SERPENTIS

08⊙ Lamia

⊙EIGHT⊙

lamia

A Child Devouring Daemon

"No, you have to stir it counter clockwise!"

"It says here it doesn't matter after fifteen times!"

"Haven't you learned anything from this class? It's best to stick to one way direction!"

"Straying from the path of directions advocate, Granger? Read the instructions, would you?" Draco pointed to a page in his book.

Hermione rolled her eyes, adding some powdered Mandrake roots into their team project. "Go ahead then, just make a so-so Mandrake Elixir when you could've made a perfect, beautiful one."

"Stop being difficult. Let's just get this over with," grumbled Malfoy. He moved his piece of Mandrake leaf around his mouth with his tongue. "Talking to you is tiring enough, not to mention with the leaf."

From the corner of her eyes, Hermione saw Theo glancing at them several times, all when he thought she wasn't looking. Theo had been informed of their plans, but as all Animagi had to be registered and they weren't planning to, the trio had to keep it a secret from others. She saw that Theo also wanted to join their conversation, but was afraid to be heard by his project partner, Daphne.

"Stop making Theo worry," she hissed to Malfoy.

"You yelled first," he scoffed.

"Very mature," she replied, frowning.

He gave her an annoyed look before going back to tending to their potion.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you just going to ignore me?"

Without looking at her, and stirring counter-bloody-clockwise, he pointed to his mouth, indicating he didn't want to talk because of the leaf hidden inside. Or at least that's what Hermione wanted to believe.

"Fine, fine," she muttered. "Even though I talk very well with the same leaf in my mouth, thank you very much." Peering at their fine-but-not-perfect Mandrake Elixir, she whispered to him, "don't forget to come to my room after ten."

Draco nodded, once again wordless. He then caught Theo's eyes, and mouthed, "ten o'clock."

Grinning, Theo gave him a nod to show he understood.

The potion crucial for becoming an Animagus took exactly 28 days to be made, and they would add their saliva-infused leaf to it. Hermione cringed as she felt the leaf still fresh and stiff in her mouth. She had thought that after a few days, the leaf would go completely limp and become easier to hide in her mouth.

Well, she could now say for sure a Mandrake's strength was magnificent. Even its leaf refused to go without a fit.

When Hermione deemed the Elixir to be complete and ready to bottled, her blonde potions partner raised his hand to catch the attention of their Potions Master.

Snape gave them an indifferent look, his eyes cold and bored as always, as he examined the completed assignment. After a minute of silence, he brought out a set of empty phials.

"Exceeds Expectations," he said. "Both of you may get started on the observation notes for the potion."

Draco looked satisfied, and began to dutifully fill the phials with the Elixir. He was smiling inwardly, because he had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"Exceeds Expectations? I'm sorry, Professor, but, an E?" Hermione asked with disbelief. She felt her bangs twitch due to her upturned eyebrows, and her mind began to swirl slightly. "What was wrong with the potion?"