Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

Walking down steps, coming out from Professor Binns's lesson, was like taking a refreshing walk in the rain on a truly hot summer day. I felt my brain was turned into mush, a very dangerous spell as it needed nothing but the monotone ramblings of a ghost. No wand, no magic… just the power of words.

"This is not going to be my favorite," I said between two yawns while many who were walking close by echoed with a yes and their own yawns.

"Could have been worse," Quincy added, slapping her cheeks with two hands, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes as we arrived at the dungeons where our potions classes were going to take place.

"I hope Professor Slughorn is going to be much more… lively."

"He should be, and even if not, we should act extra attentive… he is the Head of Slytherin!" Another student added, who I didn't know at first. Looking at the gold ring on his finger with a stylized S, it has to be someone from the Selwyn family. "He has been head of Slytherin house and been teaching here for fifty years! He was the mentor of HIM!" He added with a whisper and, collectively, made everyone stop at the door to our classroom.

"Yeah…" Another girl added with a mosquito-like voice, "Imagine what would happen if someone who is a mentor to… HIM starts complaining about us!"

Somehow, by the time we all entered the potions classroom, we thought that another hour of Professor Bins's lesson wasn't a bad thing at all. When the Professor, a bald, fat-bellied old man, walked in, we were all looking on silently. How was he going to act? Was he friendly, or was the mentor of HIM just as… well… persuasive as his protege?

"Hm?" He looked at us and our white faces with surprise. I stole a quick glance at Draco, who I assume felt the same as his face was free of the usual, smug smile that often accompanied him. "What is the long face for? Did someone die?" Professor Slughorn asked us which was not the best choice of words as I exchanged a grim look with Quincy, with who I shared my desk. "Oh boy… someone did? Already?" the Professor gasped, checking us individually and making a headcount. When he was nearing me, I tried to hide behind my cauldron, but of course, it was a futile effort. "Oh. You are all here. Then nobody died. It would have been weird; most accidents happen in the Dark Arts lessons… You don't have that until 2nd year."

"People… die?" Draco asked, unable to hold back, and for a moment, I was glad because I had the same question in mind.

"Accidents do happen from time to time… Mind you, it is not that usual!" Professor Slughorn tried to say, seeing our pale, white faces, "None of my Slytherins died in the past 10 years! The first few years when the Defense Against the Dark Arts was renamed and reorganized… there were some accidents. But as we learned and adapted, all became much more streamlined and safer! Trust me!" He said in a jovial mood, trying to lift our spirits.

"It seems he is not like what I expected…." I whispered to Quincy, who nodded with a bit of relief creeping up on her face too.

"Well, you don't need to worry! Your first year is going to be Dark Arts: The Basics with Professor Lockhart. He couldn't hurt you even if he wanted to!" He chuckled, which… was also not wholly relieving, but at least I got the feeling we won't have any problems with Professor Slughorn. "Well, well!" He clapped, looking at us smilingly, "This year, I am going to introduce you to the world of Potion Making! I prefer teaching through practical lessons. The books you have for this year have everything you need. Of course, if you want to brew the perfect version of said potions, you need more than the following recipes! Potions are like living beings; you must read them while concocting them! The recipe may describe how to create them, but their potential is determined by the quality of the ingredients! The book may say you have to stir it clockwise four times… but your ingredients were sub-par, making you stir it eight times to produce the potion you were aiming for! We will see how you fare and if you have what it takes to be a master potion maker!"

"Now… this is more like a lesson I was hoping for!" I whispered to Quincy. This is what I expected from the start.

The Professor waved his hand, holding his wand, and the white chalk on his desk flew up behind him, writing hastily onto the blackboard.

"Here are the ingredients for it!" Professor Slughorn said, looking at us while we read the words appearing behind him.

"Rat tails, Porcupine quilly, and Billywig stings." I read softly. It wasn't much, but he did not write up the amount or the order to put it in… how to stir, the temperature of the fire…

"Yes." He smiled when our eyes met, "It is not a hard potion to make. Perfect for starting out. But!" He looked at us with an expectant look, "I won't give you more idea on what it is. I want to test you all! To see who has the gift to be a Master! You have one and a half hours to determine which potion you should make. The correct recipe and the last missing ingredient are in your books."

"Oh…" I exclaimed, knowing there wasn't all… and he was testing us. Good… good! Now this is truly like a lesson I can get behind! Awesome!

"No helping the others! Everyone must work alone! If you do, I am going to deduct points for it! Good luck!" The Professor clapped, sitting back behind his table, watching his get to work.

Looking around, I saw some of the others hit up the book we had, trying to find the correct recipe… Well, good luck. It was at least 400 pages long with tons of recipes in it. By the time they find it, the lesson will be over. Okay… let's tackle this from a practical standpoint. With that, I stood up, drawing everyone's attention, and simply walked to the shelf where the ingredients were on display and took what I needed, going back to my place.

"Here." I gave some to Quincy, who was still looking at the blackboard, drawing her back from her weird stupor.

"T-thanks." She murmured, looking at my hand while I placed it before her.

"If I have known some spells, I could charm the book to open where I need it to…." I grumbled under my breath as I sat down, and I heard Quincy whisper, her mouth barely moving or twitching, trying to avoid the Professor's gaze.

"It's the Hair-Raising potion…." She said, looking as if she was fixing her clothes, and then started to flip through her book.

I tried to mate my indifferent look as always, looking around the rest before I followed suit, trying to act as if I was looking for the correct recipe. It was hard to hold back my grin, especially as I looked at the slightly worried face of Draco at the opposite table, frantically flipping through the potion recipes. When Quincy stood up, firing up her cauldron, everyone turned to look at her, especially Professor Slughorn. I was still trying to hold back the smile from creeping up to my face. It was good for gaining a little bit of credit to her name. I guessed by the look on her face that in the morning, she was not really let to sleep well. I don't know who her roommates are, but I assume she wasn't welcomed with open arms.

Seeing her start cutting the ingredients, it was my time to follow suit. Looking into the index page, I found the recipe; flipping to it and reading it, I realized there is no fourth ingredient! Sly, Professor Slughorn, very sly! The addition of the ingredients didn't matter either, only their quantity. They had to be balanced and match each other ideally to create a perfect Hair-Raising potion. After reading the instructions, I stood up, copied Quincy, and started to prepare my very first brewing session. It would be an understatement if I said I was not nervous. I never made a potion myself in my life. I watched Father concoct some, but those were all mediocre stuff, as he was not a good potion maker. Still, at least I know how to handle ingredients and how to prepare my cauldron.

Now, the eyes that were watching us doubled, filled with part jealousy and part hate. Mixed in with a bit of panic. It was at that moment when Draco also looked at me. I saw that his face was whiter than usual, and his eyes were accusatory. That is when I slowly parted my lips, and when the Professor's eyes wandered away, I mouthed the potion's name. I almost laughed at the face he made, not believing what I had done. As to why? I want peace while attending school. I am not here to vie for the attention of others. I want to learn magic to achieve that; I need to be left alone to my own devices. I wanted to ensure Draco won't seek me out with every little thing or try to provoke me into useless, idiotic duels or whatever he was planning. It was worth it.

By the time I started cutting my ingredients, Draco was also standing, preparing his cauldron, and so did his cronies a few moments later. It didn't take long for the classroom to be filled with the noise of knives hitting the cutting board and the sound of small bits being thrown into the water, followed by the paddles hitting the cauldron's edge as students were stirring them. All the way to the remaining class, Quincy was wholly focused on it, standing next to me. She didn't say anything, only worked on her potion, and as we entered the last half an hour, her cauldron was releasing greenish, glittering smoke that raised some of her hair as it wafted out. Looking at her cauldron, I saw her brew was a lively green in color, while mine was much duller. Oh well, it should be good enough. I hope. When the Professor stood up again, there were some who were on the verge of tears because they either failed to even start or were only in the middle of brewing their potions.

"Very good… very good!" He walked before Quincy and me, and he was looking into her cauldron. "This is almost perfect! Wonderful!" He smiled happily while I watched his fat belly jiggle around, afraid he would knock over our cauldrons. "What is your name, Miss?"

"Quincy. Quincy Black." She answered, her face turning bright red from the praise.

"Outstanding, Miss Black! Ten points for Slytherin!" He announced with a truly cheerful voice and then turned towards mine. "Also good. The quality of the ingredients was not on par with each other; you should have balanced it out by adding less rat tail and increasing the amount of billowing." He advised, but his voice was now much less appreciative and more… factual. Not rude per se, but not kind either. Honestly, I did not mind; without Quincy's help, I would still be fumbling around, so I get it. I had a feeling he noticed it but let it slide. Probably another test for us; that is why he did not ask for my name. And neither did he ask for the others after us. Watching him go to each of our ends and explain our wrongdoings with the same kind yet distant voice was enough for me to know he was only happy with Quincy's performance.

"Nice job…" I leaned over, whispering to her, "I owe you one!"

"T-thanks…" She murmured, still flushed, her face basking in more of a pink color than anything.

"Lunch afterward?"

"Um." She answered simultaneously as her stomach rumbled a little, turning her crimson from pink.

"Ahaha~ See? That is why I had a plentiful breakfast!" I chuckled, looking back at my cauldron, letting Quincy relax and stopping my teasings. Finally… this lesson was much more like it! Now, my expectations were extra high for the charms lesson. The only thing that made me weary was the fact that Umbridge woman was going to hold it… and her aura was anything but friendly.