One No Longer

Chapter 4- Annoyance of a Potions Master

The buzz in the Great Hall that morning was generally all about one thing. The fact that the new American girl, Potter's sister as everyone was referring to her as, was a recovering claustrophobic and got special privileges because of it. Half the school was angry about it, and the other half thought it was hilarious.

Harry felt bad about this being all over the school. It was partially his fault that it was. He had told Ron as soon as he had gotten back to the tower, and then Ron had told Parvati Patil, who had a notoriously big mouth, and now it was common knowledge. However, Harry was not thinking of this guilt at the moment. He had just left all that buzz, and his sister, behind in the Hall. He needed to speak with Dumbledore about something that had been bugging him for a while.

He had seen the Headmaster leave the Hall a few minutes before he had. Now Harry found himself staring at the gargoyle outside the hidden entrance to Dumbledore's office. Before he could even think to mutter a possible password, the wall slid aside, and the elderly Headmaster was standing before him.

"Well," Dumbledore began, a twinkle in his eye. "I have a knack for catching Potters at my door, don't I?"

Harry arched an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"Never mind. What do you need Harry?"

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June had seen Harry leave the Hall. Shoveling down a bit of food and receiving her schedule, she stood and followed. Harry went directly to Dumbledore's office, she could see, and quickly found himself staring straight at the Headmaster. She was too far away, at first, to hear what words the two exchanged. Ducking behind a nearby statue, she got closer.

"Never mind. What do you need, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, it's just...something that I've meant to ask you. I was going to ask June, but I thought she might not know," Harry began, stumbling slightly over his words.

"Go on," Dumbledore said patiently.

"Well, why is it that no one--not me, not Lupin, not anyone, I reckon--knew about June?"

June summoned every ounce of will she had to keep from gasping. This question could lead to trouble really fast. It was all depending on how Dumbledore answered. June hoped that he would come up with an answer that would prevent any immediate questions.

"Her life was destined for...something else, Harry," the Headmaster said.

Damn it, June thought. Well, there goes that plan.

"What do you mean, destined? What destiny could cause a child to disappear from all who should be loved ones' memories? What destiny would separate them for years? What destiny could steal away a child from its parents? What--"

Dumbledore broke in.

"You don't understand, Harry. June wasn't stolen from James and Lily. Your parents gave June to her destiny," he said.

Shit, June now thought.

"What?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. "How could they...do that?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand enough to answer that. However, judging by my watch, you should get along to your first class. Potions, isn't it? Good day, Harry," Dumbledore said tiredly.

Harry, without protest or another word, left for his first and most hated class. June left her hiding spot.

"You know that trouble was born here, don't you?" she said to the Headmaster.

"Trouble was born that night we all agreed to this conspiracy, I believe. I also believe that you should go to the same class as Harry," he replied.

"But I already have all my Potions credits. That was hard enough. Do I really have to take this class again?"

"Yes. You must watch over your brother, and you need to prove your worth in Potions before Hogwarts can accept those Potions credits. Now, off you go."

June nodded and ran to catch up with Harry, which she did so quickly.

"Hey!" she called to him. "Wait up!"

He stopped. When she was shoulder to shoulder with him, they walked on.

"Why are you taking this class?" he asked her as Ron and Hermione came out of an adjoining hallway to join them.

"I already have all my Potions credits, but the school can't accept them until I prove that they were well earned," she replied, relieved to be able to tell the truth this time.

"Bad luck," Ron said. Hermione actually nodded in agreement.

They descended together into the dungeons and awaited the beginning of class. When the door to the room opened, the students, nearly all sullen-faced, filed in quietly. It was as though they were all marching to their doom.

"Is this guy really that bad?" June asked as she sat on the end of the table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Her was seat was in the aisle. Professor Snape would pass her on his way to the front of the room.

Which is what she wanted. She had heard some horrible things about Snape just by keeping an ear open. She wanted to see how bad it really was.

Before her brother or his friends could respond, the potions master strode into the room. When he reached the front of the room, he turned to face them all.

"This is my Advanced Potions class. All potions shown will be on the N.E.W.T.s," he said as he stared around that the ten, as June counted, students that had made it into this special class. "I must confess that there are more of you here than I would've hoped for. I have never, in fact, taught such a large Advanced class. No matter. We will begin to today on the composition of a very complex potion known as The Killer of the Dead. Now, who in this class knows what this potion is used for?"

Two hands shot up into the air. Hermione's and June's. June well remembered Buffy telling her about the time her ex-vampire lover, Angel, had gotten poisoned with this particular potion. She knew all about it.

"Anyone?" Snape asked.

Hermione, with a look as though this professor had done this ignoring bit before, slowly lowered her hand. That's not fair, June thought.

"Excuse me, but I believe that Hermione and myself had our hands raised. Unless, of course, if that question was rhetorical, then it is entirely our misunderstanding," June said.

The eyes of the room, which for those sentences had been on her, now flew to Snape. He glared down upon her.

"If you think--Miss Potter, isn't it?--that you can answer it correctly, then by all means go ahead. But I feel you must know that I have never had a student answer it correctly, so if you want to make a fool of yourself..."

A few students off to June's right--Slytherins, she heard Ron call them--snickered. June sat as straight in her chair as possible.

"The Killer of the Dead is a very potent potion used for the slow and agonizing death of any undead creature you wish to use it upon. It is usually used on vampires, however. It is said to be incurable, but--"

"It is incurable," Snape interrupted.

"But," June went on, defiantly, "it is believed that you can cure it with the blood of one who hunts the vampire."

Snape's eyes bulged. "We go on facts in this class, Miss Potter. Not inane theories," he said. The Slytherins snickered again.

"Facts are born from inane theories, which prove narrow-minded professors to be the inane ones, sir."

June took this moment of deadly silence that followed to glance at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione seemed shocked, Ron looked scared, and Harry looked as though he were caught between shock, fear, and amusement. She turned her attention back to Snape, who was now hovering over her desk.

"Detention, Miss Potter. Tonight, in this room," he hissed at her. He then straightened and continued with the day's lesson plan.

June had ended up making a perfect composition of the poison, but Professor Snape scrutinized it until he found enough reasons to mark her low for it. But that didn't matter to her. She pocketed some of the potion, deciding that she could probably use some of it later. The bell rang soon after that. June, who was not used to the system Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to get out of this class quickly, was not ready to go where the other three were.

"Do you want us to wait for you? It is break, you know," Harry offered. Hermione nodded in agreement. Ron, however, was looking uncertainly at Professor Snape.

"No, that's alright. Go on, I've got a different class next anyhow. Thanks anyway, though," June replied, stuffing her books into the bag she transfigured out of her quill.

The trio nodded and left quickly. This left only June and the Potions Master alone in the room. Snape stood. He strode over to June, so that he could tower over her as she crouched down to pick up some things she had dropped.

"You will not get away with cheek in this class, Miss Potter. A detention, and probably several more, is what you need," he hissed at her.

June stood, having picked up all her belongings. She looked Snape straight in the eye. She wanted him to fully understand the meaning of her next few words.

"And I'm sure I'll get several more detentions, judging by the way class went today, Professor. However, I really don't care. You see, in America, we have a saying that everyone loves and takes to heart," she said.

"And what is that, Miss Potter?"

"Bring it on."
With that, she turned and marched out of the room. Once the door closed behind her she realized something. She did care. How was she going to patrol the grounds tonight when she was in detention? There was only one place to go with a problem like this.

"Back to Dumbledore...again," June muttered to herself.

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She found the Headmaster in the staff room. She knocked, and entered when she was given permission to do so. He smiled as she entered.

"Another problem, Miss Potter?" he asked pleasantly.

"I have detention," she replied.

Dumbledore sighed. "Let me guess, with Professor Snape, right?"

She nodded. The elderly Headmaster sighed again.

"Well, we can't have you in detention when you are supposed to be out on the grounds, can we? I shall try my best to take care of it during the lunch break. Right now, it is about time for you to get to your next class and for me to have a meeting with the Minister of Magic," he said.

"Thank you, sir," June said, leaving for her next class.

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Time flew by. She had had Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts next, a class in which she excelled through her Slayer training. Then she had Ancient Runes, where she met up with Hermione. Finally, lunch rolled around. Wondering vaguely if she was ever going to have proper time to eat at this school, she quickly ate some roasted potatoes and rushed to see what Dumbledore was doing about her detention. She ran directly to dungeon classroom and found that the door was closed. She pressed her ear up against it and could hear two people, presumably the Headmaster and Professor Snape, talking.

"She's a what?" Snape was asking.

"A recovering claustrophobic, Severus. She can't possibly have detention down here in the dungeons," Dumbledore said, in the tone of voice that said that he had already stated this fact for the professor.

"Headmaster, she cheeked me in class. I cannot let her get away with that!" Snape argued now.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but unless you can think of some way around this claustrophobic business, you cannot hold her here for detention."

Silence followed. June was all but dancing outside the door. She was free to do the job she was sent here to do! But then, just as she began to hear the footsteps of someone leaving, Snape said something.

"What if I were to hold her detention outside, on the grounds," he said.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! June thought.

"Uh...yes, that would be...acceptable, Severus. I shall inform Miss Potter of the change," the Headmaster stated.

June jumped back from the door, out of sight of any still within the room, as Dumbledore exited. He closed the door behind her.

"Headmaster," June began, but Dumbledore held up a hand.

"I know, it's dangerous. But Severus has been in plenty of dangerous situations before. He'll be fine," he said.

"But what if...I could be exposed," June pleaded. This was her first mission away from her Watcher. She didn't want to disappoint Buffy.

"I trust Severus Snape. If you are exposed, then he will keep the secret."

"That's not what I heard he did for Professor Lupin," June said, making her point, however harshly.

"I was not aware at the time that he would do such a thing. If the situation should arise with you, I will talk to him personally. You still have quite some time before lunch is over, so I will not bid you onto your next class. Good day, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said, leaving.

June sighed. Waiting until the Headmaster had had sufficient time to leave the dungeons, June followed his steps to get back to the ground floor of Hogwarts. When she did so, an owl swooped past her head. She had to duck to miss it. She looked down and saw that it had left a letter, with her name on it, at her feet. She picked it up and opened it. It was Buffy's reply. She began to read it.

Dear June,

Life here is good. Nothing much happening. Some of the other Slayers are complaining that they're bored. Everyone here misses you and wishes you luck. I'm glad that you haven't run into any problems. Willow, Xander, Giles, Dawn, Andrew, and the others send their love.

With love,

Buffy Anne Summers

June smiled bitterly as she thought of how quickly she had spoken of running into no trouble. Now she had to make sure the grounds and a professor were safe tonight. However, she confident that Buffy had had to do worse. With that thought, she smiled and continued about her way. After all, it was a long time to nightfall.