Inglorious Bastards [Theodore Nott]

Chapter Twenty-Eight

In the days that followed, Malfoy was still in the Hospital Wing, thought Roman said that he overheard Madam Pomfrey tell Malfoy that he was free to go (he visited the Hospital Wing after he fell off his broom during training), but Malfoy was "milking it", making a bigger deal of the scratch than it should be. Though, with the hostile effect of Malfoy being in the Hospital Wing, Carina was enjoying every minute as it meant no one daring to call her "murderer" in the halls. She wished that he could stay there a bit longer or the whole term if could.

Classes went on and were better than expected, Transfiguration especially, and for Carina, Muggle Studies as they have learned Muggle Arts. But then, all the happiness of classes must come to an end as Potions was still a core subject for them. And Snape was still their Professor. Well, at least Malfoy was not there, Carina thought as she enjoyed every minute of Malfoy-free silence. She sat beside Harry at this time – Ron and Harry have made an agreement to sit beside either Carina or Hermione so they could survive Potions – and he was thanking Merlin for letting him be seated by Carina.

"Sorry, but I'm not really good in Potions," Harry sighed as he watched Carina fix her long locks to a loose bun.

"Don't worry, no one is – except for Hermione that is," Carina's eyes shifted to where Roman was paired with Theodore, where Roman was being instructed by Theodore throughout the process.

"But you are, I've seen you brew Potions as if it were tea," Harry said.

"Have you forgotten the other times it exploded at our faces?"

Carina started juicing her leaches. Through the whole process, Carina whispered to Harry the process of gathering ingredients – though not conventional – and finally got to making the actual potion. Halfway through their solutions, they heard Snape reprimanding – bullying, more like – Neville, who was near to tears.

"Orange, Longbottom! Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that one-tat spleen was needed? Didn't I state perfectly clear that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to make you understand, Longbottom?"

Carina and Harry turned to Neville and saw him on the verge of tears. Hermione even asked Neville if she can help, but Snape denied.

"Longbottom at the end of this lesson, we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly," Snape threatened and then walked away from the table.

Though Snape stated clearly that no one was to help Neville, Hermione still lent a hand by muttering instructions to him, hoping that Snape would not catch her. Behind them, Crabbe and Goyle were laughing at Neville, who panickily made his solution. Not being able to stand the two Slytherins, Carina turned to her back and saw Roman engrossed with his potion to even notice, but Theodore Nott, who was already finished, saw her glaring at Goyle and Crabbe, sighed at what she was to do. No point in stopping her, he thought. Looking back at the front, Carina got out her wand, hid it under the table, and had it point at Crabbe and Goyle's direction, and then said the incantation.

"Finestra."

There was a hissing sound, followed by the sound of Crabbe and Goyle shouting out that their hands have shrunken, and as well as their robes, but luckily, Snape managed to stop their clothes from further shrinking with a simple spell. Laughter erupted from the Gryffindors as they watched, but were silenced when Snape sent them a threatening glare.

"Who did that?" He demanded. His eyes went to Carina. "Black."

"Yes, Professor?" Carina asked, keeping up the innocent act.