Where Your Loyalties Lie

Chapter Three: The Potions Master

The next morning we received our schedules from our Heads of Houses. "Here you are, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Brown," our Head of House spoke as he handed them out. He had black hair to his shoulders and a hooked nose.

"Thank you, Professor..." I trailed off, not knowing his name.

"Snape," the man finished for me.

"Professor Snape," I repeated. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said before continuing down the table and distributing schedules to other students.

I looked over my schedule. It appeared that the majority of our classes would be shared with Gryffindors. I heard a groan escape from the boy next to me. "Anybody but the Gryffindors," he complained.

"Oh come on, Draco, there's nothing wrong with Gryffindors," I insisted.

"Except that Potter and his friends are in Gryffindor."

"I happen to be friends with them too, Draco," I reminded him, narrowing my eyes.

"Right, of course," Draco replied, forgetting about that.

The bell rang, telling us to head to our first classes of the morning. Everybody got up and exited the Great Hall.

The first week of classes whizzed by. I had enjoyed all of my classes, but some subjects I had found to be more interesting than others. So far, I was succeeding academically in my classes as well. Hermione and I had already been predicted to become the top two in our class. My best subject by far was potions.

Our first potions lesson began with Professor Snape lecturing on the art of potion-making. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

I sarcastically thought about how high he set his expectations for us. Suddenly, Snape barked, "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione raised her hand, clearly knowing the answer while Harry had no clue. When Harry admitted to not knowing the answer, Snape asked another question. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know, sir," Harry admitted.

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were shaking in their seats with laughter. I smacked Draco in the arm and told him to knock it off.

Professor Snape asked one final question, "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Hermione stoop up out of her seat in an effort to raise her hand even higher.

"I don't know," Harry repeated. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

Professor Snape sneered and ordered Hermione to sit down. "Ms. Brown, perhaps you know the answers to my questions?" He asked, looking at me.

"Me?" Lavender Brown spoke, surprised.

"No, not you! I wasn't looking at you, was I?" He snapped at her before turning back towards me. "Katie, would you care to answer?"

I sat up a little straighter in my seat, caught off guard that he would call on me to answer these questions on the first day. Fortunately, to ease my eagerness to come to Hogwarts, I had read through some of my textbooks last month. "Um," I started, my voice a little shaky. I cleared my throat and steadied my voice. "Well first, asphodel and wormwood would make the Draught of Living Death. Next, a bezoar can be taken from the stomach of a goat. Lastly, monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, which, I believe, also goes by the name of aconite." I looked up expectantly.