Amie and the Army (Harry Potter fan-fic) Book 5 COMPLETED

The start of the nightmare

No matter who you asked, History of Magic was the most boring of all classes at Hogwarts. Almost no one could stay alert and listen to Professor Binns droning voice. Hermione was the only one Amie knew of that could actually look interested as she followed Binns' lecture. Amie listened, of course she did, but it was a constant struggle not to doze off. She kept herself awake by writing down most of what Professor Binns was saying. It was a long lesson, an hour and a half - Ron and Harry had given up on trying to pay attention during the first ten minutes, and spent the remainder of the lesson playing hangman on the corner of Harry's parchment, while Hermione on occasion sent them scorching looks.
"How would it be," Hermione said coldly as they left the classroom for break. "if Amie and I refused to lend you our notes this year?"
"We'd fail our OWL," said Ron simply. "If you want that on your conscience.."
"Well, you'd deserve it," Hermione snapped. "You don't even try to listen to him, do you?" 
"We do try" said Ron. "We just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration - you're just cleverer than we are - is it nice to rub it in?" 
"Oh, don't give me that rubbish," said Hermione, but she did look in a better mood as she led them out into the courtyard. Amie rolled her eyes, amused by how easy it was to get Hermione off your back sometimes. Amie and the others went to stand under a dripping balcony, turning up their robes collars against the cold September air. They were discussing what Snape was going to have them do the first lesson of the year, and they had just agreed it would be something difficult when someone walked around the corner towards them. 
"Hello, Harry!"
It was Cho Chang, and she was by herself. Amie wondered for a moment if that was because she wanted to be, or because she talked about Cedric with her friends so much that they didn't want to be with her anymore.
"Hi," said Harry, and Amie saw him blushing.
"You got that stuff off, then?" Cho said, obviously referring to the Stinksap on the train.
"Yeah," said Harry, his grin more like a grimace than a smile. "So, did you... er... have a good summer?"
Amie knew this wasn't a good question to ask. Loosing her boyfriend just before summer... Cho's face fell a bit.
"Oh, it was all right, you know..."
"Is that a Tornados badge?" Ron demanded suddenly, pointing to Cho's chest were a blue badge with a golden 'T' was pinned. "You don't support them, do you?"
"Yeah, I do," said Cho.
"Have you always supported them, or just since they started winning the league?" said Ron, in an accusatory tone.of voice. Amie sighed.
"I've supported them since I was six," said Cho coolly. "Anyway... see you, Harry." 
She walked away. Hermione waited until Cho was halfway across the courtyard before rounding on Ron. 
"You are so tactless!" 
"What? I only asked her if -" 
"Couldn't you tell she wanted to talk to Harry on her own?" 
"So? She could've done, I wasn't stopping -" 
"Why on earth were you attacking her about her Quidditch team?" 
"Attacking? I wasn't attacking her, I was only -" 
"Who cares if she supports the Tornados?" 
"Oh, come on, half the people you see wearing those badges only bought them last season -" 
"But what does it matter!" 
"It means they're not real fans, they're just jumping on the bandwagon -" 
"That's the bell," Harry said dully. 

Hermione and Ron bickered all the way to the dungeon. Harry was off in his own little world, so Amie left him to it. Amie started thinking.. she was - is - friends with Cedric, and she'd talked to Cho a couple of times, should she go talk to Cho? She was obviously very upset and needed to talk about it, but perhaps she felt like no one wanted to. Maybe that's one of the reasons she wanted to talk to Harry - he had, after all, been there when it happened. They all entered the Potion's classroom and took their seats, Hermione and Ron far from each other, Harry and Amie in the middle. 
"Settle down," Snape said, shutting the door behind him. He really needn't have said that, as soon as the door closed everyone fell silent. Snape's mere presence was all that was needed. "Before we begin today's lesson," said Snape, sweeping over to his desk and staring around at them all, "I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your OWL, or suffer my... displeasure." 
His gaze lingered on Neville, who gulped.
"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my NEWT Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye." 
He looked over at Harry this time, and his lip curled. Amie's eyes flashed red. Why was he such a bully to everyone? 
"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," said Snape softly, "so, whether or not you are intending to attempt NEWT, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I have come to expect from my OWL students. 
"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." 
Amie smiled. She'd read about this particular potion several times, liking what it did. Everyone needed to calm down at one point or another, and Amie knew the potion could come in handy at a school.
"The ingredients and method -" Snape flicked his wand "- are on the blackboard -" (they appeared there) "- you will find everything you need —" he flicked his wand again "- in the store cupboard —" (the door of the said cupboard sprang open) "- you have an hour and a half... start." 
Amie went to work at once. Just as they'd predicted, Snape had set them a very difficult potion to do, but Amie was rather happy about it. She wanted her potion to be perfect, so she checked and dubble checked the blackboard, before doing what it said. There was no room for mistakes - everything had to be added in the right order, it had to be stirred exactly the right number of times, the heat of the flames had to be lowered to the exact right level for a few minutes before adding the final ingredient. It was hard work.
"A light silver vapour should now be rising from your potion," called Snape, with ten minutes left to go. 
Amie looked at her potion with delight, it looked just as it was supposed to. Looking at the others cauldrons, it wasn't going as well. Harry's potion was issuing dark grey steam, Ron's was spitting green sparks, at the base of Seamus' cauldron, the flames seemed to be going out - he was prodding them with his wand. But Hermione, of course, had done just as well as Amie. That's why Snape passed the two of them without making a comment. But at Harry's cauldron, he stopped, a smirk on his face.
"Potter, what is this supposed to be?" 
The Slytherins at the front of the class - Malfoy included - looked up eagerly. They loved watching Snape taunt Harry. 
"The Draught of Peace," Harry answered tensely.
"Tell me, Potter," said Snape softly, "can you read?" 
Malfoy laughed. 
"Yes, I can," said Harry, pressing his lips together.
"Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter."
Amie saw Harry look up at the blackboard, squinting to make the words out through the haze of multi-colored mist filling the dungeon.
"'Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counter-clockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes then add two drops of syrup of hellebore.'" 
Amie saw how Harry's face fell.
"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?" 
"No," said Harry very quietly. 
"I beg your pardon?" 
"No," said Harry, more loudly. "I forgot the hellebore." 
"I know you did, Potter, which means that this mess is utterly worthless. Evanesco." 
Harry's potion vanished, and he was left with an empty cauldron.
"Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name and bring it up to my desk for testing," said Snape. 
"Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion making, to be handed in on Thursday." 
Bubbling inside, sure her eyes were red, Amie filled up a flagon, corked it and walked over to Snape's desk putting it down in front of him. She carefully avoided looking at him, knowing that he didn't particularly like her, and it would be foolish to glare at him. When Amie came back to her desk, the bell had already rung, which meant Harry had left the classroom. Amie, Hermione and Ron packed their stuff in silence and left the classroom, heading to the Great Hall where they found Harry, eating lunch.