The Dark Past: Confusing Times

 

Chapter 3: Quidditch and Potions

Harry found himself sitting in the Quidditch stands, on the side he had never thought he would ever been in, the Slytherin side. It was a strange feeling to be amongst the kids he had always thought of as the "enemy".

Green robes were all around him and Harry quickly spotted Rosier and Snape, and Florence too. They were watching the match, against Gryffindor, on the top row of the Slytherin side.

Harry walked up to it, freezing as he identified two of the people they were sitting next to. The heavy lidded lady from Dumbledore's Pensieve and the one that had looked at Crouch with a completely blank look. They were holding hands. The Lestranges. Harry shuddered, dragging his eyes off those two.

The person next to the Lestranges, all six of them had the top row to themselves, had to be Avery.

Snape looked slightly sick as he watched the match and Harry grinned at how often he rubbed his stomach, as if to calm it. No wonder he had been so nasty tempered when he had referred the Quidditch Match in Harry's first year. Flying made him sick.

So Florence was the Wilkes, Sirius had been referring to.

Harry sat next to Snape, he was at the end of the line with Florence. Tearing his eyes away from the sight of six future Death Eaters, Harry looked up at the sky.

A black haired boy, his hair wild and sticking up everywhere, was zooming around high up. Harry's heart beat faster. That was his father! He was seeing his dad play Quidditch!

James was thrown the Quaffle and threw it into a hoop. The Gryffindors on the other side of the field screamed.

"Great!" Snape muttered. "Now even if we get the snitch we will still lose. I wonder if I should curse Potter off his broom?"

Florence giggled.

"Little late for that aren't we?" asked the Lestrange boy, glaring over at Snape.

Snape threw him a very intimidating look. Lestrange poked the girl sitting next to him.

She bent forward and stared at Snape, her face a mirror image of his. Harry figured they would look away quickly but neither did. They just stared at each other, glaring, while the others watched the Quidditch match and occasionally shot them both amused glances.

Harry turned back to the game. His dad was just like him on a broom, confident and self-assured. Feeling his eyes water, Harry was thankful that no one was here to see him. Not bothering to wipe at his eyes, Harry watched the match.

James was scoring the most of all the Gryffindor chasers. Harry suddenly realized that Sirius was also up there. He was another Chaser. Watching the two of them flying so carefree in the sky made him think, unwillingly, of their and their friend's future. One dead and one would be imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit; Lupin would be alive but despised and friendless and Pettigrew would be a rat and in hiding.

Harry glanced at Snape and his friends and frowned: Rosier and Wilkes, dead; the Lestranges, imprisoned; Avery, a coward and back in Voldemort's service; and Snape, on the good side, a former spy and maybe a current one. Snape, like Pettigrew, had betrayed all of his friends.

Harry knew why Snape had done it, but why had Pettigrew?

Harry turned back to the game, shoving the depressing thoughts out of his mind. He searched for the Gryffindor seeker. She was a skinny awkward looking girl that was fluid, even more than James, on a broom. Sort of reminded Harry of himself. Except she didn't wear glasses.

The Slytherin team was composed mainly of large boys. It didn't seem much had changed in that regard.

Sirius and James often passed each other and Sirius threw nasty looks at Snape occasionally, but Snape was still engrossed in his staring contest with the future Mrs. Lestrange. Harry shook his head at that. Snape was odd.

Cheers rang out as the Gryffindor seeker caught the snitch. Sirius sneered at Snape and then rolled his eyes, nudging James. James looked down and saw Snape. Him and Lestrange's girlfriend were still staring at each other, despite the commotion around them and the other students leaving the stands.

Harry slowly stood up, shivering with excitement, as his dad landed in the stands, after he had gotten congratulated on his win, right next to Snape and therefore right next to Harry. Sirius had followed him.

James looked just like him, except for the eyes, like everyone kept telling him. James pushed a lock of hair back so it didn't trail down his glasses and stared at Snape, a smile on his face.

"What are you doing?" James asked, his voice amused.

"They're both practicing being evil," Florence said, in a dangerous voice. "All Slytherins have to practice it."

"I thought it came naturally," Sirius remarked sarcastically.

"Only to the select few," Snape answered, his eyes still on the girl. "I just happen to be one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately so does Perthia."

Perthia slightly inclined her head at the compliment.

"You are really weird," James said and then glanced at the other Slytherins.

They were all staring at him with hate. James, Harry noticed, didn't seem intimidated by it. Harry felt a swelling of pride.

"Come on, Severus," James said. "I need your help with my Potions homework."

Harry had expected Snape to either refuse, make James beg, or demand payment, but his eyes just lit up.

"Potions!" he said, tearing his eyes off Perthia and darting down the stands, taking the steps two at a time.

"You idiot!" Perthia snarled. "I almost had him!"

"Yeah right," James retorted. "You've never done it before and Severus is just getting better at it as he gets older. You're not."

Perthia rose from her seat, looking like a regal queen. She glared at James and then spun around, her cloak billowing around her. She stalked off, followed by Lestrange who shot James a nasty look.

"Say hi to Lily for me," he leered as he turned away.

James's face flushed red, his wand suddenly out.

Florence quickly stood up, blocking James's aim. Avery walked after Lestrange and Perthia.

Only Florence and Rosier remained. "Come on!" she ordered. "Leaving Severus alone in the Potions classroom is not a good idea. He can pick locks and disenchant the wards over the office to get the dangerous supplies."

"He wouldn't do that," Sirius sneered, following after her and James. "He always follows the rules."

Florence snorted. "Except when he really wants to do something. He is a Slytherin after all," she added proudly.

Rosier, Harry noticed, was looking quite dull-witted right now.

Sirius snorted in derision. Rosier and Florence ignored him as they headed to the Potions classroom in the dungeon.

"Oh, no, he's been here for awhile," she muttered as they opened the door.

Lupin and Lily were in the room too, so was Pettigrew for that matter, sitting at a table and watching Snape fiddle with some potion ingredients on the table next to them.

Harry walked up to his mum, reaching a hand out and touching the air around her. Her eyes danced as James came into the room and sat beside her. Harry stepped back, staring at them. This was like the Mirror of Erised, only better. He hadn't thought Evan Rosier's Pensieve would have his parents in it. Maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to visit again. Mr. Weasley had said that Dumbledore would be getting it.

Lily moved a strand of red hair back behind her ear and nodded towards Snape.

"I'm surprised he agreed," she said.

James looked at Snape with a small smile. "I said the magic word. Potions."

Lily grinned knowingly.

Florence had walked up to Snape and whispered something in his ear. They started to quietly argue as Rosier plopped down next to Lily.

He leaned over. "Leave him and come with a real man!"

Lily left her seat and walked around to sit behind James, who looked furious.

"Can't you control your beast?" Sirius snarled at Snape.

Snape and Florence walked over, Florence scowling at Sirius, while Snape put a hand on a very angry Rosier's shoulder.

"He's not a beast, Black. Don't be crude," Snape snapped.

Rosier was shaking, his normally blank look replaced by one of rage and fury.

Harry couldn't help but noticing the sudden tension in the room. Pettigrew was the only one cowering but it was obvious everyone was worried, including Snape. Apparently Rosier could get dangerous.

"I got dragon tongue out of the office Evan," Snape said, slipping a small bottle out of his pocket. "We can use this to make a potion that will allow us to see our enemies underwear and then we can tell the entire female population just what Sirius Black wears under his robes. I'm sure they all want to know."

Rosier howled as he hit the table. Sirius looked faintly indignant but he seemed to realize what a close call they just had. James and Lily even sent Snape a grateful glance.

"There isn't a potion that does that!" Rosier said, glancing back at Snape. "I could just grab his ankles and dump him upside down."

"We wouldn't want to permanently scar anyone," Florence said, still glaring at Sirius. He glared back.

"What potion are you having trouble with?" Snape asked James. "The one we just did?"

James tore his eyes of Rosier, disturbed by the sudden mood swing, and nodded his head.

"Yeah, Professor Mayor didn't explain it well. Potions isn't my strong suit."

Snape's eyes got rather glassy as he went over to a cauldron and began to explain the potion. His voice was low and he talked in the same manner he would have years later in the classroom. Harry grinned at Snape. He was in love with his subject. Maybe those rumors about him wanting the Defense Against the Dark Arts job were just that, rumors.

Harry turned to his parents again. They were sitting on a table top, away from Rosier, and listening intently to Snape. Even Sirius was listening to him. Lupin and Pettigrew moved away from Rosier, trying not to be obvious about it, and sat next to Lily and James.

Harry's fists balled up as Pettigrew sent his mum a quiet look of adoration. That little creep had a crush on his mother! He even sat next to her. Lily patted his shoulder affectionately and turned her attention back to Snape. Pettigrew stared at the spot that Lily had touched for a few seconds and then looked at Snape, a smile of contentment on his face. Harry shuddered.

Tearing his angry eyes off of Pettigrew, Harry forced himself to stare at Snape. Snape was mixing ingredients into the cauldron and watching the potion simmering, his face lined in concentration.

"Got it?" he asked absently, pouring the last ingredient, eye of newt, into the cauldron and staring at it. The greenish liquid inside played off his face, giving it a rather eerie look.

"Yes. Do you want us to leave you alone with your potion?" James asked.

Snape didn't hear the teasing behind the words. "Yes that would be nice."

Lily snickered into her hands as James shook his head. Lupin tried his best not to smile as Sirius poked him in the ribs.

"Come on, Moony," Sirius said. "Snape wants to become one with his potion."

Snape glanced up at Sirius and then back down at his potion. The fire was off and the cauldron he had been using was huge. Shrugging, Snape stepped into it and sat down, some of the potion spilling out on the floor.

"What?!" James laughed. "He was joking!"

Harry stared at Snape. Was he insane?

"It's a curative for any wounds you might have," Snape explained. "And this is actually what you are supposed to do with it. Soak in it."

Florence hit his head. "And why do you have that wound?" she snapped.

James seemed startled by Florence as he headed for the doorway. "Thanks Severus!" he called as they left.

Rosier suddenly grabbed a table and flung it across the room. He let loose a string of explicitives that made Harry angry and blush at the same time. Half of them had been about his mum!

"Evan," Snape said, climbing out of the cauldron. "Calm down. Lily's not used to being around anybody but humans. She's Muggle born, you know. She doesn't know how half-trolls act."

So that was why Rosier was so big and strong.

"They all think they are better than us," Rosier snarled. "That they can walk on us and say whatever they like to us. You heard what Blacky called me! A beast! I'll give him a beast!"

Snape grabbed his arm. "Black has a temper. Kind of like you."

Rosier slightly relaxed and then nodded to the cauldron. "Did that work?"

Snape grinned, hopping on one foot. "Yep. Forbidden Forest here I come!"

Florence hit her head with her hand again and fell to the floor. Harry didn't blame her. Snape was crazy.

The memories swirled.