Harry Potter and the Book of Shadows

A Warrior's Will

Harry and Ron slept late the next morning, barely making it to breakfast. Harry had been prepared for a rough night, but to his surprise, had slept deeply and dreamlessly until late morning. As they hurried to the Great Hall, Ron worried breakfast might be over, he tried to gauge if Ron had had as good a night. Though they mutually decided to let the fight go, they hadn't really discussed what had been said and Harry sensed there was still some issues between them.

Noticing Harry's look, Ron slowed somewhat. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

Ron smiled. "Aren't I supposed to be asking you that?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm serious, Ron. You were right, I never once asked how any of you were after that night. I mean, Ginny's ankle was broken, you got attacked by those brain things..."

Ron stopped in the middle of the hallway, his expression darkening. "Did Hermione tell you to say that?"

"No! It's just, I didn't even think about it until last night and I wanted to know if you were, you know, okay," Harry said, thinking he seemed to be lying a lot these days. "Why would she tell me to say that?"

"No reason." Ron started walking again. "I've had some nightmares about it, but not like yours, at least from what I can tell," he added quickly. "So what's the plan for today?"

Now Harry knew what Ron felt like when he wouldn't talk. "I finished that essay last night so I could look up some things about Occlumency today."

"You sound like Hermione, getting work done so you can do more work," Ron laughed.

Harry smiled. "This is different. I was wondering, though, how come she never tried to help me with Occlumency? You know, given me books or dragged me off to research like she usually does?"

Ron shrugged. "She probably thought it was something you had to do on your own. You going to the library later, then?"

Harry nodded and looked at the ceiling of the Great Hall which showed a mass of storm clouds. "At least it's not a waste of a nice day."

They sat next to Ginny and Hermione who had already started eating. They were talking excitedly about something.

Ginny turned to Ron, "Guess who's coming on Halloween."

Ron started loading his plate. "I don't know, who?"

"Someone good?" Harry asked.

"The rumor is it's Katrina Wylde," Hermione's tone left no doubt how much validity she thought it had. She looked to Ron. "We have a meeting with Professor McGonagall right before lunch."

Ginny grinned at them. "Isn't it exciting? She's coming here and we get to hear her live! I can't wait!"

Ron took a few bites before answering. "Who told you? I mean, she tours all over, why would she come here?"

"I overheard it in the hallway from some Ravenclaw seventh years. And why not? The Weird Sisters were here two years ago, and they're a really famous band," Ginny retorted.

"Yeah, but that was for the Yule Ball of the Triwizard Tournament. They were trying to impress the other schools," Ron said.

Ginny turned back to her toast. "She's starting a European tour right before Christmas. Maybe she agreed because it's kind of on the way?" She grinned again. "Who cares why? It's brilliant!"

Harry listened as Ginny chattered on about how cool Katrina's concerts usually were. He knew Katrina Wylde was one of her favorite singers and was also very popular on WWN. Ginny had gotten a copy of Katrina's third album over the summer and played it repeatedly at the Burrow. Harry liked the songs of hers he'd heard, the angry lyrics appealed to his dark moods. The music from well-worn first album Ginny sometimes alternated with wasn't nearly as dramatic, focusing on more wistful ballads. Though the second album was as angst-ridden as her newest release. From Ron's scowl, Harry could tell he was remembering Ginny's incessant repetitions of her favorite songs, though obviously less than fondly. At least she hadn't played the Christmas album.

They all headed to the library after breakfast. Hermione and Ginny claimed a table and started spreading out their books and papers. Realizing he'd left his essay on his trunk, Ron headed back to Gryffindor to get it. Harry wandered through the shelves, not sure if he should ask Madame Pince for help, as he didn't think making it known he was studying Occlumency was a good idea. Walking to where the card catalog was, he thought maybe he'd just look under 'occlumency' and see if he found anything.

Surprisingly, there were several books listed. True, there were only three, but Harry thought it was a start. Under the watchful eye of Madame Pince, he copied down the titles and call numbers and went off to search. The first book he found was Beyond the Body: A Guide to Guarding the Mind. Pulling the smallish book off the shelf, he looked at the next number on his list. He found Spells for the Spirit further down the bookshelf. It too, was rather small. Harry decided regardless of what Snape implied, there really wasn't much outside research to do. Locating A Warrior's Will, Harry brought the books back to where Ginny and Hermione were sitting, thankful none of the titles had been in the Restricted Section.

Ginny was scooted as far over as she could be and still reach the table. She'd eked out a tiny corner and was trying to write while occasionally lifting a sheet of parchment to glance at the page of the open book it was covering. Every time she did, Hermione would shoot a dirty look at her.

Harry walked up quietly behind them, trying not to make any noise and disturb Hermione. He leaned over to whisper to Ginny. "We should go to the other room." By the look of things, they probably wouldn't get much done sitting with Hermione.

Ginny jumped, snapping the tip of her quill off, which left a splotch of ink on the parchment. She swore quietly and tried to blot it before it ruined her essay.

"Sorry, Ginny," Harry apologized as quietly as he could. He pulled the book she'd been trying to read out from under Hermione's notes, trying to disturb them as little as possible. Using his list as a bookmark he closed it and indicated Ginny should follow. She rolled her essay and stood.

"Wait, what about Ron?" She grabbed Harry's sleeve as he turned toward the check-out desk.

Harry paused. Hermione was writing furiously and he decided against giving her a message for him. They were lucky she hadn't yelled at them yet. "I'll leave him a note." He pulled out a blank roll of parchment and ripped off a bit. Using his own quill, he scribbled a note to Ron telling him where they'd gone. He looked up at Ginny as he folded it and wrote Ron's name on the front. "You don't mind if he knows you go there?"

Ginny looked at him, mildly surprised. "Why would I mind? You think he'll find the note?"

They both eyed Hermione's notes spread liberally over the table. "You may have a point."

Ginny took the note from him. "Here. Affixitem!" She used a Sticking Charm to attach the note to the back of the chair opposite Hermione while Harry checked out his books.

Hermione looked up as they left together and smiled to herself.

When they reached the hallway, Harry stood back and let Ginny make the door appear, as he already had what he needed. As they walked into the now familiar room, Harry gave Ginny back her book and went to sit on the small couch by the fireplace. Ginny chose the same armchair she had before, now with a small desk in front of it, unrolled her essay, and set to work.

A Warrior's Will was on top and so Harry decided it was as good as any to start with. What he hadn't realized was, unlike the other two, it wasn't a textbook or a guide, but a journal. A translation spell had been used on the copy so the original German was translated into English while preserving the handwritten quality. In the journal, a wizard named Ducken Ziegerdorff had chronicled his battles against the Dark Arts in eighteenth century Germany. Harry found himself fascinated by the story even before he got to the part relevant to Occlumency. Apparently, the first few chapters were about a clan of vampires that had been terrorizing Ziegerdorff's home village, using their inherent mind-control abilities to abduct young women and subdue their victims, mostly gypsies who had camped nearby. Ziegerdorff mentioned the local stories that once every fifty years or so, villagers would go missing and it was rumored the vampires were the cause. After a number of failed attempts to stop the attacks, Ziegerdorff developed his Occlumency skill to combat their power. A 'wise man' in the neighboring village had taught him a variation of Occlumency through a process of trial and error and practice. There seemed to be little known in the way of reproducible technique. Harry found Snape had been telling the truth when he said each wizard must find his own way of defense, as Ziegerdorff's approach was different from his.

I must prepare myself quickly before all those I care for are doomed. Driesen has taught me all he knows and it is only by practice that I might gain the strength to block the vampire mind manipulation. I find that while the Patronus Charm, in itself ineffective, brings forth such strength of memory as to block his simulation of the vampiric mind-attack. Clearing my mind while at rest has also proved to be valuable in learning to suppress that which the vampires would seek to control.

While he laments there is no more he can do but help me develop what I have learned, Driesen has told of a legendary book, written in the Blood of the Betrayed and bound in the hide of an Innocent, in which the secret of mind-manipulation is revealed. This book, The Book of Shadows, supposedly contains information about many of the Dark Arts and could be priceless in the crusade against Evil. However, Driesen has protested that such a book does not truly exist and so must I continue on my own.

Harry looked up when Ginny went to the bookshelf and took down a book. He'd been so engrossed in the journal, he'd forgotten where he was. She paused for a moment and Harry saw a blanket appear. She wrapped it around herself before huddling back in her chair. Sitting so close to the fire, absorbed in the journal, Harry hadn't noticed how cold the room was.

"Why don't you come sit by the fire if you're cold?" he suggested.

Ginny looked up from her book. She managed an 'okay' and moved to sit next to Harry. The couch was small, and though Harry tried to shift to give her more room, they ended up sitting very close together. Ginny gave a him a small smile. "Thanks."

Harry smiled back and they both went back to reading. They had been sitting like that for a bit when Harry's attention was pulled away from the story by a sudden weight leaning on him. Looking down, he saw Ginny had fallen asleep against his shoulder. He took the book falling from her hand and placed it on the table next to him, careful not to lose her page. Pulling the blanket higher from where it had slipped, he made sure she was covered and went back to reading.

It has been nearly a month and I fear I will be too late. The smith's daughter has been missing for two days and we fear the worst. She is the third taken. Though there is hope that the missing may yet be found alive in the castle, it is almost assured that even if that hope is founded, they will not be the same. My own dear Zorena is bewailing her confinement to the abbey but it is the only safe place. I will not let my sister fall prey to these monsters.

Another gypsy was found dead in the woods. This cannot go on! What hideous fate awaits me in the castle, I care not. I will not stand by as my home dies. My only hope is there are some yet alive to rescue. Regardless, I have prepared my body and mind as well as I can and Driesen has garnered supplies. I will cleanse the Evil from this land.

Harry glanced down at Ginny, still fast asleep. Ziegerdorff's near obsession with protecting his only sister reminded him of Ron. He shifted slightly and went back to reading, eager to know the outcome.

Driesen and I have developed a plan of attack and while the odds are against me, there are few left in the village able to fight and even fewer willing. I sense I will be better on my own. Once the head of the clan falls, the rest will follow. I must reach her before the others are alerted to my presence or all is lost. There is only the faintest of hopes I will find our women alive and unharmed to bring home. Zorena, I beg you to stay where you are safe. Driesen knows to give this journal to you should I never return. Tomorrow night brings the new moon and our one chance at victory.

Looking at the number of pages left, Harry thought either he had been successful or someone, Zorena or Driesen, had continued the journal. He was also surprised the head of the vampire clan was female, why then were they abducting young women? And though the whole clan itself was not large, Harry had gleaned it was maybe ten members strong, a single man against them all did not seem the wisest course.

Turning the page he saw Ziegerdorff must have survived, as the text continued to be in his handwriting.

What tale to be told of the 'battle' within those castle walls. I was the bringer of death upon them and yet, it is I who am the monster. Men will always be until we seek understanding before we seek destruction, but I fear this will never be in our nature and I am greatly saddened.

Entering the castle through the servant entrance that was left unguarded and making my way to the inner chambers of the castle, I relied on intuition and the Corpus Localus spell to guide me to where the vampires were located. As they are possessing of superior senses, it was difficult to conceal my movements but I foolishly thought I was more cunning than they. I killed two unsuspecting vampires. They turned to dust before my very eyes and I counted myself lucky that I could reclaim my weapons. More fool, I. I was not fighting my way, they were letting me in.

I finally discovered the one I sought, sitting serenely in the library. A creature of unearthly beauty, her long raven hair shone in the torchlight and such green eyes I will never see again, I am certain. Thinking my thoughts not my own, but the creation of this creature before me, I quickly closed my mind and prepared myself for battle. But physical contest there was to be none. She made no move to rise or call forth aid and for an endless second we merely watched one another.

When she spoke it was in a voice that rivaled a spring breeze for gentleness. She asked why I had come, and I was speechless, for surely she must know. I told her we demanded to know what had become of our women and that the clan leave or be destroyed as they would not be allowed to prey on our village until nothing remained.

Her musical laughter will haunt me all my days. If only we had examined the evidence more closely instead of preparing for battle, we might have seen. The smith's daughter had run away to marry a gypsy, of the same tribe whom we had found members in the woods. Their deaths were the fault of the smith seeking retribution and she reprimanded that we should watch our own. I demanded to know what had happened to the other women. A touch of sadness reached her eyes when she told me to have the men dredge the river. The first to go missing had fallen while setting traps. I realized then it was only their proximity that led to the accusations.

She seemed to hear my thoughts, or perhaps my expression gave me away. She asked why they would suddenly attack a village they had peacefully coexisted with for centuries. I countered with the tales of villagers gone missing only to been seen years later, unchanged by time. She raised an eyebrow at this and I hoped the suspicion that had haunted my nights was not true. Aderis, my friend, my confidant since childhood, had gone missing almost two months ago and it was her unknown fate that led my course. It was then the vampire called for her and Aderis appeared, sound, though paler than I remembered.

I accused the vampire of abduction and demanded Aderis come back with me, but neither acknowledged my command. She explained Aderis had been chosen to bring new life to the clan, as every few decades mortals were. Aderis would not ever return to the village. Upon hearing this, I turned to the girl who I hoped would always be a part of my life. Sorrowfully, she explained that the only life the village could offer her was one she could not bear and begged my forgiveness. Sadly, I knew she was right.

Just as I set to leave with a heavy heart, the reference to the Book of Shadows sprang to mind. I asked if there was truly such a manuscript of the Dark Arts and if the vampires knew of its legend. Surprised, she asked how I had learned of it in the first place. Upon hearing my explanation she smiled, presumably at the folly of mortals. She told that such a book did exist but would be impossible to find. Only the current Guardian knew its location and the identity of the Guardian was no longer known. The original keepers of the manuscript had been Immortals like herself, and had passed it through generations. But the line had died out almost a century ago and it had passed to others unknown. She was fairly sure the current Guardians were a mortal line, though she could not be certain. She aborted my attempts to learn more, stating it was not her concern, nor mine.

I expected retribution for the clan I had slain, but none was forthcoming. At the lost of my dearest friend, I would have welcomed it, and perhaps she felt this was retribution enough. I left, saying my final farewell to Aderis.

Harry looked up from the journal. He had come to the end of the first section. He flipped ahead and saw the rest of the book was about Ziegerdorff's travels though Europe. Ginny mumbled something in her sleep and he looked to see if she was waking up. When she settled against him, he briefly wondered why she was so tired.

Turning back to the journal, he thought about what he had read so far. It hadn't been overly helpful with regard to Occlumency. Other than practicing clearing and closing his mind, Harry had a completely different method of fending off a mind-attack. Not that the journal had been very detailed in describing how Driesen had trained Ziegerdorff, anyway. But the story itself seemed to have a deeper lesson.

Deciding not to disturb Ginny, he began the next section. As he read, Harry found the tales of Ziegerdorff's battles with Dark creatures fascinating. It was about halfway through the second section when he realized why it also sounded vaguely familiar. While the stories were different, the format was almost exactly like Lockhart's books! Lockhart must have read A Warrior's Will at some point and stolen the idea, even the titles were similar. Harry shook his head, not even the layout of his books had been original. Lockhart had been a fraud through and through.

Harry looked down at Ginny who had mumbled something again. He wondered what she was dreaming about and if he should try to wake her soon, since she had been asleep for quite some time. A voice broke into his thoughts.

You're a foolish, stupid little girl, Ginny. You should thank me for giving some meaning to your pathetic little existence.

Tom, why are you saying these things? I thought you were my friend.

You have no friends Ginny. Who would want to be friends with a useless little girl like you?

Ginny woke up with a start and saw Harry looking down at her with a puzzled expression. "Ginny, are you all right?"

Realizing she'd fallen asleep practically draped all over him, she sat up quickly, blushing. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...what time is it?"

"Almost noon." Harry realized she'd been having a nightmare about the Chamber of Secrets. He wondered if she had them often, was that why she was so tired? "You sounded like you were having a nightmare."

She flushed deeper. "It's nothing, I have them sometimes. It's almost lunch? Where's Ron?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.

Harry shrugged. "He never showed up. Maybe Hermione let him have some space."

"Should we go see if they're still in the library?" Ginny asked, grateful he didn't ask for more details.

Harry was about to agree when he remembered what Hermione had said at breakfast. "They had a meeting with McGonagall, they're probably not there. Let's go back to the common room."

Ginny grabbed her essay and they headed back, Harry still wondering what exactly it was he had heard. They were halfway through a game of wizard chess when Ron and Hermione came back.

"It's official," Ron said as they sat.

"What's official?" Harry asked as Ginny claimed another piece.

Hermione leaned closer. "We're not supposed to say anything yet, but Katrina Wylde really is coming for Halloween. McGonagall and the other professors told the prefects ahead of time."

Ginny grinned excitedly, abandoning the game. "See, Ron? I was right! This is brilliant. I didn't think I'd ever get to see her live!"

"They're going to make an announcement soon, but don't tell anyone yet," Hermione warned as they headed to lunch.

It started to rain heavily as they were finishing. Persephone stopped by their table and told Ginny not to worry about Free that night.

"It's not very nice out, don't worry about coming down. I'm not going to go for long anyway, I'll just make sure everything's all right and head back up. No reason for you to get all wet, too." She smiled.

Ginny was slightly disappointed but secretly glad she didn't have to go outside. Ron looked relieved. Watching her retreating back, Harry wondered if it really was because of the rain. He forgot about it and they spent a pleasant rainy day in the common room.

A drizzly Monday morning found the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins standing outside Hagrid's hut, grumbling about the wet and cold. Ron pointed out even Free had taken refuge in the small shelter at the far end of the paddock. Shivering, they waited for Hagrid to begin the lesson. Luckily, he appeared before they'd been waiting long.

He placed a large box on the table. "I thought we'd take a break from the usual today and have a look at summat different."

Several students exchanged nervous glances. Harry and Ron tried to peer into the box unobtrusively. Hagrid placed what looked like a large metal baking sheet on the table, put on a pair of dragon-hide gloves, and reached into the box. The class held its collective breath, some students discreetly reaching for their wands.

He pulled out a large, deep violet colored snail. It was about a foot long and slightly taller at the topmost arc of its shell. Its antennae wiggled slightly as Hagrid placed it on the sheet. It oozed a few inches then stopped, pointing its antennae this way and that.

"Anyone know what this is?" Hagrid asked.

As usual, Hermione's hand shot up, this time along with several others. Hagrid pointed to a curly-haired Slytherin boy.

"It's a streeler. My mum likes them, we have a few at home," he said.

Hagrid beamed. "Righ'! Five points. So by the end of the class, it'll have changed colors, which is why lots 'o wizards keep 'em as pets." He took off the dragon-hide gloves. "Now don' no one touch it, see that trail there? Strong venom in that, kills just about any vegetation it touches. Probably wouldn't kill yeh, but it'd be an unpleasant rest of the day."

Harry and Ron snickered and even Hermione suppressed a smile. They were wondering why Hagrid had shown interest in such a seemingly innocuous creature. For the rest of the class, they watched as it oozed back and forth on the metal sheet. As it slowly turned sky blue, Hagrid lectured about the myriad uses of streeler venom, mostly as an ingredient in pest killers and industrial cleaners.

"At least it didn't ooze poison on anyone," Ron commented as they headed back to the castle.

"Did anyone else notice Malfoy was showing an unusual amount of interest in it?" Hermione inquired.

Harry and Ron shook their heads, but Ron couldn't suppress a grin. "Well, he does have a tendency to hang around with lower life forms. Maybe he was looking for a new friend." He and Harry snickered.

Hermione frowned briefly but was secretly glad they were laughing together. "Just be extra careful, your next Quidditch match is coming up. If he got a hold of any of that streeler venom, he could land you in the hospital wing."

Ron waved off her warning but Harry considered she might be right.

That night, Harry tried to feel confident as he walked to his Occlumency lesson. After all, he had done some outside work and been practicing closing his mind every night so Snape shouldn't have anything to goad him about. Harry sighed, knowing that hope was pointless. No matter what he did, Snape would find some way to torment him. He paused halfway down the corridor when he heard singing. Recognizing the song, he walked quietly towards the source.

Peering in the doorway of one of the larger unused classrooms he saw Persephone holding what looked like the metal tray from Hagrid's lesson, scraping the streeler venom into a wide-mouthed jar, realizing it was her singing. Not wanting to be late for his lesson, he backed away and headed towards Snape's office, wondering what she planned to do with it.

When he knocked and looked in the open office door, Harry was surprised to see Snape wasn't there. He stopped in front of Snape's desk, wondering how long he should wait, or if Snape had somehow forgotten. After about ten minutes, Harry started to feel restless. Noticing the door to the infamous store room was ajar, Harry walked over to peek in. Seeing the small part Persephone had cleared compared to the plethora of dusty bottles she had left, Harry figured that without magic, she'd be cleaning until he graduated. He walked in and examined some of the old jars. Some were very plain while others were quite elaborate, and all were covered in a thick layer of dust and grime.

"Potter! What are you doing?" Snape's sharp voice made Harry jump guiltily. He turned around to see Snape in the doorway of the store room.

"Nothing! I was just looking..." Harry trailed off. Why did he feel guilty? He hadn't really done anything wrong. Besides, walking out of the store room and glancing at his watch, Snape was half an hour late.

Before Harry could ask anything, Snape pulled his wand out. "Shall we?"

Harry pulled his own out of his pocket, trying to remember some of the tips he'd skimmed earlier that day. He'd glanced through the other two books quickly before the lesson, so if Snape asked, he could truthfully say he'd looked at all three. He fully intended to read the remaining two volumes more carefully later.

As Snape cast the first spell, Harry tried to visualize a wall around himself, blocking the attack. From the bits Harry had scanned, Spells for the Spirit seemed to be big on visualization. He successfully blocked the spell, but failed to turn it back on Snape which was the next step the book had described. Harry wondered if he should even bother with that, since the main idea of his learning Occlumency was to simply keep Voldemort out of his mind. When Snape aimed again, Harry tried to visualize the light from the spell bouncing off him back towards Snape.

However, in concentrating on that, he forgot to clear his thoughts first and Snape's spell hit him full-force. Harry saw Ginny lying in a shallow pool of water at the end of a long corridor. She wasn't moving. Ginny don't be dead, please don't be dead. The memory ended abruptly as Snape broke the spell.

"Focus, Potter!" Snape hissed. He was about to add another scathing comment when a loud blast sounded from down the hall. Harry and Snape looked at each other in surprise for a fraction of a second, then turned in tandem toward the door. Harry wondered if it was Persephone, but tutoring wasn't supposed to start for another twenty minutes. He figured she was either still setting up or must have changed the time.

There was a trickle of black smoke coming from the classroom where Persephone was holding her tutoring. Seeing it, Snape strode faster toward the room. Harry was right behind him when he reached the door.

"...and that's what happens when you don't pay attention. Just one tiny drop too much can have a huge impact. So when you're making a potion, no matter how simple, stay focused." She looked towards the door, following the gaze of several students. "Something I can do for you?" she inquired mildly.

Snape seemed surprised that instead of finding Persephone and half the class drenched in something noxious, she was sitting perched on the edge of the desk in the front and all the students looked perfectly fine and rather...attentive. "I heard..."

"Just a demonstration. Everything is fine. Thank you, though," she replied with a smile, though there was definitely a tone of dismissal in her voice.

The class collectively held its breath, wondering if Snape would take offense at her basically telling him to get lost. They weren't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved when he turned and left without another word. No one had noticed Harry hovering behind him.

The rest of the Occlumency lesson, Snape seemed very distracted, allowing Harry to easily deflect his spells and even break through to Snape's memories a few times. As Harry saw Snape's memory of his first potions class, he understood why seeing Persephone perfectly at ease during her first tutoring session was so disconcerting. Snape had also had a minor explosion his first class, but it was obviously unintentional and far more detrimental than Persephone's demonstration. By the look of some of the students, Harry guessed some of them had spent a day or two in the hospital wing. Harry wasn't surprised when Snape declared the lesson over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With their match against Slytherin that Saturday, Harry barely had time to think about finishing his regular homework every night, much less doing any Occlumency research. Katie had added a full hour to their nightly practices and Harry, Ron, and Ginny were often the last ones to leave the common room, well into the wee hours of the morning.

Hermione quietly shook her head at them, thinking even though they finished their homework, they were focusing too much on quidditch. She wisely kept those thoughts to herself. Though glad to see Harry and Ron acting as though the fight hadn't happened, she wondered if either had truly forgotten what was said. She wanted to ask Ginny about it, but sensed Ginny was far more nervous than excited about Saturday's match and wouldn't be much help. Knowing Slytherin played a much rougher game and Ginny would have to be in top form to keep up, Hermione didn't blame her.

The first Hogsmeade visit was the following week, the same day as Halloween and Katrina's concert. When Ginny appeared at lunch the day before the Quidditch match looking decidedly green, Hermione reminded her of that, in the hopes of cheering her up.

"I hope I'm still around to go," Ginny said as she pushed her plate away.

Harry sat next to her. "You've been great during practice. What are you worried about? Slytherin's nothing you can't handle. You played them last year."

Ron sat across from her. "Just keep your eyes open. They get away with more than they should."

"Did you still plan on going to potions tutoring?" Hermione asked Ron.

Ron nodded. "We have practice, but it ends right when tutoring starts."

Harry sighed. Katie had been pushing for him to convince Snape to let him take tutoring instead of his lessons, so he wouldn't miss the last hour of practice. For once, Harry was glad Snape wasn't a pleasant teacher, as it gave him just the excuse he needed. Still, he wished there was some way to go to tutoring as well. Thinking about it as the others talked over lunch, he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

He'd go that night after Occlumency. If anyone said anything, he'd say that he was hoping if he went to tutoring he'd finally convince Snape he was capable of passing potions on his own. When he continued with his extra lessons regardless, he could blame it on Snape refusing to let him quit. No one would question it. He said as much to the others.

"Brilliant, Harry! That way no one can say you need three extra lessons a week, you're trying to get out of two of them," Ron agreed.

Hermione frowned, thinking there was nothing wrong with taking extra classes, no matter what anyone else thought, but had to agree it was a good plan. Ginny tried to be enthusiastic, but couldn't shake the feeling of dread she had about the next day's match. She managed a smile as they split up for classes.

Later that day, Ginny ran into a harried Persephone after the quick bite she had grabbed with the others just before quidditch practice.

"Ginny! Just who I was looking for. Can you do me a really huge favor?" Persephone asked, slightly out of breath.

"Sure. What is it?" Ginny asked.

"I need to go set up for my NEWT tutoring. Can you go feed Free? Two flakes of hay and two scoops from the grain barrel. You know what to do. It'd really help me out," Persephone said.

Ginny's eyes widened. Persephone was letting her take care of Free all by herself? "Really? I mean, yeah, no problem. I'll go right now."

Persephone's face flooded with relief and she turned to hurry back towards the dungeons. "Thanks Ginny! You're a lifesaver!" She was halfway down the corridor when she paused. "Check his water, too!"

"I will!" Ginny called back, elated. She rushed out to feed Free, hoping she wouldn't be too late for practice. She only missed the first drill, and the minor reprimand of 'You're late, Weasley!' was totally worth getting to take care of Free completely on her own.

When they touched down after practice, Ron caught up to Ginny and they headed back inside together. Harry had already left for his Occlumency lesson.

"Why were you late?" Ron asked.

Ginny couldn't suppress her grin. "Persephone had to set up for tutoring and asked if I would take care of Free. I had to go feed him, check his water and make sure he was okay before I got to practice."

"She let you do it without her there?" Ron stopped her. Persephone hardly ever let anyone near him during lessons, even though it was clear Hagrid wanted them to have a more hands-on experience. Understanding Free was hers, he didn't push, but it was evident if it were his choice, he'd have the students trying to ride him.

"Yes, she trusted me to do it completely on my own." Ginny couldn't stop grinning. "Isn't that great?"

"I suppose, but I don't know about you spending so much time with that horse. He's dangerous." Ron frowned.

"He's not a horse, he's a Granian. And he's really very sweet. Honestly, quidditch is far more dangerous. You better hurry if you're going to make tutoring," Ginny added, seeing Ron wasn't nearly as excited as she was.

Ron looked at his watch. "All right. See you later, then."

Ginny continued up the stairs while Ron rushed off to the dungeons. With the distraction of practice over and the glow of Persephone trusting her to take care of Free fading, the knot in the pit of her stomach returned. As she sat down to a game of Gobstones with a small group of first years, Ginny hoped she was wrong, but she had a bad feeling about their quidditch match against Slytherin.

Ron almost ran down the dungeon hall, not wanting to be late. He spotted Harry walking from the direction of Snape's office and waited for him to catch up.

"How was 'potions'?" Ron asked, smirking.

Harry shook his head as they turned down another corridor. "Same as usual, Snape just wants to prove how much better he is at it. I don't know. I don't seem to be getting any better. It's like I've hit a wall or something."

"Maybe the other two books will help. After tomorrow, you'll actually have time to look at them," Ron suggested.

"I hope so." Harry sighed. "I know I'm not strong enough yet. There's got to be some way I can beat Snape." He pushed aside the other thought that had been bothering him. If he couldn't stop Snape, how could he hope to stop Voldemort? Harry tried to convince himself he'd been doing some good. After all, he hadn't had any visions since the last one and hadn't felt anyone trying to use him like before.

They entered the large dungeon classroom, surprised to see most of the seats were already filled. It looked to be a pretty even turnout, except for a definite lack of green in the room. Harry and Ron chose a bench towards the front, one of the few left with both seats empty. As they sat, Harry noticed Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken seats a few rows back and to their left.

"What're they doing here?" Ron whispered. "I know Crabbe and Goyle didn't make it into Potions this year, but Snape would pass Draco no matter what, just because he's in his House."

"They're probably just here to harass Persephone." Harry wondered if Snape had sent them to spy on her. Though it seemed underhanded, even for Snape, Harry wouldn't put it entirely past him.

Persephone walked in carrying a small jar. Setting it next to the other assorted bottles and baskets she had on the large desk in front, she turned to face the students. "All right! So, this is NEWT level potions tutoring, so you should all be grade six or higher." She looked around. "Who's taking NEWTs this year?"

About a quarter of the class raised their hands. She nodded. "Okay, so I'll assume the rest of you are either taking it next year or sixth and seventh years who didn't get 'Os' on your OWLS, which is fine." She perched on the edge of the desk. "Let me start by reminding you this class is optional. If you don't want to be here, feel free to leave. Nor do you have to show up every week. I won't take roll, and of course, you won't be graded." She looked pointedly at Malfoy. "I will, however, take off points if I think you are being disruptive, and if I ask you to leave, don't bother coming back."

Several students whispered to each other at that last pronouncement. Ron leaned over to Harry. "She sounds like McGonagall."

Persephone continued, "NEWTs, as you are probably already aware, are very difficult. I don't intend to teach you the potions on the NEWT exam..." Surprised exclamations came from more than a few students. Persephone put a hand up. "That job belongs to someone else. And not all of you will be taking them, anyway. What I will teach you is how to be consistent and accurate. And that potions can be fun."

Neville blushed bright red when she smiled at him. Ron and Harry snickered, thinking Neville would probably have just as much trouble in this potions class as he had in Snape's, but for an entirely different reason.

"Too see where everyone is, I thought we'd start with this." She waved her wand and the instructions for All-Purpose Magical Cleaning Fluid appeared on the chalkboard. "It's similar to Mrs. Skowers'. There's a copy of this on your bench. Read all the instructions carefully before you start. Your main ingredients are on your benches, and the rest are here." She indicated the desk. "Many of these are harmful or irritating to the skin so please be careful. It shouldn't take too long if you've done it correctly. Begin when ready. I'll be walking around, if you need help, just ask."

She watched as students shifted things around on their benches, looking to see what was what. Harry and Ron picked up the parchment on the desk and read it together. Looking around quickly, Harry saw some students were already heading for the front of the room to get the additional supplies. He turned back to the instructions. Ron was about to put it down and get up to get the rest of the ingredients but Harry stopped him.

"Wait, I'm not done." Harry read the last paragraph again.

Add the streeler venom only after the mixture has turned blue and is simmering gently. Stir counterclockwise four times then remove from the flame. The final product should be a bright green thin liquid.

Store in an airtight container. This cleaner will be good for up to a year if stored properly.

Before you do any of this, however, place the bottle containing the Bubotuber Pus on the left corner of your desk and wait for me.

Harry moved the bottle to the appropriate location and looked to see if Persephone was coming. She was talking to a pair of Ravenclaw girls who had done the same thing. Ron looked at him quizzically.

"Read the last bit again," Harry whispered.

Ron looked up. "I didn't even see that the first time. I wonder what that's all about."

Persephone handed something to the girls and made her way over to Harry and Ron. "Good job, I see you read it through carefully before you started."

"So it was a test?" Harry asked.

"Just to see who follows directions carefully. The ones who don't will probably need more help. Here you go." She placed several fresh ferns and a small vial of yellow goo on their desk.

"What's that for?" Ron asked examining the vial of goo, which they recognized a fresh streeler venom.

"Everyone who caught the last line gets to try fresh ingredients. Those who didn't get the dried. After everyone is done, we'll compare the two. You'll only need the dried lionfish spines from up there." She smiled and moved to Neville and Seamus' table.

Looking around, Harry noted only four other tables had gotten fresh ingredients. Everyone else had already begun making the potion. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle smirked at him from across the room, already adding their spines, but Harry only smirked back. They hadn't moved their jar.

The class went much the same as any other potions class they had had, except for the fact there was much less tension in the room. Neville and Seamus had a bit of a rough start, but Persephone patiently coached Neville along, much to his surprise. By the time he got over his nervousness, they were back on track with the rest of the class.

When everyone finished, Persephone went to the front and sat on the desk again. "Everyone's potions should be cooling and should be a nice bright green color. Now, everyone who used only the lionfish spines and nothing else from up here raise your hands." Harry and Ron did along with the other eight students, including Neville and Seamus. The students who didn't have their hands up looked slightly confused. "Great, you can put your hands down. Those were the people who actually read all the directions. The rest of you missed the last line, probably because it came after what looked like the end of the instructions. They used fresh streeler venom and horsetail fern, instead of the dried everyone else used. There's a bit of a difference in the final product, as you'll see in a minute."

"What was the point of that?" Malfoy sneered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"The point, Mr. Malfoy, is that just because you think you've read all the instructions doesn't mean what comes after isn't important," she replied. "Often in older versions of formulas," she went on, addressing the whole class, "there are important notes after the main directions which can seriously affect your potion. And I'm not sure about Hogwarts, but the NEWTs at Fulton sometimes snuck in hints or extra instructions at the very end of the tests. Not just in potions, either." She winked at Harry and Ron.

"Like I care if I used dried or not," he said scornfully.

"Maybe not." Persephone raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did I mention they each get five points for their house for exemplary accuracy?" Smirking at Malfoy's scowl, she turned back to the class.

Harry and Ron laughed silently, though many other students didn't try to hide their glee. After they had seen that using fresh ingredients, even if it was only one or two out of the whole list, made a slightly stronger cleaner, Persephone elaborated that whether you used fresh or dried affected how your potion turned out and that you had to keep in mind the difference in potency when using one or the other. She was conversing with a pair of Hufflepuff seventh years as everyone cleaned up their benches.

"Even Neville got it right this time!" Seamus exclaimed to Harry. Persephone had compared Neville's potion to Malfoy's in the potency demonstration, and Neville's had fared far better. "I bet Malfoy loved that."

Malfoy, passing their bench carrying the jar of bubotuber pus, heard Seamus' dig. He pretended to trip while flipping the latch on the jar, spilling the contents all over Neville.

"Awww, sorry, bet a bit of your potion will clean that right up, though," he laughed with Crabbe and Goyle. Neville yelped and tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe it off, tears springing to his eyes.

From Hermione's prior experience, Harry knew how painful the burns from undiluted bubotuber pus could be and tried to help Neville without getting any on himself. Having seen the whole thing, Persephone grabbed a full water bucket from the back of the room and marched over.

"Malfoy! Out! Now! Completely reckless behavior, endangering another student on purpose. Leave before I do the same to you. And twenty points from Slytherin!" she added as Malfoy laughed his way to the door. He glared back at her for a moment before exiting, but she wasn't looking. "Sorry about this Neville but..."

She pulled his robe off and yanked his shirt over his head. Neville flushed bright red, yelping in surprise when she poured the bucket of cold water over him. "Harry can he borrow your robe?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Harry took his off and handed it to her. Bright red welts were already starting to rise over Neville's shoulder and left arm.

Persephone threw the robe around him and hurried him out the door. "Thanks everyone! Next Friday same time. See you then," she called over her shoulder as they rushed to the hospital wing.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'll be back for the next one," Seamus said. Harry and Ron nodded. It had definitely been an interesting time.