Growing Through Time (A Harry Potter au Story)

6

Days passed, and the incident with Sirius Black was now just a murmur between the dungeon walls. Molly walked down to the Slytherin common room trying to scout out her friends, whilst tying her green tie, yet they were not amongst the masses of early risen students.
They're probably still asleep, she thought, deciding to leave and grab some breakfast in the great hall, alone. Whilst reaching for the silver door knob, she grabbed someone's hand, which reached out at the same time.
Oh shit!
"Oh! I'm sorry!", the person apologised. Looking up, Molly realised it's the girl from her divination lesson, whose name she never seemed to remember.
Kate.. Tiana... T..Tea? What was it?!
"It's alright!" Molly says, sending a friendly smile the girls way, her cheeks turning scarlet involuntary.
Is it?
"My names Tae, by the way." Tae says, walking slowly out the door; she wore thin rimmed, circular glasses, and had her black hair in a bun, her tanned skin glowed against the light on the walls.
Tae! I was close... Tea, Tae...
"I'm Molly."
And with an acknowledging nod from Tae, they walked the rest of the way in silence. It wasn't awkward, just quiet. And they liked it like that.

Arriving at her seat on the Slytherin table (after splitting ways at the doors with Tae) Molly glanced at Kurtis who was talking with Mindy across the tables. Mindy didn't seem notice the two (or was it three?) pencils sticking out in her low ponytail, nor did she notice the group of snickering 3rd years on her table watching and waiting for her to notice.
Idiots. Molly rolled her eyes, as she looked at her friend who she found to be awake before her.
She noticed they, Mindy and Kurtis, held potion books open, handwritten notes scattered around the page borders. The books were fairly new, only four months, but the pages were creased and stained in Kurtis' copy.
The result of a potion accident, Molly remembered. It involved a lizards tail, Mindy's hair coming too close to his cauldron and a pigs eye.
Some words were smudged and unreadable, and just his luck it was the topic they were going to study in today's lesson. So he was in a pickle. Ha! Have fun!

"Snape will have your head if he sees this." Mindy commented, waving her hand at the book, her face furrowed in a judgmental look, as her own copy sat in good condition.

"Do I care?"

"No."

"Exactly." he took a bite into his roll and with a set expression he continued, "Once we leave Hogwarts, I'm burning this book. Merlin knows how badly I hate this lesson."
Spreading butter on her toast, Molly watched the ordeal calmly, seeing how Kurtis fixed his curls atop his head and how Mindy sat their with her lips pursed.
Moron... she's trying to help you.
"I'm just trying to help you." She adds, just as Molly poured herself a cup of tea, still watching them intently.
Told you.
"There's a spell, it's complicated but I've learnt the theory of it, it can make your ruined pages more re-"
"I'll pass." Kurtis insisted, standing up, his black glasses askew on his nose.
Being friends with those two for nearly three years, Molly knew that they had a knack for arguing about anything; bickering, shouting over each other outside was their way of helping each other (yes, most arguments begun by the other giving trying to give the other advice when in confusion). Both hot-headed, hard working and honest about their opinions, gets them to clash and try to outsmart the other. A Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Smart and ambitious. They can either take over the world together or be its downfall.
And yet they can be idiots at times...
"Please don't storm out. Dramatic exits really aren't your thing." Mindy says, smiling gently, the corner of her lips curling into a smirk.
Without answering, he gathered his book and parchment and walked out calmly, just as Bryony entered.

"Well..." She greeted, "Morning all."
She missed it all... how unfortunate.
Molly replied back and Mindy smiles at them both(she only now realises I'm here?) downing the rest of her orange juice and leaving towards her first lesson of the day.
Potions. Fun. And she still has the two pencils in her hair...
              •
Thud. The bag hits the stone floor painfully. Clank. His cauldron sits atop the worn down wooden desk. Kurtis inhales the damp, cold air of the dungeon, his nose wrinkling in disgust. At the moment the class was was crowded with Ravenclaw and Slytherin students, quiet chatter vibrating at every desk. Everyone sat at their designated spaces, potion books flat open on the page
'Sleep potions and remedies'
No one moved out of place, too anxious of Proffesor Snapes wrath if caught.
Kurtis sat bored, his eyes lazily scanning through the shelves of ingredients: gillyweed and bezoar; dittany, whatever that was; sopophorous beans; bat wings and bat spleen; boomslang and-
His train of thought was cut short as Snape sauntered in, straight to the front of the class.
"Sleep potions. What are they?" He spat, his seamingly permanent scowl deepening at the sight of the Ravenclaws. If he had it his way he would only teach Slytherins.
"No one?" His eyes looked around the room, flying over the couple hands that rose from the blue uniformed students and focused on one certain student: Mindy.
As he sat on the back row, Mindy right infront of him, Kurtis had a clear view of her actions. Or at least, as clear as a view gets with frizzy blonde hair obscuring his vision. She was hunched over wand in hand, partially hidden under her robe sleeve, as she seemed to be focused on Draco Malfoy's chair, her brow creased in concentration as she quietly muttered a spell.
If he focused on where she was aiming the spell, Kurtis would've noticed the white laces of Malfoy's freshly polished shoes floating and tying up to the chair he was occupying, but he didn't. Nor did Snape or Malfoy.
"Gallagher-Blake." He spoke the name with the strongest distaste, as if it brought pain to his vocal chords to utter. If there was a scale of Snape's favouritism towards Students it would go:
'From Mindy to Draco Malfoy, how much does Snape like you?'
You'd expect Harry Potter to be at the bottom seeing as his mere existence is a burden to Snape, but he isn't (he should feel proud about it).
"Yes?" She was sitting upright now, her hair partially laying on Kurtis' desk (I mean... how do you expect him to pass with that in the way... I mean, cross-contamination guys!). She seemed clueless towards the question given, so Kurtis decided to help her out.
Leaning over, he whispered, "Sleep potions. Say what they are."
"Oh! It is a potion for dreamless sleep and is purple in colour. It will make the drinker drowsy at once and help them get some peace and rest." Mindy retorted, the corner of her mouth quirking up as she stared at Snape, a discreet gesture with her hand was motioned towards Kurtis in thanks under their desks.
"A simple answer simply would not have sustained your ego, would it now?" He moved towards his desk as he grabbed the purple potion bottle of his desk and sneered, his gaze fixated between Mindy and Kurtis, "And next time," he moved to the back of the class and stood there, flicking his wand lazily as writing appeared on the chalkboard, "don't use Mr Orris as a helping hand. His level of idiocy on this subject rises higher than Longbottoms."
Mouth hanging open in shock, cheeks burning red from humiliation and anger, Kurtis sat there overwhelmed with the howls of laughter from the Slytherins.

As the lesson continued, Kurtis started to realise that Mindy was sitting awfully quite, head down doing her work without turning around to lend him a helping hand, like she usually does when Snape is distracted by others. Even more shocking was the fact that Snape finshed the lesson ten minutes early, all unlike his usual routine, which was to keep them behind longer than needed. Confused, Kurtis left the class with Mindy who was cautiously looking back at the dungeons entrance. Wondering what was up with her he asked, "You alright?"
"Yeah" Short response. One sharp breathe and a glance back. And suddenly her mouth twitched to form a smile portraying mischief.
Sighing, knowing what she probably did he questioned again, "What did you do?"
"Oh? Nothing much, just stuck good ol' Snape's bag to the ground"
Of course she did, was all he could think of.
"You're in so much trouble with him now."
"Like you said in the hall during breakfast: Do I care?"
She began to walk of towards her next lesson but she stopped, looked back at Kurtis and with a smirk said, "I came here for a good time not a long time."

Across the castle in the Defence against the dark arts hallway, that was brightly lit by the morning sun and filled with a plethora of students, stood Brody and Paula awaiting their lesson with Professor Lupin. Books hugged against their bodies, they were both buzzing with excitement; Lupin was by far the best Defence teacher. He's not cocky and self absorbed like Lockhart was last year, and he isn't a stuttering mess like Quirell was in first year. He knows his subject well and teaches it in an enjoyable manner. They awaited his arrival, standing quietly together by the door, yet who came only mere minutes later was not the teacher they wanted or wished for.

Chapter 6 is out! It took too long! Sorry!