Harry, Ron, and I were lost. We were late, lost, and paranoid beyond anything, and after almost half an hour's worth of searching we stumbled into Professor McGonnagal's Transfiguration class, and as we walked in, she raised her eyes from the matches that everyone was practicing on. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter, and Mr Weasley, what a shame, you couldn't have turned up another half hour later, I trust you don't need a map to find your seat?"
We went red and found seats, I sat next to a giggling Ginny who was incredulous because of my state, two telling-offs already, and of course my idiot brother's going to write home about it. Speak of the devil, he and Ron took their places by my left, and mcGonnagal placed some matches in front of us too. Using the general theory written on the board, Hermione had managed to make her match go grey, Ginny's match had become pointed and had a head, Ron's stayed the same and Harry's had snapped in two. By the end of the lesson, I was the only student who had produced, properly a nail out of a match.
"Well done Mr Potter, despite being late you have proven your worth, 10 points to Gryffindor!"
Murmurs of well done and pats on the back followed as we left Transfiguration as a group of 5. We eventually found our way into the classroom of Professor Flitwick, the half-goblin wizard had to use a stack of books to see and to be seen. We practiced the levitating charm, and Hermione constantly schooled Ron. Ginny, Harry, and I worked in a three, and though Harry didn't quite get it, Ginny and I successfully floated our feathers, then cushions too, along with Hermione, the other boys took it with a pinch of salt.
Charms came to an end, not until we had mustered a wealth of points for Gryffindor, in fact, Hermione, Ginny and I got 30 points in all, a great way to go into lunch at the Great Hall, there were sandwiches, steak and kidney pie, soup, bread, even steak. We had our fill and soon the time for our next lesson came and we filed out of the Great Hall.
The dungeons were cold and the dark and series settings weren't being helped by Professor Snape's attire, all black, buttoned to his neck, he looked like a necromancer. He began the lesson by talking about what he would teach and how he had no time for insolent brats who could not understand the finer details of the "art," that was potion making.
I began writing all this information down on my parchment when Snape suddenly paused and looked directly at me, "Haven't got time to listen to a Professor Mr Potter?"
"It's not like that prof-"
"So you think you're above us all Potter, do you think you're a celebrity?" sneered Snape.
"No sir-"
"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"An extremely strong sleeping potion, so strong that it is known as the draught of living death!"
"Hmmm, where could I find a bezoar potter?"
"Stomach of a goat, sir, it will save you from most poisons."
"What about this Potter? What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"
I thought long and hard for a moment, trying to look through my recollection of the books I read after purchasing them in Flourish and Blots. Aha! it was a trick question.
"Trouble Mr Potter?"
"No Professor, Monkshood and Wolfsbane have no difference, they are the same plant, also known as aconite!"
"Not bad Mr Potter, if only your daft twin read as much as you, probably got his father's genes!"
I chuckled in my mind, I knew all about the beef between my dad and Snape and how they used to be mortal enemies, I mean, Harry looks more like our father James anyway, and I look more like our mother, Lily Potter. Honestly, I was glad I was on Snape's good side, it meant he wouldn't pick on me, but Harry and Ron bore the grunt of it by themselves, but I couldn't help but grin at Malfoy's angry expression, clearly, he was hoping for Snape to hate me.
We set about getting the ingredients for the potion, a Wiggenweld potion that restored stamina and cured minor illnesses. Four measures of standard ingredient (water), two snake fangs, Wiggen tree bark pieces, three Wiggen twigs, four sprigs of mint, and of course a cauldron.
I followed the book's instructions poured four measures of standard ingredient (water) into the cauldron and set it to boil over the fire. Then following this, I crushed the snake fangs into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Once I had added the powder to the cauldron I made sure to stir three times clockwise and three times counterclockwise. I added the Wiggen tree bark and broke the Wiggen twigs into smaller pieces before adding it to the mixture and stirring, two times clockwise and two times counterclockwise. I made sure to let the potion simmer for 30 minutes before adding the mit sprigs giving the potion one final stir, clockwise and counterclockwise, before taking it off the fire to cool.
Snape walked up and down the rows, clearing the cauldrons off the bad ones and mediocre ones, he gave a passing nod at Malfoy's. He was getting closer, he looked down at Neville's and then proceeded to chuck it all on the floor, nodded at Hermione's and Ginny's before resting on my potion.
"My word Potter, this is perfect, as if I did it myself, I can't believe I must say this but.... 5 points to Gryffindor, but unfortunately your friend let you down!"
He walked over to Harry's and Ron's cauldrons and looked at the ashy, burnt mess they had produced and shook his head and I knew what was coming, "5 points from Gryffindor Harry Potter, and for you too Weasley!" I had won only enough to cancel out one of their losses, I sighed, of course, I wasn't expecting to walk out of there with points for Gryffindor, ha, wait till I tell our parents about this!
I walked up to the owlery with Ginny and I wrote a letter addressed to my parents and one to my godfather Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. I squinted to see my dark owl, Nightwing, fly into the night, I walked back to the common room with Ginny where we cuddled in an armchair near the fire until it was time for dinner.