Different Together

Chapter 2: Getting to Know

~~~ The Sleeping Beauty ~~~

Ron was still not speaking to Harry even two days later. The longer they ignored each other, the worse the atmosphere became. It didn't help that Hermione felt obliged to favour pairing with Ron in Potions. She gave an apologetic shrug in Harry's direction, and he muttered "Fine!" under his breath, then resigned himself to working with Neville – just as Snape swept in the door.

"Today's lesson will demand extraordinary care," declared the professor without preamble, glaring at Neville in passing. "For the Draught of Living Death is near impossible to–"

"But that's a sixth-year potion!" cried Hermione.

"Which is one reason," scowled Snape, "we shall NOT be brewing it this year, but rather its antidote – and if you interrupt me once more, Miss Granger, you will be spending detention disemboweling a barrel of toads using a blunt egg-spoon – ten ... points ... from ... Gryffindor."

Hermione shrank back into her seat amidst the sound of sniggering from the Slytherins.

"So dangerous is the Draught, that we shall not be using it to test our antidotes in this class. Fortunately, there is a spell with a very similar effect. Anyone?"

Hermione could not restrain from thrusting up her hand despite Ron tugging at her sleeve.

"Nobody?" said Snape, swivelling in the direction of the Slytherin benches.

There was silence during which only the flickering of the wall torches could be heard.

Snape sighed without turning round. "Very well, tell them Miss Granger."

"It's Dornröschen, sir, also known as the Sleeping Beauty Curse."

"It is indeed. So called because?"

Hermione squirmed upright and lifted her chin, drawing on memories she had revised and rehearsed verbatim. "Dornröschen is one of very few totally disabling spells that cannot quickly be healed by the enemy on the battlefield yet is not lethal. The victim may only be revived by the Wiggenweld potion or else by..."

"Go on."

"by true love's first kiss..." Hermione tailed off rather lamely.

"...which is not commonly available to dark wizards," completed Snape, "nor indeed in ... this ... classroom." He looked around at the attentive faces then waved his wand briefly at the blackboard.

"You will follow those instructions precisely. Any, I repeat, any deviation, may be... injurious, so you will take the utmost care, bearing in mind that you will be testing the potion on ... your ... partner." He glowered at Harry malevolently.

"You have thirty minutes. ... Begin!"

Harry gulped as he watched Neville nervously fumbling with a vial of Flobberworm mucus, then began his own preparations. It did not help that Snape was prowling the chamber, his beady black eyes glittering maliciously in the varying light of the cauldron fires.

Curious smokes and odours soon filled the chamber. There was much chopping and chinking and snipping and stirring but little communication. Those who dared even a whisper were invariably chastised and penalised.

When the teacher eventually shouted "Finish!" right in his ear, Harry lost count of his final stirs, and his brew slowly collapsed to a sickly yellow. Neville had fared no better, but fortunately his cauldron had almost boiled dry leaving virtually nothing to be tested except a thick black smear of sludge.