Harriet Potter 1

Double potions

Harriet groaned when Hermione shook her awake the next morning. She had barely slept last night after her occlumency lesson. She felt like her head was splitting into two.

At breakfast Hermione was expectant. "How was it?"

Harriet rolled her eyes "Exactly as expected."

"Maybe he is opening up your mind more to make it easier for you-know-who to get in" Ron opined with an air of authority.

"Yeah" Harriet enthused "exactly the kind of thing he would do. I would not put it past him."

Once again Hermione's brow was scrunched into a frown. "Honestly Harriet, he has saved us so many times now I really don't know how you can seriously think that. Besides if Dumbledore trusts him, I do."

"Yeah, well maybe Dumbledore is too trusting" Harriet muttered.

"We have double potions today. Please, please control yourself."

Harriet was outraged by Hermione's implication that her clashes with Snape were her fault "It's not me! It's him! If he wasn't picking on me every lesson-"

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His obsidian eyes locked onto her green ones from the moment she entered the dungeon classroom. Her scar prickled with pain.

In that moment Harriet knew without a doubt that potions classes were about to get worse than ever.

"Tell me Potter, what do you get when you combine powdered violets and basil juice?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know" he answered with a slow sneer "the chosen one cannot answer a first year potions question."

Malfoy and his pals snickered loudly from the other side of the dungeon.

Harriet gritted her teeth. Don't rise to the bait.

"That's right, I don't know, why don't you ask Hermione."

"I don't know, Professor" Snape retorted.

"There is no need to call me Professor, sir" Harriet replied with a sweet smile.

Beside her, Harriet felt Hermione sucking in a deep breath.

On the other side of the classroom Neville's eyes looked like they might pop out of his head.

Harriet studiously avoided meeting Ron's gaze. She knew that if their eyes met they would both be unable to control their laughter.

Harriet forced herself to hold Snape's gaze. His obsidian eyes burned with anger.

Harriet fluttered her eyelashes at him tauntingly.

To her immense shock he blinked as though shaken.

He turned on his heel and Harriet watched as his cloaked form strode away from her.

The silence in the room was deafening.

His choked hiss cracked the air "detention, Potter."

"I'll need to check my diary to see when I can fit you in" Harriet replied "I might have an opening in a fortnight."

Harriet watched as he continued to stand with his back to her and his hands curled into fists.

When the bell rang Harriet was out of the door faster than a bludger.

Ron clapped Harriet on the back "Harri that was absolutely priceless!"

Hermione however was livid and would not speak to Harriet or Ron.

If given the chance she would do it again Harriet thought blithely as she remembered his white knuckled fists and the way that his nails had bitten into those firm palms.

However, the feeling of triumph curdled in Harriet's stomach at the sight of Angelina in the hallway.

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Harriet gasped and the quill slipped from her grasp. The words were being carved into her skin! This woman was so sick.

Umbridge offered her a wide toadlike smile "is everything okay?"

There was no way that she would let this woman win.

"Perfectly!" Harriet replied brightly through clenched teeth "never better." She forced her lips into a cold smile before picking up the quill again with trembling fingers.

By the time Umbridge released her, Harriet's hands shook and blood ran down her knuckles freely.

When Harriet ducked through the portrait hole it looked like the common room was empty. Thank Merlin. She did not want to have to explain this to Ron or Hermione.

She sunk into an armchair and jumped at a voice from over her shoulder.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Umbridge."

George's face was twisted with rage.

"I don't want to tell Dumbledore" Harriet said quickly.

George nodded and Harriet breathed a sigh of relief.

"She'll pay for this."

"Please don't get yourself into trouble for my sake George."

His eyes shone with something that Harriet couldn't identify "I wouldn't dream of it."