No Longer Safe

Chapter Three

Harry found the Gryffindor common room almost empty, only a few students were still sitting beside the fire.

Fred and George were just about to get up and go to bed, their friend Lee Jordan joined them.

Only Ron and Hermione were left after they went away. Hermione looked up to Harry.

"Harry, where have you been? Have you been crying? What's happened?"

"Nothing serious. I will tell you in a minute."

He looked through the common room and made sure that nobody was there to hear him.

Then he sat down beside his friends.

"Harry, what's wrong? You behaved strangely for the entire day and now you just vanish after dinner. I told Professor McGonagall, but she said it was okay and that you were with Lupin."

Harry started talking in a low voice.

"Firstly, I think I have to apologize for my behaviour today. I have not been myself, I had to think about a lot of things.

Then I heard that Cho doesn't come back this year, just after I had decided that I would ask her out for a date.

But everything seems to become better. After dinner, Lupin took me to his office, he said that he wanted to show me something.

Then he pushed me into his office, locked the door behind me and told me he would be back in fifteen minutes."

"What was that good for? What was in that room?"

"Sirius."

"What?"

"Shhh, you don't want anybody to hear that, do you? No one is supposed to know. Sirius was in Lupin's office and I could talk to him for a while. He's staying at Lupin's house in Hogsmeade for the entire year!"

"Quite risky, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's the problem. Lupin told me that they wanted to talk him out of that idea, but he said he wanted to stay here because of me. Just in case that something happens at Hogwarts.

But he's hiding, he won't show at the castle and not in the village, at least not in human shape. And I can visit him at the Hogsmeade weekends and send him messages through Lupin. I just feel good now that I have somebody around who takes care of me."

"It's not as if you had no one even without Sirius. We care about you just as well."

It was Ron who had said that, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to say that you don't care about me. But, understand, I never had an adult who looked after me for my entire life. No parent who felt responsible, and now I have something of that kind around me. That's what I meant. I know you both care for me and I'm really thankful for that, believe me."

"Right, I didn't mean to offend you, I just wanted to tell you that we're there if you need someone to talk to, or to listen to you. Just want you to remember that."

"Sure, I know that, thank you. But I've been through quite a hard time, and maybe I need some space of my own. Don't be offended, please."

"It's all right."

Hermione stood up.

"I think we better all go to bed right now. Lessons start tomorrow, and this year is going to be important."

Ron looked up.

"Thanks to Merlin that some things never change. Hermione is back at school again!"

"Shut up Ron. Good night you two."

"Good night Hermione."

"Good night."

They left for their dormitory. On their way up, Harry held Ron back in the middle of the staircase.

"I didn't want to say this in front of Hermione, but I'm really sorry about what I said to you yesterday. I was upset, and I really didn't want to talk about it. This had nothing to do with you, okay? I...I sometimes just don't know..."

Ron interrupted him. "It's okay Harry. No need to explain yourself, just keep in mind that you can talk to me whenever you want to, all right? You said you're sorry, and your excuse is accepted. I'm happy that you're feeling a little better now."

"You know what? I'm glad I've found a friend like you."

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Please do me one favour. Don't try to make out everything on your own. You know, sometimes even a Harry Potter is allowed to be weak. You have friends, you can rely on us."

Harry looked into his friend's eyes. "I'll try. Thank you."

Ron checked his watch. "We'll better go to bed now. Lessons start tomorrow, and I don't want to miss one minute of this important year."

"Ron, could you do me one favour?"

"Sure, what?"

"Never talk like Hermione again. I really like her, but I could not stand two of her kind around me."

They burst into laughter, for the first time since months, Harry laughed freely.

He went into the dormitory, undressed and lay down on his four poster. Before he fell asleep, he thought 'Well, I'm home again.'

Harry slept deep that night and didn't wake up once. Also for the first time since months.

The next morning, Harry woke up early, dressed himself and went down to breakfast. Hermione was already sitting there.

"Morning Hermione"

She looked up from the parchment she had been reading.

"Morning Harry. Where's Ron?"

"Still in the dormitory. He cannot find his quill, but he should be here in a minute."

"Well, you both will be glad that I fetched schedules for you just as well. And you will be more than glad that Monday morning starts with double potions, as usual together with the Slytherins."

"Oh no! Not on Monday morning, please."

Ron arrived at the table and sat down. He had only heard what Harry had said last and asked "What?"

"Monday morning, first lesson double potions with the Slytherins."

"Oh no!"

"Just what I said."

"He gave us so much to learn over the holidays, I don't know whether I can recall everything. Besides, I thought that Dumbledore asked him to leave and do something at the end of the last term. I had supposed that Snape was joining the Death Eaters again to spy at them."

Harry looked up from his porridge.

"Well, maybe he has been with them. I don't really want to know. But there's something I didn't tell you last night. When I talked to Si..., Snuffles" he said, referring to the nickname Dumbledore had given Sirius at the end of last term, "I told him I was worried that Snape could be a spy. You know what he answered? He said that especially Snape had an interest that nothing happened at school this year. Now is that strange or what?"

Ron and Hermione looked at him.

"Yes", Hermione said "but why should he emphasize it like that? Why should he care more than in the last years? What's different about Snape this year?"

"I don't know", Harry said. "But if we don't hurry up, we will have no chance to find out, because we get thrown out of school for being late for potions."

"Shit, and I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Well Ron, at least you've found your quill, so you can copy everything down in potions."

"Thank you Hermione, that will be very helpful when I'm dying of starvation while writing down ingredients."

So they left the Great Hall, Ron still fuming about having missed breakfast on his very first day back at school, and headed for the dungeons.

Though it was already very warm outside for a September morning, the dungeons in the castle were as cold as usual. The three sat themselves at the very back of class, Ron pairing with Harry as usual and Hermione sitting down next to Neville Longbottom. Poor Neville feared Professor Snape, the Potions master, more than anybody in school and the fact that Potions was Neville's worst subject in school did not improve his situation. Snape used every opportunity to bully the Gryffindor, especially since he had heard about an event in their third year, when Neville's Boggart during the Defence against the Dark Arts lesson had turned into Professor Snape. Neville had, to make the boggart look ridiculous, dressed it in his grandmother's clothes. News about this event of course had spread around the castle and Snape obviously didn't approve being the subject of the student's laughter.

Neville already was shaking with fear again, despite Hermione's attempts to calm him down and to tell him that this year might improve compared to the years before.

"Well mudblood, if I were you, which is most fortunately not the case, I would not waste my time on this squib but look after myself, you know. There's forces out there which surely don't approve mudbloods being taught in wizard schools."

The familiar sneer of Draco Malfoy made Hermione look up. The Slytherin was about to pass her table, as usual guarded by Crabbe and Goyle, to take a seat in the front row of the class.

Before Hermione could say something in return, Ron had gotten up. He was so angry, the colour of his face now nearly matched his red hair.

"Shut up Malfoy, or I will make you!"

"Oh, that should be interesting. How exactly are you planning to do this, Weasel?"

Ron pulled out his wand, but at that moment, Snape entered the dungeons and the door closed behind him loudly.

"Sit down!", he barked into the direction of Malfoy and Ron without taking more than a short glance on what was going on. "Mr. Weasley, I do not approve students threatening others with their wands in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor!"

Ron wanted to defend himself, but Harry pulled him onto his seat. 'No use' he mouthed towards his friend.

Of course, contradicting Snape was a useless effort unless you weren't a Slytherin, so Ron sat down and stared at his cauldron.

"This year we will make a step towards more dangerous potions and towards their antidotes. Of course I am aware that not everybody here in this room will be able to prepare those delicate and complicated potions, but I'm afraid you all will have to try. At least it promises to become a term in which we will face interesting results. Though I don't know why I still have to bother with hopeless students such as can be found in this class." His eyes shifted towards Neville who lowered his head, obviously even more discouraged than before.

"Well, today we will start with the Lauretius Potion, a very useful memory potion. The one who drinks it will find his memory erased, it depends on the amount of potion taken for how long backwards this wipe out reaches.

You find the receipt for this potion on the blackboard, the ingredients which cannot be found in your potions supply will be handed out by me. At the end of this lesson, I will chose one student who will drink another one's potion", his eyes shifted back towards Neville and the whole class swallowed hard, "and we'll see if the potion was prepared correctly. The antidote will be handed out by me afterwards.

You will work with the person sitting next to you, except that I will split up Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Granger. He won't learn anything as long as she is giving out instructions to him. Ms. Lewis, change your seat with Ms. Granger please."

Hermione sighed and got up, seating herself next to Pansy Parkinson whom Samantha had intended to work with. Samantha though showed none of the usual Slytherin arrogance when confronted to working with a Gryffindor.

The entire class became quiet and started to work. Harry copied down the receipt from the blackboard while Ron started chopping the dandelion roots into small pieces. As the water in the cauldron started to boil, they added the dandelion together with some frogspawn and stirred the liquid for two minutes. Then they added spider legs, rose thorns and the rest of the required ingredients and waited for their potion to thicken. It would take fifteen minutes before they could add two laurel leaves, take the dandelion out again and boil the potion to a certain temperature in order to finish it.

Harry took the time to glance around in the classroom while he tidied up their desk.

Malfoy seemed to have finished his potion as well for he was engaged in a discussion about Quidditch with Crabbe. All the others still seemed to be working, especially Neville and Samantha. Their potion had turned brown which was not supposed to be the case. Neville was looking panic-struck from the receipt to the ingredients on the table and back again, trying to figure out what he could have done wrong. Samantha just shook her head.

"Longbottom! Lewis! What is that supposed to be? Let me guess, Longbottom, you added the Laurel before you set the potion to simmer? Can you never do anything right, it's clearly written down on the blackboard that you should add it last! Can't you even read? Ten points from Gryffindor. Now, look up on page 74 of the book on my desk how to save what's possible from your potion. If you do it right, it will still become a memory potion. We'll try yours on Mr. Potter at the end of class, you surely would not want him to suffer a painful death would you? If not, then pay attention to the instructions and to what you're doing."

Harry's stomach contracted. He should have known that Snape would try the potion on him. He really liked Neville, but his potions always were a complete mess and trying one of them was close to committing suicide.

He checked his own potion while Snape made his way around class, correcting the Gryffindors wherever possible and giving points to the Slytherins for not blowing up the dungeons as it seemed.

When he reached Harry's and Ron's cauldron, Harry was sure that though their potion seemed to be all in order, Snape would find something about it.

"Weasley, Potter, for your abilities a respectable effort, but the potion should be more liquid. You should pay more attention to what you are doing."

He turned and strode off towards his desk.

"Class, your potions should be ready by now. Let's see if Mr. Longbottom has been able to follow my instructions. Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter, come up here."

Harry slowly got up and stepped in front of class. He took the goblet Neville offered him and was quite relieved to find the potion exactly the same colour as his. He breathed in heavily, and swallowed the potion. It burned his mouth and throat and his head got dizzy. Harry closed his eyes and felt that he drifted away. 'No, I won't faint in front of the class, I won't faint in front of Snape.' He thought to himself. His mind drifted away from that thought and when he opened his eyes he found himself lying on the floor 'Why am I not in bed?' and looked up to the ceiling 'Why is it already so light outside?'.

He rose at an instant.

"Ron, why didn't you wake me up? It's already light outside and Snape that slimy git is surely going to kill me if I'm late for potions!"

The first thing he saw when he rose up were the smirking faces of Snape and Draco Malfoy. Snape spoke.

"Well, obviously the potion has worked. Ten points off from Slytherin. Ms. Lewis, I would have expected better from you then hissing the right instructions at Mr. Longbottom. He would have never been able to do that potion on his own. And fifteen points from Gryffindor for insulting a Professor."

He rose up.

"Class dismissed. Potter, stay here, I will give you the antidote."

"But, where am I? Why am I not in Gryffindor tower?"

"You will know as soon as you've taken the antidote. Now get up or I will take more points from Gryffindor for having a nap in my class."

Harry took Ron's outstretched hand and rose to his feet, then slowly stepped over towards Snape's desk. He took the glass phial out of Snape's hands and swallowed its content. Surely Snape would not try to poison him in front of Ron. After he had swallowed the liquid, his memory came back to him like a thunder strike. He blushed and turned away from Snape's desk, quickly collecting his ingredients into his cauldron and left the dungeon.

"Ron, why didn't you do anything to prevent me from calling Snape a slimy git? He looked as if he wanted to kill me."

"What could I have done?" Ron shrugged. "All the Slytherins gathered around you when you woke up, and you started talking straight ahead. I could not have done anything. But...have you realized that Snape took off points from Slytherin?"

"What???"

"Yes, he took off points from Samantha for helping Neville with the potion. If he had done so in Hermione's case, I would have understood, but Samantha is Slytherin..."

Harry simply shook his head an the two boys headed off towards History of Magic.

When the came into the Great Hall for lunch, the news that Snape had taken points off Slytherin had already spread around school. Neville was treated like some kind of hero by the Gryffindors for it had been him whom Samantha had helped.

Samantha sat quietly at the end of Slytherin table, avoiding the gazes of her housemates. She didn't seem to be pleased with what had happened at the dungeon and her fellow Slytherins showed her that they didn't approve helping a Gryffindor at all.

Hermione looked over to her.

"Poor girl. Obviously she doesn't know what the Slytherins are like and now she has to learn the hard way."

Ron choked on his ham and chicken pie.

"Hermione, you surely don't feel pity for a Slytherin! Maybe she has cost them some points, but I bet this will have been the last time she has offered help to one of us. Malfoy and the rest will see to that. As soon as she has brought one of us into trouble, they will all love her, so please don't start pitying her."

Hermione shook her head and returned to her dinner.

"What do you intend to do this afternoon? Maybe we could go and see Hagrid in his hut after Transfiguration, what about that?" Harry intended to end the quarrel between Ron and Hermione immediately.

"Sure." Ron nodded at Harry, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"I don't know, I've got Arithmancy homework to do and I wanted to got to the library..."

"Hermione, it's our first day back here, surely this can wait until tomorrow."
"Okay Harry, I'll come along. Let's meet at four thirty in the entrance hall, then I can have a quick check to the library before."

She nodded at her friends and rose.

"Yeah, have a quick check whether there are any new books she hasn't read so far. I'll never understand her, you know?"

Ron turned towards Harry who was smiling at him.

"Hey, what's up? Why are you smiling like that?"

"It's just that I'm wondering whether there is more behind that constant quarrelling between Hermione and you."

"Anything more?" Ron blushed. "Like what?"

"Like a you two having a crush on each other maybe?"

"What? You're nuts!"

Dean Thomas, who had overheard the last sentences of their conversation, turned towards them.

"Ron has fallen for someone? Whom? Go on, tell me, please!"

"Nobody, Harry is making things up. He's had all his memory erased just this morning and now he thinks he sees the world through different eyes."

Ron got up and left the hall for Transfiguration, Harry at his heels.

"Ron, wait!" Harry caught up with him. "I didn't mean to upset you, believe me. It just occurred to me that there might be something between you and..."

"Yeah, and you wanted to discuss it right in front of the entire school, how very kind Harry."

"I'm sorry Ron. Won't mention it anymore, I promise."

Ron grunted something and headed off towards their classroom. He didn't seem to be angry with Harry, but the mere fact that Dean had already told all fellow Gryffindors about Ron's secret crush to someone when they arrived at class made Ron laugh quite nastily when Harry turned his hedgehog into a creeping paper creature with spikes rather than into a book.

"Well Harry, it might be one of the books Hagrid would give to us, you know?"

"Oh shut up Ron!"

When Transfiguration was over they met with Hermione in the Entrance Hall and walked over the lawn towards Hagrid's hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"What's up with you two? Has something happened after I left lunch, you behave strangely."

"Nothing Hermione. Ron and I just didn't share opinions on a certain matter."

"Which matter?"

"Oh Hermione, don't ask. Boy's stuff, you know." Ron blushed and turned away from her while Harry could hardly prevent himself from starting to giggle.

Hermione shook her head, hoping that this would not continue for the rest of the school year.

When they knocked on Hagrid's door, he opened and beamed at them.

"Ah, knew ya would com an' see me. Com in, sit down. I'll make some tea. Would ya like som biscuits?"

The three shook their heads in refuse, knowing that baking was not one of Hagrid's stronger abilities.

"How has ya first day back been?"

As they told him about what had happened that morning in Potions Class, Hagrid shook his head.

"Poor Neville. Been thru enough if ya listen to me. No need to bully him like Snape's doin'."

"Hagrid, what do you know about Samantha Lewis?"

Hagrid choked his tea, coughed and looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Why do ya wan' ter know?"

Harry, who was puzzled by Hagrid's reaction, answered.

"Because Snape didn't seem to be too pleased when she was sorted into Slytherin and only this morning he took points off from Slytherin because she helped Neville. He has never before taken points from his own house, no matter what they've done. I was just wondering whether you've been told why she left Beauxbatons and came to Hogwarts. Do you know anything about her?"

"Ay Harry, ye're askin' far too many questions. She's bin brought here in exchange for Cho. Snape maybe just wanted to teach her a lesson fer helping a Gryffindor. Ya know what he's like. Ye're makin' things up Harry."

Harry didn't believe Hagrid but nodded and soon they were engaged in a discussion about their holidays and plans for the next weeks. After nearly two hours, they said good bye to Hagrid and headed off towards the castle again.

"Hagrid's not telling the truth about Samantha. He nearly choked when I asked him about her. There is another reason why she has been moved to Hogwarts and why Snape doesn't like her. If I only could find out."

Hermione tried to bring reason back to this conversation.

"And how exactly do you want to find out? Though I by now know that I cannot prevent you from rule breaking, I could not make out a way how to find out about her past. And if you're searching for a way, believe me I won't hesitate to report you if you start endangering yourselves again."

With this, she pointed onto the Prefect's badge on her robe. Hermione of course had been made a prefect this year and took this responsibility with every necessary effort. Both Ron and Harry knew she would not think twice before taking points off from Gryffindor if one of them broke a rule on purpose.

"Okay Hermione, calm down. No need to take any points away from Harry or me just because we are curious."

Ron shook his head and went back into the castle.