118 Snape and Arth

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape.

Harry took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them.

"None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up. "I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a

tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury —"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron.

"— he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" — he gave a huge, fake sigh — "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"For Merlin's sake. Shut the hell up. Your arm is perfectly fine, but if you complain about how it's "broken" I'm going to break it." Arth said while squinting his eye.

"If you do, you'll be expelled." Said Malfoy with a smug look.

"Then I'll make sure to get your other limbs while I'm at it." Arth said emotionlessly. "Better make my expulsion worth it."

Malfoy started to look a little less confidant.

"... You wouldn't dare Kingscrown."

"How do you know I wouldn't dare? Would you like to test it out?"

Malfoy scowled before sulking off Back to his group of Slytherins. Scarlett immediately left the table and took the seat that malfoy was sitting.

"Are you ok?" She said with a worried look.

Arth shrugged.

"I'm fine. If rather be expelled than make a big deal out of it like Malfoy."

Scarlett snorted.

"He is an idiot. Who would like him?"

Malfoy's wars went red and Malfoy started to quiet down and act less arrogant.

A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned.

"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.

"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right —"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.

"Help me!" he moaned to Hermione.

Ron gave a dirty look towards Snape's back before turning around to speak.

"Little git isn't he Harry, I wonder what he has against Gryffindors?" Said Ron while glaring at Snape.

"Although he does have some slight bias towards Slytherin, I wouldn't say he was a git." Said Arth. "Maybe a little tyrannical."

"A little? That's a bloody understatement," said Ron looking annoyed. "Because of Snape, Trevor the toad is going to die."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. I hate to say it but considering how much Neville is trembling, I don't think he is making a shrinking potion."

Arth made a quick glance at Neville who was indeed looking as though he was going through an earthquake. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn't see.

"... let me check the future."

Arth took out a tea cup, an empty caldron, and some tea leaves from his bag and started to boil some water.

"Are you seriously making tea? In the middle of potions class?" Asked Harry with a disbelieving gaze.

Arth rolled his eyes.

"What's the harm? I'm already finished with marking my potion."

"You do realize that tea leaves are bogus?"

"You never know until you try."

"You realize that you are horrible at prediction? I fell down the stairs last time when you said it was ok."

"...that was an accident, I must've read it wrong."

Ron gave a smug look.

"Then go ahead and look at it, prove that you can predict."

While Harry and Ron were busy with their potions, Arth slowly made his tea.

Professor Snape came by with a frown.

"Do you think my class is a refreshment center Kingscrown?"

"No. It's potions class."

"Then why are you making tea in my class? Do I look stupid to you? Do you think I cannot differentiate tea from a shrinking potion?"

This earned a few sniggers from the other students, including Ron.

"I've already finished my potion, so why can't I make tea Professor?"

Snape had on a look of surprise.

"You have already finished? How?"

Arth poured some of the boiling water into the teacup filled with tea leaves before answering.

"I stirred the potion three times counterclockwise after adding the rat spleen then added Essence of Statera to speed up the process without ruining the potion."

Snape stared at Arth with a complicated look before turning a round with a swish.

"Ten points to Gryffindor."

Ron looked as though the world had just ended.