The Lost Black (The Predestined Trilogy - Bk 1) (A HP FanFic)

Chapter 8: My First Day as a Snake

Good news, I impressed McGonagall with my knowledge of some of the transfiguration spells I had learned from Mom, Remus, and Sirius. I was even able to completely vanish the snail we were given, right after Zendaya successfully vanished her snail after five tries. We were each awarded five points each and were spared from homework. I could practically feel Pansy's fiery glare from across the room and I couldn't bite back the smirk on my face. However, I was still behind, but McGonagall told me that she can arrange some times in the evenings to help me catch up even more. Nonetheless, I was practically skipping down to Potions.

In Potions I spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the back of the room. They waved as I entered.

"Got five points already," I grinned at them.

Hermione beamed at me. "That's fantastic!"

I nodded. "Vanished a snail perfectly in Transfiguration. Second to Zendaya, but still. Faster than Pansy could."

Harry and Ron snickered at that.

I ended up sitting a couple tables from Harry, Ron, and Hermione next to Tracey who was twirling her hair. Zendaya had found a seat next to the burly Slytherin, whose name I had found out was Arthur Selwyn, much to my surprise. He must be some cousin as Mom didn't have any siblings, at least none that I know of. From what I've gathered, he's not one to talk. He just stares at anything that moves with an analytical gaze that makes me wonder what was going on in his head.

While Transfiguration was great, Potions was the opposite. Snape gave us a complicated potion called the Draught of Peace. Fun fact, making this potion is not peaceful. I was practically sweating by the time class ended. I saw only a couple students' cauldrons have a silver vapor rising from the liquid as it should. Mine was a dark blue and was bubbling.

What did I forget? What did I do wrong? I glared at my cauldron, as if it would tell me the answer.

"Black." Snape swept over to my table and stared down at my cauldron. The corners of his lips twitched. "What is this?"

"I don't know, sir," I stuttered. I did everything in the directions. I know I was a few seconds off from letting the potion sit for seven minutes, but I don't think it would have these kind of drastic results.

This seemed to amuse Snape. "Clearly you didn't inherit your potion-making from your mother. Perhaps you do take after your father, after all."

I clenched my jaw. Nearby, Pansy was, not really, trying to cover her laughter.

"Does it say anywhere in the directions to add a Fluxweed leaf?"

"No."

"Then why did you add a Fluxweed leaf?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't?" He raised an eyebrow. "Your cauldron says otherwise."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Pansy was being a little too engrossed in our conversation. I did take my eyes off my cauldron during the seven minute waiting period to carefully read the last directions. But even then the only people who were close to my cauldron were Tracey and Millicent-

Wait. Pansy may have not been near my desk, but Millicent, the girl right next to her did. Millicent did walk by my desk. Could she have slipped something in without me noticing?

Those bit-

"Maybe I did," I said through gritted teeth. "I'll be more watchful next time." I shot Pansy a look as I said that, but she just snickered at me.

Snape sneered at me before moving on to go taunt Harry.

"At least yours looks drinkable," Tracey mumbled as she stared uneasily at her cauldron which was emitting green sparks.