Juniper Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Veritaserum

--quick note:in this version Cho Chang entered the Tri Wizard competition not Cedric. The roles are reversed.--

He had fallen back into depths of the shadows. He was still feared, but all could hope that the Dark Lorde was gone forever. There were those who knew the Dark Lorde was still grasping onto any strands of life left while hidden in the deep terrifying forbidden forest. Sixteen years ago a little girl was left orphaned in an unkind and cruel world with only a lightening scar to keep her company. This young girl with fiery red hair, and bright green eyes with caramel flecks sprinkled in the mix was tossed into the world with people whose only knowledge of magic was as spontaneous as cold pizza being heated in the microwave. As this girl grew up with her plump purple faced Uncle Vernon, long neck Aunt Petunia, and spoiled cousin Dudley.
Her relatives, the Durslys, forced this young girl into the cupboard until she was eleven and paid no attention to her. Aunt petunia treated her more like a maid rather than a daughter and gave her no respect. But this young girls prayers to leave to leave the Durslys was soon answered. She had gotten a letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The girl had met Hermione Granger, a frizzy haired girl who seemed to know all the answers, and Ron Weasley, a boy with red hair like hers who was goofy and weird. She had also met Draco Malfoy, a blonde haired pale face boy who found it a sport to pick on her any way he could.
"June, you're about to spill it!" Hermione shouted as she hastily snatched the Veritaserum potion from falling from the table. June, the girl with lightning scar and fiery red hair, had let her elbow slip and cause the cauldron to almost shatter to the ground.
"Lay off, Hermione. She was just day dreaming about Cedric Diggory!" Ron had teased as June's mouth fell open from annoyance.
"I wasn't thinking about Cedric." She mumbled from spite. June had an ever lasting crush on Cedric Diggory since her fourth year, but when he asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, June suddenly lost all hope. "I was thinking about Sirius, and how I cant talk to him without being caught by that toad."
"Miss Potter, care to be the tester for your Veritaserum potion?" Professor Severus Snape, the harsh potions teacher, snapped. Snape had always seemed to pick on June every chance he got. He always would smirk whenever June could not recite the answer, yet in the hallways between classes he would be watching her. Or sometimes in the middle of class he would be gazing at June like he was in a trance. Severus Snape had a habit of being a tyrant to her every minute of every day, but she was used to it. Everyone told her how she looked identical to her mother, Lily, and how she had her fathers hazel eyes, but Snape only seemed to mention James when he was around June. It was like he couldn't stand the thought of her.
June's eyebrows knitted. The last thing she needed was Mister I-HATE-THE-WORLD making a fool of the her in front of the whole class. June grunted and began to rise from her seat when Hermione spat, "Professor, you do realize that Veritaserum is not allowed to be used on students?" Snape cocked an eyebrow then hissed, "not that it is any of your business, Miss Granger, but because it is for educational reasons it is permitted," he paused then grinned. "Ten points from Gryffindor for costing us precious time."
June shuffled to the front of the class holding her cauldron. Snape instructed her to take one sip and the whole class was at the edge of their seats. Draco Malfoy was snickering alongside his meathead friends, Crabbe and Goyle, as the three of them discussed what questions they would ask June if they had the chance.
"Recite your whole name." Snape instructed. June then responded, "Juniper Lily Potter." As Snape shuttered at the name Lily Potter, June had slapped her hands across her mouth. The words had slipped right out of her mouth faster and clearer than she thought they could, and it infuriated her. How could she fall so easily into a potion like that? How could it be so easy when only a year before she resisted the Imperious Curse?
"Ask her about Cedric Diggory!" Shouted Malfoy as he leaned back in his chair leering. Snape took a minute to consider it, but instead asked, "Who has been doing your homework for you these last couple of weeks, Miss Potter?" June could feel the words on the tip of her tongue. She was prepared to say Hermione, but fought the urge. She bit down on her tongue and held her breath. She wasn't going to let that greasy haired hook nose force her into spilling any information.
After a few minutes Snape finally hissed for June to sit down. Most of the class knew that if she tried, she'd be able to resist the potion, but there were those like Malfoy who had been living to see June mutter something juicy.
When the bell rang for lunch, Hermione, Ron, and June shuffled out of the dungeon and to the great Hall. On the way Malfoy had snuck behind them and whispered, "who do you fancy most in this world?" Caught by surprise June said, "Cedric Diggory," but immediately covered her mouth. Hermione begin ranting to Draco how since they were out of the classroom it was breaking school rules for him to use the potion to his advantage, while Ron was muttering a couple of unkind words. During all of break June had kept her mouth shut and hoped no one would dare surprise her by asking any questions. She decided to ponder how she was going to get out of another one of Snape's Occlumency lessons. She had been under a lot of stress the last couple of weeks. She had saved Mr. Weasley from an unfortunate death, been traveling in a long corridor with many doors in her sleep, and had been worried sick about Sirius. She missed him. She missed her god father and how he always told her how she looks so much like her mother, but acts so much like her father. She wanted to see his handsome ruggish face and hear his belting laugh, but ever since Christmas it seemed he was as depressed as ever.

June crawled out of the portrait hole and began to wander down to the corridor. Though it was only eight, she was tired beyond belief. Her red hair was tangled in a big fat messy bun, her tie was to loose, and her skirt was ruffled. She craved her soft and comfortable four poster bed, or maybe she even wanted to have a D.A. meeting, really anything but be alone with Severus Snape.
She stumbled her way into the dungeon to see his hook nose stuck up a heavy textbook as his eyes skimmed the words on paper. "Professor?" She wearily mumbled. Snapes eyes wandered up from the textbook as he said, "let us begin,"