His love for Potions II

Chapter 7: Voldemort's hobbies

The rest of Harry's week was similarly awful, though Voldemort did not narrate it any further. Harry's essay on moonstones really wasn't. Harry wrote out an irritable bullet pointed list with a PS, instead, at about one in the morning.

If you had any spare headache or wound-healing potions, I'd rather not bother Madame Pomfrey.

"This is not so much an essay as a cry for help, Potter," Professor Snape said, staring at it. "Detention, Saturday at 2."

Since Harry's usual tutoring session with Professor Snape was on Saturday at 2, this mostly made him feel like Professor Snape was a wonderful, understanding teacher.

Harry was aware he was basically hallucinating, since Professor Snape could never be described with those words in that order by anyone sane.

Harry got the copy of Mind Magicks out from the library again, and started reading again from the beginning.

He got to the part about pain lowering mental barriers and wanted to laugh. So, he had to keep his mental barriers up, avoiding pain, stress, strong emotion, and sleep.

That should be easy.

#

Draco and Crabbe - Malfoy and Crabbe - seemed to actually be worse this year than they had been in third year, before Malfoy had taken the hiatus from being a git. The whole Slytherin House seemed to be moving as a herd, with one mind and one voice (usually Draco's). Greg was the only obvious exception. He was hanging out with the Ravenclaws as some sort of strange mascot.

#

Hermione's idea to talk to Professor Dumbledore about Umbridge was not helpful. The thought of talking to Professor Dumbledore at this point made Harry flinch, not just because he was angry with the man but because he had a sneaking suspicion that Professor Dumbledore was right and Harry was letting the side down somehow. Being a security risk. He was glad they hadn't told him more about the secret weapon.

At least a few of his blood-flavored cherry candies made his hand heal over okay. Professor Umbridge was not helping Harry's plan to avoid pain, stress, and strong emotion. She was probably best friends with Lucius Malfoy.

#

Harry wrote to Sirius on Saturday morning.

Dear Snuffles,

Things here are a little awful. I hope you are finding lots of things to break there. The new Defense professor doesn't think spells are worth casting, so I'm going quietly mad.

I actually thought Professor Snape was a wonderful, understanding teacher today. Don't worry, I lay down until it went away.

Give my best to kitten. Greg has been following a blonde Ravenclaw around all week. Her name's Luna. She reads him articles from the Quibbler and he carries her books and holds doors and her chair. I still really don't understand him.

Honestly I'm mostly realizing how much homework I have this year in how many classes. Going to try to learn some extra stuff with Hermione. Ron tried out for the Quidditch team. I thought I'd been kicked off after yelling at the captain, but she was quite decent about it afterwards.

-Harry

#

Harry and Professor Snape didn't talk on Saturday afternoon during Potions tutoring. They worked quietly, in concert, from written instructions Snape left on the counter. It was, more than anything, boring - preparing ingredients for Potions classes for the next week, grading homework from early years, minding potions that took months to brew. Snape never looked directly at Harry, and Harry couldn't blame him. Harry was avoiding mirrors, himself.