Stones And The Moon

Chapter 13

Harry watched carefully as Snape cut up the Aconite petals and mixed them into a cauldron filled with boiling hot water. He took in just how many times he'd stir the rod clockwise, seeing a giant puff of blue smoke blow out the cauldron and then stir counterclockwise, seeing blue steam fizz away. He'd let it cool for five minutes and when the potion was cool inside the cauldron, he let it simmer again until it gave off a blue hue around the lid which was placed on top. He brewed for about an hour until it was ready. Harry was taking notes the entire time and even made little drawings to memorise.

The whole process seemed very complex and time consuming, he suddenly held an even greater amount of respect for Snape if this is what he has to do every month for him. He almost got his eyebrows blown up and dyed blue.

Harry was excited to try it out eventually, though. Obviously not today as they didn't have enough ingredients and he was just looking at the technique for the first time and had to study up on the notes, but Snape assured him the next time they see each other and the moon is coming up, which would be next term, he'd allow Harry to brew his potion with him. This made him grin.

"So, you see how it's supposed to be done then?" Snape asked Harry as he was bottling up three perfect vials. "Based on the amount of notes you took, I'd say you might be getting the hang of it."

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. It's very complicated, sure. But practice makes perfect, as they say."

Snape nodded at him. "Correct." He handed them to Harry and he hid them inside his bag. "Start tonight. You know the drill."

Harry sighed. "Eat, sleep, gloves." He nodded. "Got it."

"Very well. Now go get yourself some lunch, you're scrawny enough as it is." Snape mumbled, shoving him towards the door.

"I could still totally rip your head off like a doll." Harry frowned at him.

"And I can still slip poison into your potion." He raised an eyebrow, challengingly. Harry just grinned and walked off.

They had a weird sort of dark banter together. He'd never tell Hermione or Ron about it, though. They'd immediately start thinking Snape was serious about poisoning him when really it's just their humour.

He walked to the Great Hall and found Ron stuffing his face with food. He sat down next to him and noticed his last minute untouched homework next to him.

"Ron, seriously?" He sighed. "The exams are literally about to start. Buck up."

Ron put down his chicken and frowned. "What? I could just copy off of Hermione."

Hearing her name, she lifted her head up out of a book and glared at him. "No you won't. Besides, during the exams we're all given an Anticheating quill."

Ron gaped and quickly opened up his homework, decided to get to work at last.

That night when Harry's bones were sore, he chugged back a vial of his potion and entered his Mindscape, determined to calm himself down to get a good nights rest. He put a Sticking Charm on his curtains and counted to one hundred. Then he was in his head.

He usually likes to just sit on the ground and surround himself with warm fires. He can do whatever he wants in his head, it's brilliant.

Sometimes he'd go for a look through his happy memories, walking through the clearing he first saw that went into a nice field. He'd follow the laughter that went through the bushes and pull back tree branches to see smiling faces, memories flashing by. He'd look into puddles and see the time him and Ron ran outside in the rain like idiots laughing.