Unpredictable Life

Harry slid into place beside Hermione and started looking about the classroom. There were not that many students taking NEWT level Potions. The group was small enough to include students from all four Houses. Draco was there, along with Pansy Parkinson, Alhena Moon, and Millicent Bulstrode. Crabbe and Goyle were absent but that didn’t surprise the emerald-eyed Gryffindor all that much. He was surprised to see Parvati Patil, her twin and Lavender Brown though. Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan were there, chatting quietly in their seats near the classroom’s entrance.

“They don’t really act as though they’re a couple, do they?” Hermione observed with a faint smile. “I don’t know why I bother, but there it is.”

“Uhmmm … to whom are you referring? Hannah and Ernie, or Moon and Icy?” Harry asked, turning in his seat so he could look into her eyes directly.

Hermione’s eyebrows went up. She leaned in and whispered, “Icy?” Her expression quavered between impassivity and amusement.

“He responded when she called him that,” the young wizard replied, his green eyes flickering over to the Slytherin girl who sat by herself on the left side of the classroom. Moon still looked a little white around the lips and was continuously fidgeting in her seat.

The dungeon door slammed open and Harry’s lover glided in. The Gryffindor watched Severus walk with his robes billowing behind him and admired the way his black, silky hair whipped about. Hermione poked the bespectacled wizard sitting beside her lightly in the waist and Harry gave a strangled squeal. She was grinning and shaking her head slightly. The boy sighed and determinedly grabbed his quill. He pretended to scribble something just as the Potions Master began to speak.

Severus’s deep silky voice filled his mind and he remained staring at the empty parchment. He was uncertain if he could keep himself from looking like a love-struck teen if he looked up at the older wizard stalking in front of him. “I am not going to waste my time by telling you my expectations. If there’s one thing I have to say, it will be this: I’m relieved that I don’t have to deal with the pathetic fumbling of a certain Longbottom.” Harry felt Hermione tense at Severus’s words but she refrained from exploding. The Gryffindor could hear Draco snickering loudly at the implication.

“You will not be remaining in your current seats for long,” Severus continued. “As you all know, you will have to deal with a final-year project for Potions and that requires pair work.”

“Can’t we just choose our own partners?” Parvati asked hopefully.

“No, you can not,” the professor answered sternly.

“But that’s ridiculous!” Hannah exclaimed. “If we can’t get along with our partners then it will affect the project!”

“Then it is up to the two of you to get along if you wish to get high marks,” Severus said, looking down at the witch dispassionately. “Five points from Hufflepuff for speaking without permission.” The greasy-haired wizard walked over to his desk and picked up a list.

The Potions Master pursed his lips as he read the parchment quickly. “Miss Granger, you’ll be working with Mister Macmillan,” Severus barked sharply. “Miss Abbott and Miss Parkinson, Mister Malfoy and Miss Parvati Patil, Mister Potter and Miss Moon, Miss Brown and Mister Boot, Miss Bulstrode and Miss Padma Patil, ” the professor rattled on.

Harry stared blankly at his lover. I have to work with Malfoy’s girlfriend for two years? He gulped and glanced sideways at Hermione. She looked sympathetically at him and his spirit fell. His skin suddenly prickled and he knew immediately that someone was staring at him. He hadn’t expected it to be a certain silver-eyed Slytherin and Harry groaned silently.

I never thought that he would be that protective about someone else, Harry winced. Draco was positively snarling in his direction. After a few moments, the Slytherin began to glare at his Head of House and he continued to do so as Severus started briefing the class about their first assignment: brewing the Draught of Empathy.

Harry wondered why his fair-skinned mate had paired him up with a Slytherin and a girl. I guess I should be glad that he didn’t pair me up with the pointy-faced git, but I hope Sev didn’t do this because he’s feeling insecure.

Moon raised her hand and the Potions Master stopped his lecture for a moment. He looked inquiringly at her and the witch quickly asked about the purpose of the potion. Astonishingly, the wizard gave her a genuine smile.

“The reason why you have to brew it, and accurately at that, is to help you get a positive start to your partnerships,” Severus replied.

“We’ll be drinking our potions at the end of the class I suppose?” Moon asked dubiously and stared thoughtfully at the Potions Master when the latter nodded. “Do I still have to drink it?”

“I don’t think I’ll allow any exceptions, Miss Moon. Even if you are an Empath,” Severus said silkily.

“All right,” the girl mumbled and chewed on the end of her quill.

“Empath?” Hermione muttered under her breath and she wrote something inside her notebook. “Professor?” the bushy-haired Gryffindor raised her hand. Severus turned on his heels to look at her. “How long will the potion last? The textbook didn’t really state a specific time period,” Hermione said.

“It did state that a perfectly brewed draught will last for seven to nine days. If, for some reason, you add too much unicorn’s blood or too little powdered amber, you may end up feeling things for more than a month,” Severus replied. “Now that you have reminded me, do not even think about making any mistakes while you’re brewing. The antidote takes years to brew and though I have my own on hand, I’d rather not waste it.”

The professor gazed at his students solemnly and his coal-black eyes rested on Harry’s face for several seconds longer than usual. “There is a secret to brewing this potion. You need to be calm when you make it. Panic, and I assure you that the sensitivity of the potion will increase tremendously. For those of you who have the bad luck to consume a potion that has been brewed by someone who was highly excited or panicked, I can guarantee that you will feel more than what’s necessary.”

“Then why are we brewing the potion at all?” Hermione asked. At the Potions Master’s sly smile, she finally got the hint. “I can’t believe he’s so sadistic,” she whispered under her breath. “It’s a good plan to make you start tolerating your project partner but he doesn’t have to go to such lengths to make sure we suffer as well.”

“I beg your pardon, Miss Granger?” Severus asked, still smiling dangerously.

“Nothing, professor,” Hermione answered promptly.

“Good. Now get started. I trust you all to know to read the manual carefully before starting up your cauldrons.” Severus went to sit at his desk and waved his wand lazily at the storage cupboard.

“Good luck with the potion, and the girl, Harry,” Hermione whispered quickly into his ear and then the witch scuttled over to where Ernie was waiting.

The green-eyed Gryffindor quickly gathered his belongings and went to his assigned partner. He was aware that he was still being scrutinized by a pair of cold, gray eyes as he placed his books on the desk beside Moon. The Slytherin girl did not indicate that she noticed his presence as she read the instructions quietly.

Then again, maybe she really isn’t aware that I’m already here. Harry opened up his own book and flipped to the desired page. He started reading, quickly underlining the crucial steps and footnotes. Five minutes passed and the Gryffindor felt a little uneasy about not getting started.

“Uhmmm ... Miss – ?” However, he was cut off quickly by his partner.

“I’ll call you Harry, if you don’t mind. You can call me Alhena or Moon. Just ditch the ‘Miss’,” the Slytherin said absently.

“Well, Alhena. I think we should get started,” Harry replied and stood up, drawing his wand out.

“Did you listen to what Professor Snape said?” she asked, getting to her feet too. Both of them moved over to their cauldron and while the raven-haired wizard set the heat to the right temperature, the auburn-haired Slytherin filled a third of the large brass pot with water.

“He said a lot of things,” the boy replied as he readjusted the flames when the water started to boil.

“He said that you need to be calm,” Alhena elaborated.

“Yes, he did,” the emerald-eyed wizard responded. I can’t believe that I’m having a civil conversation with a Slytherin, the Gryffindor mused.

“Hello? Isn’t Sev a Slytherin, and aren’t your conversations with him more than just civil?” a voice asked sarcastically.

“Are you sure you are calm?” the girl pestered.

“How about you? You’re still a little pale after the Defence session,” Harry said tauntingly.

“He’s never mentioned that you can be thorny at times,” Alhena replied, looking at him in amusement.

“I grew up?” Harry suggested mildly. Am I hallucinating or something? She doesn’t really act like a Slytherin... more like a Hufflepuff. The boy stared hard at the girl as she went to fetch a jar of fish eyes. The girl was slightly limping as she walked to the cupboard and she didn’t stop to talk to Draco though the boy was there standing beside her, grabbing a slender bottle of what looked like unicorn’s blood.

When she came back, she stared penetratingly into his eyes. “Don’t worry, Harry. I’m one hundred percent a Slytherin who thinks that you get away with everything too easily,” she said quietly. “You really ought to think twice before involving your friends in your business.” Then she turned around and called the Potions Master. “Professor, the mortars and pestles are missing.”

While Severus cursed, Harry gazed at Alhena in astonishment. Was my expression that readable? The Gryffindor fretted until the witch gave a sigh of aggravation and looked at him in annoyance.

“Weren’t you paying attention at all? I thought Professor Snape said it quite clearly.” Harry looked blankly at the girl. Up close, she was approximately three inches shorter than he was which made her quite tall. She was still dwarfed by Millicent however. Alhena gave another sigh and cleared her throat. “I’m an Empath.”

“What?” Harry looked at her, dazed.

“I can feel what you feel – without the Draught of Empathy,” she said with a slight smile. Her eyes flickered over to where the Potions Master was doing a tracking spell before resting back on Harry’s face.

Oh damn! Can she tell – Whatever he was thinking quickly vanished when Alhena flashed him a wide grin. “Damn ....”

“You really need to tone down a little,” the Slytherin said as she tried to squash her fish eyes with a spell. She gave up when the tough eye ball merely bounced high up into the air. “Hey, do you know how to conjure up a bloody mortar?”

“I’m sorry, but no, I don’t,” Harry answered. “What did you mean when you said I have to tone down a little?”

Alhena chuckled in good humor. “Think of it this way, Gryffindor. You’re shouting out your feelings. I’m actually shielding myself from you with the strongest shield I can put up, but I can still pick up waves of emotion.” Then she dropped her voice to barely a whisper. “You and him?”

“Can you please not tell anyone?” Harry mumbled.

“I can’t do anything, Harry. The rest of them will be taking the potion by the end of this class, you know,” she informed him, smirking slightly.

What the hell? The emerald-eyed wizard just stared at his partner in horror. They can’t know or Sev will be in trouble!!!

“You’re doing it again,” Alhena warned him. “You don’t have to go into an all-out panic – where the hell is Snape? And the goddamned mortars?”

“Five points for using foul language,” Draco Malfoy spoke clearly.

“Oh, we’re moving on to blackmail already,” Alhena muttered and gave her back to the blond. Harry was surprised to see her smiling. “It’s just a game even though I’ve been docked off.”

Severus came back with a wooden box and Alhena quickly went up to him. She came back with a brand new set of pounding equipment and settled down to some grinding. “Go shred the mint,” she ordered. “I’m not really good with knives – well, I was pretty good with knives until Draco came along and snatched the title.”

Harry grabbed the bunch of mint and plucked a leaf to sniff it. The herb smelled wonderfully refreshing and he methodically started to rip the leaves from the stem.

“Aren’t you going to ask me how you can try to mask your feelings?” Alhena asked Harry suddenly, startling the teenager.

Harry willed his heartbeat to slow down. “All right. How can I prevent someone from knowing exactly what ideas are associated with the feelings I’m emoting?”

The Slytherin giggled as she heartily grabbed another handful of the eyeballs and started pounding. Hannah came up to them and mimed to Harry that she wanted the jar of the fish eyeballs. The emerald-eyed Gryffindor nodded his assent after making sure that his group wouldn’t be needing the organs anymore.

“Well, I can assure you that most of them – including yourself – will find it difficult to … as you said, associate feelings with facts. Veterans such as myself and Professor Dumbledore –”

“He’s an Empath too?” Harry blurted but she shook her head in the negative.

“No, he’s not. Just wise and too observant. I think he has been working on identifying body language and other things for more than a century,” Alhena replied. “What was I saying? Oh, yes. Veterans such as myself and Professor Dumbledore even have problems identifying what really is going on behind the emotions.”

Oh…. Harry’s attention wandered off briefly as he began to chop the mint leaves. “We need to extract some juice from the mint too, right?” he asked his partner absently.

“Yup,” the girl replied. “I’ll do that since I’m holding on to this.” She waved her pestle a little. While Harry was left to concentrate on finely slicing the leaves, the girl continued their conversation. “The easiest way to evade being analyzed directly will be through meditation.”

Really? He stopped his task to give a quick glance at Alhena. It was funny that she seemed to thoroughly enjoy pounding the leaves into mush. “But won’t that be too obvious?” Harry asked her. He placed his finely chopped mint leaves on the saucer and perused the manual for the next ingredient that was needed for preparation. Ten milliliters of honey. Then he peered closer to his book. Oops, not the honey. That has to be added later. “Extract the mint juice, add five grams of powdered turtle shell and stir well.”

Alhena answered his earlier question once he returned to his desk with the powdered turtle shell. “You have to be a good at meditation,” she simply said. “But you were doing it while you were plucking the mint leaves.”

Harry looked at her in puzzlement but took sometime to ponder her words. An idea stood out in his mind and he wondered if the silence he felt in the back of his mind while meditating was the key to evasion. When he asked the witch, she nodded her head enthusiastically.

“You can start practicing now,” Alhena said as she mixed the powder with the mint extract carefully.

Harry smiled, feeling slightly happier than he had half an hour earlier. It looks like Sev did prepare me for this lesson after all….

He didn’t notice that Severus was looking at him. Sable eyes that once gazed at him with contempt now did so with fondness. The professor knew that Harry hadn’t understood the benefits of having a clear mind until now. He just hoped that his choosing the girl to be the messy-haired teenager’s partner wouldn’t affect her relationship with his favorite student.

Later…

One hour and forty-five minutes had passed and the students were nearing the final stage of brewing their potions. Harry waited until Alhena dropped the powdered amber in before carefully adding five drops of unicorn blood.

The scent of lime, mint and oranges filled his nostrils and the emerald-eyed wizard stepped back to let his partner adjust the flames. The auburn-haired witch held on to her wand firmly and slowly chanted the incantation. Harry watched the flames critically as they turned from a fiery red to a fierce blue. Like the other cauldrons inside the classroom, theirs suddenly spewed out great clouds of brown smoke. Bubbles in the liquid popped loudly and the dungeon echoed with a noise like a pack of firecrackers going off.

Alhena flinched when one particularly big bubble exploded. Finally, the classroom went quiet once more. That was the signal for the students to put out the fire heating their pots.

“I was half tempted to poke that bubble,” Alhena confessed, extinguishing the flames with a wave of her wand. “I used to do that every time I did the laundry.”

“What would have happened if you had succumbed to the temptation?” Harry asked, smiling faintly as he went over to collect the flasks from their desks. When he returned, his partner was cautiously stirring the contents of the brass pot.

“Nothing probably,” the Slytherin answered and motioned for him to take the cap off of one of the flasks. “However, I’m not going to have the professor screaming at me for making the potion explode and scalding us all.”

“You have a damned grim mind,” Harry said lightly.

“I’m so sorry for pointing out the possibility,” the witch replied drily.

“You’re all right – for a Slytherin.”

“Never assume, Four-Eyed Gryffindor,” Alhena said quietly. “How can you be so sure that I am not manipulating your feelings to suit my purpose?”

At that, Harry shut his mouth and contemplated the girl’s face silently before reaching out for the potion-filled flask and walking over to place it on Professor Snape’s desk. He already had an answer by the time he returned to his partner who was busy filling up another bottle.

“I’m sure because I’m protected within that tranquil part of me. And just for your information, I have been manipulated – though not through my emotions – and I think I’ve been exposed enough to be aware of future intrusions.” Harry proceeded to clean his cauldron while his partner placed the spare flask on one of the classroom’s many shelves. When she came to help clear their desks, he resumed his speech. “I suppose there are bad Empaths but you don’t strike me as a person who’d deliberately hurt someone else with your abilities, except if you really had a grudge against that person or something.” Harry cocked his head to one side and considered her expression. “I’d guess that’s because of the rules you’ve likely made up for yourself.”

Alhena looked at him in surprise. “For a Gryffindor, you’re deep.”

Harry snorted. “Maybe it’s my Slytherin traits speaking up for me.”

“Then why are you in Gryffindor? Unless you really thought that all Slytherins were scum and that you really didn’t want to end up becoming one.”

Harry chewed on his lower lip. “You know … that may be the exact reason why …”

His partner swore under her breath and the emerald-eyed teenager winced, wondering if she had the Weasley twins as brothers; the oaths she had blurted out were more suited to the male gender. “You should have more sense than to think like that … but considering the way that Icy – I mean Draco – Malfoy … whatever … welcomed you when you first came here, I can understand why you’d think that way.”

“How come you’re in Slytherin?” Harry decided to turn the tables on his partner, while they still could chat.

“Long story.” She smiled and her face took on a preoccupied manner. It wasn’t the first time the raven-haired Gryffindor wondered about her connection with Tonks’s mother. “I’m sorry about your godfather … the one they called Sirius Black.”

Green eyes widened and he remembered that she was an Empath. “Was I loud then?”

She gave a crooked smile. “You were. Thank goodness it was after the major exams. I can’t believe that it took so long for you … or Professor Dumbledore, for that matter, to convince the dolt that the Dark Lord’s back.”

“Fudge was listening too much to Lord Malfoy,” Harry replied carefully.

“Yeah … I’m glad that you’re not a wreck. I’d actually prepared a long speech to clear your senses during the holidays but it looks like you have managed well.”

“I had help,” the Gryffindor informed the witch.

She chuckled lightly. “I may be saying something obvious but do try to keep him safe.” She must have sensed that Harry thought her a very nosy girl because she smirked. “Or you can just think that I’m so in love that I’m encouraging you with that person.”

“You should be in Hufflepuff,” Harry grumbled just as Professor Snape commanded them to pay attention. While the pair had been immersed in their conversation, the Potions Master had arranged the students’ flasks and there were numbers floating above each of them. On his left was a cute fishbowl containing a pile of torn scraps of paper. The greasy-haired wizard smiled nastily at his students.

“You will now begin testing the potion. Pick a paper and I will determine whose potion you’ll be drinking up,” the professor said silkily. “Now, who would like to be the first sacrificial mouse?”

“Might as well,” the girl beside Harry mumbled and Alhena walked up to the Potions Master. She fished for a parchment scrap quickly and said, “Four.”

“Then you’ll be drinking up the batch made by Mister Malfoy and Miss Patil. Additionally, Miss Moon, I expect you to put your shields down for the duration of the potion,” the Slytherin professor said calmly.

“Does it taste bad?” Millicent Bulstrode asked in a somewhat worried voice.

“Milli, I haven’t even drank it yet!” Harry saw his partner sniff at the potion and she commented that the scent of lime was stronger and that it was paler than the tea-colored potion Harry and she had made. Then taking a huge breath, she took a long drink of the potion. Almost immediately, she shuddered. “Too sweet!” She went to her seat, sat down and rested her forehead on the cool surface of her desk. “And I can tell that that you’ve put too much amber in it, Draco,” she said faintly.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, unconsciously causing the girl more pain.

“No, I’m not. I’m going to bloody well make sure that he won’t get any sleep tonight,” she threatened under her breath.

Hermione was next to volunteer and she happened to pick Harry’s group. The emerald-eyed teenager realized that his bushy-haired friend was doing exactly what Alhena had done. Those verbal observations must count for something, Harry gathered. After Hannah had volunteered, the boy stepped up to the professor and fished for a lucky ‘ticket’. “Two,” he told Severus as his eyes roamed about his lover. What on earth is he wearing? The Gryffindor noticed that the older wizard was wearing a choker with an emerald pendant.

The Potions Master gave a remarkable sneer. “You’re lucky that you’ll be drinking Miss Granger and Mister Macmillan’s potion,’ he said, forcing Harry to look up into his eyes. The black-robed wizard skillfully poured the brew and handed it to the emerald-eyed wizard. “Drink up,” he instructed brusquely. Their fingertips brushed lightly against each other, but that alone was enough to generate electricity between them. A ghost of a smile appeared on the solemn man’s face but it vanished just as quickly.

Harry repeated the observation process before consuming the potion. He grimaced; the potion tasted funny and he tried hard not to think about the ingredients that he had used in making the concoction. He sat beside his partner quietly and waited for the full effect of the draught to kick in. While Harry was lucky to drink something that was done by excellent potion makers, his nemesis was unfortunate enough that he had to drink his own creation.

“Curse my mouth,” Alhena muttered to herself. Harry gave her a sidelong look and she smiled at him apologetically. “Do you feel any different?”

“No ...” Harry shook his head, barely hearing the soft whimper coming from Draco. Alhena leaned back and watched her fellow Slytherin sympathetically.

“Now I know he will never leave me in peace. We managed not to screw the potion,” Alhena sighed. “And he’s going to be unbearably grouchy, I can tell. Oh well, at least he’ll learn something new this year.”

“What are you saying?” Harry asked with a puzzled frown.

“The Slytherin Ice Prince has never ever considered what others feel. From today, he’ll have no choice but to ‘listen’ to what others feel about him,” the witch explained, still looking slightly pained.

“I see,” the raven-haired Gryffindor replied, a smirk forming on his face. He was watching Draco when the full effect of the draught took hold. Harry was warm. Blood rushed up to his head suddenly and he felt nauseous. He closed his eyes and willed the dizziness to go away. Once it did, he began to feel very conflicting, and somewhat confusing emotions that he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Panic began to overwhelm his senses but he managed to rein it in. It was enough for him to feel the pain and hurt coming from Alhena. Draco’s confusion, guilt, anger and self-blame was even more pronounced.

Harry felt just how scared Parvati was as her fingers picked up a scrap of parchment with a number. The boy slowly turned his head toward his partner, trying to breathe deeply in order to calm himself. “Alhena,” his voice was raspy, “will the same thing work to protect yourself from emotions?” Harry asked hopefully and was caught unawares when the witch met Draco’s eyes from across the classroom.

“Hey!” the Gryffindor squeaked. The intense emotion the girl had projected faded immediately and she managed to give him a sheepish grin. Harry looked at her in irritation. “So, what’s the answer?”

“Yes, it will help, but it’s absolutely no use if you’re stuck in a crowd. For that,” Alhena leaned closer to him, “you will need coffee.” That came in a whisper and Harry wondered why she was being secretive.

“Coffee?” Harry couldn’t help his sense of skepticism although he was sure that the Slytherin girl wasn’t lying.

“Don’t tell Snape though,” she said in a hushed tone. “I don’t think he’s aware of that.”

“Uhmmmm ... may I ask why you’re giving away secrets?” the emerald-eyed teenager asked curiously. “Gryffindors and Slytherins aren’t exactly friends.” Harry could feel that the witch was about to make a smart retort when the professor cut in on their conversation with a single cough. The Potions Master was grinning evilly at all of them.

“So, all of you are Empaths now.” Severus chuckled. “I will not be giving the antidote to Miss Moon or Mister Malfoy.” Draco’s pleading expression changed into a look of sheer disbelief. “I have heard that drinking strong black coffee will give you a short period of peace.” The professor determinedly kept his eyes away from the only Empath in the classroom.

“There goes my precious secret,” Alhena said regretfully.

“You are allowed to consume it when you’re expected to be in groups of larger than twenty people. So other than those times, you are forbidden to drink the beverage.” The Potions Master stared at each student penetratingly. “The house-elves will report to me if they catch any of you drinking illegally.”

Harry could feel doubt coming from Ernie and Hermione. He nearly laughed aloud at the similar emotions bordering on mischief coming from the all the Slytherins. He calmed himself and tried to concentrate on Severus for a change.

“Do not waste your time trying to analyze me,” the professor spoke slyly. “Or any of the other professors,” he added as an afterthought.

“It’s the emerald, isn’t it?” Hermione hazarded, looking at the Potions Master shrewdly.

“Yes,” Severus agreed. “I need not warn you that possessing this jewel will ensure that you will lose four hundred points immediately.”

“Jerk,” Alhena murmured and at that particular moment, Harry was forced to agree. He felt bad about feeling that way immediately and shut himself in.

“I want a twenty-seven inch essay about the draught. Properties, effects, countermeasures, advantages and disadvantages of consuming it. There’s only one permanent antidote for this potion and you should know that only three books in the library contain the information. Class dismissed.”

“Do you have lessons now?” Alhena’s voice brought him out of his trance. Harry focused on her mischievous light cinnamon-colored eyes.

“No, I dropped Divination. Why?”

“Wanna go to the library with me?” the witch asked as she packed her books. Harry glanced at Draco for a second. It did not help that the silver-eyed Slytherin was watching them.

“What if your boyfriend objects?”

“He’s taking Trelawney’s class. I don’t have the slightest idea why he bothers with that crappy subject.” She made a wry face. “Coming?”

“I guess. I’ll inform Hermione. Can she come if she doesn’t have any lessons?”

“Be my guest.”

Harry froze in his tracks suddenly and turned back to watch Alhena. “This is not a date, right?”

“Don’t be absurd, Four-eyes!”

“Hermione,” Harry called his bushy-haired friend softly and the witch turned around with an inquisitive look. “I’m going to the library with Alhena. Are you free? We can go together?” he asked, somewhat hopefully.

The prefect shook her head and smiled apologetically at him. “I’m sorry Harry, but I’m still taking Arithmancy.”

“That’s okay.” He felt his Potions partner coming up behind him and he turned slightly. She signaled to both of the Gryffindors to wait and Harry tilted his head to one side in inquiry. Alhena just smiled and pretended to look away just as Draco walked past them.

Bloody hell, the raven-haired Gryffindor cursed silently as the blond Slytherin cast him a look of utter hatred accompanied by feelings of intense dislike. Hermione gave a strange mewl and pinched the space between her eyes, looking crossly at Draco’s back. “Don’t say anything, Hermione.”

His friend chuckled but her expression quickly took on a more serious look. “I think we ought to go make ourselves scarce before he decides to take away points for loitering,” Hermione whispered into Harry’s ear.

“What on earth for?” Alhena asked in puzzlement. Her bronze-colored eyes flickered over to the Potions Master’s direction before resting back on Harry’s. Hermione suddenly had a stricken look on her face.

“You know?” the prefect demanded of the Slytherin in a hushed tone as they walked out of the dungeon. Alhena nodded and Hermione’s head whipped about to stare at Harry in terror.

“It’s okay. She won’t tell a soul,” Harry said with a faint smile.

“I don’t need to,” Alhena amended. “If your friend isn’t careful about what he lets himself feel, everyone who has taken the potion will know. You don’t want Draco to use your feelings as ammunition, do you?” The girl turned back to the emerald-eyed Gryffindor.

“This is so depressing,” the young wizard muttered under his breath and Hermione slapped his arm lightly.

“Just be careful … at least for nine days,” Hermione advised.

“Alhena!”

The shout caused all three students to freeze in their tracks. Harry turned to see the hag-like Millicent Bulstrode hurrying up to them. The huge Slytherin girl made no motion to acknowledge the presence of the Gryffindors.

“Aren’t you going to Divination?” Bulstrode asked her housemate brusquely. Harry smiled to himself when he felt uncertainty and uneasiness coming from her.

“No, I opted out,” the smaller girl answered.

“Lucky you. My mother nagged me for three days to keep taking it,” Millicent grumbled. She was about to speak when Parkinson deliberately pushed her.

“Come on, Millicent! Don’t waste your time!” the Slytherin prefect said loudly.

Bulstrode glared at her back and irritation seemed to pour out of her pores. She turned back to her housemate and Harry looked on curiously when he saw Alhena flinch slightly at Millicent’s penetrating gaze.

“Can’t you keep yourself from trouble, Moon?” Millicent demanded harshly. “Of all things, why do you have to go steady with Draco?”

“I dunno – it just happened!” Alhena said meekly.

“Yeah, right,” Millicent replied sarcastically. “I thought you would have more sense than falling head over heels with the blonde – while we’re still in school. You’ve got me into a very tight spot and my alliance with Pansy is on tenterhooks.” The Slytherin frowned darkly. “No matter – I’ll see you later at dinner.”

The journey up to the fourth floor was rather subdued and Harry could tell that Alhena was feeling a little miserable and Hermione was quite hesitant to break the silence between them.

“Harry, my classroom is that way,” Hermione said quietly. “I’ll see you later.” Turning to Alhena, she muttered her farewell and walked off quickly in the other direction.

“Well, it’s just us, now,” Alhena said pensively. “I should hope that there won’t be any rumors about us being a couple.” For no apparent reason, she burst out laughing.

“You’re crazy,” Harry mumbled and they continued on their way to the library. His Slytherin partner greeted Madam Pince brightly and the emerald-eyed wizard trailed after Alhena as she strode purposefully to the end of the library where most Potions books were found.

She seems to know the library quite well … Is this one of the reasons why I can’t recall seeing her most of the time? She locks herself in here, like Hermione? Harry mused and set his schoolbag down on the table.

“We’ll work first and then we can chat,” Alhena said absently as she quickly flipped through the pages of her Potions textbook. The raven-haired Gryffindor made a face when she finished and she replied by sticking her tongue out.

“Do you have any idea where to start looking for the books?” he asked as he got out his parchment, quill and a bottle of ink.

“As soon as I can determine the sources of the journals in here,” she replied tersely.

In the textbook? Harry’s lips pursed and he turned to the chapter Severus had gone over in class. He scanned the pages briefly and bit off an exclamation as he came to the last page of the chapter. Printed there neatly in small letters, were the references.

“Potions for the Human Soul by Joshua Barkers,” Harry cited and was surprised to see his partner nodding her head furiously.

“Yes, his book’s quite a good one. I reckon that’s the first book we should find.”

“It’s going to take a while to track the books down.”

“Not quite, Harry.” The witch smiled at him mischievously and drew her wand out of her pocket. The raven-haired Gryffindor noticed that she was holding onto a bit of torn parchment in her hand. “Incendio,” she said quietly and the piece of parchment burst into flames.

Harry sat there and just watched her. When not even a trace of ash remained on her palm, he managed to hiss, “Are you mad?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a trick I learned from my brother. Now, watch, Harry. You might find this very useful.” The Slytherin took a deep breath and closed her eyes in concentration. Then she tapped her wand against her palm and commanded softly, “Seek.”

Harry jumped back when a bolt of golden light struck her wand with a sound akin to a slap across the cheek.

“Let’s go,” the girl said breathlessly and pulled the bewildered Gryffindor along. Harry found himself darting in between shelves as the witch led him. Suddenly, he saw a massive brown leather-bound book floating above their heads surrounded by a faint greenish light. Alhena quickly stuffed her wand into her pocket and held out her hands. Instantly, the spell was broken and the book dropped. She winced slightly at the impact but quickly gave the huge book to Harry before she went off again.

They managed to get all three books within their first five minutes of reaching the library.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but that was damned wicked!” Harry said in awe. His partner flashed him a wide grin. “Care to share your secret?” They walked back to their table. “I don’t believe Hermione knows this spell because if she did, we wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble trying to find the –” He immediately shut his mouth before he could reveal what the Trio had done several years earlier.

She chuckled silently. “My brother and father invented this trick. It was actually made to find lost items – after my father happened to lose our Gringott’s vault key but then Kailen – my brother – found that the spell could be used to find books and other assorted stuff. You just have to write down what you want to find, burn it, and say ‘Seek’. You can say it in any language; it doesn’t have to be in Latin. What matters most is what you think of as you say it,” the witch continued.

They sat down next to each other. “You mean, you were thinking of these three books when you said it?” Harry hazarded and the girl nodded. “That sounds difficult.”

“Hmmmm … I was kind of expecting you to say the opposite,” Alhena said after staring at him for a minute.

“Concentrating on the object is rather difficult if you happen to be thinking about a lot of other things,” he explained and she nodded.

The pair worked quietly after that, silently exchanging books as they finished a section of what the Potions Master wanted for his essay. Something caught the Gryffindor’s attention while he was writing. He paled when he read a passage on the disadvantages of consuming the potion. It stated that if the consumer was distraught enough – or at least feeling very strong emotions – he might influence other people.

Harry was extremely grateful to Severus. It was rather unusual working with Alhena. When he studied with Ron and Hermione, it was never this quiet but Severus was a man who appreciated silence and he had managed to get the Golden Boy to work in such an atmosphere.

He managed to surprise himself when he finished writing and found that he had written an extra five inches of information. I think this is the first time that I’ve accomplished something without using Hermione’s work as my main reference. He smiled, suddenly feeling cheerful. The Slytherin girl sitting beside him sighed, set her quill down and stretched lazily.

“One essay down and one left to go,” the girl said.

Damn … there’s still D.A.D.A. homework, Harry thought mournfully.

Alhena gave a soft trill of laughter. “Don’t look so glum!” she exclaimed. “You probably could write an essay about the Patronus in half an hour, and without a book!”

“You may be right,” Harry conceded. But still…. He checked his pocket watch and saw that an hour had passed. Speaking of the Patronus….

“You want to know why I was acting like a terrified puppy back in the Hall,” his partner stated and he nodded solemnly. She shifted in her seat so that she could face him. “When I was a four years old, a python almost killed me. My dad managed to get the snake off me. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was within reach at that time because she was visiting someone nearby. She helped me and everything calmed down several hours later. Then I realized that my cat was missing. The python ate it. Of course, we didn’t know that until Harvard – Blaise’s older brother – found reptilian scat with feline bones in the woods several months later. I still miss Amber. She was the perfect black cat, and companion.” Her eyes grew distant.

He noticed that the girl had not mentioned anything in regards to her mother. Deciding that it was probably a sensitive topic, Harry decided not to ask her anything about her family until the girl chose to talk about them herself.

“Why don’t we talk about you instead? Hearing about a normal girl’s life is quite boring,” Alhena said in a jesting manner.

“Haha. Very funny, Alhena,” he answered sardonically. “What is there about me that you people don’t know?” At that, the witch sniggered and Harry smiled crookedly. “Since I virtually don’t have any secrets – you managed to find out who I’m currently involved with – why don’t you tell me about yourself? How the hell have you escaped being noticed by me or the others? Millicent talked to you as though you’re a good friend of hers, yet you weren’t in the Inquisitorial Squad and she was.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll pour out my life story to you,” the girl grumbled.

“Oh, don’t forget to include the story of how you got your pointy-faced boyfriend too!” Harry piped up and ducked as Alhena feigned a mock punch.

“I think the reason why you’ve never noticed me is because I’m fairly inconspicuous. I like to keep a low profile.”

“I don’t think you can any longer, since you and Malfoy are together.”

“Things can’t stay the same forever, I guess,” the witch acknowledged. “Milli and I grew up together, so I guess you can say that we’re childhood friends. I remember that both of us couldn’t stop yelling when we got our Hogwarts letters. My brother got tired of our screams and stuffed our faces full of chocolate ice cream. Back then, I wasn’t too bothered about which House I might end up in. Milli’s family were all Slytherins and she wanted to be a Slytherin too. My father was a Gryffindor and my brother was a Ravenclaw. My mother’s a Hufflepuff. A week before first year started, Kailen took me to Diagon Alley to get my school supplies, and my dad gifted me with an owl.”

She leaned back in her chair and ran her fingers through her thick auburn hair. “Then I bumped into Milli inside Madam Malkin’s and she didn’t look too happy. It was the first time I met Pansy. Didn’t like her right off, but it may be because of my Gift. When she spoke to me, I knew that I definitely did not like her voice. It grated on my nerves.”

“You noticed,” Harry said dryly.

“Anyway, Milli told me that her mother was spouting nonsense to her all afternoon. I was never formally introduced to her parents, even though we were neighbors, and when I heard her talking about Mudbloods and half-bloods I knew something wasn’t quite right.” Alhena paused and pulled a brush out of her bag and a silver-colored ribbon. She combed her hair before starting to braid it.

“Apparently, there had been rumors escalating about the neighborhood, mainly occupied by ex-Slytherins. Milli told me that her mother told her not to hang around with me, for fear that a half-blood might be a hindrance to her.” Alhena made a face. “My brother sort of blended into the background and secretly listened to what her parents said to the Parkinsons. Can you imagine, they said that I was a half-blood?”

“But your mother was a Ravenclaw. That meant that she had to be a witch, right?”

“She was,” Alhena said sadly. “I think it was partly mother’s fault that Mrs. Bulstrode thought that she was a Muggle. My mother renounced magic when I was six. I have no idea why though.”

Harry looked the Slytherin in the eye. “Is your mother still around?”

“No … not anymore,” was all she answered. She tied up the end of her braid with the silver ribbon.

“Why did you go into Slytherin?” Harry asked. “To prove that you weren’t a half-blood?”

“Merlin, no! What’s the point? A certain, famous half-blood was sorted into Slytherin half a century ago. I know that I can be cunning if I want to, and I do have an unhealthy habit of keeping grudges. No, I wanted to feel the shock from Pansy when she heard that I was in Slytherin too. Another reason was because I wanted to get over my trauma with the serpent.” She leaned closer to Harry and whispered in his ear. “I sort of manipulated the Sorting Hat to place me in the House of my choice. Don’t tell Professor Dumbledore though, but I was supposed to go into Hufflepuff.” She winked.

“You cheated?” Harry said with an affronted look.

“Can’t help it,” she laughed. “So … since Milli got sorted into Slytherin along with Pansy, and Milli’s mother told her to stick with Pansy and smile all the time, it just made sense for me to become an unknown. I didn’t want to hang around Pansy. Just the sight of her makes me feel like punching her but I think the same could be said the other way around.”

“Right. If you know that you and Parkinson are on a bad footing, why are you dating Malfoy? That’s going to make things even worse for you, isn’t it?”

“Draco was sort of thrown into my family by Mrs. Malfoy. You know that I was giving him shelter, right?”

“Sort of, but Professor Dumbledore didn’t tell us who. He just mentioned that someone in Slytherin was taking care of him,” Harry replied.

“Well, Draco lived with us from the third week of July. He was a brat for a full two weeks.” Alhena made a face. “It’s not our fault we don’t bother with house-elves. The three of us could cook and clean just fine without them.”

“Highborns,” Harry snickered.

“Truly.” Alhena nodded vehemently. “To summarize it all, Draco and I grew rather close over the summer. Things were already going somewhere even before we made that trip to Diagon Alley.”

“But you weren’t with Draco at that time,” Harry inserted, wearing a slight frown. Did I just call Malfoy by his name? No matter, it’s just a slip of my tongue.

“Mrs. Malfoy thought it was best to keep the pretense that Draco was still with her,” Alhena explained.

“I see. Don’t mention this to him, but I thought someone had Polyjuiced into him.”

“Love does strange things to people,” Alhena said sententiously and that threw them both into a bout of laughter.

Harry finally managed to get his mirth into control and it was then he noticed that someone was standing woodenly at one corner. “Bloody hell. Alhena, I think I’m in trouble,” he groaned. The witch turned to see someone staring at them impassively but his eyes sparkled in anger.

“Damn it all,” Alhena agreed with a smile.

Bloody hell. Why can’t Malfoy just be himself and not bother about who his girlfriend has been hanging out with? His thought was immediately cut off when a book from inside Alhena’s bag slid out magically. Before he knew what was happening, his glasses were knocked aside and the storybook began to hit him spontaneously on the forehead.

Dinnertime.

Harry clambered out of the portrait hole after his best friend, Ron. His other friend, Hermione, had been in Arithmancy class and she was probably waiting for them by the entrance of the Great Hall. By now, the news of what the Head of Slytherin House had made the sixth-years brew and test was all over the castle, as well as the remarkable D.A.D.A. lessons.

By the time Harry had finished researching about the Draught of Empathy’s antidote, Ron and the rest of his roommates were waiting inside the common room, all curious to know the effects of the potion. The emerald-eyed Gryffindor had spent fifteen minutes analyzing his friends’ emotions and he was so exhausted that his temper had increased. He brusquely informed his friends that he would go into his distant-mode if they continued to pester him.

That somewhat stopped his friends’ curiosity and their minds drifted off to more important things, like the rumor of Professor McGonagall giving them a surprise test the next day. Ron however, was still feeling a bit blue at the news that Ernie was Hermione’s partner.

“Cheer up for Merlin’s sake!” Harry said to his friend scathingly as the group of five made their way out of the tower. “And if she asks you what the hell is wrong, tell her. Don’t lie. She’ll know.”

“All right.” The red-haired prefect smiled a little and would have tripped on a cat if Harry had not pushed it away with magic. “What the heck?”

The tiger-striped cat mewled softly and sniffed at Ron’s shoes for a moment before moving on to Harry. Neville tugged at Dean’s sleeve and jerked his head in the prefect’s direction. The rest of Harry’s friends waited patiently as The Boy Who Lived gently lifted the cat which had been continuously winding itself around his legs. Harry examined the cat’s collar and saw that its name was Siege. Who on earth will name a cat Siege? The boy wondered and carefully opened the tiny pouch that was on the cat’s collar. There seemed to be a message for the Gryffindor. He handed the cat to Ron but the creature jumped and trotted off instead. The two boys shrugged and the taller Gryffindor peeked over Harry’s shoulder to read the note.

Come to the kitchen and get your coffee. Bring your housemates.

Alhena

“Is this from your partner?” Ron asked.

“Yeah,” Harry replied.

The red-haired Gryffindor made a face and swore under his breath. The shorter wizard sighed, feeling a little weary at his friend’s hatred for the Slytherins. Perhaps everything that had transpired the previous year had tripled his animosity for the Salazar’s disciples.

“Are you going to see her?” his best friend asked unhappily.

“Yes and I’m taking you and Hermione with me. Alhena’s not at all bad, you’ll see.”

“But she’s still a Slytherin, and nothing good comes from any of them!” Ron spat.

“You’re being infuriating,” Harry flared. His temple ached and he raised his fingers to rub at it gently.

“Harry, is it just my eyes or are you developing another bruise?” Neville asked him once the two stragglers caught up with the other three Gryffindors.

“Damn! It’s showing?” Harry was surprised and cursed again.

“What the hell happened?” Dean asked curiously.

“You know that I went to the library with Alhena Moon right after Potions? We spent two hours working on Snape’s assignment.” The emerald-eyed Gryffindor took a deep breath. “Then Malfoy came in and he went mad like a bull when he saw that I was still with her.”

“Now that you mention it, the prig was acting quite off the hook during Divination. Parvati got assigned as his partner and he was swearing like a train engine. He even scared Trelawney with his predictions that Vol-Voldemort was going to come to Hogwarts, inflict the Mark on the students and sacrifice the staff by throwing them over the cliffs,” Seamus informed him.

“Is Malfoy that serious about the girl?” Neville looked totally amused.

“Better believe it.” Harry nodded. “He’s super protective.” His friends made gagging noises. “Yeah, I agree that it’s totally unlike him, but maybe it’s also because he has to deal with what people feel about him. The potion might be the whole cause of his strange behavior. And I think it was my own fault that I enjoyed her company. She reminds me of Luna … and Ginny.”

“Oi, do you have a thing for my Ginerva?” Dean suddenly became defensive.

“Don’t be a dork,” Harry scoffed.

“So the pointy-faced git went bonkers, and…?” Ron prodded the conversation back on track.

“You know how strange things happen to glass when I’m angry or overly emotional, right? Well, it seems that for Malfoy, it manifests itself in a really mean streak. One of Alhena’s books – a very thick storybook, went invisible and started smacking me,” Harry grumbled. “And you know what’s worse?” His friends continued to look at him. “Alhena laughed at us and she took off immediately.”

“That’s what you get for hanging around with Slytherins. They’ll laugh, at your expense,” Ron said smugly. “What happened after that?”

“Dumbledore came along and stopped the book from giving me a bloody concussion,” Harry replied. “Anyway,” he paused, grabbing hold of the railing when the staircase started to change direction, “Alhena invited me to the kitchen for coffee.”

“And you’re going?” Dean asked with a raised eyebrow. When Harry didn’t reply, the boy shook his head. “Just make sure she doesn’t poison you.”

The five boys continued on their journey to the Great Hall in companionable silence until they met Hermione waiting impatiently for them by the foot of the stairs. Dean, Seamus and Neville promised to save seats and the three boys went to the Great Hall while the other Trio turned to head for the kitchen.

“Ron?” Hermione called the redhead tentatively. The tall boy sighed and firmly took her hand as a sign of reassurance. The girl’s face glowed and she looked up at her boyfriend fondly.

“You know what? You two are even more cloying than I am with him,” Harry remarked and chuckled when Ron turned purple and Hermione smiled almost kittenishly.

“Hannah passed me a note earlier,” the girl said. “Do you have any idea why we’re having coffee in the kitchen rather than in the Great Hall?”

“I have no idea,” the emerald-eyed Gryffindor admitted.

Ernie was waiting for them by the portrait of fruit and startled tickling the pear as they approached. The rest of the Potions students were already inside the kitchen holding on to several mugs of coffee. The house-elves came up to the trio and wordlessly held up several trays of mugs and what smelled like coffee biscuits to the Gryffindors.

Ron, though he had no need of the coffee, accepted both mug and biscuits. He was glaring at the group of Slytherins and Harry repressed a sigh of irritation. He noted that Malfoy wasn’t there with Alhena and he thanked the gods silently.

Moon came forward, with Millicent following her at a distance. “The reason why I asked you to come here is because of you, actually,” the auburn-haired Slytherin said in a fairly demure tone, her light brown eyes never leaving Hermione’s. “I’m sure you understand the reason why.” Then she turned to Harry. “See you whenever I see you, Harry.” With that, the Slytherins trooped out of the kitchen. The rest of the students gaped after Alhena and the rest of the Slytherins.

“What the hell was that about?” Ron demanded of them. The others looked just as clueless but Hermione had gone pale after listening to the Slytherin girl.

“She didn’t have to do that,” the bushy-haired prefect said, her cheeks reddening and Harry thought he felt a wave of embarrassment coming from her. “No doubt about it Harry. She is a Slytherin.” She sighed and looked about the kitchen. “She brought us here in the hopes that I would understand a little bit about the culture of house-elves and so that I could ‘feel’ how happy they are.”

“Oh …” was all the response she received from the other students.

The days passed quickly. Harry found himself on his way to Severus’s chamber early that Saturday evening. He had already informed his best friends of his weekend plans the previous night and Ron had promised to cover things up for the raven-haired Gryffindor, in case his roommates asked for him.

The young wizard had brought some of his books along – including his potions essay – and his writing utensils. He still had his Transfiguration homework to deal with. He sighed when he remembered Professor McGonagall’s class the day before. It had not been an outright disaster, but by the end of the lesson the witch was muttering to herself about Severus’s idiocy. The comment had caused a fraction of her class to break into hysterical giggles. During Transfiguration, Harry had managed to transfigure his bandicoot into a very freaky crab, nowhere close to the rodent it was supposed to be.

The Gryffindor felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He had really felt like his friend Neville, yesterday. Even Hermione had had trouble concentrating. There were two people in the class however, that had taken the full brunt of McGonagall’s displeasure. Harry had no idea how it had happened, but Alhena and Draco had been working on two different ends of the room and the next thing everyone knew, the pair started trading insults as they worked on their bandicoots.

It left the whole class bewildered, even though Harry knew the draught had caused the tension. Hermione had felt quite smug as she complacently listened to the professor’s harsh lashing of the Slytherins. Well, truthfully, all of the Gryffindors felt smug since Slytherin had lost forty points that evening.

Harry took a left turn and wondered about his luck. Since he had descended to the lower parts of the dungeons, he had not come across any Slytherins, not even stragglers who were going up to the Hall for supper. He finally reached the wall where Severus’s chambers were supposed to be. Looking about the corridor cautiously, Harry touched the wall lightly with his palm and it automatically gave way to the bronze door.

Severus opened it – it was clear that the Potions Master had been waiting for his arrival. Harry crossed the threshold and placed his books on his lover’s large table. The Gryffindor looked curiously at the candlelit dinner on the other side of the huge mahogany.

“Do not laugh,” the fair-skinned wizard warned as he walked to take his seat across from Harry.

“I’m not laughing,” the emerald-eyed wizard answered without a twinkle in his eyes. “Whose idea is this?”

“I do not care to know,” Severus grumbled and the legs of his chair scraped against the stone floor loudly as he dragged it forward.

“Well, let’s just eat,” Harry said, trying extremely hard not to smile. The Potions Master nodded grimly and sliced some chicken for the Gryffindor.

“Has the draught worn off?” Severus asked as he finished off his meal.

“Not quite, but it is fading,” Harry replied. His lover refilled his glass of water and sent the dishes off to the kitchen magically. “Why?”

“Nothing.” Severus looked thoughtfully at him. “Maybe it was a bad decision to pair Draco with Patil,” the older wizard mused to himself.

“So, Professor McGonagall told you about yesterday’s incident?” Harry tried not to smirk.

“Yes, she did.” Severus gave him a calculating look. “Don’t be too smug, Gryffindor. The year has barely begun. Your House has a long way to go before securing the House Cup.”

“You’re cheating,” Harry accused.

“What else am I supposed to do? I am a Slytherin,” the Potions Master countered.

“You sound like Alhena,” the emerald-eyed Gryffindor complained as he reached for his quill and Transfiguration homework.

“Ah ... perhaps it is Alhena who sounds like me,” Severus said with a smirk. “I am, after all, her Head.”

“You sound like a prig,” Harry sneered, not looking up from his homework.

“Indeed,” Severus answered drily. “I see you haven’t finished your assignments. What have you been doing all these days?” He was piqued, wondering why his young lover took such a long time to deal with his schoolwork.

“I’m not like Hermione, you know,” Harry answered, correctly interpreting the Potions Master’s puzzled expression.

“I am not like her either,” Severus said defensively. “I just believed in getting homework out of the way so I could have fun on the weekends.”

Harry blinked, then smiled sheepishly. “All right. I’ll try not to be lazy.”

“What you lack is discipline, lover. By now, you should be an expert in time management and study planning, what with your friend Granger hanging in the background with a club.”

“Do you really want to see the timetable she worked up for us, Sev? She was quite thorough, but things might have to be rescheduled to accommodate the Quidditch season.” Without waiting for his black-eyed lover to reply, Harry pulled a book out from the stack and handed it to the professor. Then he refocused on his essay. Just a few more inches and I’ll be done!

“If you put in the effort, I don’t think I’ll need to tutor any of you in preparation for the exams,” Severus remarked, quite impressed with Hermione’s schedule. “Has your scar been hurting lately?”

Harry was about to say ‘no’ when he remembered the brief disorientation he had felt during his Astronomy session. “Voldemort was confused and worried about something. It wasn’t about me,” he said quietly. “I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I think the potion extends even to the Dark Lord.” He took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn’t be screamed at for uttering nonsense. Severus merely looked interested so the young wizard continued, “Something is wrong with Lucius Malfoy and he’s on the verge of panic.”

The Slytherin was surprised. “What on earth happened to Lucius?”

“Damned if I know,” Harry shrugged. “Tell me if I’m crazy, but I think they’re a couple.”

“You’re not,” Severus assured him and it was the teenager’s turn to be surprised. “The Dark Lord wouldn’t admit that he cares for someone though.”

Well, well, well …. Harry smiled suddenly. That’s a remarkable discovery. His expression grew pensive but shook himself out of the depressing mood and heard his lover chuckle. He turned back to his essay and wracked his brain for a few more sentences about the dangers of transfiguring animals into humans. Severus went about reading his research materials and preparing his teaching schedule for the coming week.

The seasons turned and autumn colored the landscape in shades of brown, orange, yellow and red. The students – old and new – had finally settled into the routine of magical school life. It was nearing October and Hogwarts was undergoing a subtle change.

Though Hermione still hadn’t forgiven Alhena Moon for the stunt she’d pulled regarding the house-elves, the Empath was unaffected by this and she continued to mingle with the Gryffindors, keeping a smirk plastered on her face even when Ron and the others began to taunt the Slytherin. Of course, being one of the ‘Greenies,’ she needed to retaliate in some way. The Gryffindors soon found it was unwise to leave their schoolbags open. After Neville’s suddenly sprouted fire ants in the middle of a Herbology lesson, the Gryffindors became more wary of the witch’s devious nature.

It was no longer surprising to see Harry and his group accomodating the Slytherins in the library since Severus always cited references that were extremely rare. Working together as one large group had its advantages and disadvantages. The Potions students were able to finish their essays for Professor Snape in one day and the exchanging of ideas helped them to see things from different perspectives. Unfortunately, there were students who just seemed unable to ignore House rivalry for more than two hours. A lot of hissing resulted and some students would leave the library with faint bruises – especially when the Ice Prince couldn’t control his temper. He and Ron always left slightly red-faced and looking pained, as though someone was shouting loudly inside their heads. Harry sat through it all in bewilderment, and sometimes amusement.

The green-eyed wizard was currently taking an evening stroll with his friends. The group of Gryffindors joined up with Professors Snape, Lupin and Wulfe, who seemed to be making an extra effort to get along. Dean, Neville and Seamus were totally nonplussed by the bantering between the Potions Master and the assistant DADA professor. It didn’t help that Lupin would burst out laughing when the exchanges became more sarcastic.

Harry walked alongside Hermione and her red-haired boyfriend, discretely watching his lover from behind. A faint glimmer caught his eye, and turning, he saw Alhena standing side by side with the much taller Draco, looking out onto the lake. The couple was not even holding hands and Professor Wulfe sighed in disappointment since he wouldn’t be able to deduct points from Slytherin. Severus gave the man with silver streaks in his hair a long, hard look but Harry’s godfather continued to smirk.

The Boy Who Lived turned his thoughts inward and wondered at the developments in his relationship with the Potions Master. Harry had already regained his independence – he was no longer incapacitated by the need to be with Severus – and Hermione had reassured him that the feeling was quite normal.

“When you first begin a relationship, you tend to put h – your lover as your first priority … or something like that,” the bushy-haired prefect had said. “But after a while, you find that it is imperative that the world outside of yourselves becomes important again. I’m not saying that the relationship is weakening or anything like that, but your subconscious knows that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.” Then she leaned closer to him. “You just know now that ‘Sev’ isn’t going to get away from you. Make sure to spend time with him physically on occasion though. It’ll make him more reluctant to leave you.”

“Hermione!!!” Harry had exclaimed in shock but the girl just gave him a dimpled smile and ran off to find her boyfriend.

That particular memory caused him to chuckle, earning him puzzled glances from professors and friends alike. “It’s nothing,” he lied glibly and walked ahead of all of them, feeling quite light-hearted and cheerful.

Harry had told himself not to worry too much about Voldemort, but to learn as much as he could from the professors in Hogwarts – including the Headmaster. The three weeks since term had begun were relatively quiet. Harry occasionally dreamt about the Dark Lord, but he seemed to be too busy to attend to his plans for world domination, or to kill The Boy Who Lived. The emerald-eyed teenager knew that it was only a matter of time before he would once again receive the attention he had been lacking. Voldemort’s second in command was already recovering from whatever it was he was suffering and strange things had begun to start happening around Britain again.

Harry shrugged, knowing that there was no point in getting worked up about his future. His thoughts turned back to his relationship. He had carried out Hermione’s advice, only seducing Severus to bed when the man wasn’t too caught up with work. Most of the time, the emerald-eyed Gryffindor was content enough to spend his free time studying in the Potions Master’s presence. Having that private couple time helped Harry not to be distracted when Severus was teaching him.

“Anyone game for ‘Lose the Stack and Tell’ before dinner?” Ginny asked hopefully. Harry turned around to see Ron groaning, Hermione smiling impishly and the rest of their group looking puzzled.

“Common room?” Harry asked.

“Let’s try a different venue!” Ginny said enthusiastically.

“Not the Great Hall!” her brother groaned.

“I’ll get the the cloyish Slytherins to play too!” Ginny said triumphantly.

“You’re mental. I am not going to play,” Ron Weasley said hotly. The redhead was probably appalled at the idea of blatantly socializing with the Slytherins.

“Suit yourself. Don’t blame us if you start your Monday all tense and uptight.”

Severus caught Harry’s eye and the young wizard winked as the students trooped back to the Great Hall for supper, half-listening to Ron’s grumbles of dissatisfaction. The group of teenagers turned slightly so they could watch Ginny run to the two Slytherins by the lake.

“We must be mental,” Seamus agreed, talking to himself as Ginny led Draco and Alhena, striding calmly, toward the main group.

“It’s a start,” Professor Wulfe said shrewdly. “You people should have done this a long time ago.”

Harry couldn’t help it; he snorted, looking at his godfather in disgust. Fancy hearing that from him. He wants to promote Gryffindor-Slytherin interactions but he himself isn’t working on it with the Head of Slytherin. Severus Snape seemed to be thinking the same thing because he started swearing quite colorfully in front of the students.

“Severus! That’s enough!” Remus exclaimed, quite scandalized that the Potions Master had not watched his language. Several minutes later, after the two Slytherin students had joined them, the werewolf asked: “Is that position even feasible, Severus?”

“Professor Lupin!” Hermione gasped, her face flaming even as Harry let out a cough.

The brooding professor feigned a thoughtful look and nodded. “You have to be flexible though, and hold your legs up at a certain angle,” Severus added nonchalantly.

“I see,” the golden-eyed professor said and walked away. Only those who knew that Remus and his assistant professor were lovers managed to see just how embarrassed Sirius was. Harry saw that Alhena was looking at Professor Wulfe oddly but when Draco gave her an inquiring look, she shook her head slightly and smirked.

Great, Harry swore. Even though the rest of us aren’t anymore, she is still an Empath, and none of the professors are wearing their chokers … and that means she must have known about their relationship a long time ago. Damn! Does she even know that Professor Wulfe isn’t who he appears to be?

“Alhena,” the emerald-eyed wizard called sweetly.

“What is it, Green-Eyes?” she replied, just as sickeningly. Her response evoked a glare from her silver-haired boyfriend. Evidently, Draco was not happy hearing her giving the Golden Boy a pet name.

“Do you want cockroaches for company?” Harry asked, still using that gentle tone.

“Stuff it, Gryffindor!” she said angrily.

“I’m glad that we understand each other.”

“That condescending tone does not suit you, Gryffindor. Leave that to the experts.” Alhena linked her arm through Draco’s and pulled her boyfriend along with her.

“What in the hell was that about?” Ron demanded.

“Nothing. Just talking about business, that’s all,” Harry replied.

“You better drop that tone before I fill your pillow with cockroaches,” his friend threatened as they all climbed the steps to the Entrance Hall.