saw me.

Malfoy nudged his friends, and he made his way towards me. They looked mad... but maybe not. Maybe they were nice, how could I know?

"Hello, Harmony," Draco sputtered in my face.

"Draco," I said with just as much hate. Yep, they were mad.

But what the heck did I do?

Draco studied me for a moment, then snatched my timetable out of my hands.

"Okay... we have Potions, right now. And flying together... Transfiguration..."

I grabbed my schedule back out of his hands.

"Sad we have so much together," Draco sneered. "I have to see your ugly face everyday."

My face boiled with anger. I felt my robe pocket, and gripped my wand. Then I remembered I didn't know any spells.

I still held it, to look like a threat, but that only prevoked Malfoy to do the same. We held the tips at each other, but each of us knew we couldn't currently do any damage.

The boy on Malfoy's right snatched my wand out of my hands and threw it across the corridor. It landed with a clatter about fifteen feet away from us.

Malfoy inched closer to me, and raised his wand up to my neck, and I was against the wall. I did the best I could to keep my hair in front of my neck.

"What should I do with you?" Draco said.

"Send her to the moon," the boy who threw my wand said.

"Good idea," Draco said. "But I think that I'll-"

"Expelliarmus!"

Two bolts of red light hit Draco in his stomach and sent him flying.  He and his friends quickly picked up their wands, and scurried away. I turned around to see who had done that. Behind me stood two redheads who were much taller than me.

"Was he-"

"Bothering you?" the boys said. I immediately recognized them as Ron Weasley's twin brothers.

"Yeah... thanks," I said. "What was that spell?"

"Oh, just a disarming charm," the one with his hair brushed to the left said. "No biggie, just us being awesome. I'm G- well, I'm Fred."

"And I'm George," the other one said. It was nearly impossible to tell them apart.

Fred (I think) ran and got me my wand. "What's your next class?"

Then realization struck me. I looked at my watch, and it said 9:44.

I had one minute.

"Oh!" I said, grabbing my wand from Fred's hold. "I have to go, I have Potions!"

"Go down that hall, and keep turning left!" one of them called to me.

"Thanks!" I hollered. I'm not sure if they heard me.

◆◆◆◆

By the time I found my way to Potions, I was ten minutes late. Not too bad, you would think. But apparently it was for this greasy-haired slimeball of a teacher.

I walked into the classroom (that was inconveniently placed in the dungeons) and quickly sat next to Hermione.

"Where were you?" she whispered to me. I almost told her a reply, but the professor called my name.

In fact, he was standing right in front of my desk. "Harmonyyy,"  he said, a little creepy like. "Can you tell me why, exactly, you are late?" 

I looked up at the professor... I didn't even know his name. "Sorry, sir, I was... I got lost..."

I tried to look sorry so I wouldn't get a detention, but it didn't work. Only because I saw Malfoy smirking at me from across the room. "After Malfoy threatened me outside the Great Hall."

The man raised his greasy eyebrows, and turned towards Malfoy. "Is this true?"

Malfoy's eyes widened. "Oh, no, professor. I would never, ever threaten a first year, especially a girl."

The professor nodded his head, and I just stared at Malfoy with my jaw dropping.

"Harmony... you have earned yourself twenty points from Gryffindor and a detention on Saturday for interrupting the class by being late and accusing Draco of threatening you." The man walked up to his desk.

"That's not fair!" I blurted out. "He almost sent me to the moon! It's his fault I was late anyway! Ask Fred and George Weasley, sir, they were there."

The professor turned around sharply. "Let's have that 30 points from Gryffindor for back talking. Sit down, L-Harmony."

I slumped back into my seat. "It's okay," Hermione said comfortingly. "Professor Snape only treats the Slytherins good, with him being their head professor and all."

I didn't have much to say after that, but I sure was glad we only had Potions twice a week.