What If? Year 2

Chapter 44

I get down to the dungeons to find Neville waiting outside the classroom for me. I give him a questioning look, but he just smiles.
"I thought the evening would get off on the wrong foot if I went in before you. I don't wanna anger him more." I nod and open the door for him to follow.
"Good evening, Miss Potter," Snape states, ignoring Neville completely, "I'm surprised you've decided to waste your evening here tutoring a brainless stump." I set my bag down with an irritated thump before spinning to face him.
"It will only make my potions skills better. When one can teach it, they only learn more about it." Snape grumbles a little, but keeps what ever jabs he had to himself. I grab the ingredients and place them all out in order of use. I flip open to the Shrinking Solution page and turn to Neville.
"Ready?" He nods slowly, and swallows hard. He looks at the instructions and softly grabs a caterpillar and a knife.
"Okay, so first, in potion making, it is very important to cut things into equal parts." Neville nods, cautiously.
"But... how do I know how small to slice them?" I smile and point to the word 'sliced'.
"Sliced mostly means... like cucumber slices. Caterpillars are smaller, but just think of it as cucumber slices. Diced or minced means finely cut or really little cubes. Make sense?"
"Can you show me?" I nod and pull a caterpillar over to me. I cut is slowly, and he watches my every move before replicating it. He does, rather well, the slices only varying a little.
"Okay! Do that to the rest of them." He follows my instructions, slowly cutting each caterpillar into equal slices. He stares at the cauldron filled with water after he's done.
"Do I just throw them in?"
"Basically, but once you do, you need to stir it once... and only one before leaving it to boil." He does and I carefully watch him stir, ready to stop him. He just barely makes it around before stopping and I smile.
"Good, now we wait for that to turn red, and while we do, we shake these." I show the Shrivelifig that I peeled.
"How'd you do that so fast?"
"Lots... and lots of practice." I reply showing him how to softly shake them without it going everywhere. My eye catches the slight red tine starting to appear in the cauldron.
"Now?" Neville asks, but I grab his excited hand.
"No, it will turn an... almost ruby red." We wait and shake a little longer until the liquid is a bloodish red.
"Add it a little at a time," I inform him, "once it turns yellow, stop and let it simmer some more." Neville nods and drops a small piece in, before waiting and dropping another. After one last piece of Shrivelfig, it turns yellow.
"Okay, now we wait until it turns purple."
"What do we do while we wait?"
"Why don't we mince some daisy roots?"
"Can I watch you first?"
"Of course, that's what I'm here for." I pull a couple roots towards me and start to cut them like one would cut spices. He starts to do the same, but I suddenly grab his hand.
"Move you hand here," I tell him, moving his hand to the very bottom of the roots, "sorry... you were going to cut yourself." He blushes and smiles.
"T-thanks." As he cuts the rest of the daisy roots, I watch the potion. It turns turquoise, so I stir it a couple times before letting it simmer some more. Neville finishes the daisy roots, just in time to watch the potion turn purple.
"Okay, add the rat spleens."
"All at once?"
"One at a time. You don't want to splash any." He nods and softly drops four rat spleens one by once.
"Stir two times clockwise and then add daisy roots until it turns green." He nods and I smile and hand him a vial of leech juice.
"Five drops."
"Umm..."
"I'll count them out for you."
"O-okay."
"One... two... three... four... five!" He pulls the vial away from the cauldron like it would slip right into the potion if he did not.
"What next?"
"More Shrivelfig," I respond, "it will turn pink this time."
"You sound so sure..."
"Of course, I'm sure. We've followed the instructions."
"But... I did most of the instructions." Snape snorts and I just about come unglued, but I calm myself to smile at Neville.
"I believe in you, Nevs." His faces turns the same pink that the potion was to turn as he drops pieces of Shrivelfig into the cauldron. The liquid inside soon matches his face and I pat his back.
"See! I told you, now... that last caterpillar." He nods and slices it into pieces before dropping them in.
"Now we wait. Once it turns green, we'll package it and give it to the Professor." Neville nods.
"Thank you, Goldie..."
"Don't mention it... I enjoyed this. If it weren't for school, I would probably just make potions all the time." Neville smiles.
"Perhaps, when we get new seats, you and I could share a table."
"That would be great. Besides... I don't think Harry likes sitting with me very much." Neville laughs and I look to the cauldron. It was already green, which makes me smile.
"There we are! A Shrinking Solution," I say, going to grab a vial, "You can put it together, right?"
"Yes... this is something I can actually do." He takes the vial from me and I clean up and put the extra ingredient back. He shows me the now green vial and smiles.
"Great! I'll get the cauldron clean up, and you can turn it in."
"T-turn it in?"
"Professor Snape offered to grade this one instead of the one that you made during class," I tell him, smiling at the professor. In actuality, I had begged him to let Neville redo the potion, when he was obviously very distressed when he made the other one. Neville's face pales as he walks up to Snape's desk. Snape looks up and takes the vial from him. He looks it over before looking at me from across the room.
"It's the right color this time," he says, "improvement, Longbottom... I will take it into consideration." I put up the cauldron to dry and turn to the two of them.
"Professor... I need someone to... escort me to the common room, because of recent events."
"Of course," Snape says getting up from his desk, "Now for you, Longbottom... I've dealt with you presence long enough." Neville grabs his back and smiles to me before rushing out of the room. I scowl at Snape, as I pack up my bag.
"He really does try," I scold, before I can even stop myself, "he just needs a little extra teaching... and patience!" Snape looks at me.
"That's what this was for."
"The patience part was a little more... never mind." I throw my bag over my shoulder and Snape opens the door.
"I don't believe you'll be needing me to walk you to your common room," he says, showing Sirius and Dad waiting outside for me.