Written In The Stars III -[Harry Potter xF!Oc]

Chapter Seven: New Lessons.

"Hey, Harry," said Seamus Finnigan during their Potions class that Thursday morning, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning — they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."

"Where?" said Harry and Ron.

"Not too far from here- It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hotline. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

"Not too far from here..." Ron looked over at Harry and Mel. Then he caught Malfoy staring and sneered. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?" 

The boy had returned with his arm covered in bandages, he didn't need them of course, but no one seemed to notice. Snape forced Ron and Harry to do the hard work for him, so he was sitting on their table.

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?" He asked with a taunting smile.

"Yeah, that's right," Harry said, not really paying attention.

"Of course, if it was me," Malfoy continued quietly, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."

"Are you sure you wouldn't be crying under your bed?" Mel asked through greeted teeth.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron frowned.

"Don't you know, Potter?" Malfoy's eyes examined his expression.

"Know what?"

"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," Malfoy shrugged. "Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked with a lack of patience.

"You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's..."  Snape said to the class.

They walked over to the gargoyle sink, Harry whispering his doubts to them.

"What did Malfoy mean? Why would I want revenge on Black? He hasn't done anything to me — yet."

"He's making it up," said Ron. "He's trying to make you do something stupid..."

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Mel scoffed.

"Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, he was next to Neville and Hermione's table, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." 

The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.

There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.

The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.

"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

"Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!- Where is she?"