Episode 2.2
Monday, September 2nd, 1985
Potions Dungeon, Hogwarts
Polly bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Trust Snape to set a ridiculously complicated potion for the first day back. The Draught of Peace required all of Polly’s attention, with its long list of ingredients and a method which needed to be followed precisely. She twirled her wand above her cauldron to stir in the pickled myrtle leaves, trying to quell the nagging feeling she had miss-counted the last set of clockwise turns.
Beside her, Sebastian suddenly let out a groan. She glanced up and smiled at him, half sympathetically, half amused. He shot her a suffering look, before throwing himself around theatrically and making his way back to the store cupboard.
Polly turned back to her potion with a sigh. The stupid thing had turned green and adding the powdered moonstone just made it unpleasantly lumpy. Thankfully Snape was over at the other side of the classroom with the Slytherins. The professor had an annoying tendency to make Polly’s potion-making skills even less impressive than normal.
She glanced up as Sebastian returned from the store cupboard, waving a bunch of myrtle leaves with a rueful smile. In an instant, the smile dropped from his face, and Polly yelped as he suddenly pitched sideways, knocking Bill’s cauldron over. Bill’s Draught of Peace flew everywhere, dousing him completely in the silvery liquid. He fell backwards, his robes steaming unnervingly. The Slytherins burst out laughing as Snape swept over towards Bill with the contemptuous glower reserved specially for any Gryffindor student who happened to cross his path. He wrenched Sebastian to his feet by the collar of his robes.
“Five points from Gryffindor for wasting potion ingredients and general ineptitude,” he snarled. He glanced sourly at Bill, who was trying to wipe the remnants of his potion off of his robes. “And Weasley, get this mess cleared up.”
“What happened?” Polly accused Sebastian in a whisper.
“It wasn’t me!” he cried, raising his hands in protest. “I don’t know what happened.”
Polly raised her eyebrows at him, then turned her attention back to Bill.
“Bill, are you all right?” she asked, taking his arm as Sebastian righted the overturned cauldron.
As she helped him up, he smiled a bit too hugely. “I’m awesome,” he said, and sat down heavily behind his desk. He looked around with a dazed expression, and, with apparent difficulty, managed to focus on Sebastian.
“Seb!” he cried, as if he was only just now seeing Sebastian for the first time. “You’re so awesome!”
Polly exchanged a worried look with Sebastian, as Snape coolly surveyed the remains of Bill’s potion.
“Levitt, take Weasley up to the hospital wing. The residual effects will wear off, but I should prefer not to have to suffer him in the meantime.”
Van Doort and the other Slytherins laughed at Snape’s words. Polly glared at them. If she’d learned anything over the last four years at Hogwarts, it was that if there was ever trouble for the Gryffindors, the Slytherins were usually behind it. Van Doort seemed to have it in for Bill this year, for a reason Polly couldn’t imagine. If she’d been there on the train yesterday she’d have given him a piece of her mind.
As the bell signalled the end of the lesson, Polly, like most of the Gryffindors, left the classroom as quickly as she could. She passed Francesca Selwyn on her way out, who was leaning towards Van Doort, a smirk playing over her face.
“You’re so bad,” Francesca was saying, as Van Doort looked pleased with himself.
Polly had to settle with shooting them a glare as she passed, and hurried off to find Sebastian.
She came across them as they navigated their way down the stairs from the hospital wing. Bill was leaning heavily on Sebastian, who looked relieved to see Polly coming to help.
“It’s Polly!” Bill cried, with a huge, blissful smile.
“Snape failed you both for not completing your potions,” Polly informed them as she took Bill’s other arm. “Just so you know. What’s the deal with Bill? Is he going to be ok?”
Sebastian pulled a face. “It’s just like Snape said. The effects of the potion will wear off eventually, and Bill’s going to be essentially useless until then.”
Listening as Bill repeated her name over and over as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, Polly couldn’t help but agree with Sebastian.
“Hey, Trent!”
She looked around and smiled as she saw Thomas Faber heading their way with a bunch of his Hufflepuff friends.
“What’s this?” she asked.”Come to admit defeat before the season’s even started? Well, I guess that’ll be less embarrassing for you.”
Thomas was a chaser on the Hufflepuff quidditch team, and even though they were fierce competitors when they played each other, off-field they got on rather well. Their dads were friends, both working at the Ministry of Magic - Thomas’s was an Obliviator, where Polly’s dad worked for the British and Irish Quidditch League - and so the kids had grown up in the same circles.
Thomas grinned. “Not even close. I was just going to wish you luck. Merlin knows you’ll need it.”
“Luck’s got nothing to do with it - the reason we beat you all the time is down to skill,” she grinned.
Thomas laughed good-naturedly, and noticing Bill and Sebastian, nodded at the pair.
“What’s up with Weasley?” he asked.
Polly rolled her eyes, and moved back to help Sebastian with Bill. “We just had Potions with the Slytherins.”
“Ah, that’ll do it.”
Polly grimaced. “Yeah, it wasn’t exactly the most enjoyable start to the year. Still, we’ve got Defence Against the Dark Arts next.”
The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, one Professor Mark Harper, had cause quite a stir last night at the start-of-term feast. He was pretty much a household name these days, as Polly had had to explain to Sebastian. Polly’s mum called him “that young swashbuckler” when they’d heard he was to be working at the school, and Polly’s dad had leapt about the kitchen, fending off imaginary foes to rescue his “fair damsel”. Polly had feigned being embarrassed by her parents’ silliness, but had to admit, Mark Harper cut quite an impressive figure. He was a sort of adventurer, in the same vein as Gilderoy Lockhart, travelling around the country saving people from werewolves and things.
“Come on, Faber!” called Zan Huang, one of Thomas’s friends and the Hufflepuff Seeker. “Stop flirting, we’ll be late for class.”
Polly grinned as Thomas told his friends to bugger off. He turned back to Polly, with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Sorry about those idiots,” he said. “Better be off, though. Let me know what you think of Harper.” He grinned and tugged on her ponytail by way of farewell.
Polly caught herself giggling. She glanced at Sebastian, who was grinning at her.
“What?” she demanded.
“Nothing,” he said innocently.
Polly rolled her eyes, and readjusted Bill’s arm over her shoulder. “Come on, then.”
The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was unexpectedly bare. All the desks had been cleared out, leaving a huge open space, emphasised by the sunlight that was streaming in through the windows and marking out large patches over the polished wooden floor. The Gryffindors filed inside, and stood awkwardly at the edge of the room. Polly and Sebastian stood more awkwardly than the others, because they were still supporting Bill’s slumped form between them.
The new professor stood at the head of the class, facing the blackboard with his hands in his pockets.
“Ah, right on time!” he exclaimed, spinning around and greeting them with a friendly smile.
“So. This is your first time sitting your OWL examinations, and part of my job is to prepare you for that,” he said, his glasses flashing as he passed through the sunlight. “It’s a task you should all take very seriously, as the results you achieve may well affect the rest of your school career.”
He began walking towards them, his manner casual but his handsome face was serious. Polly thought seriousness quite suited him. Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because she caught Sebastian rolling his eyes at her.
“Now, exams are very important. But these lessons are about more than grades and theoretical situations. No matter what people may tell you, the world is still a very dangerous place. Even with the fall of You-Know-Who, many witches and wizards are still loyal to his cause, or want to pursue their own dark purposes.” He was speaking very quietly which somehow made his words more chilling. Bill ruined the effect somewhat by suddenly letting out a loud snore.
The Professor smiled at the interruption, and raised his eyebrows in question.
“Oh, sorry Professor,” Polly piped up. “We just came from Potions, and Bill ... there was a mishap.”
The Professor chuckled. “Ah that’s right. Just drop him in a corner out of the way. If I recall correctly, this sort of thing will wear off in no time.” He clapped his hands briskly. “So. As we all know, the best defence is a good offense, and the most important spell to learn for any confrontation is your basic Stunning Spell. This is the simplest form of attack, as the stunning spell knocks out your opponent completely, and is only reversible with the counter spell, so your opponent won’t wake up and curse you when you’re not expecting it.” Comes in useful, believe me.”
As the class paired off to practise the stunning spell, Polly and Sebastian guided Bill to the side of the room and placed him carefully on a chair. They took a step back and surveyed their friend thoughtfully.
“Maybe it’d be kinder if we just Stunned him,” Sebastian suggested as Bill slipped off the chair and fell about giggling. “Leave him with a little dignity.”
“Oh we couldn’t do that!” Polly protested. “He’s so defenceless right now, it wouldn’t be sporting.”
“You mean we should Stun him later?” Sebastian grinned. “No, I suppose it is more fun this way. Just wish we had a camera.”
Watching Bill roll around on the floor in hysterics, Polly couldn’t help but agree.
By the end of the class, the effects of the potion seemed to be wearing off. Bill was slumped in the corner of the room, dozing away with a blissful smile.
Polly smiled at him, and her moment of distraction allowed Sebastian to hit her with a mild stunning spell. It knocked her out for a second, and she felt as though she had momentarily fallen asleep.
“Getting there, Levitt,” The professor called as he passed them. He had been flitting about the classroom like an overactive golden snitch, adjusting postures and wand techniques, and being generally encouraging. Polly found herself liking him more and more, and so she felt a sharp pang of embarrassment when Harper told her that she should’ve been paying more attention to her opponent.
“For homework, I want you to read the chapter on stunning spells,” called Harper as the bell sounded. “You should take every opportunity to perfect your technique, but just don’t let Mr Filch catch you Stunning people in the corridors!”
Polly joined in with her classmates’ laughter as they left the classroom, but then let out a groan and grabbed Sebastian’s arm.
“We forgot Bill.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “He’s more trouble than he’s worth, sometimes,” he complained as they turned back to the classroom.
They re-entered the classroom, and Bill was right where they left him, snoring away in the corner.
‘Forget something?”
The professor was sitting on the staircase that led up to his office, and had apparently been reading from a really battered-looking book.
“Nothing important,” Sebastian quipped. “Just Bill.”
The professor chuckled, and stood up, swiftly stowing his book in a pocket deep in his robes.
“Off you go, then. I remember the lunches being fantastic when I was at school here, you won’t want to miss out.”
“Great lesson, Professor,” said Polly before she could stop herself.
Harper smiled. “You just make sure you practice your stunning spells, Miss Trent.”
As the professor left up the stairs to his office, Sebastian leaned in close to Polly.
“If you’re not careful, Thomas Faber might get jealous.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. As they half-dragged, half-carried Bill out into the corridor, they collided with a group of older students. Polly recognised one of them as David McKinnon, the new head boy.
Bill fell in a flail of limbs into the head boy, who caught him at the last second.
“I know you!” Bill exclaimed slowly.
David’s friends laughed. “Look, you’ve got an admirer,” one of them joked.
Polly and Sebastian rushed forward. “Sorry about him,” said Polly. “He’s not exactly himself at the moment.”
“Yes, I can see that,” said David bemusedly. “What’s happened?”
“Oh you know, the usual. Potions with the Slytherins, accidents happen. He got covered in a half-completed draught of peace. Madame Pomfrey says he should be back to normal soon. He’s been well useless all morning though. Can’t even walk properly anymore.”
David chuckled. “Apparently not. Weasley’s having a rough time of it, isn’t he?”
“You can say that again,” Sebastian agreed.
David contemplated Bill with a thoughtful twist to his mouth. “Why don’t we try a levitation charm to get him down these stairs?”
They made it to the Gryffindor table without too much trouble, although they did create something of a scene. Polly and Sebastian sat either side of Bill, who kept alternating between drooping onto each of their shoulders as he drifted in and out of sleep.
“David McKinnon’s really nice, don’t you think?” Polly said over the top of Bill’s head.
Sebastian shrugged. “Not especially.”
“Well I think he is. Incredibly nice, considering.”
“Considering what?”
Polly looked at him pointedly, until realisation dawned on Sebastian’s face.
“Oh, right. I’d forgotten.”
“I expect he finds it hard to forget,” Polly said quietly.
They sat together in silence for a moment. Polly wasn’t sure how to change the subject to something less sombre, but was saved the task when Bill sat bolt upright between them, drawing in a deep breath and looking around blearily.
“Watch out for the hinkypunks,” he announced, then dropped face-first into his mince pie.