Chapter 22: Secrets in the Potions Classroom
"Psst, Harry what are you working on?"
The emerald-eyed boy glanced over at the blonde Slytherin whom he had been partnered up with for Potions class. "A project I started thinking about over the summer. I do not expect it to be done this year but it gives me something to do in order to pass the time."
"Something other than receiving perfect marks on literally everything?"
"Yes"
Draco rolled his eyes, before returning to his own potion, which he noted was not quite the same shade of red as his Lord's was.
...
Severus Snape gave another discrete glance over at the Potter heir's work station. The potion he had made was, again, perfect and now he was working on something else. The idea of trying to make a fool out of the boy was immediately stamped out though, he had tried such a tactic before and more often then not it just proved to raise the boy's skills even higher in the eyes of his peers.
No, what the Potion Master was far more interested in was what the boy had been so studiously writing for the past twenty minutes. How to get the paper though? If he directly approached him the child might make changes or even destroy the evidence 'by accident'. What he needed was a distraction of some kind to make move.
Thankfully some Deity or another was listening, and a ruckus from the back of the room gained everyone's attention as Weasley's cauldron boiled over, earning several screams as students moved out of the way.
"What a surprise Mr. Weasley, still unable to mix even the simplest of potions. What is even more surprising is that Ms. Granger was not observant enough as your partner to stop you." the man called out as he strode towards their shared table. On the way a simple wandless spell had copied whatever his target had been writing down onto a blank piece of parchment on the man's own desk.
By the time he had reached the pair his secret mission was complete, and he was able to divert all of his attention to scolding the two students, earning snickers from Slytherin and embarrassment from the preteens themselves. The class ended shortly thereafter, with the students packing up their supplies and leaving in their normal disorderly fashion. One, however, paused at the doorway and glanced back at the man seated behind his desk at the front of the room.
"Professor"
"Mr. Potter?"
"If you wanted to see my notes so badly all you had to do was ask, no need to be secretive about it." and like that he left, leaving a dumbfounded, and slightly frightened, spy behind.
...
"My Lord did you hear the news!?"
"I don't know, what is the news?"
"I made seeker! You are looking at the new Slytherin House seeker for Quidditch!"
Pansy gave a gleeful cheer, before hugging the blonde boy with a slight blush. Several others of their year also gave congratulatory nods or pats on the back as well. Harry himself merely smiled and gave a nod.
"D-does this mean you will come my Lord? To our games I mean?"
The previous year Harry had, usually, avoided the Quidditch fields. They held no interest for him and the game itself seemed rather 'simplified' for what it could have entailed using magic. Still Draco had dragged him to one or two games, which Slytherin naturally won, and he had not protested.
"I suppose so, I can't exactly ignore my chief adviser now can I?" The blonde beamed in excitement at the acknowledgment of his 'role'.
...
"So is there anything else we need to go over?" Dumbledore intoned with his normal 'grandfatherly' voice. He did so enjoy these weekly staff meetings, and if they weren't so busy he would have insisted on having them more often. It was far too difficult to keep up with all of the activities and students that Hogwarts held while keeping his other positions sustained at the same time.
"Actually Headmaster I do." Snape replied, earning a nod from the older man while the Potion Master pulled out a piece of parchment. "It has come to my attention that a certain student has been working on a new 'project' in his spare time. Something that reeks of advanced magic and darkness. After retrieving his notes it is obvious to me that this is something we need to put a stop to."
"Oh? And who is this student Severus?" Albus gently asked, silently praying that it wasn't who he suspected.
"Harry Potter"
The groans were far from silent from the other staff members, even from Lockhart. It went unnoticed by none that the Slytherin Head of House had an issue with the young boy, whom everyone else saw as a near perfect student and role model.
"Severus my boy we have talked about…"
"JUST TAKE IT!"
Letting out another deep sigh the elder Wizard did as was demanded of him, and glanced over the notes inscribed in the young boy's handwriting. "Hmmm, I suppose I will have to agree with you Severus."
It looked as though the man had just won the lottery based upon the way his face lit up.
"It certainly is advanced theory. If I had not been exposed to examples of his work due to everything you have brought to me I would have thought this was done by a far older Wizard such as yourself."
"Wh-what!? No! Headmaster please look closer at the…"
"Filius, would you please take a look, there is some rather advanced Charms work that I could use your consultation on."
The diminutive professor nodded, before taking the paper and looking it over himself. "Interesting…"
"Not interesting ! Dark! Headmaster surely you see the implications of this!"
"I see an advanced piece of work, although the true goal has not been made clear by this."
" Perhaps " Minerva growled out, sending a glare at the greasy-haired man, "we could simply call the boy in to ask him rather than making blind guesses? Unless of course Severus doubts his ability to tell whether a twelve year old is lying to him or not."
....
Want to read more exciting chapters, then join my P*atreon right now and get access to 60+ premium chapters.
Link: pa#treon.com/KittyLovesMilk (Remove the #)
Free members get 2+ advanced chapters for free.
JOIN NOW