Choice

The trio headed down to the dungeons for Advanced Potions with Snape.

"I still don't know how you two managed to get into the advanced class," Hermione told Ron and Harry, as they hurried through the hallways. The only other Gryffindor who had made it was Neville. "I honestly think that its Remedial potions in disguise... Only I can't work out why Draco and I would be in it as well!"

Not only was the hopeless Neville Longbottom in the class, but two of the most hated Slytherins, Vincent Crabbe and Greg Goyle, were as well.

"Actually," said Neville, "potions is the only class Crabbe and Goyle have ever gotten good marks in! And as for us Gryffindors, I heard Professor Dumbledore had to order Snape to teach us!"

"So, its Draco now, is it?" Ron asked, eyeing Hermione and completely ignoring Neville.

Hermione bristled. "Slip of the tongue. Besides, why should I resort to the pettiness of calling people by their last names?"

Harry suddenly stopped short in the hallway, causing Neville to walk into him. "I forgot my... quill!" he said, before turning and hurrying away.

"His quill?" Neville asked. "He does realize that we are going to potions, right? Remember what happened the last time he took notes in there? Snape embarrassed him horribly!"

They all thought back to their first day in Potions, when Harry was faithfully copying down Snape's every word. Hermione grimaced. "Well, honestly," she said "he should have known the answers to those questions."

Ron and Neville just gave her disgusted looks, as they turned to go into the classroom.

***

Ron watched Harry head back to the Gryffindor common room. I wonder what's wrong with him. He's probably just procrastinating... I wish I'd thought of leaving something behind. Even a few extra Snape-less minutes would be wonderful!

As the group walked through the door, Ron expressed his wish aloud. He immediately wished he hadn't when both Hermione and Professor Snape gave him the evil eye. He shrugged uncomfortably, and looked away.

Snape said softly, "Five points from Gryffindor," before turning to go sit at his desk and wait.

The Gryffindors set at a table in the middle of the class room, Hermione between Neville and Ron. Ron found himself studying Hermione's slender hands. I wonder if she knows she has an ink stain between her fingers, he thought, laughing to himself. He wondered if there was any more to the look between her and Malfoy last night than just hatred. He didn't think so. He hoped not. He was just about to reach over and take hold of her hand, when Harry came into the class room.

Snape stood up immediately, as if he had been waiting for precisely this moment--which, he had. Harry slid into a chair behind the rest of the class, as they waited for Snape to speak.

"Today, we will be making a Kyorl potion. This potion, if made correctly, will allow you to know what a person feels when you look at them, even if they don't know it yet themselves. If made correctly. Considering the difficulty of this potion, today you will be working in pairs."

Ron automatically moved towards Hermione, and the Slytherins began pairing up too. Snape was not done, however.

"I will be choosing the pairings for you," he said, smiling snidely. "This way, you will not be tempted to talk."

The Gryffindors looked at each other in horror, and on the other side of the dungeon the Slytherins reaction was the same.

"So. The pairings will be..." Snape continued mercilessly, "Crabbe and Weasley. Goyle and Potter. Longbottom and Zabini. Malfoy and Granger."

His class just stared at him in horror. "Well?" he asked. "What are you waiting for? Move!"

Quickly, they jumped up and moved towards their respective partners.

"Oh yes," the Professor added as an over thought. "Prepare them properly. You will be drinking them when you are finished."

Ron and Crabbe sat down at a table and gingerly spread the potions ingredients in front of them.

"You prepare the ingredients and I'll measure and pour and mix," Ron told Crabbe warily.

Crabbe grunted in agreement, before grabbing the snakes' eyes. He started to chop the eyes apart, shredding them into tiny pieces.

Ron shuddered. "I really hope there isn't much of a difference between diced snakes' eyes and whole snake eyes..." he mumbled to himself, as he began mixing the potion.

When the eyes were added, their potion turned a light orange color. Snape headed over. "Looks like you did it correctly. There's only one way to tell."

Crabbe and Ron exchanged wry glances as the picked up their vials, and drained the potion, right before they heard a loud booming noise.

Blaise shrieked, covering her hair with her hands as her and Neville's potion blew sky-high. Snape gave them a look that could have frozen ice, before saying in a tone just as cold, "No points for today then, Blaise, Neville. Luckily for you two that I can't give you negative points."

***

Over at the Malfoy-Granger table, things were progressing much better. Draco was mixing the potion, and Hermione was preparing and pouring.

They were almost finished--Hermione was just pouring in the rats' tails, and keeping a careful count--when Neville's potion blew. Hermione jumped, and the rats' tails went tumbling into the cauldron in a heat. Hermione and Draco exchanged nervous looks, and each backed a half-step away from the cauldron. The potion turned a salmon color, but other than that, did nothing.

Snape came over to their table, and gave each a shrewd glance. "Well?" he asked. "What are you waiting for? Drink up."

So they did.

***

Harry stirred the potion with his wand, keeping an eye on the clock.

"Its time to add the newts' tongues, Goyle." He said patiently, and he watched carefully as the overly-large Slytherin did so.

After mixing in all of the other ingredients, their potion turned the same light orange color that Ron and Crabbe's had. The boys divided the potion into two glasses, and prepared to drink them. Harry went first, and downed all of his in two gulps. Goyle raised his potion to his lips, but before he could drink, Neville's potion exploded, and he dropped the glass. His lower lip trembled as he watched his grade go oozing down the drain.

***

Hermione giggled as Ron and Crabbe were hurried away to the hospital wing. "I've never seen any one with that much hair growing out of their ears!" she said as she, Harry, and Neville hurried back to the Gryffindor dorm to tidy up before going down to dinner. "I wonder what they did wrong with their potion?"

Neville was in a rather sour mood at having failed yet another Potions assignment, but Harry was cheerful. His was the only potion that worked, so he thought he had that right. Hermione was a bit grumpy about it, actually. It's not fair, she thought to herself. Apparently the potion made by her and Draco was a dud... It had not seemed to do anything. Well, it made Hermione feel a little fuzzy and warm, but that was all. It was all very odd.

"I'm sure that there is a number of hair removing charms, though," she added, almost to herself.

Harry thought about this for a minute. "If there are so many hair removing charms," he asked "then why does Professor Flitwick have so damn much hair?"

The rest of the Gryffindors laughed as they made their way out of the portrait hole, and down to the Great Hall.