Most Potente Potions of Fate

Ginny Weasley ran out of Potions with tears streaming down her face and a huge burn mark which had scalded right through her robes.

She couldn't believe Snape. FIFTY POINTS from Gryffindor! It was so unfair!

Surely, looking the way he did, and having such greasy hair did not entail him to be so bloomin' harsh to her?

She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see Snape now standing in front of her.

Well...having said that, she thought, I would be pretty nasty if I looked like that too!

She glanced fearfully up at him, but didn't wait to speak to him and sharply turned on her heel, intent on running away.

Unfortunately, she only got about two metres before she heard that dreaded voice behind her and she stopped dead.

"Miss Weasley, would you do me the honour of collecting your grade on this weeks potion, instead of dismissing yourself from my classroom, as you did, before you were told to do so."

Uh, thought Ginny, after lengthy thought. I think he means that he wants to give me my grade. She hadn't quite understood him at first because he was speaking so...well...Snapeish.

She reluctantly walked back to him and accepted the piece of parchment he held out for her. Even though it was folded, she thought she could make out a nice fat E, at the top of the page.

"Ooh yay!" she said to herself sarcastically, but she made sure she said so very quietly, she wasn't as stupid as everyone seemed to think her.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't say anything if he had heard. "Thankyou, Miss Weasley. Good day."

He started to walk away from her, and he somehow managed to knock all her books and parchment from her arms as he swept past her, and she could bet her Weasley red hair that he did it on purpose.

He stopped and looked around.

"Oh, what a shame, Miss Weasley, perhaps you should take more care next time."

He picked up a book that had landed near his feet, and placed it atop her pile.

This, unfortunately for Ginny, unbalanced her whole pile and sent all the books, and her, sprawling onto the floor once more.

Unable to stop herself, she glared ferociously at him and picked herself off the floor. Snape simply smirked at her and strode off down the corridor.

THAT'S IT! thought Ginny. This just WOULD NOT happen anymore, She was not going to be treated like this, whether it was a professor or not! She would NOT go to Potions and be teased by the pathetic Slytherins, and picked upon by the Grease-Meister ANYMORE!

She would get her own back. Just how exactly... well, that was a good question.

* * *

It was later that night and Ginny was in the common room, attempting to do her Potions homework.

Attempting, because every time she thought of Snape, she just couldn't get herself to do the work. She was practically boiling at the ears! Just how could she get her own back?

Growling in annoyance, she struggled to tune out Harry and Ron who were talking behind her. Usually she would have loved to join them, but, well, Harry was there.

It was true; she had got over her crush on Harry; but after having revealed it painfully the last summer, she was still embarrassed to be in a one-metre radius of him.

Zoning out on their talk of Quidditch, she turned back to her Potions. She only caught the odd word of their conversation, but suddenly a very familiar name came out of nowhere.

"Malfoy."

What? Ginny glanced around, where had that name come from? Oh! Of course, Ron and Harry probably conjuring up new and painful ways to kill him. It was all they ever did.

Hmm Malfoy, she thought. Malfoy, equals Slytherin, equals Snape, equals...revenge!

If she could somehow get closer to Malfoy, maybe that would help her understand Professor Snape better, and then get her own back! And besides, it would really shock Snape if she became good at Potions.

"Ginny, me girl," she said to herself. "I like the way you think!"

That still presented her with a problem though. How in the name of purple spotted broomsticks was she going to convince Malfoy to help her? He thoroughly hated her guts, because, after all she was a Weasley and in his opinion he might catch something from her.

Ignorant ferret!

Ah ha!

That was it. Tutoring! She would go to the seventh years' voluntary tutoring board and put herself up for Malfoy's services.

Oh Merlin! Except it wasn't supposed to sound like that, she only wanted his tutoring skills, she was not interested in any other 'skills' of his.

She snickered to herself; he would have to accept her offer because he needed two recommendations from Hogwarts Professors for his career choice. Snape had done his part straight away, but Professor McGonagall would only recommend him if he did some out-of-lesson tutoring for the lower years.

There was no way he would refuse this extra credit. He would have to be stupid, and stupid was one thing Draco Malfoy was not.

She would put her name up the very next morning, that being Wednesday, and hopefully she would be able to start tutoring by the end of the week.

Finally able to return to her Potions, she took out her quill and hummed happily to herself.

You had better watch yourself Snape; things are about to change.

* * *