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Okay, here it is! VPR Part 3!! It is very, VERY rough, but hopefully I'll fix it soon. :)
Professor Severus Snape glanced through his potions book, ignoring the students that filed listlessly into his class. He watched the worst troublemakers as they came in, detailing a list of who to call on during the lesson. As expected, the reigning topic of discussion was Headmaster Dumbledore's announcement.
"Maybe there's a talent for Potions?" Neville Longbottom whispered almost inaudibly, but Professor Snape heard him, his head rising up as diamond-hard black eyes pinned the unfortunate Gryffindor to his seat.
"Mr. Longbottom, there is no Talent for potions," Snape declared, his voice low and scathing. "Potions is merely an art of logic and method." Draco Malfoy hurried in, rushing to his seat as he stifled a yawn. "You either have the intelligence to comprehend the process," Snape continued as he glanced warmly at Draco, his eyes icing over as he looked towards Neville again. "Or you don't." Snape surveyed the class a final time and stood up. "Today we will be making the Celeritas potion. Does anyone know that that is?" He looked at the class, ignoring the hand that Hermione was frantically waving in the air. Most of the students were looking back at him nervously; Neville was looking terrified; Draco stretched and yawned again. "Mr. Potter, do you know what the Celeritas potion is?"
Harry jumped, looking up from his notes. "It's..uh.." His forehead furrowed in concentration. "A speed potion?"
Snape glared. "Yes." He turned to the black board, writing furiously. "The Celeritas potion was created in 1435 by Alira Spunklenut. It's used, as Mr. Potter said, for speed--it increases the velocity of one's movement, allowing one who has used the potion to move as much as ten times faster than someone who hasn't used the potion." Snape continued with the history of the potion, moving on to the various uses and famous instances when it was used before he was distracted by a soft exhalation that sounded distinctly like someone had fallen asleep. Who would dare fall asleep in Snape's Potions class?
Professor Snape whirled around and glared at the class, gritting his teeth as he stalked toward the sound. The Gryffindors froze, the Ravenclaws straightened, the Hufflepuffs cowered, and the Slytherins watched Snape carefully.
All except for one Draco Malfoy, who was undeniably fast asleep.
"How long?" Snape growled darkly, and Pansy gulped nervously.
"Most of the class, sir."
How Snape hated taking points from his House.
"Mr. Malfoy!!"
Draco bolted straight up in his seat, locks of silvery hair cascading over his eyes as he swallowed. "Present, sir!"
The Gryffindors snickered, and Snape glared at them before transferring the glower onto Draco. "Can you tell me what battle was won by the use of the Celeritas potion?"
Draco breathed a sigh, relaxing back into his seat. He looked down at his notes, only to find a blank piece of parchment. He gulped and frowned in concentration. "It was a minor battle in Hogsmeade near the end of the 1612 goblin rebellion. A party of wizards made their way into the goblin headquarters, and used the potion to increase their advantage, since by sneaking into Hogsmeade they gave the goblins the advantage of numbers. If it hadn't been for the Celeritas potion, the attacking faction of wizards would have been captured, and the goblins would have been able to trade their captured prisoners of war for the concessions that they desired."
"Very good, Mr. Malfoy," Snape inclined his head, appeased at the fact that Draco appeared to know at least something about the subject they were discussing. "Five points to Slytherin."
"Five points?" Ron sputtered. "But--he's been asleep the whole class!! You're rewarding him for that??"
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for questioning a professor!" Snape roared at Ron, who cowered back in his seat, muttering about Snape and his favoritism. "However, Mr. Weasley does have a point. Did you not get enough sleep last night, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes, I mean, I did get enough sleep, Professor."
"Then will you explain why you're asleep in my class?"
"Can I be absolutely honest with you, Professor?" Draco asked earnestly, perking up and looking at Snape hopefully. Snape nodded, and Draco leaned forward. "I'm bored, sir." There was a gasp throughout the class, and Snape's glower grew darker, the intensity of his anger causing Draco to sink back into his seat.
"Are you suggesting there's something wrong with the way I'm teaching?"
"Oh, no, sir!" Draco shook his head emphatically. "That's not it at all. It's just...I already know how to do this potion, and you know that going over things I already know bores the hell out of me. Can't we do something really interesting, like... I don't know... the Aperio Celo potion, or the Qui Caeus,perhaps? Even the Tristifico potion would be interesting!"
The dead silence that fell over the students was interrupted by Hermione's delighted gasp. "You know those potions?"
"Of course!" Draco declared, sticking his nose up in the air as he looked at her. "Anyone who knows anything about potions knows about them!"
"No one except for you and Miss Granger seems to be as intrigued..." Snape arched an eyebrow.
Draco's eyes lit up suddenly, and he smiled hopefully. "Or even better yet, could we make our own potions? That is a challenge!"
Snape smirked and shook his head. "Draco, you may be a student more advanced than I originally thought, but students don't go about making their own potions."
Draco frowned. "Are you denying me the opportunity of a challenge, Professor Snape?”
Snape looked at Draco for a long moment and then turned away. “The rest of you may split into partners and continue with the Celeritas potion-I certainly gave you enough information that you should be able to manage quite well. Mr. Malfoy, you have my permission to dig your grave.”
“Thank you for the encouragement, Professor,” Draco muttered, and Snape glared at him.
“You’re the one confident that you can achieve your goal. This is to remind you that although you are talented, it takes a Master to create potions correctly.”
“Very well.” Draco pushed up the sleeves of his robes and closed his eyes, contemplating his move. Accio Asphodel!” he gestured toward the ingredient on Pansy’s desk, and it flew toward him instantly. Draco snatched a couple of other ingredients before noticing the silence again. "What is it now?" Draco demanded.
"Did you just--without your wand...?" Crabbe muttered, and Draco blanched.
"What are you talking about?" Snape interrupted. "Perhaps it wasn't obvious to you, but Mr. Malfoy had his hand on his wand the entire time. Now, get to work."
Hermione and Ron were the first ones finished, thanks to Hermione's expertise, and Hermione began avidly watching Draco making his potion. One by one, the students lost interest in their potions and became more intrigued by Draco's mutterings over his cauldron.
"Ah! It's finished!!" Draco cried as the cauldron emitted a puff of smoke. He smiled gleefully up at Snape. "May I test it, sir?"
"Yes, you may."
Draco raised the ladle and sipped at the potion, nodding thoughtfully. "It's perfect. Now, this potion increases the flow of adrenaline through your body, mostly your brain and muscles. Therefore, the effects are extra agility and superior strength." Draco demonstrated this fact by lifting his desk easily. Delighted gasps echoed throughout the class. Draco winced, putting the desk back down and rubbing his stomach lightly. "The side effect is that so much adrenaline flooding your body causes a stomach ache."
Snape put his hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing lightly in approval. "Extraordinary, Mr. Malfoy! Fifty points to Slytherin! What is the name of the potion?"
"I call it the Power of Gray Skull potion!" Draco declared confidently, and Hermione choked. Ron pounded on her back as her laughter wheezed out.
"You named it from a Muggle cartoon!” Hermione gasped out, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“So?” Draco glared.
“Oh, the oh-so-snotty Muggle-hater making potions named for Muggle cartoons isn’t funny?” Dean Thomas shot at Draco, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face as Draco flushed.
Draco blinked and glowered. “You’re right. That’s absolutely hilarious."
Snape frowned. First, he was able to perform wandless magic, and now he was speaking of Muggle cartoons? There was definitely something off about his favorite student. “Anyone who actually finished their Celeritas potion gets full credit, the rest of you who were too busy watching Mr. Malfoy’s creativity to complete your assignment fails for today." There was a chorus of groans; Seamus and Neville grinned and breathed a sigh of relief, hurrying to the stone sink to drain their potion quickly, since it had become a rather lumpy and thick yellow sludge.
“Class is dismissed!” Snape kept his hand on Draco’s shoulder. “One moment, Draco. I’d like to speak to you.”
“Yes, sir.” Draco murmured, keeping his eyes on his cauldron.
Snape remained silent until the last of the students had left. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Draco?”
“No, sir.”
“Perhaps you would like to tell me how you can perform wandless magic?” Snape stepped in front of Draco, crossing his arms.
“Sir, I can’t perform wandless magic. No wizard can. Everyone knows that.” Draco looked innocently up at Snape.
“I lied to protect you Draco. I saw quite clearly that you didn’t even think about your wand.” Snape continued, unfazed by Draco’s innocent look. "How long have you had this ability?"
Draco stood up, his gray eyes flaring silver as his lips thinned. "I didn't do anything. If you'll excuse me, Professor, I have to get to my next class." Draco grabbed his bag and stalked towards the door.
"Draco." Snape's voice stopped Draco at the door. "If there's anything that you need to talk about, you can come to me at any time, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I understand." Draco's shoulder's slumped, and he sighed. "Thank you."
You're welcome.Snape wanted to say, but Draco was already out the door, and Snape was never one to waste words.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
The next morning, Harry was almost sick with nervousness.
"What's the problem, Harry?" Ron asked in exasperation. "Nothing's going to happen, for crying out loud! We're all going to be tested, and then classes will start after lunch. Life will go back to normal!"
"I don't know why, but I have butterflies in my stomach. Perhaps I shouldn't go..." Harry grimaced, his stomach clenching. Just let me stay here. Don't let me have something else that separates me from my friends like my scar does.
"Don't be silly, Harry!" Hermione demanded, tugging on his hand. "Quit stalling!" They went into the Main Hall and went to their table to eat breakfast.
Once they finished, Dumbledore clapped his hands, and the teachers lined up. "Now, will each House start from one end of the room and go to the other? We'll start with the Gryffindors, and end with the Slytherins. Each House will remain seated at their table until the other Houses are finished. Let's start now." The Gryffindors obediently stood up and made their way through the line.
"I'm so excited!" Hermione whispered as she sat down on the stool in front of Professor Hooch. Professor Hooch smiled, and touched Hermione's temples lightly with her fingertips. "You don't have a Flying Gift, Hermione. Continue with the other teachers, please."
"Oh, Lavender, I'm so happy!" Professor Trelawny smiled at her favorite student. "You definitely have a gift for Divination!" Lavender smiled happily and finished going through the line, racing back to the Gryffindor table. Ron and Harry made it through the line without anything new being discovered about their powers, to Ron's disappointment and Harry's relief.
Hermione smiled at Professor Flitwick as he completed her test. "Amazing gift for Charms you have, dear!" he smiled at her and leaned closer. "Perhaps you could talk to Madam Pomfrey if your interests rest in Medical Magic."
"Oh, thank you, Professor!" Hermione went over to Ron and Harry with a grin.
There was a gasp as Colin Creevey turned completely invisible, and Harry groaned. "As if him stalking me wasn't bad enough, now he's invisible?" Harry grumbled, and Ron patted his shoulder sympathetically.
There were no more Gryffindors with Gifts, and they continued with Ravenclaw. There was sparse applause as Cho Chang blended in completely with her surroundings, and there was a lot of giggling when Terry Boot looked at Professor McGonagall and yelped, covering his eyes and muttering under his breath how women as old as McGonagall should not be wearing lacy lingerie.
In fact, there were no complaints about the test until they got to the Slytherins. “Must I go through with this, Professor Snape?” Draco whined until he was prodded into the line.
“Will you relax, Mr. Malfoy?” McGonagall huffed, glaring at the boy. “No one has been hurt in the Gifting process at all. Just go through the line and you’ll be able to go along with your normal afternoon routines.”
“Are you afraid, Malfoy?” Ron caroled, and Draco glared at his red-haired nemesis.
“A Malfoy fears nothing," Draco spat, straightening his shoulders and going through the tests silently, side by side with the other Slytherins.
Professor Hooch gasped as she uncovered a Flying Gift in Blaise Zabini, who cheered enthusiastically.
There were no other Gifted ones in Slytherin, and soon Draco was the last one going through the tests, the focus of a thousand eyes. Draco stopped short of Professor Trelawny, his jaw firming stubbornly. “There’s no need for me to undergo a Divinations testing. I’m going to go sit down now.”
“If you don’t finish this and stop being foolish, we will be forced to remove points from Slytherin.” Trelawny murmured softly, and Draco froze, his eyes narrowed to glittering slits.
“There are more important things in life than points.” After that quiet comment, Draco cast his eyes to the floor and sighed, edging his way in front of Trelawny. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Relax, Draco,” Trelawny murmured soothingly. “This won’t hurt a bit.” Professor Trelawny’s fingertips touched Draco’s temple lightly, and she frowned. “How unusual.”
“What is it, Sybil?” Professor Hooch went over to her side.
Harry frowned and looked at Ron, who shrugged. I don’t know, Ron mouthed. Harry tilted his head to the side as he heard a hiss…it sounded vaguely like…idem... identi...? He looked around curiously for the voice.
“I don’t know. None of the other students felt like…” Trelawny gasped as Draco spasmed violently, his mouth opening in a scream as a bolt of lightning arced between him and the Divinations teacher. His eyes rolled up in his head as he shuddered, sucking in great, panting gasps. Trelawny screamed, her face twisting into a grimace as her hands burned against Draco’s temples, trying to rip away from the boy as the lightning flickered and flared.
“Gods, make it stop!” she shrieked, ripping away from Draco and collapsing onto the floor.
Draco fell back onto the stone floor, whimpering as he clutched his head. “Oh, Gods, make it stop make it stop make it --oh gods Mother Voldemort bloodbloodblood makeitstopmakeitstopIdon’twanttoseeanymore!!!!” He screamed again and bashed his head against the floor, punctuating each sob with a whimper as he trembled and beat his head against the stone.
Madam Pomfrey hurried to his side. “Placidus!!” Draco slumped to the ground, moaning incoherently as she turned him onto his side. “We need to get him to the infirmary right now!”
Draco pulled away from Madam Pomfrey, wincing as he struggled to sit up. “No! I wan--I wan--” He vainly tried to wipe blood-filled tears from his eyes as he looked up at her, abruptly lucid.
“You’re bleeding.” Madam Pomfrey stated coldly as she looked at his bleeding ears and the bruised cuts on his forehead.
“No shit.” Draco growled. “I want--”
“What you want is of little interest at the moment, Mr. Malfoy. Somnus.” With a groan, Draco slumped back on the floor, unconscious. Madam Pomfrey turned to Trelawny, who waved her away as she sat up. Madam Pomfrey glowered at the professor before going to Draco again, levitating him out of the great hall. Headmaster Dumbledore hurried to Professor Trelawny’s side.
“What happened, Sybil?” he questioned, taking her hand in his and kneeling beside the stunned professor.
“I don’t know, Albus,” she whispered, wincing as she flexed her burned hands. “He…he has the most powerful gift of precognition that I’ve ever felt before. It frightened me…”
“Minerva, please escort Sybil to the infirmary,” Dumbledore helped Trelawny up and faced the students. “Prefects, please take everyone to your Houses. Thank you for your cooperation, and information on Draco Malfoy’s condition will be made available as soon as more is known. Thank you.”
Pansy was crying as Blaise lead her out of the Hall, Harry noticed, grimacing as Ron cheered. “That Malfoy got exactly what he deserved! Did you see all the blood? They should have let him scream!”
“Ronald Weasley!” Hermione shouted. “How can you be so bloody disgusting?”
“Wha--” Ron turned to Harry. “Come on, Harry, you have to admit--”
“Hermione’s right. Malfoy may be a git, but no one deserves that.” Harry declared, remembering the scene that just happened clearly. The screaming and the blood… “He was bleeding from his ears, Ron. Something’s really wrong with him.”
“Oh.” Ron paused, frowning. “I guess I didn’t think about that…”
“That’s just you, Ron,” Hermione declared, pausing at the staircase to the girls’ dorms and facing him. “You don’t think at all.”
She ran up the stairs, and Ron huffed. “I don’t get her at all, Harry. Really.”
Harry chewed on his lip, breakfast sitting in his stomach like a brick. “There’s one thing I’m worried about, Ron.” he murmured.
“What’s that, Harry?”
“Did you hear what Malfoy was screaming in the hall?” He frowned as he and Ron made their way to their room. “He was screaming about Voldemort.”
Ron looked seriously at Harry. “We’ll have to be careful then, Harry. You especially. That’s all we can do.”
“But… if Malfoy can see the future..” Harry paused and flopped onto his bed. “If Malfoy can see the future, and he is a Death Eater, what kind of advantage is this going to give Voldemort?” His green eyes glowed as he stared at Ron. “What if he knows how I’m going to die?”
TBC
Professor Severus Snape glanced through his potions book, ignoring the students that filed listlessly into his class. He watched the worst troublemakers as they came in, detailing a list of who to call on during the lesson. As expected, the reigning topic of discussion was Headmaster Dumbledore's announcement.
"Maybe there's a talent for Potions?" Neville Longbottom whispered almost inaudibly, but Professor Snape heard him, his head rising up as diamond-hard black eyes pinned the unfortunate Gryffindor to his seat.
"Mr. Longbottom, there is no Talent for potions," Snape declared, his voice low and scathing. "Potions is merely an art of logic and method." Draco Malfoy hurried in, rushing to his seat as he stifled a yawn. "You either have the intelligence to comprehend the process," Snape continued as he glanced warmly at Draco, his eyes icing over as he looked towards Neville again. "Or you don't." Snape surveyed the class a final time and stood up. "Today we will be making the Celeritas potion. Does anyone know that that is?" He looked at the class, ignoring the hand that Hermione was frantically waving in the air. Most of the students were looking back at him nervously; Neville was looking terrified; Draco stretched and yawned again. "Mr. Potter, do you know what the Celeritas potion is?"
Harry jumped, looking up from his notes. "It's..uh.." His forehead furrowed in concentration. "A speed potion?"
Snape glared. "Yes." He turned to the black board, writing furiously. "The Celeritas potion was created in 1435 by Alira Spunklenut. It's used, as Mr. Potter said, for speed--it increases the velocity of one's movement, allowing one who has used the potion to move as much as ten times faster than someone who hasn't used the potion." Snape continued with the history of the potion, moving on to the various uses and famous instances when it was used before he was distracted by a soft exhalation that sounded distinctly like someone had fallen asleep. Who would dare fall asleep in Snape's Potions class?
Professor Snape whirled around and glared at the class, gritting his teeth as he stalked toward the sound. The Gryffindors froze, the Ravenclaws straightened, the Hufflepuffs cowered, and the Slytherins watched Snape carefully.
All except for one Draco Malfoy, who was undeniably fast asleep.
"How long?" Snape growled darkly, and Pansy gulped nervously.
"Most of the class, sir."
How Snape hated taking points from his House.
"Mr. Malfoy!!"
Draco bolted straight up in his seat, locks of silvery hair cascading over his eyes as he swallowed. "Present, sir!"
The Gryffindors snickered, and Snape glared at them before transferring the glower onto Draco. "Can you tell me what battle was won by the use of the Celeritas potion?"
Draco breathed a sigh, relaxing back into his seat. He looked down at his notes, only to find a blank piece of parchment. He gulped and frowned in concentration. "It was a minor battle in Hogsmeade near the end of the 1612 goblin rebellion. A party of wizards made their way into the goblin headquarters, and used the potion to increase their advantage, since by sneaking into Hogsmeade they gave the goblins the advantage of numbers. If it hadn't been for the Celeritas potion, the attacking faction of wizards would have been captured, and the goblins would have been able to trade their captured prisoners of war for the concessions that they desired."
"Very good, Mr. Malfoy," Snape inclined his head, appeased at the fact that Draco appeared to know at least something about the subject they were discussing. "Five points to Slytherin."
"Five points?" Ron sputtered. "But--he's been asleep the whole class!! You're rewarding him for that??"
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for questioning a professor!" Snape roared at Ron, who cowered back in his seat, muttering about Snape and his favoritism. "However, Mr. Weasley does have a point. Did you not get enough sleep last night, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes, I mean, I did get enough sleep, Professor."
"Then will you explain why you're asleep in my class?"
"Can I be absolutely honest with you, Professor?" Draco asked earnestly, perking up and looking at Snape hopefully. Snape nodded, and Draco leaned forward. "I'm bored, sir." There was a gasp throughout the class, and Snape's glower grew darker, the intensity of his anger causing Draco to sink back into his seat.
"Are you suggesting there's something wrong with the way I'm teaching?"
"Oh, no, sir!" Draco shook his head emphatically. "That's not it at all. It's just...I already know how to do this potion, and you know that going over things I already know bores the hell out of me. Can't we do something really interesting, like... I don't know... the Aperio Celo potion, or the Qui Caeus,perhaps? Even the Tristifico potion would be interesting!"
The dead silence that fell over the students was interrupted by Hermione's delighted gasp. "You know those potions?"
"Of course!" Draco declared, sticking his nose up in the air as he looked at her. "Anyone who knows anything about potions knows about them!"
"No one except for you and Miss Granger seems to be as intrigued..." Snape arched an eyebrow.
Draco's eyes lit up suddenly, and he smiled hopefully. "Or even better yet, could we make our own potions? That is a challenge!"
Snape smirked and shook his head. "Draco, you may be a student more advanced than I originally thought, but students don't go about making their own potions."
Draco frowned. "Are you denying me the opportunity of a challenge, Professor Snape?”
Snape looked at Draco for a long moment and then turned away. “The rest of you may split into partners and continue with the Celeritas potion-I certainly gave you enough information that you should be able to manage quite well. Mr. Malfoy, you have my permission to dig your grave.”
“Thank you for the encouragement, Professor,” Draco muttered, and Snape glared at him.
“You’re the one confident that you can achieve your goal. This is to remind you that although you are talented, it takes a Master to create potions correctly.”
“Very well.” Draco pushed up the sleeves of his robes and closed his eyes, contemplating his move. Accio Asphodel!” he gestured toward the ingredient on Pansy’s desk, and it flew toward him instantly. Draco snatched a couple of other ingredients before noticing the silence again. "What is it now?" Draco demanded.
"Did you just--without your wand...?" Crabbe muttered, and Draco blanched.
"What are you talking about?" Snape interrupted. "Perhaps it wasn't obvious to you, but Mr. Malfoy had his hand on his wand the entire time. Now, get to work."
Hermione and Ron were the first ones finished, thanks to Hermione's expertise, and Hermione began avidly watching Draco making his potion. One by one, the students lost interest in their potions and became more intrigued by Draco's mutterings over his cauldron.
"Ah! It's finished!!" Draco cried as the cauldron emitted a puff of smoke. He smiled gleefully up at Snape. "May I test it, sir?"
"Yes, you may."
Draco raised the ladle and sipped at the potion, nodding thoughtfully. "It's perfect. Now, this potion increases the flow of adrenaline through your body, mostly your brain and muscles. Therefore, the effects are extra agility and superior strength." Draco demonstrated this fact by lifting his desk easily. Delighted gasps echoed throughout the class. Draco winced, putting the desk back down and rubbing his stomach lightly. "The side effect is that so much adrenaline flooding your body causes a stomach ache."
Snape put his hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing lightly in approval. "Extraordinary, Mr. Malfoy! Fifty points to Slytherin! What is the name of the potion?"
"I call it the Power of Gray Skull potion!" Draco declared confidently, and Hermione choked. Ron pounded on her back as her laughter wheezed out.
"You named it from a Muggle cartoon!” Hermione gasped out, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“So?” Draco glared.
“Oh, the oh-so-snotty Muggle-hater making potions named for Muggle cartoons isn’t funny?” Dean Thomas shot at Draco, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face as Draco flushed.
Draco blinked and glowered. “You’re right. That’s absolutely hilarious."
Snape frowned. First, he was able to perform wandless magic, and now he was speaking of Muggle cartoons? There was definitely something off about his favorite student. “Anyone who actually finished their Celeritas potion gets full credit, the rest of you who were too busy watching Mr. Malfoy’s creativity to complete your assignment fails for today." There was a chorus of groans; Seamus and Neville grinned and breathed a sigh of relief, hurrying to the stone sink to drain their potion quickly, since it had become a rather lumpy and thick yellow sludge.
“Class is dismissed!” Snape kept his hand on Draco’s shoulder. “One moment, Draco. I’d like to speak to you.”
“Yes, sir.” Draco murmured, keeping his eyes on his cauldron.
Snape remained silent until the last of the students had left. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Draco?”
“No, sir.”
“Perhaps you would like to tell me how you can perform wandless magic?” Snape stepped in front of Draco, crossing his arms.
“Sir, I can’t perform wandless magic. No wizard can. Everyone knows that.” Draco looked innocently up at Snape.
“I lied to protect you Draco. I saw quite clearly that you didn’t even think about your wand.” Snape continued, unfazed by Draco’s innocent look. "How long have you had this ability?"
Draco stood up, his gray eyes flaring silver as his lips thinned. "I didn't do anything. If you'll excuse me, Professor, I have to get to my next class." Draco grabbed his bag and stalked towards the door.
"Draco." Snape's voice stopped Draco at the door. "If there's anything that you need to talk about, you can come to me at any time, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I understand." Draco's shoulder's slumped, and he sighed. "Thank you."
You're welcome.Snape wanted to say, but Draco was already out the door, and Snape was never one to waste words.
~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~&~
The next morning, Harry was almost sick with nervousness.
"What's the problem, Harry?" Ron asked in exasperation. "Nothing's going to happen, for crying out loud! We're all going to be tested, and then classes will start after lunch. Life will go back to normal!"
"I don't know why, but I have butterflies in my stomach. Perhaps I shouldn't go..." Harry grimaced, his stomach clenching. Just let me stay here. Don't let me have something else that separates me from my friends like my scar does.
"Don't be silly, Harry!" Hermione demanded, tugging on his hand. "Quit stalling!" They went into the Main Hall and went to their table to eat breakfast.
Once they finished, Dumbledore clapped his hands, and the teachers lined up. "Now, will each House start from one end of the room and go to the other? We'll start with the Gryffindors, and end with the Slytherins. Each House will remain seated at their table until the other Houses are finished. Let's start now." The Gryffindors obediently stood up and made their way through the line.
"I'm so excited!" Hermione whispered as she sat down on the stool in front of Professor Hooch. Professor Hooch smiled, and touched Hermione's temples lightly with her fingertips. "You don't have a Flying Gift, Hermione. Continue with the other teachers, please."
"Oh, Lavender, I'm so happy!" Professor Trelawny smiled at her favorite student. "You definitely have a gift for Divination!" Lavender smiled happily and finished going through the line, racing back to the Gryffindor table. Ron and Harry made it through the line without anything new being discovered about their powers, to Ron's disappointment and Harry's relief.
Hermione smiled at Professor Flitwick as he completed her test. "Amazing gift for Charms you have, dear!" he smiled at her and leaned closer. "Perhaps you could talk to Madam Pomfrey if your interests rest in Medical Magic."
"Oh, thank you, Professor!" Hermione went over to Ron and Harry with a grin.
There was a gasp as Colin Creevey turned completely invisible, and Harry groaned. "As if him stalking me wasn't bad enough, now he's invisible?" Harry grumbled, and Ron patted his shoulder sympathetically.
There were no more Gryffindors with Gifts, and they continued with Ravenclaw. There was sparse applause as Cho Chang blended in completely with her surroundings, and there was a lot of giggling when Terry Boot looked at Professor McGonagall and yelped, covering his eyes and muttering under his breath how women as old as McGonagall should not be wearing lacy lingerie.
In fact, there were no complaints about the test until they got to the Slytherins. “Must I go through with this, Professor Snape?” Draco whined until he was prodded into the line.
“Will you relax, Mr. Malfoy?” McGonagall huffed, glaring at the boy. “No one has been hurt in the Gifting process at all. Just go through the line and you’ll be able to go along with your normal afternoon routines.”
“Are you afraid, Malfoy?” Ron caroled, and Draco glared at his red-haired nemesis.
“A Malfoy fears nothing," Draco spat, straightening his shoulders and going through the tests silently, side by side with the other Slytherins.
Professor Hooch gasped as she uncovered a Flying Gift in Blaise Zabini, who cheered enthusiastically.
There were no other Gifted ones in Slytherin, and soon Draco was the last one going through the tests, the focus of a thousand eyes. Draco stopped short of Professor Trelawny, his jaw firming stubbornly. “There’s no need for me to undergo a Divinations testing. I’m going to go sit down now.”
“If you don’t finish this and stop being foolish, we will be forced to remove points from Slytherin.” Trelawny murmured softly, and Draco froze, his eyes narrowed to glittering slits.
“There are more important things in life than points.” After that quiet comment, Draco cast his eyes to the floor and sighed, edging his way in front of Trelawny. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Relax, Draco,” Trelawny murmured soothingly. “This won’t hurt a bit.” Professor Trelawny’s fingertips touched Draco’s temple lightly, and she frowned. “How unusual.”
“What is it, Sybil?” Professor Hooch went over to her side.
Harry frowned and looked at Ron, who shrugged. I don’t know, Ron mouthed. Harry tilted his head to the side as he heard a hiss…it sounded vaguely like…idem... identi...? He looked around curiously for the voice.
“I don’t know. None of the other students felt like…” Trelawny gasped as Draco spasmed violently, his mouth opening in a scream as a bolt of lightning arced between him and the Divinations teacher. His eyes rolled up in his head as he shuddered, sucking in great, panting gasps. Trelawny screamed, her face twisting into a grimace as her hands burned against Draco’s temples, trying to rip away from the boy as the lightning flickered and flared.
“Gods, make it stop!” she shrieked, ripping away from Draco and collapsing onto the floor.
Draco fell back onto the stone floor, whimpering as he clutched his head. “Oh, Gods, make it stop make it stop make it --oh gods Mother Voldemort bloodbloodblood makeitstopmakeitstopIdon’twanttoseeanymore!!!!” He screamed again and bashed his head against the floor, punctuating each sob with a whimper as he trembled and beat his head against the stone.
Madam Pomfrey hurried to his side. “Placidus!!” Draco slumped to the ground, moaning incoherently as she turned him onto his side. “We need to get him to the infirmary right now!”
Draco pulled away from Madam Pomfrey, wincing as he struggled to sit up. “No! I wan--I wan--” He vainly tried to wipe blood-filled tears from his eyes as he looked up at her, abruptly lucid.
“You’re bleeding.” Madam Pomfrey stated coldly as she looked at his bleeding ears and the bruised cuts on his forehead.
“No shit.” Draco growled. “I want--”
“What you want is of little interest at the moment, Mr. Malfoy. Somnus.” With a groan, Draco slumped back on the floor, unconscious. Madam Pomfrey turned to Trelawny, who waved her away as she sat up. Madam Pomfrey glowered at the professor before going to Draco again, levitating him out of the great hall. Headmaster Dumbledore hurried to Professor Trelawny’s side.
“What happened, Sybil?” he questioned, taking her hand in his and kneeling beside the stunned professor.
“I don’t know, Albus,” she whispered, wincing as she flexed her burned hands. “He…he has the most powerful gift of precognition that I’ve ever felt before. It frightened me…”
“Minerva, please escort Sybil to the infirmary,” Dumbledore helped Trelawny up and faced the students. “Prefects, please take everyone to your Houses. Thank you for your cooperation, and information on Draco Malfoy’s condition will be made available as soon as more is known. Thank you.”
Pansy was crying as Blaise lead her out of the Hall, Harry noticed, grimacing as Ron cheered. “That Malfoy got exactly what he deserved! Did you see all the blood? They should have let him scream!”
“Ronald Weasley!” Hermione shouted. “How can you be so bloody disgusting?”
“Wha--” Ron turned to Harry. “Come on, Harry, you have to admit--”
“Hermione’s right. Malfoy may be a git, but no one deserves that.” Harry declared, remembering the scene that just happened clearly. The screaming and the blood… “He was bleeding from his ears, Ron. Something’s really wrong with him.”
“Oh.” Ron paused, frowning. “I guess I didn’t think about that…”
“That’s just you, Ron,” Hermione declared, pausing at the staircase to the girls’ dorms and facing him. “You don’t think at all.”
She ran up the stairs, and Ron huffed. “I don’t get her at all, Harry. Really.”
Harry chewed on his lip, breakfast sitting in his stomach like a brick. “There’s one thing I’m worried about, Ron.” he murmured.
“What’s that, Harry?”
“Did you hear what Malfoy was screaming in the hall?” He frowned as he and Ron made their way to their room. “He was screaming about Voldemort.”
Ron looked seriously at Harry. “We’ll have to be careful then, Harry. You especially. That’s all we can do.”
“But… if Malfoy can see the future..” Harry paused and flopped onto his bed. “If Malfoy can see the future, and he is a Death Eater, what kind of advantage is this going to give Voldemort?” His green eyes glowed as he stared at Ron. “What if he knows how I’m going to die?”
TBC
no subject
i loved it!
:huggles fic and mori:
it was great, the way draco just couldn't keep up interest in class, the name of his potion :rolls:, and the scene where his ability comes out-
very well done. very very nice. the imagery of him beating his head against the floor was powerful, as was his sudden return to self and unwilligness to accept help.
:loffs mori:
:want more NOW:
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no subject
but you know, often i go to bed nervous right after i've posted, too. even if i think that the piece might be decent. it can be really hard to distance oneself from your writing, you know?
but this chapter was good. you had a lot of good lines, and your imagery was very simple and powerful.
and besides, i would never flame you! yes, constructive criticims, but flaming? never.
:huggles mori: of course, what you write is definitely unworthy of flames. if you think it needs edits, then go ahead and do them- i'm sure that it'll only make the piece stronger. but it's lovely as is.
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Oh, and if you're willing...*toes ground* I'd like to hear any theories or ideas you might have as to where this fic is going...I don't think it'll change anything of what I have planned, but I always like to hear ideas about what might/might not be happening in one of my stories. *blushes and loves*
no subject
1) "Alira Spunklenut" Spunklenut. hehehe...
2) "'I call it the Power of Gray Skull potion!'" ::facefaults::
3) Your Snape rocks! He is sooooo book!canon, with the exception of this one line: "Snape put his hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing lightly as a smile lit up his face." I just can't see him smiling in class, and I can't see his face lighting up. I think he'd probably look more intrigued, or vaguely suspicious, even.
4) "You're welcome. Snape wanted to say, but Draco was already out the door, and Snape was never one to waste words." I just love this line.
So rock on, VPR. Your public is clamoring for more...
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Yay!
*grins*
I love it!
And the images of Draco banging his head against the floor...the blood...
Wow.
Those were some really great discriptions!
BTW, you have me *more* than intrigued by they way Draco yelled, "Mother Voldemort..." etc, etc.
That's got me *thinking*...and you know how *that* turns out...*laughs*
*loves*
I adored it!
Cai
Re: Yay!
As for you thinking, I would be VERY interested about what's going on in your head... I got through your temporal theories, didn't I? I'd like to hear your ideas on where you think this fic might go! (Not that it's going to change what I've got planned, but still. :))
*sniffles* I'm soooo sorry I didn't catch you on messenger...I'm upset--you're one of my favorite people to talk to. :(
Re: Yay!
But really...
Theories?
You want me to drop those?
*laughs*
Here goes, let's spawn some made fic theories:
Okay, so #1 for the "Mother, Voldie" thing is that Voldie kills his mother and makes Dray watch.
#2 is that Dray catches his mommy dearest doing the nasty with Voldie, which would explain (to my mind, anyway) the head-banging thing. (Who wouldn't want to get *those* images out of their head???)
#3 is that Dray's mum betrays him, and he can't take it...
You know how my time-theories went...way too confusing...*laughs*
But the end with Harry...damn...the boy can't see anything...and Ron was all like, "I want him to bleed," which is signalling to me that he was jealous and bitter way before Hermione died...
Something to think about, though, would be this: if Draco can get Harry to love him (and *admit* it) while they're still in school, then maybe it won't be so bad on Ron after Hermione dies. If they have an established relationship, and Ron *realizes* that Harry will go to save Draco rather than Hermione, then maybe something else could be done and she wouldn't die...rather than having Ron waiting around for Harry...when Harry's not going to show up!
Okay...
I'll stop now...
*laughs*
If you're interested in hearing more of the fic theories you've spawned, you know my addy!
*grins*
*loves*
Cai
Re: Yay!
lol. As for Ron, it really isn't a matter of him being bitter and jealous, it was a matter of hating Draco Malfoy. Draco and Ron HATE each other passionately in this story, in my brain anyway. And I've known a lot of fifteen year olds who don't know that bleeding from the ears means something really bad. And besides, they were kinda far away from the actual testing, so Ron can be forgiven.
And of course I want theories! I COLLECT theories about my stories! lol. You know my addy too, so get to it, wench! *loves*
no subject
don't bother to give a thought to draco's health or draco's death!
or ron or mione's or the fact that he could see you DEFEATING voldie, just think about yourself.
::sighs::
i don't think i can wait for that stupid kiss you forced me to read.
::watery sigh::
and poor poor draco. i mean SHIT!
did NO ONE NOTICE that he said *mother*?!!
...you will be doling out more of this soon i hope...
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And I didn't force you to read anything! Who was like 'PLEASE, Mori?' Huh? Not me, love! *laughs* But you have to admit, wasn't that the worst kiss in existence? Poor Dray...*pets Draco*
As for him saying 'Mother', um...Dumbledore heard him, and I think Pansy understood him...and Snape... but since they don't 'Exactly' know the type of precog that he has just yet, they don't know how to react. After all, come on! Trelawny's the Divinations teacher, and she's had TWO true prophecies in her life!! *evil laughter* Nothing's prepared anyone for Draco's abilities.
no subject
i don't think anyone prepared us for draco ever...
::loves him::
and yeah... but the last line you put in the scene made it the sweetest kiss in the whole world!!
and it also made me wonder how their real first kiss went... wait... they never had a real first kiss huh?
gobdamnit mori!
i need a new chapter and soon!!
oh, and i also wanted to add that in my squeeing i failed to mention my love of the begining of the chapter as well.
i thought i was going to wet myself when he fell asleep in class!
and THANK YOU for not giving harry a gift as well, he already has plenty, the self-centered wanker.
no subject
damn, rachel. holy shit!
.. ... ..you write.. good.
i'm beyond myself. your snape was absolutely perfect, and the tiny bit you gave Flitwick was so, SO flitwick i screamed.
the best part yet. i want more. now.
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