| Subject: Re: Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (C4) |
Author:
Alison
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Date Posted: 03:34:27 09/20/02 Fri
In reply to:
Alison
's message, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (C3)" on 03:28:34 09/20/02 Fri
Chapter 4
The next day dawned bright and clear. Harry and Ron got up and went down into the common room to find Hermione and Alison waiting for them beside the fireplace.
“Good morning, sleepyheads!” Hermione called brightly as she saw the boys dazedly going down the stairs.
“Yeah, it’s about time you two got up, we’ve been up since seven!”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Ron said, sleepily.
“Come on, let’s go down to breakfast.”
They went down into the Great Hall, and Hermione made it a point to ask Professor McGonagall for four timetables, which she passed out to her friends.
“Damn, double Potions with the Slytherins first!” Ron exclaimed in horror.
“So?” Alison asked curiously.
“Are you kidding? Malfoy’s a Slytherin, and the teacher, Professor Snape, is head of Slytherin house! He loves that greasy git and he hates all of us Gryffindors, especially Harry here.” Ron made a gesture towards Harry.
“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad!”
“You just wait,” Ron said darkly.
They finished their breakfasts silently, and they went back up to the common room to fetch their Potions books and their cauldrons. Then, they went down to the dungeons, running a little, because Hermione kept complaining that they were going to be late. In fact, they were very early, so they waited in the corridor for more students to come. Alison shivered. “Is always so cold down here?”
“Yeah, it’s much worse in winter. Snape never lights a fire except to put a ruddy cauldron on it,” Ron said.
“Oh.”
At that moment, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle turned up, to their disgust. “Well, Potty and Granger, Prefects eh? I wouldn’t have thought that a Mudblood and a pathetic suck-up could have the privilege of becoming Prefects!” he drawled by way of greeting, “But that muggle-loving fool, Dumbledore would make his pet Potter a Prefect!”
“Eat dung, Malfoy,” Ron growled.
“Oh, and I’ve noticed that Weasley isn’t a Prefect. What’s the matter, you too poor enough to own a gold badge without selling it to feed your family?” Ron and Harry made a furious lunge at Malfoy, but Hermione and Alison held them back.
At that moment, Snape came, followed by a few more students. “Dear, dear,” he said silkily, “Already fighting on your first day? Ten points from Gryffindor.” Then he noticed Harry’s badge. “Oh, you’re a Prefect, Potter? Better make it another ten points from Gryffindor, then! In, all of you!” he growled at the remaining students. They all traipsed in the cold dungeon, shivering. Snape took a few more points from Gryffindor for no reason at all, and he began with the lesson.
“Today, we will make an Invisibility Potion. Turn your books to page 473 and begin.” He paused, then continued. “McKenzie, please stand up and tell us all what you were saying to Granger.” Alison had been whispering something to Hermione out of the corner of her mouth and she jumped when she heard her name mentioned. She stood up, almost defiantly, and said “Well, I was telling Hermione that we’ve done Invisibility Potions at Beauxbatons, my old school, only with different ingredients to those mentioned in the book.”
“Oh, really?” Snape said smoothly. Hermione, sensing danger, pulled at Alison’s robes and gave her a ‘don’t-cross-him’ look. “Well, McKenzie, I want you to make it the way you made it in Beauxbatons, and then, you will try it. Then, we’ll all see if it really works.” Alison sat down, frowning.
The Slytherins, especially Malfoy, laughed cruelly as Alison strode over to the students’ store cupboard and deftly pulled out some jars. She walked over to her table and calmly placed the ingredients on it. Snape watched her for a while as she lit a fire under her cauldron and then he snapped to the rest of the class: “Well, get going on your potions!” There was an immediate shuffle as books were opened, fires lit, and as students queued to get their ingredients from the store cupboard. Through the noise and movement, Alison stood poring over her cauldron, adding ingredients, occasionally stirring, and feeling the temperature with her finger. Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately got to work mixing their own potions.
“Lacewing flies, hair from a demiguise pelt, billywig stings,” Ron checked off on his fingers, frowning. I think it’s all in there, isn’t it Harry?”
“You forgot the flobberworm mucus, Ron,” Hermione said irritably.
“Oh yeah. Thanks!”
After half an hour, everyone finished making their Invisibility Potions, and Neville put the battered mop back in its place (he had spilt half his potion on the floor when he tripped on some flobberworm mucus). Snape went round the class, sneering at the Gryffindors’ potion, occasionally complimenting a Slytherin, and telling all the class how perfect Draco Malfoy’s potion was, even though Hermione’s was much better. Finally he advanced to Alison’s table.
“And let us all see if McKenzie has managed to sucessfully produce an Invisibility Potion,” he said icily, as he set a small tumbler on Alison’s desk, “Well, drink it!” he snapped. Alison hurriedly ladled some of the blue potion into the glass, drank a sip, and then… she disappeared into thin air. Snape was looking murderous as the Gryffindors cheered and the Slytherins cursed. “Where are you, McKenzie?” he barked.
“Sitting on the stool next to your desk, Professor,” came Alison’s voice from a spindly stool near Snape’s desk. It wobbled slightly with her invisible weight, and Harry wondered when the potion would wear off. Snape strode over to the desk.
“How much potion did you drink, McKenzie?” he asked softly.
“Ohm just a sip. It’ll wear off any moment now!” Alison’s bodiless voice replied brightly. Sure enough, there was the tiniest of pops and Alison reappeared, sitting on the stool, grinning mischieviously. Snape looked like he was about to kill her, Harry thought.
“Twenty-five points from Gryffindor, McKenzie,” Snape said even more softly. All the Gryffindors stared, outraged.
“But, Professor, she got her Potion right!”
“Shut up, Weasley. Do you want me to remove more points from Gryffindor?”
Harry nudged Ron and gestured for him to be quiet.
“Class dismissed,’ said Snape coldly, motioning to the door. There was furious rummaging as everyone stuffed their books into their bags, and ladled their potions into glass vials. Moments later, the class was empty.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Alison waited until they were out of earshot, and then Ron began to curse every inch of Snape’s miserable body. Alison’s calmness and cheerfulness had vanished. She was silent, looked tired, and kept rubbing her eyes.
“I hate Potions with Snape!” she suddenly exclaimed.
“Don’t we all,” said Harry monotonously.
“Well, it’s Herbology after dinner, maybe we can get more points then,” Hermione said.
“When’s Defence Against the Dark Arts?” Ron asked.
“Today’s Monday… said Harry, glancing at his timetable, “So it’s tomorrow, Tuesday.”
“Good. I hope Professor Fletcher’s a good teacher!” Hermione said anxiously.
“I’ve heard his name before… It sounds very familiar,” said Harry frowning.
“So have I,” Hermione said, “I believe he was one of the people Dumbledore told Sirius to alert after… you know…” her voice trailed off.
“Yeah, you’re right!” Ron said, as they reached the Great Hall, “I’m famished, let’s hurry up and sit down!”
After a delicious dinner, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Alison headed down to the greenhouses on the castle grounds. The Gryffindor fifth-years took their Herbology lessons with the Hufflepuffs. Professor Sprout, their Herbology teacher, was head of Hufflepuff house, but she wasn’t as biased as Snape and treated them all fairly. Hermione found it easy to gain points for Gryffindor that lesson - they were planting Muffapod seeds, little furry seeds that kept changing colour. After an hour and a half, Professor Sprout dismissed them, and they all left the greenhouse, hot, sweaty and full of earth. Harry felt much better when he looked at the giant hourglasses in the Entrance Hall, which showed that Gryffindor had the most points out of all the houses.
“Thank God,” said Alison, as she studied the Gryffindor hourglass, “I felt really guilty, taking twenty-five points off Gryffindor on my very first lesson!”
“Oh well, we’ve got them back now. C’mon, let’s go wash- I’m boiling!” Ron puffed impatiently.
“An hour later, they were all back in the Gryfffindor Common Room, warming up in front of the fire. It had begun to rain.
“Funny,” Harry said, “It was nice weather this morning!”
“Yeah…” Ron’s voice trailed off.
“What?”
“What’s that?!?” Ron said, pointing out of the window.
“Mae! I’ve been waiting for Dad to send her over! ” Alison shrieked, as she jumped out of her armchair, raced to the window, and threw it open. Harry couldn’t see what she was doing very well, but she drew back, and perched on her arm was…
“A Phoenix?” There was no mistaking the beautiful red and gold feathers. There was silence in all the Common Room. The only movement was that of Alison’s hand, which was stroking the Phoenix’s wet back. It let out a long, quavering note, and Alison shut the window, sat down on an armchair, still stoking the Phoenix. Fred Weasley was the first to speak.
“Cool!”
This was like a trigger for all the students to talk and point at the Phoenix. Alison was still stroking the Phoenix, mesmerised, occasionally murmuring something to it. Harry, Ron and Hermione approached her.
“I’ve never seen a Phoenix before… It’s so beautiful!” crooned Hermione.
“It looks just like Dumbledore’s, eh Harry?” said Ron. He and Harry had seen Dumbledore’s Phoenix, Fawkes.
“Yeah.”
“From where did you get her?” Hermione asked.
“My dad goes to China occasionally to catch Phoenixes and tame them. We usually have about two of them at home, not counting Mae here,” she said, fondling the Phoenix, “I didn’t bring her with me on the train because she would attract too much attention in the Muggle Station.”
“Can I- can I touch her?” Hermione said timidly.
“Of course you can- as long as you’re gentle.” Hermione hesitantly put out her hand and stroked the Phoenix on her back.
“She's wet!” she cried.
“Of course she is, she was flying in the rain, numbskull!” snapped Ron.
“Who are you calling numbskull?” said Hermione shrilly.
“Me!”
“Look who’s talking!”
“I’m taking Mae up into the dormitory… Do you mind her Hermione?”
“No, go ahead!”
“Thanks,” And with that, Alison let the Phoenix go, and it flew up the stairs behind her, singing its beautiful, but eerie song.
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