The Wand Makers Apprentice

Chapter 32

"You see, Rosetta," said Snape as I sat in his study one lunch time during an extra potions lesson. "You don't always have to follow the instructions. You need to twist it to your own advantage."

"But how to you know it isn't going to go completely wrong?" I asked, as I stirred what was supposed to be a hiccouping potion, which was forthing uncontrolably.

"Practice." he whispered as he stirred his own. "Concentration..."

He always spoke in riddles like this. I just wanted to know how to make a potion that would work, and not end up down the drain. I banged my ladel on the side of my cauldron, and begin to pour the bubbling mixture into a flask. Snape mirror'd my action, watching me whilst he did so.

"When do I need to come back?" I asked him, referring to my next lesson.

"Tomorrow evening." he said, still watching me pour. I took my eyes off my flask for a second, and it went spilling all over the desk. "Concentration, Gryffindor."

"Yes, yes." I said, annoyed by his repition. "But I'm only mean't to have potions once a week?"

"Correct." he said, putting his cauldron and flask down, and sitting in his chair and crossing his arms. "You're with me for extra Defense Against the Dark Arts for this week, and for your other lessons. I want you here early, even if that means coming early out of your other lessons."

"Ermm, ok?" I said, finishing pouring my own potion, putting a stopper in the flask and throwing it into my bag. "See you then."

I didn't get a reply from Snape, but still I dashed up the dungeon steps, to the fresh autumn air. The first thing I saw was the courtyard, and none other than George and Fred.

"-absolute dung." Fred was saying. George had noticed me before Fred had stopped talking, and put his arm around my waist and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

"What're you two bitching about?" I asked, looking between the pair of them.

"You know that Draco Malfoy?" George said, holding me in tighter as he spoke.

"I've had the misfortune to be aquainted with him, yes." I replied.

"He called Hermoinie a Mudblood." Fred said.

For a moment I had nothing to say, as I couldn't believe it. I thought that sort of thing was in the past?

"Where's Lene?' was all I could summon up. She would be going awol if she knew what had happened; she depsised anything like that.

"She's at Hagrid's with Hermoinie, Harry and Ron." Fred said, looking pale.

"Why's she there?" I asked.

"Ron's vomitting slugs."

"What?" I asked, completely bamboozled. Between the both of them, they explained to me what was going on. Not only had that Malfoy slug called Hermoinie a mudblood, but he'd also cursed Ron. I felt my pulse quickening in my skul. 'Where is he?"

"Who?" Fred asked.

"You know exactley who, Fred!" I said, a little more hysterically that I intended, before storming back down the dungeon steps from which I'd just came, followed by the twins.

"Roz, what're you doing?" George said from behind me.

"Shut up." I snapped, before slamming Snape's door behind me.

When I entered his office, he was crying. I was confused, but initially had a flashback to the start of last year when I found Snape in a similar situation. I ran up to him immediately, and put a comforting arm around him.