Chapter 6Chapter Text
Harry descended the stairs into the common room the next morning. Malfoy's words still playing on his mind. He wondered whether he should tell the others about it.
On one hand, Harry felt vindicated, Malfoy's words all but confirmed he was up to something. On the other hand, actually proving any of that, or that he was a death eater was still a stretch. And the last thing Harry wanted to do was tip Malfoy off and let him know that he was onto him.
And while Harry trusted Ron and Hermione, he wasn't sure they, especially Ron, wouldn't somehow let it slip or taunt Malfoy with it.
"Morning mate," Ron said, looking up from the cozy sofa he was sitting on.
"Sleep well?" Harry asked.
"Like a rock," Ron yawned. "You?"
Before Harry could respond, Hermione and Ginny walked down the girls staircase already carrying their bookbags. Ginny's hair was tied back into a cute ponytail. She walked over to Harry and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Morning Harry" Ginny said brightly, and took Harry's hand.
"Are you two ready to go? We shouldn't be late, Professor McGonagall's going to hand out our schedules today."
"We know Hermione, not exactly our first time here." Ron rolled his eyes and yawned.
The group headed out of the common room, a good amount of people, especially first years, staring at him and whispering.
"It's rude to stare you know." Ron said to a particularly nosy first year who blushed and toppled out. Ron sniggered.
"I love being a sixth year. All the younger ones take us so seriously and we get a lot of free time!"
"We're going to need that time for studying, Ron!" Said Hermione as they set off down the corridor.
They were halfway down the corridor when Lavender came bouncing around the corner. Her blonde curly hair swaying up and down.
"Harry!" she squealed, hurrying over. "I can't believe you're Quidditch captain now! Knew you had it in you."
"Thanks, Lavender," Harry said with a small smile, though he could feel his cheeks warming slightly. Her enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, but he was getting better at handling attention like this.
Her eyes drifted to where his hand was linked with Ginny's, and Harry could see something flicker through her eyes. "Merlin, Ginny - you've nabbed him quick. You must be proud!"
"Can't say I'm surprised though. Harry's always been Gryffindor's best seeker…" Ginny said with an amused glint in her eyes.
Lavender brightened considerably at that. "He really is! I was just telling Parvati how sad it was when Umbridge banned you from playing last year! But I'm glad you're back…" She bit her lip, looking almost shy for a moment.
Ron made a strangled noise that might've been a cough, his ears going pink as his eyes lingered a second too long.
"Right, well," Harry said quickly, "we should probably get to breakfast before all the good food's gone."
"Oh yes, of course!" Lavender said. "But Harry, if you ever want to practice your captain speeches or... anything really, I'd love to help." She gave him a meaningful look before glancing uncertainly at Ginny.
Ginny's smirk widened. "How thoughtful. Harry could use all the support he can get, couldn't you, Harry?"
There was something in her tone that made Harry's stomach do a small flip, though he couldn't work out why.
"Well," Harry said, his smile becoming a bit more natural, "I appreciate the offer, Lavender. That's really kind of you."
With a pleased little wave, Lavender skipped off toward the Great Hall.
"Bye!" Ron yelled out somewhat awkwardly. Lavender didn't seem to hear him.
Ron watched Lavender vanish down the corridor and muttered dreamily, "She seems quite nice… doesn't she?"
"Subtle" Hermione rolled her eyes.
The great hall bustled with the familiar chatter of students. Harry saw several heads turn and follow him when they entered. He noticed it didn't bother him as much as it used to. The fame was something that had always made him uncomfortable but after everything he had been through, it didn't seem as bad.
A slight red glow shimmered through the windows.
They settled on the Gryffindor table and started loading up their plates.
"I hope Hagrid doesn't mind that none of us took Care of Magical Creatures classes…" Harry said.
"He can't really think we'd continue it right? I mean… Have any of us really showed any… you know… enthusiasm?" Hermione said.
"That's it though, innit? We're the ones that made the most effort in classes because we like Hagrid. But he might think we actually liked the subject. You reckon anyone else will take the N.E.W.T classes?" Ron said, before swallowing an entire fried egg.
The words hung in the air. None of them wanted to say it aloud, but it felt a little like letting Hagrid down.
After they had eaten, they remained in place and waited for Professor McGonagall to descend from the staff table. The distribution of class schedules was a bit more complicated than last year, since she needed to confirm they actually had the prerequisite grades to continue to their chosen N.E.W.T classes. Ginny however didn't need to wait, and went off to her first class, giving Harry a small peck on the way out.
Hermione was, of course, almost instantly cleared to continue to her chosen classes. And shot off to an Ancient Runes class without further ado.
Next McGonagall spent the next ten minutes discussing class options with Neville, Parvati and Lavender, who gave Harry another wave as she left the table.
"See you, handsome!" She called out cheerfully.
Ron stared after her, slack-jawed, half a bite of toast still in his mouth, as her hips swayed back and forth while leaving.
Finally McGonagall approached Harry and Ron.
"So, Potter. Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration… all fine. I must say, I was pleased with your Transfiguration mark, Potter, very pleased. Now, why haven't you applied to continue with Potions?"
"I was under the impression I had to get an Outstanding on my O.W.L's for that."
"That was the case when Professor Snape was teaching potions. Professor Slughorn however, is perfectly happy to accept students with an Exceeds Expectation into his N.E.W.T classes. Do you wish to join?" McGonagall said with her normal curt tone. Although a hint of a smile could be seen tugging at her lips.
"Yes," said Harry. "But I haven't bought the book or any supplies…"
"I'm sure Professor Slughorn will be able to lend you some, " said Professor McGonagall. "Now, here's your schedule Potter. And by the way, about twenty hopefuls have already put their names down for the Quidditch team. I'll pass you the list and you can hold trials at your leisure."
A few minutes later, Ron was also cleared on the same subjects as Harry, and the two left the table.
"Look mate! We have a free period now and after lunch too!" Ron said, delighted at his schedule.
An hour later, they made their way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Ron dragging his feet somewhat.
"I'm sure this'll be interesting…" Ron muttered quietly.
Hermione was already standing outside the classroom and waiting to get in, carrying an armful of heavy books.
"We got so much homework from Runes," She said anxiously when Harry and Ron joined her. "A fifteen inch essay, two translations and I have to read all these by wednesday!"
"Bummer." yawned Ron.
"I can try to help if you'd like." Harry said with sympathy.
"Thank you Harry." Hermione said, giving Ron a quick look.
The classroom door opened as she spoke, Snape stepped into the corridor, his cloak billowing dramatically.
"Inside" he said.
Harry looked around as they entered. The classroom had been transformed into a dark and moody space, lit by candlelight.
"I'd like your full attention…" Snape drawled, looking around the room. His gaze seemed to linger on Harry for a second longer.
"You have had five years of education on this subject thus far. But from what I've seen, it appears inadequate. So I'll be surprised if any of you truly manage to keep up with all the course work." Snape said in a low voice, slowly gliding around the classroom like a ghost.
"The Dark Arts," said Snape "are varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a fiercer, more intelligent and powerful new head."
The way Snape spoke of the Dark Arts seemed, at least to Harry, to border between a healthy respect for an enemy and a loving caress.
The thought unsettled Harry for a moment, but after truly considering it, he couldn't disagree entirely. With an enemy like Voldemort out there, who cared whether the spells he used were considered dark. What mattered was protecting those he cared about.
"Your defenses," Snape continued. "must therefore be just as flexible and inventive."
"That is why the subject of today's lesson will be nonverbal casting. Now as far as I know, you are complete novices on the subject. Can anyone tell me what the advantage of nonverbal casting is?"
Hermione threw her hand up like usual. Snape took a long time making sure there were no other options.
"Miss Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," said Hermione, "which gives you a split-second advantage."
"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six," said Snape dismissively
Harry could faintly hear Malfoy sniggering in the corner.
"You will now divide into pairs. One partner will jinx nonverbally and the other will protect in equal silence. Begin." Snape spoke.
As was to be expected, some cheating ensued. Many just whispered the incantation instead of saying it outloud. Although in Harry's mind, that was better than nothing. Since in an actual battle, hearing a whisper is certainly more difficult than someone yelling.
To his surprise, within five minutes Harry actually managed to perform a nonverbal Protego charm. And judging by the slight raising of eyebrows from Snape, he noticed. Not that he awarded any points to Gryffindor.
It was only five minutes later when Hermione managed to do the same. No points again.
Ron was desperately trying to jinx Harry, his face had turned purple and he had pressed his lips shut tight to try to distract from the temptation of muttering the spell.
"Pathetic, Weasley," said Snape, after watching Ron for a minute. "Here, let me show you."
He suddenly turned to Harry, his wand pointed right at him. Within a split second, a red looking spell was barreling through the air, just as it was about to his Harry, he lifted his wand up and managed an overpowered nonverbal Protego.
Harry had reacted instinctively, he realised he had used too much of his power on one spell. In a real fight, he might have to pay for that down the line.
For now though, Snape stumbled backwards and into a desk. Not expecting Harry to react so quickly.
"Potter, have you not been taught how to properly channel spells?" Snape asked after righting himself. The whole class now watching.
"Yes, I have." Said Harry
"Yes sir." Snape responded.
"There's no need to call me 'sir', Professor."
The words were out before Harry realised. A silence hung in the room. Harry could see Ron, Dean and Seamus trying to contain their laughter in the back.
"Detention, Saturday night, my office." Snape said dryly. "I don't take cheek from anyone Potter, not even 'the Chosen One'"
---
"That was brilliant Harry!" Ron exclaimed once they were on their break.
"You really shouldn't have said that," said Hermione, frowning at Ron. "why did you?"
"I don't even really know… I guess I'm just a bit fed up with him. I feel like I could be so much better if he actually taught us properly." Harry said thoughtfully.
"Well… I do agree with you there. But getting detention isn't going to change that." Hermione said.
"Yeah I know," Harry said, stopping to think for a moment. "you know I've been thinking… What if we start up the D.A again? Not like last year, something more small scale. We could really focus on practical training. Since Voldemort is coming, like it or not, we could really use the skills and allies."
Ron and Hermione paused in their footsteps. They took a moment to process what Harry had suggested.
"I'm in mate! That sounds like a great idea!" Ron said, tapping Harry on the shoulder.
"I guess that's not a bad idea… You're certainly right that extra practice wouldn't hurt… Although we should ask Dumbledore for permission, just in case." Hermione said.
"Yeah, sure. I'll do that." Harry said. "I'll let you know once I've thought about it more"
The thought seemed better and better as Harry considered it. The fight at the Ministry had shown Harry that he had a lot to learn, and that he needed to be better. If he was to face Voldemort, it wouldn't be alone or with an Expelliarmus.
"Excuse me! Harry!" Harry looked around. Jack Sloper, one of the Beaters on last year's Gryffindor team, was hurrying toward him holding a piece of parchment.
"For you." Sloper handed the parchment to him. "Listen, I heard you're the new captain. When are you holding trials?"
"I don't know yet." Harry thought Sloper would have to be very lucky to get back on the team.
"Oh okay, well I was wondering if maybe-"
But Harry had stopped listening. He recognized the thin, slanting handwriting on the parchment. Dumbledore. He left Sloper mid sentence and hurried away with Ron and Hermione. Unrolling the parchment as he walked.
'Dear Harry, I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. Kindly come along to my office at 8 p.m. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school.
Yours sincerely, Albus Dumbledore
P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops.'
"Snape's not going to be pleased, I won't be going to his detention after all." Harry said with a grin.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were joined by Ginny, who finally got her first break.
"Finally" Ginny exhaled, leaning into Harry as if going to sleep.
Harry grabbed onto her thin waist. The flowery scent filled his nose and brightened his mood.
Harry showed her the note and told her of the events of Snape's class. As expected she laughed when hearing of Harry's words, combined with Dumbledore inadvertently getting him out of detention.
"That's my man. Knocking Snape on his ass. Wish I could have seen it though…" She said, looking up into Harry's eyes with a smirk.
Ron mimicked a gagging noise from the side.
"Oh shut up Ron." Hermione said, hitting Ron with a rolled up newspaper.
They spent the rest of the break trying to come up with what Dumbledore might teach him.
Just before their break ended, Harry managed to spot a familiar set of wavy, red hair. He quickly waved to Susan, who gave him a charming smile and a wave, before running off to her next class. A slight blush covering her cute face.
"Save some for the rest of us…" Ron shook his head.
The time had come for them to head to the familiar dungeon class that had so long been Snape's. When they got to the corridor they saw that there were only about thirteen people progressing to N.E.W.T level. Crabbe and Goyle had evidently failed to achieve the required O.W.L grade but four slytherins had still made it through, including Malfoy. Four Ravenclaws were there, alongside one Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan who was quite nice despite his pompous exterior. And to Harry's surprise, Lavender Brown had also managed to join.
"Hi Harry!" She waved from the other side of the corridor.
Harry raised his hand slightly, but before he could respond the dungeon door opened and Slughorn, sporting a cheery face appeared out of the door. As they filed into the room, Slughorn seemed to greet Harry and Zabini with extra enthusiasm.
The dungeon seemed slightly more colorful and less dreary than usual. Although it was still full of vapors and odd smells. The class looked around curiously at a set of bubbling cauldrons.
The four slytherins took a table together, and so did the four ravenclaws. This left five people remaining, with the tables only seating a maximum of four.
Ron, Hermione sat down at the nearest table, and they were quickly joined by Ernie.
Harry shot a look at Lavender, who was hopefully looking at him and the remaining empty desk.
"Come on Lavender," Harry said to her and seated himself at the empty desk.
Lavender happily bounced over and seated herself next to him, a bit closer than strictly necessary.
"Now then, now then," said Slughorn, happily tapping his round belly. "scales out, everyone and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making…"
"Sir?" Harry spoke
"Harry, m'boy?"
"I haven't got a book or scales or anything really… and neither does Ron. We weren't aware we'd be allowed to join this N.E.W.T class so we didn't get them."
"Ah yes Professor McGonagall mentioned it… not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, we'll lend you some scales and there are a few old books you can loan."
Harry and Ron walked over to the cupboard, inside lay two copies of Advanced Potion-Making. One close to pristine in condition, the other not so much. It was tattered and scuffed almost to the point of falling apart. Ron quickly jumped forward and grabbed the pristine looking one, leaving Harry to sigh, and pick up the battered one.
"Now then," said Slughorn from the front of the class. "I've prepared a few potions for you here today. The kind we'll be learning in this N.E.W.T class. Who can tell me what they are?"
He pointed at the first cauldron, near the Slytherin table. Harry and Lavender both leaned forward in their seats to see into the cauldron, Lavender's arm brushed against his as she leaned a little too far, her perfume faintly mixing with the potion's steam. Inside the cauldron, a clear, almost water-like substance boiled away.
Hermione's well practiced hand was up before anyone else's. Slughorn pointed at her.
"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."
"Very good! Exactly right." Slughorn said happily. "Now what about this?" He pointed to the one near the Ravenclaw table.
"It's been featured in quite the number of ministry leaflets as of late-"
Hermione's hand shot up once again.
"It's Polyjuice potion, sir."
Harry too had recognized the slow bubbling, mudlike substance in the cauldron.
Lavender leaned closer to him to whisper something, her breath warm on his skin. "Honestly, how does she remember all that…"
"Great! That's correct." Slughorn said. "Now what about this-"
Hermione's hand shot up instantly. "Yes, my dear?"
"It's Amorentia." Hermione spoke.
"It is indeed. I assume you know what it does?"
"The most powerful love potion in the world." Said Hermione, with an almost reverential tone. "It's supposed to smell differently to each of us, for example I smell new parchment, and a woody sort of scent with hints of amber…" Hermione blushed slightly.
Harry could see Lavender leaning closer to the fumes of the Amorentia, eyes half closed.
"Funny, seems familiar." Lavender said, giving Harry a quick look.
"Quite right my dear! May I ask you your name?" Slughorn said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Hermione Granger, sir."
"Take twenty points for Gryffindor Miss Granger! This must be the brilliant witch you mentioned on the train, Harry?"
Harry nodded and Slughorn looked even more pleased.
Harry could see Malfoy on the other side of the room, looking quite sour.
Hermione gave Harry a look, her face red.
"Amorentia doesn't create love of course, that's quite impossible. But it does create a strong infatuation and obsession. It's also the most dangerous potion in this room."
Malfoy snickered and whispered something to the other Slytherins. Slughorn turned to them. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love…"
"Now I think it's about time we get to work!" Slughorn said.
"But sir, you haven't told us what's in this one." Said Ernie Macmillan, pointing to a small cauldron bubbling on Slughorn's desk.
Inside, a deep golden liquid bubbled and shimmered.
"Oho!" Slughorn exclaimed. Harry was quite sure Slughorn hadn't forgotten the last potion, but wanted to be asked for dramatic effect.
"Yes, well, ladies and gentlemen… This is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis."
Hermione let out a light gasp.
"I take it from your reaction Miss Granger, that you know what it does?"
"It's liquid luck," Hermione said "It makes you lucky!"
The whole class seemed to be paying attention now. Harry could see Malfoy sitting up straight, eyes wide open. Finally paying full attention to what was happening.
"Quite right! Take another ten points for Gryffindor." said Slughorn. "A funny little potion, this is. Extremely difficult and expensive to make. And the effects are disastrous, should you get it wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all you endeavours tend to succeed. At least until the effects wear off…"
"Why don't people just drink it all the time then, sir?" Asked Terry Boot from the Ravenclaw table.
"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddyness, extreme overconfidence, recklessness and in high doses, it can be quite poisonous. Also a single dose only lasts for about 12 hours, and the cost will make your head spin." Slughorn explained.
"Have you ever taken it, sir?" Michael Corner asked.
"Twice, once when I was twenty-four, and once when I was fifty-seven. Two perfect days…" Slughorn spoke wistfully. "And that is what I offer you," He said, looking around the class. "A vial of Felix Felicis. Now I must warn you, it is banned in all organized competitions… so quidditch matches, exams, elections and the like. So use it on ordinary days only!"
"So!" Slughorn gestured dramatically. "How are you to win this fabulous prize you ask?" He looked around the room, a moment of silence hung in the air.
"By turning to page ten of Advanced Potion-Making and brewing the potion listed there perfectly! We have a little over an hour left, which should be just enough time for a Draught of the Living Dead. I must warn you though! Only one student thus far has managed to claim this prize. Off you go!"
There was a loud cacophony of scraping noises, as the people in the class quickly rushed to get their ingredients and supplies ready. Harry saw Malfoy feverishly riffling through his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. Sweat covering his face and a desperate look in his eyes. It was clear Malfoy really wanted that lucky day.
Harry opened the book, and to his annoyance saw that the previous owner had scribbled all over the book with tiny handwriting. With a large amount of things crossed over or annotated.
Harry hurried off to the cupboard to get started. The advantage and disadvantage of potions class was that it was difficult to hide your work.
Within ten minutes the class was full of strange smelling vapors. Unsurprisingly Hermione seemed to have progressed the furthest.
Having finished chopping up his Valerian root, Harry bent down to see the instructions. However it seemed the last owner had taken issue with them, as he had crossed off multiple steps and written next to them.
Instead of cutting up the sopophorous bean, an alternative had been written.
'Crush with flat side of silver dagger, releases juice better than cutting.'
As Harry was reading, he overheard Mafloy speak to Slughorn.
"Sir, I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?" Malfoy spoke with a proud tone.
"Yes," Said Slughorn without even looking at Mafloy. "I was sorry to hear about his passing."
As Slughorn walked away, Harry couldn't help but smirk slightly. He could tell Malfoy was expecting to be treated like him or Zabini. Maybe even preferential treatment, like the kind Snape gave him.
Harry turned back to his book and paused. The official instructions were to cut it up… But something about this just seemed right. Harry didn't know why but he felt like he should follow this book instead.
"Can I borrow your silver dagger?" Harry turned to Lavender.
"Of course Harry! Here." Lavender handed it over, her potion a deep swirling purple instead of the lilac shade it was supposed to be.
Harry crushed up the bean, and to his surprise the juice came spilling out. It was amazing such a dry, shriveled bean could hold all of it.
He collected it and added it to his potion, which turned into the exact shade of lilac it was supposed to be. His doubts about the book vanished instantly.
"Wow, Harry, you're actually really good at this," Lavender giggled over his shoulder. "Maybe I should copy your notes sometime…"
"Not a bad idea, Lavender," Harry said with a small smile, still focused on the potion.
According to the book, he needed to stir it clockwise until it turned clear, but the previous owner had annotated the section, and added an extra counterclockwise stir after every seventh stir.
Harry followed the instructions as written, and soon his potion was as clear as water.
"How are you doing that?" Hermione asked from the next table over, her potion still a shade of lilac, even after stirring it.
"Add a counterclockwise stir." Harry whispered to her.
"No, no, but the book says clockwise!" She said, with a grumpy tone.
Harry shrugged and continued work. He also decided to tell Lavender of his little trick, who seemed more trusting. Her potion turned from the deep purple, closer to the lilac, but was still a step away from Harry's clear potion.
"Thanks, Harry! I owe you one…" Lavender said with a little mischievous grin.
Across the table, Ron was cursing and muttering under his breath. His potion the color of liquorice. Harry looked around, and as far as he could tell, no one else's potion was as pale as his.
"Time's up!" Slughorn yelled a minute later. "Stop stirring, please."
Slughorn moved slowly along the tables, inspecting everyone's work. Occasionally stopping to sniff or stir. He seemed to react quite positively to Hermione's potion, giving it an approving nod. While grinning ruefully at Ron's concoction.
Finally, he reached Harry's and Lavender's table. Also giving Lavender's potion and approving hum.
Once he saw Harry's potion, an expression of delight spread across his face.
"We have a clear winner!" he yelled out. "Excellent Harry, It's clear you've inherited your mothers talent! She was a dab hand at potions, Lily was. Here, one vial of Felix Felicis as promised. Use it well!" Slughorn tapped him on the shoulder before handing him the shimmering golden vial.
"How did you do that?" Hermione whispered to him the moment they left the dungeon.
"I just followed the instructions," Harry said, which was technically true.
"No you didn't," Hermione said, her voice rising slightly. "I watched you. You were stirring counterclockwise when the book clearly says clockwise."
"Maybe the book was wrong?" Ron suggested, still looking rather dejected about his own disastrous attempt.
Hermione looked scandalized. "Books aren't wrong, Ron. Advanced Potion-Making is a standard text, it's been used for decades."
"Well, Harry's potion was perfect and yours wasn't," Lavender interjected sweetly, falling into step beside them. "Maybe sometimes experience trumps theory?"
Hermione's eyes flashed. "Experience? Harry's never been particularly good at Potions before. No offense, Harry, but you know it's true. You've always struggled with Snape's classes. So either you've suddenly become brilliant overnight, or there's something else going on." She gave Harry a pointed look.
"Maybe I'm just naturally talented when I'm not being terrorized by Snape," Harry said defensively.
Lavender giggled. "I think it's sweet how modest you are, Harry. You were amazing in there." She touched his arm lightly. "Maybe we could study together sometime? I'd really appreciate it."
"I'm sure Harry would be happy to help anyone who needs it," Hermione said, though her tone was a bit clipped.
"Of course," Lavender said pleasantly, though she kept her attention on Harry. "Well, I should catch up with Parvati. See you later, Harry!" She gave him another warm smile before heading off toward the staircase. Ron's eyes once again following her retreating figure.
They made their way to the Great Hall, where the familiar warmth and chatter provided a welcome distraction. Ginny waved them over from the Gryffindor table, her face lighting up when she saw Harry approaching.
"How was Potions?" she asked, settling back down as Harry took the seat beside her. "I heard Slughorn's quite different from Snape."
"That's putting it mildly," Ron said, still looking rather glum. "Harry here won a vial of Felix Felicis on the first day."
Ginny's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?" She turned to Harry with an impressed smile. "Well done, you!"
"It wasn't exactly skill," Harry admitted, though he felt a warm glow at her praise.
"Don't be so modest," Ginny said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "So how did you manage it then?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Hermione said, her frown returning. "Harry didn't follow the instructions in the textbook."
"Lucky guess?" Ginny suggested, though she was looking at Harry curiously now.
"It wasn't luck," Harry said, pulling the battered textbook from his bag. "The previous owner left some modifications to the instructions."
Hermione leaned forward immediately. "Let me see that."
Harry hesitated, then slid the book across to her. She flipped through the pages, her frown deepening as she took in the numerous annotations and corrections.
"Harry, this is... who wrote all this?"
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "But their suggestions worked."
"This is exactly what I'm talking about," Hermione said, her voice taking on a lecturing tone. "You can't just trust random scribbles in an old textbook! What if they're dangerous? What if whoever wrote this was trying to sabotage future students?"
"Bit paranoid, aren't you?" Ron said, helping himself to a generous portion of shepherd's pie. "I mean, Harry's potion was perfect. If someone was trying to sabotage students, wouldn't they write instructions that made things go wrong?"
"I mean I don't think following random instructions in books you find is the best idea either…" Ginny said, memories of her first year coming to mind. "But if it's just some annotations to recipes, and they work well, then I don't really see the issue." Ginny added
"It's not about whether it worked," Hermione said impatiently. "It's about following proper procedures. These textbooks are carefully written and tested."
"And apparently improved upon by someone even more knowledgeable," Ginny interrupted. "Honestly, Hermione, sometimes you act like books are sacred texts that can never be questioned."
Hermione's cheeks flushed. "I just think we should be careful about trusting anonymous advice."
"I'll be careful Hermione, I promise." Harry said with a gentle tone.
Hermione looked around the table, clearly outnumbered. "Fine. But don't come crying to me if following those notes gets you into trouble."
Harry closed the book and tucked it back into his bag.
Hermione still looked unconvinced, but added. "Just... maybe don't mention this to other people? At least until we know more about who wrote those notes?"
"Agreed," Harry said, though privately he wondered if keeping secrets about the book would prove as difficult as keeping quiet about his suspicions regarding Malfoy.
As they settled into dinner Harry found himself thinking about the mysterious previous owner of his textbook. Whoever they were, they had clearly been brilliant at Potions. But more than that, they had cared enough to share their knowledge, even if only through scribbled notes in a textbook.
It was, Harry thought, exactly the kind of thing a good teacher would do.