Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ werewolf chronicles: Chamber of Secrets ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 6 )
[ A - All Readers ]
Hello.
Gosh - what to say here…
Boring stuff :
NOTES: First off, I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any sort of profit off this work - the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling!
Second, this will follow closely to the original plot J.K. has laid down in her books but the whole story is told from the view point of my own original character! So events and occasions will be slightly altered to fit my character into the picture! Thus the `alternate universe' genre.
Now then, boring stuff:
Rating: Appropriate for all ages
Spoilers: The Chamber of Secrets (duh)
Chapter Five: The Potions Master
Renee stumbled about the school over the next few days; she had a very hard time trying to find her way around anywhere. It seemed like everywhere she went the same hallway always seemed different to her. For once, she was glad to be part werewolf; her extra sharp senses gave her a small advantage over the other first years - she could recognize the scents.
The magic she hadn't noticed the night she arrived seemed to be jumping out at her - almost literally - the people in the paintings were constantly popping in and out of their frames, visiting their neighbors, or perhaps somewhere a floor down. The ghosts were most helpful - most of them anyways. The Grey Lady - who was Ravenclaw's ghost - didn't seem much for idle chatter, and simply miffed at any questions directed at her and drifted through the walls.
Peeves the poltergeist, though was by far the worst thing to encounter in the halls. He was always causing a clatter, and had a waste-basket in hand, ready to dump on poor, unsuspecting students walking underneath him; he enjoyed throwing bits of chalk (if you were lucky that is - sometimes he liked to throw ink balloons), pull the rugs from underneath you or if you were in trouble, immediately made it known to the caretaker, Argus Filch.
Renee was unsure how she did it, but she somehow managed to gain Filch's bad side - something she had hoped to avoid so he wouldn't be so eager to play scapegoat with her. She wondered if it had anything to do with Mrs Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored cat, with large lamp-like eyes that Filch owned. Renee had been wondering down the hall on her first day, trying to find her class and spotted Mrs Norris in her way. Renee scowled at the cat, bearing her teeth as she growled - she hated cats. Mrs Norris didn't budge, so Renee carefully and discreetly knocked a small piece of stone easily out of the wall and knacked it at her.
The cat scattered from the rock as it bounced, and Renee grinned to herself. Few moments after though, she found herself face to face with a very angry Filch, pointing an accusing finger at her, screaming that she had tried to do his cat in.
After that, Renee stayed clear away from Mrs Norris - and Filch, if possible - though she was pleased to see that Mrs Norris decided to avoid her too. Maybe the cat could tell what she really was and was scared.
After getting on Filch's bad side, Renee made sure to be extra careful to keep on the good sides of her teachers. The first class she sat through was Transfiguration - it would also be the first time she would have to use her wand - Professor McGonagall indeed was living up to the image Renee had gathered in her mind.
`Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.' The class watched as she turned a cup on her desk into a small bird and back. Renee watched in awe with the others - though it would be a long while before they would learn to change any inanimate objects into living creatures. After jotting down a few complicated notes - Renee would have to reorganize this later - they were each given a match and asked to turn it into a needle.
Renee hesitated as the students around her began drawing out their wands and tapped their match sticks. Professor McGonagall eyed her seriously, tapping her fingers on the desk when Renee didn't pull her wand out.
`Ms. Lockwood, you will need your wand to do this assignment. Please take it out.' Renee couldn't hide it any longer; she reached into her bag (having taken the wand out of the box before hand) and felt around till she grasped it with her fingers. She pulled it out slowly and tried to keep it out of view for as long as she could. The tapping got louder.
`Some time today, if you will, Ms. Lockwood.' A few students laughed, and Renee felt her face heat up. She finally pulled it out and up over the edge of her desk; she heard a few students begin to whisper about the stark white color of her wand. Professor McGonagall even seemed a bit surprised by the color, but straightened herself up and acted as though it was normal wand made of wood.
Renee tapped at her match stick nervously - she dearly hoped no one would come up after class and ask her about her wand. Unable to say her words right, she actually splintered her match as a red jet shot out from the tip, making half the class jump.
`You need to say it clearly, dear! Now try again - and try to pronounce it right.' Renee whimpered; Professor McGonagall was getting impatient with her, and she was one of the teachers on her list not to cross. Renee took in a few deep breaths and tried to drown everyone out; finally stopping her hand from shaking, she raised her wand tip again and pointed it at the match, managing not to stutter on the spell.
By the end of the class, Renee seemed to be the only one who at least managed to turn her match silver and begin to form a point at the end.
The next few classes seemed to be a breeze - Renee's minor success with half-turning a match stick into a needle seemed to encourage her. She definitely liked Flitwick, having spent one lesson in Charms with him and she was glad he was head of Ravenclaw. History of Magic, though, she felt she could do without. Despite her avid interest in the magic world, the Professor somehow managed to dull even her burning curiosity.
Professor Binns was perhaps one of the oldest teachers still teaching at Hogwarts. They say he had been so old, that one evening he fell asleep in front of the staff-room fire, got up to teach the next morning and simply left his body behind. In spite of his droning, dull voice, Renee tried her best to note and record all dates and names as accurately as she could through her sleep-haziness.
Herbology was beginning to turn into her least favorite class - she loved working with plants and herbs back at home, but she had never expected that plants in the wizarding world would be so vastly different. Despite of their usefulness, she much rather work with `muggle' (the term wizards and witches used to describe non-magical beings and things) plants instead.
Then of course, there was Defense Against the Dark Arts - which in Renee's opinion was a joke for a class. Purely out of sheer boredom, Renee had a peek through his books - while in some places they were interesting to read, more often than not, she found them a complete waste of paper and resources. The first thing Gilderoy Lockhart did was give them all a brilliant smile and introduced himself, as he handed out a quiz.
`Not to worry - this is just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in.' Renee looked down at her paper, and immediately felt like running her head into a wall.
1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite colour?
2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?
It continued down the page, over three sides of paper, right down to:
54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?
Renee quietly banged her head against her desk - this was going to be a torture class; it seemed due to an earlier disaster with a previous class, Lockhart had contented with reading snippets from his books, sometimes role playing them in front of the class - with some forced volunteers.
Renee took advantage of his ramblings to doodle in her textbook - by textbook, meaning one of his books. She took great care to add little extras to the pictures of Lockhart himself, his moving picture self frowning up at her at the changes she was making with her quill. Lockhart caught her though, and thought perhaps she was interested in his tales, so asked for the book to show to the class. Renee grinned smugly to herself as the same frown of his picture selves appeared on the real Lockhart; while the girls in her class glowered at her, some of the boys were shaking with silent laughter; few of them even giving her a thumbs up - which Renee returned with a wink.
However, she changed her mind about Defense Against the Dark Arts being the worst class - Potions was doing a good job at overpowering Lockhart's plainly fake facade.
Potions class was in the dungeons, and Renee found it to be the most dreary place of the whole school. Professor Snape's presence didn't make things any less dreary either. He had a remarkable gift of keeping a class silent without any effort.
`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 the softly shimmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…' Renee tried to repress a shudder; perhaps if he hadn't been so terrifying, she would actually agree with him. Renee herself knew a lot about brewing - only, she used to brew herbs, instead of potions. Silver, a dear family friend in the clan, had spent many a days, collecting or growing her own herbs in the small patches of dirt underground. Renee had often went to Silver's hill and helped her brew many different types of herbs together, which Renee would then bring down to the clan's medical house where it could be use for illness or stubborn wounds that would refuse to heal straight away.
After Professor Snape's little lecture, he proceeded to put them in pairs and set them to work on a simple potion to cure boils. Renee spend most of the time, however flipping through her book, looking up the different properties of each ingredient laid before them, while her partner was desperately trying to measure and weigh dry nettles and crushed snake fangs. Renee shut the book, stopping her partner before he could do anything.
`No, no, no! You should do it like this!' Renee whispered, and almost automatically reached for different ingredients and began messing with them outside of the original recipe.
The boy paired with her looked at her as if she had gone mad, silently watching in horror as she jotted down her changes to the potion and added and stirred the concoction in her own time. When Renee finally finished, she was fairly pleased with the results - this was much faster than the original, and a few students were staring amazed at how she finished so fast.
Renee's little victory was short lived as Professor Snape towered over her, tapping the cauldron impatiently. Renee jerked her head up to face him, the student paired with her shrinking against his seat.
`… And just what do you think you are doing?' Renee gulped.
`B-b-b-brewing the p-p-p-potion, s-s-sir. L-l-like you a-a-asked.' She stuttered; Professor Snape gazed at her coldly, his expression hard to read and unchanging. His eyes darted to her notes aside the cauldron, and swooped it up in one motion. Renee didn't dare to reach and out speed him for it. He glanced through briefly the new recipe Renee had created for the same potion, before turning his cold, black eyes to her.
`Your name and house.' Renee felt her heart sink; it was only the first week and she had already lost points for her house. She stared at the cauldron.
`R-Renee Lockwood - R-Ravenclaw, sir.' Professor Snape hummed, glaring at her for a moment more, before rolling up her notes tight and turned back to his desk.
'10 points to Ravenclaw.' Renee blinked - did she hear right? Did she just earn points? From him? It seemed the other students were just as surprised as she was. Snape rarely gave points to anyone who wasn't in Slytherin. Renee didn't dare question him, incase he decided to change his mind.
`However,' Professor Snape began. `Next time, Ms. Lockwood, I expect you to follow every single detail of the instructions I give you; understood?' Renee nodded her head and watched as he tucked her rolled up recipe into his cloak. She felt her heart drop again - she was glad for the points, but at the same time she lost the recipe she created. Renee slumped; Great, she thought to herself, he's probably going to burn it or something.
Renee left potions with a heavy heart; she didn't have a chance to look over it thoroughly to have it memorized to write it again, so now it was probably gone forever. A few students, however, seemed to have different opinions and were congratulating her on somehow earning points (even if it was just 10 points) from Professor Snape.
It would be one of the very few amazing feats Renee would accomplish in her first year.
Chapter Five End