His love for Potions I ✔

Chapter 44: Potions and (no!) duels

One night as winter was turning to spring, Hermione lured Draco into discussing his animagus transformation.

"The meditation to find the form took the longest time. The ritual itself wasn't that hard, but I almost lost it midway through. Which would have meant ending up a real cat, not a wizard that was cat-shaped, you know. I did it here at school, which was a mistake in retrospect. Greg helped."

"I watched," Greg agreed.

"Professor McGonagall said that if I even hinted to other students that they should try it unsupervised she'd turn me into a stone statue and leave me that way," Draco added. "So I won't say that Granger could probably pull it off and the rest of you would probably die horribly."

Hermione blushed.

#

Talking to Sirius about the whole problem at Hogsmeade weekend in March didn't help Harry figure it all out, but it certainly helped him get a better grasp of the situation. Everyone but Harry and Hermione seemed pretty sure that Snape could easily be behind things, which left Harry feeling off kilter and strange - wouldn't he know if his teacher was really out to kill him? He didn't say anything about stuff Snape had said to him privately, because it felt wrong, and it left him with nothing he could say about the man. Maybe Snape was just under an obligation to teach Potions, and it wasn't about Harry at all....

"I've worked things out with Dumbledore for Easter holidays," Sirius told Harry in an undertone. "Here, read this."

12 Grimmauld Place is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

"What's the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked.

"Old name for something Dumbledore organizes. Easy way to say people he trusts, which is important. He was thinking about asking me for the use of the house already, so when I asked him for help with a Fidelius... well, it all worked out. I'll keep an eye on you for the hols." Sirius added hopefully, "Unless you change your mind about wanting to see the old place. I've been back, and it's just as bad as I remember."

"I'm sure it's awesome," Harry assured him with all the fervor in his heart. "Once you get rid of the most obviously evil stuff, I mean."

"We'll be working on that," Sirius promised him. "Too bad you won't be able to do it by spell, with the trace and all, but I'm sure we'll manage."

(Which gave Harry an idea....)

#

"Professor?"

"Concentrate, Potter."

"But, Professor-"

"Do you want to lose another batch to your carelessness?"

Harry was silent and frustrated through wrapping up his antidote, and only once it was jarred did he say, "Potions masters take apprentices, don't they? To help them, and to learn things."

"They do."

"Have you ever?"

"No. Teaching at Hogwarts has been my occupation."

"But would you, ever?"

"If you complete your seven years of study successfully, there are masters I can recommend you to."