Vector's Challenge

Vector's Challenge

Chapter Two

On the first day of classes, the fifth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins had double Potions together. Something was a little strange this year, though. Snape seemed to be constrained somehow; as if there were all sorts of things he was restraining himself from saying. He kept pausing quite a lot, and he hadn't taken points off any of the Gryffindors before he finished explaining the day's potion.

Draco Malfoy mentally noted this fact, and decided that Snape must be ill. This means that I can have some extra fun in here, he thought as the class got to work. Draco grinned as he slipped the dried Flobberworm into Neville's cauldron. Unfortunately for him, Snape was watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Fifteen points from Slytherin, Malfoy, for attempting to ruin another student's potion," Snape said.

Malfoy looked aghast. "But sir, I wasn't doing anything, honest."

Snape sneered back at him. "Do you think that I was born yesterday, Malfoy? And another ten points from Slytherin for lying to a teacher."

"But sir -"

"QUIET! And a detention for your insolence, Malfoy!"

The rest of the students watched the exchange in total shock. Snape taking away points from the Slytherins? Snape giving Malfoy a detention? "Bloody hell," Seamus Finnegan whispered under his breath. "The world's coming to an end, it is."

"I heard that, Finnegan. Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek."

Something is desperately wrong here, Harry thought.

And so class went on in that vein, with Snape actually acting fairly for a change. He took off points from Crabbe & Goyle "for blatant stupidity," and actually managed to give Hermione and Parvati Patil points for getting their potions right. At the end of class, the Slytherins were down by 35 points and one detention, and the Gryffindors were five points ahead.

"What the bloody hell is going on with old Snape?" Ron asked as they moved down the hall to their next class. "He never gives the Slytherins a hard time, ever. No matter how much they deserve it."

"He never gave us Gryffindors points before, ever." This was Hermione, sounding happier than Harry had ever heard her after a Potions class.

"Something is desperately wrong here," Harry told the others. "What if this isn't Snape?"

"Like Polyjuice or something?" Hermione asked. "Although he wasn't drinking anything during class, and it was double Potions, so over an hour, so it couldn't possibly be Polyjuice, unless he's discovered some sort of other Potion or spell. I'll have to go to the Library and do some research to find out if there's anything else that could change a person's appearance."

"I wonder if he's got some sort of terminal condition," Seamus Finnegan said.

"What?" Ron asked.

Seamus gave an exasperated sigh. "I wonder if he found out that he's going to die soon, and that's why he's acting so strange. He's trying to earn his way into heaven, as my grandmother would say."

"I wonder if Dumbledore would tell us," Harry mused.

Ron shook his head. "Not bloody likely. He never tells us anything."

"Hmm. Hagrid might. We've got Care of Magical Creatures after lunch."

"Or Dobby might tell us, or at least you, Harry. And we might get a chance to see him at lunch," Hermione pointed out.

"Ha! As if! Do you remember how long it took him to talk to me the last time he had something important to tell me, Hermione? And how much physical damage I took? No, I think we're best off asking Hagrid first."

But Hagrid was strangely closed-mouthed in class that afternoon when Harry asked him about Snape's odd behavior. "None o' yer concern, Harry. It's Professors' business."

"Well, can you at least tell me that there isn't any Dark magic involved? No identity changing, like last year with Professor Moody?"

"Nah, there's none o' that, Harry. It's just that - well, it's staff room business, that's all. An' I doan't loike talking about that wi' students."

"Staff room business?" Hermione asked. "So it's more than one professor who's involved?"

"Aye, Hermione."

"Who is it then, and who's involved?" she asked.

"Iffen I tell yer, she's goin' to be roight upset about it getting out," Hagrid replied.

"So it's a she. Who is it? Professor McGonagall? Professor Trelawney? Professor Sinistra? Professor Vector?" the three asked in turns.

"None o' yer business, an' I shouldn't ha' even said anythin' in the first place," Hagrid replied.

And pester Hagrid as they might, no one could get any further facts from him on the subject of Snape's behavior.