Chapter 2

Chapter 2

HARRY POTTER!

What in Merlin's name were you thinking?!

How dare you ride over here like some sort of protective relative to make sure that Snape is not bullying me, "like he did before"?

You ruined a perfectly civilised welcome feast by your aggressive and boorish behaviour. Merlin only knows what Severus is thinking right now! If he hadn't stormed out when he did, there would have been blood everywhere, and not just from Neville's nervous nosebleed.

If I find that you have spoken to Severus AT ALL about me, or attempt at any point to interfere, I will make sure that my godsons

will never have another sibling.

EVER.

The Sunday Prophet

20 July 2008

The Boy Who Lived Goes Back to School!

Harry Potter Returns to Hogwarts!

By Hattie Henwood, your own correspondent

Harry Potter, world famous vanquisher of The Dark Lord in the last Wizarding War, has signed up for the Ministry of Magic's first Summer School at Hogwarts. Potter was a surprise guests at last night's Welcoming Feast (See page 2 for further details).

Mr Potter, who plays Seeker for the Tutshill Tornadoes took 'time out' to explain to this reporter why he felt the need to go back to school during the Quidditch off-season.

"I have always been interested in Potions and wanted to improve my skills in this fascinating area of study," Potter explained to this correspondent. When asked if this decision would affect his preparations for the next season, Potter smiled confidently. "I have been asked by Professor McGonagall to run some Flying classes for the students while I am here, so I will be able to maintain my edge in the air." But then the Boy Who Lived sobered. "You know," he began earnestly, "some things are more important than Quidditch, like friendship and protecting those you love."

Gryffindor Tower

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Sunday 20th July 2008

Dear Professor Snape,

I want to apologise for Harry turning up out of the blue last night. I know what a shock it must have been for you to meet him again after so long, and I am sorry that he seems to have taken it upon himself to act like some sort of overbearing Hippogriff.

I honestly had no idea that he was joining the course this summer.

I hope that he has been and apologised to you in person by now and that he still has all of his limbs intact.

If it is acceptable to you, I will come down later to decant the Whinlatter Spores for our classes tomorrow morning....

Perhaps I will see you later at the Three Broomsticks? Jerry has suggested that we all go out this evening to get to know each other a little before the Summer School begins.

With best wishes,

Hermione

The Dungeons

20 July 2008

Dear Professor Granger,

The spores are in my Potions classroom. Decant away at your pleasure. I am going out.

Snape

Potter is still, as you put it, 'intact'.

Malfoy Manor

Sunday, 20 July 2008

My Dear Severus,

I was as surprised and gratified as you probably were to read in The Sunday Prophet that our beloved saviour has indeed returned to school.

I can only imagine the deep joy and anticipation that you must be experiencing at the thought of Potter in your classroom again. I have taken the liberty of enclosing with this letter a small phial of Calming Draught to tide you over until the large cauldron that you are no doubt preparing as you read this letter is ready to consume.

And Bloomberg, too! How utterly delightful for you, Severus – you must be thrilled by the prospect of teaching alongside him.

I would be pleased to offer a shoulder to cry on, a sympathetic ear, or even access to the more, shall we say, restricted elements of Malfoy Manor's library in order to further soothe your fractured nerves...?

Narcissa sends her best wishes, as ever.

Yours in brotherhood,

Lucius

P.S. On an unrelated subject (perhaps)... How is Granger settling back in to your chambers?

The Dungeons

Sunday, 20 July 2008

Lucius,

She is not in my chambers. She never was.

Please give my regards to Narcissa.

SS

Thank you for the potion. I find that Firewhisky has the same effect. Bastard.

The Greenhouses,

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Monday, 21 July 2008

Dear Hermione,

Wasn't last night fun?!! I had no idea that Jerry would be so witty! You never quite know with famous people. So often the public persona does not match the reality – remember Gilderoy? NO... on reflection, you probably don't....

And Jerry's so attractive, too! "Boom Boom!" All that black leather and those boots... not to mention the 'cool' glasses and well cut robes! I'm far too old for him of course... but I thought that he paid you a great deal of attention, lucky girl! What did he say? "Nobody... uh... knows what's in another's heart.... But... love will always find a way. It's not written in the stars... it's written in the math." And those eyes – mmmmmm! He does know what makes a witch tick, doesn't he?

Where was I? Oh, yes! I have your ingredient list for the course that you and Severus are teaching, and I was wondering if you could use more mandrakes? Neville and I are particularly proud of how well they have come along this year, and they will need harvesting soon.

Please let me know and I'll send Neville over. It might be better if Severus was not about when he comes to see you, as Severus tends to set off Neville's nervous stomach, poor thing.

Pomona

Gryffindor Tower

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Dear Severus,

Have you thought about using a Quick-Quote's Quill for dictating your research findings?

One of my students had one today in my class, and I thought of you. I used one myself during my Masters in Cambridge. I found it very helpful for those times when one has to stir with both hands at once, while monitoring the development of concurrent potions.

Best wishes,

Hermione

The Dungeons

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Granger,

Have you never heard of retentive memory? I assure you that I have no need of such an implement. Kindly keep your attention focused on whatever else you are doing and leave my private research to me.

Snape

Flourish and Blotts

Diagon Alley, London

Date: 23 July 2008

To: Professor Severus Snape

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Scotland

UK

Item Description: 1 Quick-Quotes Quill (deluxe version)

Special Delivery Instructions: Immediate Delivery through unmarked owl post.

Total: 14 Sickles (payment received via Gringotts transfer)

Glebe House

Hogsmeade

Friday, 25th July 2008

Dear Hermione,

I know Harry has been a prat, but please would you let him off the hook? He is nearly impossible to live with at the moment. He feels horrible for embarrassing you and has taken to writing long notes to explain why he was justified in confronting Professor Snape (because he loves you like a brother), then incendio-ing them and starting again. It's like he's fifteen again.

He claims to be enjoying Snape's lessons, even though his motives for signing up for the course were questionable, and he has missed Scotland and Hogwarts in particular, but he's miserable knowing that you are so angry with him.

Anyway, I wondered if you fancied a break from the Dungeons? I was thinking of taking the boys to the park in Hogsmeade after lunch today. You can meet us down there after lessons finish this afternoon, and we can thoroughly exhaust them, then go and get a cup of tea at Madam Puddifoot's. I promise to make her cancel the flying cherubs, and you can give me all the gossip about "Boom Boom" Bloomberg!

Your friend,

Ginny

Gryffindor Tower

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Friday, 25 July 2008

Dear Ginny

Thanks for your note – I'd love to come with you and the boys to the park this afternoon. Meet you at the bandstand at 4.30 pm?

I am sorry that you are being dragged into this business, Ginny, but you should have seen how Harry behaved at the feast – The Prophet didn't catch anything of it, thank Merlin, but even so.... Honestly, Gin, I've never been more embarrassed! He marched right up to Severus, and practically challenged him to a wizard duel if he upset me again in the labs.

I wasn't close enough to hear exactly what Severus said back to Harry, but I saw Severus' face go white and his hair start to crackle.

It would probably have gone pretty badly for Harry if Minerva hadn't whisked him off to meet Professor Bloomberg.

Afterwards I tried to talk to Severus, but he took one look at me and stormed off like an angry cat, nearly pushing Neville into the charmed ice sculpture on the side table as he went. He's still not speaking to me properly, even after five day's teaching in adjoining rooms.

You know I'll forgive Harry eventually, but at the moment I am having rather too much fun watching him try so hard in Snape's class. I can see him sometimes through the connecting door to the laboratory with his hand in the air, asking and answering Severus' questions. Harry Potter, "Know-It-All" – I never thought I'd see the day!

Severus is still treating him as if he has been congealed from Bubotuber pus of course, but he has accepted Harry's apology and relative peace reigns in the Dungeons.

"Boom Boom"?! Is that what everyone calls him? How funny! Why? Anyway, we all had a lovely time at the Three Broomsticks last Sunday. Professor Bloomberg has got really lovely eyes when he takes his spectacles off, and a habit of looking right at you as if he can see into your soul...

Got to go, Gin – Severus is standing in the doorway, harrumphing. He obviously wants something....

See you later,

Hermione xxx

QUICK-QUOTES QUILL

Please note! Your new Quick-Quotes Quill will write down all the words that it 'hears', and some sounds too! You may need to practice carefully before you achieve maximum performance from this product.

QUICK-QUOTES QUILL

THE QUICKER WAY TO QUOTE!

.... Is this bloody thing working?

Oh... Ahhh... Right.

Ahem. Harrumph! Ahem.

Notes from batch twenty-four of the Anti-Mutatio Potion... erm... Saturday, 26th July 2008.

I have succeeded in isolating the determinant factors for the lycanthropy transformation. I am experimenting with varying a technique adopted by Muggle scientists in the creation of a cure for the lycanthropic transformation. Muggles call this technique immunisation - the principle being that the subject is introduced to a small dosage of the contaminant material to encourage the development of natural antibodies within the subject's body. As a wizard suffering from lycanthropy has already been infected with the relevant genetic triggers to activate a regular mutation in relation to the lunar cycle, however, I will need to develop a method which not only stimulates an auto-immune response to the mutation imperative, but one that also blocks the pathways of the neurotransmitters that activate the metamorphosis in the first place.

I am utilising the help of this Quick Quotes Quill to enable me to record my findings as the potion mutates and in order to enable me to maintain the concurrent stirring techniques I have developed, which requires me to use both arms simultaneously ... thank you very much Miss Know-It-All-bloody-Gryffindor. Of course I don't need a brewing assistant... I have done very well for more than thirty years, and I am perfectly able to keep my attention on...

Harrumph! Ahem.

The tincture of knotweed has proved surprisingly volatile in conjunction with other ingredients, particularly the Billywig stings... no, no, no, no, NO! Ahhhh – saved it! Excellent! Adding the black snakeroot... now. Potion is frothing and the temperature has risen by six... seven... nine... twelve... degrees...

Now stabilising and levelling off....

Adjusting the flame.

The potion has reached another critical stage....

Summoning the pulverised pangolin scales. Gently introducing them on the surface of the liquid... Don't disturb the surface tension... there... attaboy! Gods, you're good. Smug bastard.

[*unreportable noise ??Snort??*]

Reducing cauldron flame to gentle simmer. The potion is behaving as I postulated.... The consistency is good, the colour a pale green. Timer set for eleven minutes.

Now that the base of the potion is virtually prepared, we turn to the activation ingredients.

This quill really is an excellent idea – I should thank Granger in the morning.

No, don't be a dunderhead. You'll never live it down. Best to keep it quiet. Bloody woman. Bloody inconvenient, annoying woman. What has she done with that absurd mane of hair recently? Always frizzy in the laboratories before, but now it looks...

Ahem! Harrumph.

Potion. Ingredients. Check timer. Nine minutes remaining. Come on, old man. Get those shrivelfigs peeled. Check on the condition of the leptocephali. Yesss... good....

If we accept that the metamorphic transitions of creatures such as atlantic salmon, the eel, the global variants of frog, the tengu of Japan, the kumiho of Korea, or the various species of lepidoptera, are brought on by hormonal changes, then the Anti-Mutatio Potion should replicate the normal levels of hormone in the subject's body and be flexible so that when the expected change in hormonal activity occurs, prompted by the lunar rise, the body can manufacture sufficient levels of hormone to counter the effects of the trigger mechanism, stabilise and therefore prevent transformation....

Why should I go to the bloody pub with that bloody American Arithmancer tosser? Bloody Minerva. Bloody Ministry and their extension courses.

"Boom Boom". What self-respecting adult wizard allows himself to be called "Boom Boom"?!

"Boom Boom"... I wonder why...?

Seven minutes. What does Granger see in him anyway? With his stupid hair, and his stupid shoes, and his... "I gotta tell ya something, let me do your numbers..." schtick. How many witches fall for that line? Sybill can barely stay vertical at High Table. Pomona looks like she's about to have an aneurism every time he talks to her. Pathetic. Granger is far too sensible to fall for....

Six minutes. Focus, Snape. Focus. You've never got this far before. The incantation to release the hormone level from the eel larvae, and then illuminate the active hormones, is...

Eximare Endocrina! Revelio!

.... That seemed to go well. The leptocephali have changed form and the hormones have become visible within the resultant matter... Now to add them to the potion base.... Nearly there, nearly there....

Increased volatility is immediately observed in the potion, a chain reaction is clearly in progress within the...OH BUGGER!

PROTEGO!!!

[*unreportable noise ??Explosion??*]

A/N: I've checked and I still don't own them. Beaweasley2, Clairvoyant and nagandsev are fabulous, though – and that makes up for it....