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Marina Black sat at the end of the Slytherin table for the first time in months, completely oblivious of time. Blaise Zabini was the one to remind her of it; he took a grip of her wrist and dragged her down the corridor, laughing like a maniac.
"If we don't make it on time, I'm putting the blame on you," Blaise shouted, breathing heavily.
It was time for their first Potions class of the year. Marina was eager to meet the new professor, who Dumbledore had advised her to keep a good eye on. Blaise had claimed he had spoken to him while she was asleep on the train, and said he was - put simply - a jerk (Marina didn't want to believe it).
When they arrived in the cold classroom, she was sure her head was going to explode within seconds. She had not expected Harry to take Potions this year, yet here he was, standing face-to-face with Draco, both yelling at the top of their lungs. Pansy was smirking and applauding, Ron was assisting Harry, and Hermione was trying to pull her friends away from the Slytherins. Blaise ran to join the fight, and for a second, Marina considered going back into the Great Hall and eat in silence for the rest of the day.
Nevertheless, she raised her wand and put the silencing charm on Harry. He took a step back, wide-eyed, finally turning toward the door to realize that she had taken Potions this year, as well.
"You will not believe this," spat Draco, still looking at Harry and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "This jerk has become the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team."
Marina looked at Harry. He looked back at her, still shocked and unable to speak. His hair was a mess, and he had grown taller, even if it was just by an inch or two. Weird how she noticed the little details when it came to him.
By the time Blaise had managed to explain how utterly disappointed he was at the choice of captains this year, Hermione had removed the silencing charm Marina had put on Harry. A confused Professor Slughorn stumbled into the room, his mouth slightly open. Harry and Ron ran to him before he could say anything, and asked him if he had any books they could borrow for the class; Slughorn found two old copies of Advanced Potion-Making in a corner cupboard and handed it to them as the rest of the class gathered around him.
"Now then!" Slughorn said, turning to look at the class. "I've prepared a few Potions for us to look at, just out of interest, you know." He pointed at the cauldron next to him. "You have not made this one yet, but you ought to have heard of it. Can anyone tell me what it is?"
Hermione's hand hit the air. "That's Veritaserum. A colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."
"Excellent!" Slughorn complimented, and moved on to another cauldron. "What about this one?"
"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," said Hermione. Marina leaned over the cauldron, cringing at the mudlike substance in it.
