A discordant group

This morning, we have another potion class with Snape. I am still one of the first to arrive in the classroom with Daphne. We get ready at our table as usual when Snape enters the classroom. All of a sudden, the chatter stops and the room is silent.

"Today, we're going to learn how to make the Wiggenweld potion. Who can tell me what this potion is used for?" I raise my hand with two other students to answer.

Snape designates Parvati Patil to answer the question. "This is a healing potion used to heal wounds, sir."

"What else?" Snape does not seem satisfied with this incomplete answer. I raise my hand to answer again. The point lost last time was enough for me to remember my lesson. "Mr. Bones, go ahead."

"It is also used to treat the effects of the draught of living death."

"That's right, Mr Bones. For this potion, you will need Wiggentree bark, Moly, Dittany, Horklumps juice, Flobberworm mucus, Chizpurfle fangs, Billywig stings, mint boom berry, sloth brain, moondew, salamander blood, Lionfish spines, mandrake, Unicorn horn, Wolfsbane, and Honeywater. Know that today, I put the ingredients at your disposal, but as a duty for the next class, I'm waiting for you to go and get the Wiggentree bark, the Moly and detainees by yourself.

The homework is not really difficult if one has paid attention during Herbology class and has read the book of potion correctly, these are plants that can be found in the park of the castle.

"To make the exercise a little more challenging, we're going to do mixed groups between houses. Potter, being the worst student in the class, you will go and assist Bones." Oh, my God, I can feel troubles coming. Well, it's not that bad since I need to get a little closer to Harry.

Harry sigh deeply and leaves the table he shared with Ron to join mine. I see my favorite potion partner leaving to sit at Seamus' table. It's a shame, she's pretty good at potion and we always got good grades when we worked together.

Harry barely looks at me and opens his potion book to the wiggenweld potion page. "Well, here's what I propose. I'll take care of the potion and you watch what I do. If you have a question or want me to explain a step of the preparation, you let me know, but if not, you let me work." I think I'm offering him a good plan, he doesn't need to do anything and in exchange, I make sure we both get a good grade.

Harry nods and I get to work. I begin by shaking the vial containing the salamander's blood before slowly pouring the contents until the water in the pot turn red. As I'm moving in a counter-clockwise direction, I notice that Harry is drawing on his notepad.

"You're drawing a Cerberus?" Harry looks at me surprised.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Oh yeah, I know a lot about magical creatures." I thought I would start a good discussion with Harry that would bring me closer to my final goal but Snape barges into our conversation.

"Potter, Bones. Since you're talking, I guess your potion is over and I can evaluate it."

"No, sir, we'll shut up."

"You better stop chatting during my class." Sometimes I wish he'd choke on the huge broom that is stuck in his ass.

I finish the potion by myself and its quality is less than what I expected because while Snape reprimanded us I stopped mixing for several seconds, so the final result does not have exactly the right color.

Harry doesn't seem to care much. He continued to draw his three-headed dog while raising his head from time to time as if he wanted to ask me a question before changing his mind.

Snape eventually comes back to us to evaluate the potion. He raises an eyebrow to the color of the potion and takes a ladle to smell it. "I'm very disappointed, Mr Bones. I expected better from you. This potion would hardly deserve an acceptable grade if it had been produced during an examination. I mean, I guess with a handicap like that, this result was... inevitable."

I see Harry clenching his fists under the table, Snape's remarks are actually really reaching him. I thought he didn't care, but maybe the situation is more complex than that. Snape is leaving to watch the work of the others who are finishing their potions.

"We'll do better next time." Harry doesn't answer and just stares at Snape.

At the end of class, I gather my things and get out of class with the other Slytherin. I hear someone running behind us and calling me.

"Sean, waits!" I turn around to see Harry. Draco, who is next to me seems to get tense watching him run towards us.

"What do you want, Potter? You don't have autographs to sign for a bunch of sheepheads." I place my hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

"It's all right, Draco, I got it." He seems quite dissatisfied, but he takes a step back and lets me go to meet Harry. "What is it, Harry?"

"Can I talk to you in private?" I raise an eyebrow. I have a vague idea of what he's going to ask me, but I want to slap my forehead for his sense of discretion.

"If you want." I follow him as he takes me to a bench in the middle of the corridor.

"You remember the three-headed dog I drew. Suppose I have to beat one to access a treasure it protects. What should I do?" I laugh when he asks me the question, I didn't think he really wanted to fight the dog after a few months in Hogwarts.

"It's impossible. You can't beat a Three-headed dog on your own when you've been learning magic for only a few months. It takes several confirmed wizards to fight one and defeat it." I pretend to think for a second. "However, I think I remember that it has some sort of weakness."

"Really?! Which one?"

"Why do you care so much about it?"

Harry seems to hesitate for a second before answering me. "I can't tell you."

"So there is a reason why you need it. I would be happy to pick up the answer from my books over the holidays, but what do I get in return?"

"What do you want? Money?" I'm laughing. Like I'm going to need money once I get my hands on the philosopher's stone.

"Um, no, I assume your three-headed dog keeps some valuables?"

"Um, kind of, but I just have to pass the three-headed dog to stop someone from stealing something, not to steal it myself."

"In that case, I want to be able to take the magic trinkets that we find on our way. It is a good arrangement, you don't lose nothing, and I take the risk of not finding anything of value." I already know that there is nothing of value except the philosopher's stone and the mirror of the risèd but might as well make him believe that I come to grab what I could on the road.

"No! My mission is to protect what the dog keeps, not steal it!"

"What's the point of risking your life if there's no reward? Either way, you have my offer. I can take care of your three-headed dog, but I want some loot." I get up and let Harry ruminate on what I just told him. In the worst-case scenario, if he really doesn't want me to help him, I'll still help him. But people trust others more when they know exactly what the person in front of them want.

I'm going back to the common room where Draco and his gang are waiting for me.

"What did Potter want with you?"

"He wanted to yell at me because I didn't get us a good enough grade for our work as partners."

"I'm not surprised. What a crybaby, he didn't even lift a finger during the whole class because mixing the ingredients is not good enough for Mr Potter and then he comes complaining about the result." My answer seems to satisfy him and he leaves with Crabbe and Goyle.

As I was about to climb the stairs to my room, another boy approaches me, with the first year's book of charm in his hand.

"Hi, I'm Edward. Daphne says you're pretty good at explaining. Could you help me with the levitation spell, please? I can't seem to cast it correctly." I remember him, I think we've never spoken to each other since the beginning of the year. He usually hangs out with Blaise Zabini.

"Sure, meet me at the library tomorrow and we'll look into it."