kbinnz - Harry's New Home

The floo roared to life behind them, and Rita Skeeter daintily picked her way out of the fireplace.

"Well, now that we're all here, perhaps we should go down to the dungeons," the Headmaster invited, offering Madame Bones his arm. She grudgingly accepted it, and he smilingly led the others out of his office.

Shacklebolt and Moody obligingly fell into step behind the Headmaster and Madame Bones. Neither was particularly happy at the thought of wasting a day watching a bunch of spotty adolescents brew up smelly concoctions, but their loyalty to Dumbledore was high, and besides Madame Bones had ordered it.

Neither was certain why their chief was in such a foul mood, but both were doing their utmost to stay out of her way. Amelia Bones was a powerful witch under everyday circumstances. In a towering rage, she could give even Dumbedore a run for his money, and in her current state of mind тАУ well, Moody was seriously contemplating a long trip to Greenland. "Constant vigilance" was all well and good, but it didn't help much when your boss was in the mood to chew someone's arse off.

Behind them, Rita Skeeter wondered if she might be able to dig up some dirt during her stay here. Even some "behind the scenes" snaps of Potter might do in a pinch. Normally she wouldn't have been sent to cover some piddling little prize giving, but so much had gone on at Hogwarts over the past few months that when Dumbledore contacted her editor, she had made no demur at the assignment. Who knew what could happen? Murderous brawls, trolls strolling the hallways, resurrected Dark Lords, the Child of the Light being handed over to a Death Eater to raiseтАж Great Merlin, she wouldn't have turned down an invitation to Hogwarts for all the Quick Quotes Quills in the UK! She would have come even if the offer had been to watch that dimwitted giant dig up another pumpkin. She licked her lips, wondering what might be in store for her todayтАж and whether she'd need to give matters a little nudge to get them started.

"Here we are, Professor Snape," the Headmaster led the way into the empty Potion classroom, and the dark haired wizard glanced up from his desk.

"Excellent. I'm glad to see all of you could make it," Snape said, the merest hint of a smirk in his expression as he glanced at Bones. The Head Auror clenched her fists and promised herself that she would make him pay before the day was out.

"I believe that you will find it instructive to see how Potions is taught here at Hogwarts," Snape announced. "You will witness how the Aurors you hire learn Potion lore, and this will provide you with insight into how hard the OWLS and NEWTS students have studied. The class that will soon be joining us is a group of first years, doing a basic potion, and тАУ"

"You expect us to sit here all day and watch your students at their lessons?" Bones demanded, her voice brittle with fury. It was bad enough to be pressed into service to hand some idiotic teenager a school medal, but now she was expected to stand around and watch Snape preen and posture in front of his classes all day long?

"Why, Madame Bones, if you find the topic uninteresting, I am certain you are under no obligation to stay," Snape replied silkily.

She clenched her jaw until she was certain she'd cracked a tooth, but she managed to prevent herself from responding.

"As the little dunderheads would doubtless find your presence distracting, thus leading to the melting of several cauldrons, I have decided that it would be best for you to remain behind an invisibility ward. You will see, but not be seen. Headmaster, if you would be so kind as to ask the castle to expand the front corner of the room and then set up the invisibility ward? In this way, the children will be unaware of your presence."

Dumbledore did as he was requested, and soon the visitors were settled on chairs in the newly expanded corner, shielded from the sight of those in the room.

Skeeter watched with interest as Snape opened the classroom door and children started filing in. That kid with the red hair had to be a Weasley, and she was pretty certain that the sharp-featured blond was a mini-Malfoy. AndтАж yes! She hugged herself in glee. There was Potter! She knew she had been right to take the assignment. With this cast of characters, something big was sure to happenтАж

TBCтАж

*Chapter 39*: Chapter 39

The students hurried in, most of them carrying cages of some kind. Snape swept to the front of the room, and the students quickly fell silent.

"As you know, today you will brew the Animalis Fide potion, which measures the bond between you and your familiar. I see that most of you were able to carry out my instructions to bring your familiar with you to class. After brewing the potion, you will use it to see how closely bonded you are with your pet."

"P-Professor?" Neville raised a timid hand.

Snape huffed impatiently. "Well? What is it, Longbottom?"

"Sir, will it hurt our familiar? Trevor's kind of old for a toad, andтАж"

"The potion тАУ if brewed correctly тАУ is entirely harmless, Longbottom. The animals are merely here to serve as the focus of your mind. The potion will measure how bonded you are to the animal, not how bonded the animal is to you. Does anyone else wish to ask a foolish questions and reveal how imperfect your grasp of the material is?"

Oddly enough, no one else took him up on his offer, and the class was quickly immersed in brewing. "Oi! Harry!" a loud shout broke the quiet, and Snape glared at the youngest Weasley boy who was protectively cuddling his rat. "Keep your owl away from my rat! She's lookin' at him like he's dinner!"

"Weasley! Is working silently beyond your capabilities?" Snape scolded. "Move your things up here to this corner and perhaps you will be able to stay focused on your task."

"But Hedwig was gonna eat Scabbers," Ron whined in protest.

"Would you prefer to work in the corner or stand in it?" Snape asked him, too low for the other children to hear, and Ron instantly stopped arguing, aghast at the idea of having to stand in the corner - in front of the entire class no less!

"Yes, Uncle Sev," he whispered hastily, scurrying to move his supplies to his new table and therefore missing the look of horror that crossed Snape's face at the newly awarded title.

Dumbledore and the others fidgeted behind the wards, watching the children with varying degrees of polite interest. Finally, the potions were completed and the students waited expectantly by their desks.

"Potter," Snape called. "Bring that owl up here along with your potion."

"Her name's Hedwig," Harry reminded him reproachfully, placing her perch on his professor's desk and setting the vial down beside it.

Snape scowled at him. "Quiet, Potter. Take one drop of the potion and place it on your owl's head, then drink the rest yourself."

Harry obeyed, and a moment later, an intense gold beam coalesced between the two. The class oohed and aahed in admiration. "This represents a very strong bond," Snape lectured. "Both the color of the light and the width of the beam are measures of strength. Take your seat, Potter. Zabini, get up here with that creature."

Blaise, then Millicent, then Dean all went with varying results. In all cases, though, the familiar merely sat there and hooted or meowed or ribbited, looking wholly unimpressed by all the excitement.

"Longbottom!"

Neville glanced nervously from Hermione's pale blue potion to his own deep gray sludge. "Erm, P-Professor, I th-think I'd better not."

Snape cast a contemptuous glance at the potion. "I suspect you're making a wise choice, Longbottom," he snapped. "Zero for the day!"

Neville drooped miserably and hugged a placid Trevor, while Snape scanned the room. "Weasley! Bring your rat!"

"Yessir." Ron obeyed, depositing Scabbers on the front desk and fumbling for his potion.