Things Will Never Be the Same Again

Our lesson was rather boring to say the least. Our teacher, Professor Umbridge, was very strict and did not seem to enjoy her job. For an entire hour the most exciting thing that happened was when Luna accidently flicked her pencil at a boy from Hufflepuff which hit him in the head, he had been so shocked he fell out of his chair.

“I just don’t understand why some people become teachers,” Marietta moaned as we crossed out into the corridors.
“Didn’t you hear Dumbledore at the beginning of the term? She’s from the ministry, she’s not actually a teacher,” Cho spoke to us for the first time since breakfast.
“Well I am confused,” I declared, “Wasn’t that meant to be the most interesting subject?”
“It sure used to be,” Marietta replied.
“Oh well, who’s excited for potions?” I grinned as we started descending the staircase.
“How precious” Padma grinned, joining us in the entrance hall as we continued in the downward maze of stairs, toward the dungeons.
“What is?” I asked, confused.
“That you are excited for potions!” She exclaimed as Luna, Marietta and Cho all laughed.
“What?”
“Honestly, after this lesson I’d like to hear you say it again!”
“Well, you never know.” I shrugged “Why weren’t you in our defence class anyway?”
“I’m not taking it this year,” She huffed.
“Padma barley got a passing mark last year” Cho whispered when Padma wasn’t listening.
“Well, at least we don’t have Slytherins with us for this lesson,” I grinned as we approached the hoard of students milling around in the corridor to the potions class. I was quite ecstatic that I hadn’t had to see them yet.

“Hey!” I called, noticing Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ron amongst the crowd.
“Hi Jess,” Neville waved as the rest gave a friendly smile back. Just as I was about to wonder over to them the wooden door to the class room flew open.
In the door way stood Professor Snape who took a quick look over everyone standing outside. He turned around and waltzed back in without saying a word.
The atmosphere couldn’t have changed more dramatically from our previous lesson; there was an eerie silence as everyone took to their seats. I sat next to Luna this time as you could only fit two people to a bench.

“Before we begin today I’d like to remind you all what next June will bring,” Professor Snape said in a cold voice. “You will each be sitting your O.W.L examinations in which you will have the chance to prove how much you have been able to take in during the last five years at Hogwarts. I expect at least an ‘A’ from you all, and you will ensure you get this result or suffer my… Displeasure.” He stared around the room, his gaze settling on Neville who looked like he had frozen in his chair.

“Today we will be making a potion which is rather advanced, even for fifth years,” Professor Snape snarled as he went striding past Harry and Ron’s table. “A calming draught is a potion that is used to calm the drinker down after they have suffered shock or endured immense trauma.” He suddenly flicked his wand and scrawled handwriting covered the blackboard. “Instructions are on the board, you have just over one hour.” and with that everyone jumped up and started bustling around getting their ingredients together.

“One pint of Horklump juice, well, that seems ok.” I sighed in relief as I read the first instruction and then glanced around the table for the ingredient. “Finely dice two inches of Sprig of Mint and add” Was the next instruction, which I followed through with straightaway. I felt like everything was going quite well, considering I was meant to be wallowing in despair by now according to everyone else I’d spoken to about potions. It didn’t seem like such a horrid subject at all, but it did need all of my concentration. I learnt that half way through as I chatted to Luna and nearly added my seven Chizpurfle Fangs before the two drops of Flobberworm Mucus.

“Do you hear that?” Luna suddenly asked, drawing my focus to her. She was absolutely right, now that I had snapped back to reality and stopped focusing on my caldron I noticed a light fizzing and popping noise coming from the opposite side of the room. Neville and Ron were standing over their caldrons with dumbfounded looks. It seemed like Neville’s was emitting the fizzing and Ron’s the popping.

“Idiocy!” Snape spat, striding over to the both of them. “How much Boom Berry Juice did you add?” He questioned Neville who was looking between the Professor and his caldron, looking like he was trying to decide which he was more afraid of.
“Uh none, I must have missed that instruction,” Ron mumbled, squinting at the board and looking for where he had gone wrong.
“I-I added half a cup,” Neville managed to stutter.
“Half a cup?” Snape lowered his voice into a whisper; it was scarier than when he’d been speaking loudly. “Did you fail to see that the instructions state a full cup is needed?”
“Obviously,” I heard Padma whisper to someone behind us.

“Evanesco!” Snape vanished the popping liquid which was starting to bubble toward the surface in Ron’s caldron. However he was too late for Neville’s which erupted with a great hissing noise and drowned Neville, Ron and Harry in a blue coloured liquid. I had to clasp my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“You will go clean yourselves off and then return to me at the end of the lesson,” Professor Snape said softly, flicking his wand at the door so that it swung open for the three boys.
I caught Neville’s eye and gave him a thumbs up, he seemed to smile at that.

“The rest of you, on with your work, your potions should be at least some shade of purple by now,” He sneered, looking into Padma’s potion “There shouldn’t be a trace of mist arising”
“Oh no,” Padma groaned. I glanced over at Luna’s to see hers also emitting a silvery mist. Mine seemed to be a very light purple, or grey, it was difficult to tell. I carried on determined to get the potion right.
“Two drops of moon dew? Luna where is the moon dew?” I asked, looking around for it. She pointed to a deep blue bottle that hadn’t been labeled. I felt the need to double check, but not wanting to underestimate Luna; I trusted her judgment and added two drops from the unmarked bottle. Straight away my potion turned a vivid purple and started to bubble softly.

Just as I was feeling good Professor Snape swept over and was suddenly standing in front of me, gazing down his hooked nose and into my caldron.
I looked down at the table expecting a snide comment, but it never came. I looked up to see him watching me with a curious expression before turning on his heel and walking to the front of the class.
“That is the end of our lesson today, now, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion and bring it to me for testing.”
It looked like the majority of the class had managed the potion well. All of the flagons were at least filled with a shade of purple, except for Padma’s that is. Hers had ended up a very dark red which resembled blood. I was surprised that Luna’s had recovered enough to resemble a deep purple.

Everyone seemed to leave the room in a rush and as soon as we had crossed the threshold the atmosphere seemed to change once again, people started talking in normal tones and no one felt the need to glance around anxiously. I almost laughed when I noticed I’d changed just like everyone else.

Well, at least I’d survived the first potions class.