The Girl Who Remembers

chapter 30: friday

Hermione shook me awake, I was zoned out as I followed Harry and Ron to breakfast and to father's potions class without having to give them any hints or instructions. I was incredibly proud of them, once we got to class we all sat at the same desks as last time. After taking roll calls and reviewing what father had expected from our homework Father put us all into pairs and set us to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He tried to pair Draco and I up but I insisted to be paired up with Hermione instead, father was confused but allowed my request. We moved to a classroom set up with our cauldrons and we took our seats. At a round table there were three stations, Harry and Ron to our right (closer to the door) and Neville and Seamus to our left. Dray and his friends were at the table behind Neville and Seamus. Father swept around in his long black cloak, watching us weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Dray and myself. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way we had stewed our horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. 

I quickly tried using my handkerchief to help wipe off some of the potion and ended up with some of it on my hands instead. "Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, i jumped back towards Draco's station so father could clear the spilled potion away. He did so with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" He shouted at Neville who still laid on the floor in pain. 
Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. "Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. 
Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working on the other side of Seamus and Neville. "You-Potter!" Father spat, "why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." 
This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron stopped him.
Ron couldn't reach me though, "Professor," I called, "you should be yelling at me instead of Harry, after all I was closer to Neville and I have more experience brewing potions; if only I'd been paying closer attention I would have stopped him," father spun around to yell at the person who spoke, but hesitated when he realized it was me. He immediately saw I was holding my hands up, he grabbed my right arm to take a closer look before growling, "you need to go to Pomfrey now! we can discuss whose fault it is later," I nodded. 
As I passed Harry and Dray they must have heard me whimper, because they tried to follow me, "Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy, where do you think you're both going?" I stopped and looked back at them confused, "Doesn't she need help?" Harry asked.
My dad thinks for a moment, "of course, but you two will stay, Miss Granger will go with her partner in case to help her."
"Yes Professor," Hermione said as she hopped off her stoll, and ran to me. She opened the door for me and we walked down the hallway, once we were far enough away she whispered, "why did you do that?" 
I grimaced," what do you mean?" 
She rolled her eyes, "talking back to your father of course," 
I laughed dryly, "I was just trying to help, I felt dad has been purposely picking on harry." I sighed.
Hermione's eyes narrowed, "oh why is that? Shouldn't he be, I don't know, friendlier to you brother?,"
I look at the ground displeased, "I agree I really want them to get along." 
Hermione chuckled, "then that father of yours needs to be nicer."
I rolled my eyes, "easier said than done, it would have helped if Harry hadn't tried to be smart on the first day." I looked around and the stairs were practically empty, "this is only speculation but I think it's because Harry looks so much like James. You saw the pictures. I'm not sure of what went on between the two but father lost mum to him maybe he is just bitter. Father said he loves Mum more than anyone he had ever met, ever since they were children before they even got their Hogwarts letters." 
Hermione shakes her head in disbelief, then after silently thinking  for a moment she changes the subject and says, "I was surprised when Malfoy tried to follow you."
I shrugged as we started climbing the stairs in the hospital wing, "he did too, I don't think he meant to try and help me."
I sighed, "I don't like these complicated situations. This is why I like magical beasts more, there is no pretending if they don't like you they avoid you. It's simple and straightforward. "
Hermione giggled, as we reached the top stairs we could hear poppy grumbling about how hard it was to mess up the potion.

Neville murmured, "I think it got on her too," I smiled, he is in pain but still more worried about others. Poppy smiled at him, "if anyone else is hurt I'll help them too but for now you hold still." She sat him up and poured a potion on each boil. "Now if you lay here for a little while they will go away, eventually." Neville nodded then his eyes meeting mine, "I knew it got on you," he called out. 
Poppy spun around seeing Hermione and I, she ran over to check us. She checked Hermione first, I giggled and showed her my hands, she gasped, "I never thought I'd see one of your potions go wrong. You were always a careful one with potions." I just smiled and said, "it could happen to anybody." 
Poppy sighed, "seeing as it happened to you I'd have to agree, I'm going to make a checklist of injuries and I'll have to see just how many you get this year. Three visits in one week." She chuckled, teasing me.
Neville spoke up, "it wasn't her fault, she tried to help me. Professor Snape even said her potion was perfect, right before I messed up." He frowned. 

Poppy chuckled, pouring the same liquid on my hands causing me to wince. Poppy boasted, "that adds up for our Lia, she has brewed much more difficult potions than that easily. Oh I believe I have something of yours," she stood and walked to a small room of the infirmary, she quickly returned with a cloth, it was the handkerchief i had lent to Goyle, she had returned it to me yesterday. Poppy smiled, "I thought I'd given it to you yesterday." I chuckled,  poppy handed it to Hermione who placed it in my bag., "well as long as you are careful those boils should disappear in an hour and heal up completely in another one. You will have to miss the rest of potions class today but you should be able to eat lunch just fine," she winked at me, then turned to Hermione and Seamus,  "now off you go you two," she said, "I'm exempting miss Snape and mr longbottom but you two are to return to class immediately, tell your potions Professor they will both be fine by tomorrow. " Hermione and Seamus nod and unwillingly head back to potions classes while I lay on a comfy bed. Poppy waved and went back to taking care of Neville. "Unfortunately Mr. Longbottom you might have to stay for a while." Neville  groaned in response before he looked over to me, "I'm sorry," he apologized to me, "I should have been more careful." 
I smiled at him, "I'm fine, I wasn't thinking. If I had I would have realized I shouldn't touch a potion when I don't know the effects it has, it's one of the first things dad taught me about potions."
"What's he like, outside of school I mean?" Neville asks.
I was surprised but I smiled, "he is still quite stern but he cares deeply for me. I always have all my needs met. He even smiles at home."
It was Neville's turn to be surprised, "No offense but I can't imagine him ever smiling."
Poppy chuckles, "before our Lia he wasn't one to smile much, even with her mother. He is a very complicated person." She smiled sadly. 
I nodded and looked out the window.

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Thanks so much for reading another chapter as always. Comment, complaints, suggestions, and questions are 100 percent welcome. The next chapter will be ready within a week! See you then!