Last time:

As no one had woken that night, Harry felt safe to do what he rarely did. Cry silently into his pillow, letting the soft fabric soak up his tears. He slowly fell asleep, tears still running down his cheek onto his pillow. He slept peacefully the rest of the night, only to be awoken at dawn with a start. At first he wondered why he woke up. Then he saw a ghostly figure sitting on his knees, making faces at him. Then he understood.

Had his voice been working properly, he would have screamed in fright. As it was, he was only able to make a squeaking sound before jumping a good foot into the air. Landing wrong, he slipped off the bed to land with a hard bump on the floor. The ghost was laughing at Harry's plight, and began to tease in a sing-song voice "Aw! Did the Ikkle Firstie fall out of bed? Poor Ikkle Firstie, hope he didn't hit his head."

As the ghost continued to laugh, the others in the dorm awoke. Draco glared quietly, and stated "I've heard of that ghost. He's Peeves, the Poltergeist. From what I've been told, only the Bloody Baron can control him." This was for the benefit of those who hadn't had parents or siblings come to Hogwarts. It calmed Harry down to know the name of what had woken him. Standing shakily, he said softly "I'm going to get ready for the day. I won't be able to get back to sleep now."

The other Firsties agreed, and they all prepared for the day. Out of respect for each other, they went one at a time into the showers that first day. Then, dressed and with their school equipment, they trooped downstairs into the common room. Harry stayed as close to Draco as he could without seeming clingy. The other boy, somehow sensing the nervousness of his raven-haired companion, didn't make any protest to it.

The only one they found awake was the Prefect, Marcus Flint. Standing up, he looked over the five Firsties. Then he stated "What are you lot doing up? I would have expected you to still be sleeping at this hour." Shuffling their feet, the younger boys looked slightly abashed. Then Blaise came forward and said "Peeves decided to wake Potter up this morning." Marcus let out an angry mutter, then sighed. He pointed to the seats and said "Might as well sit down. Breakfast won't be for an hour, and your likely to get your ears scolded off if you went out now."

They conceded, and sat down to wait for breakfast. Draco took this time to turn to Harry, and murmur "I wish to talk to you later, when we have the chance." Harry nodded warily, blinking softly. He wondered if the silver-haired boy was suspicious of him somehow. Shrugging, he decided it didn't matter if he was, as there was likely nothing he could do about it anyways.

The hour passed quickly, though it seemed slow to those waiting. As the time passed, others woke as well. Soon the common room was filled with First to Third Years, all waiting for breakfast. Then finally it was time, and they all left to head for the Great Hall. They were one of the first students to arrive, having just missed passing the Hufflepuffs who got there first.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, unlike the dinner the previous night. As the Prefects had told them, they received their schedules after eating. The Firsties checked the list, and saw that they had Potions with the Gryffindors first thing that day. Harry was nervous, as the teacher for that class was Professor Snape. Though he would never admit it, the stern Professor scared him.

After breakfast was over, the First Year Gryffindors and Slytherins all headed down to the Dungeons. Entering the Potions classroom was daunting, as there were all sorts of odd ingredients on the walls. After they had taken their seats, they waited, wondering where the Professor was. They didn't have to wait long, as the Potions Master came billowing into the room with long strides.

His speech was impressive, and Harry thought it would be wise to write it down. He was wrong, as he soon found out. The Professor zeroed in on him with a sneer. His voice was cold as he stated "Harry Potter. Our new..celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Not knowing the answer, Harry shook his head quietly, not trusting his voice.

"Tut, tut-fame clearly isn't everything. Let's try again, shall we? Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Harry's good eye flashed briefly with recognition. He knew that answer, having read it from the book just the day before! But he knew he'd never speak loud enough to be heard, so he shook his head again, ashamed he wasn't able to answer that time.

The Professor didn't sneer that time, but said "Potter, stay after class." Harry blinked, and looked down at his hands. Things went little better as they worked on a Boil Cure. A bumbling boy by the name of Neville Longbottom exploded his cauldron, and had to be taken up to the hospital wing. The Gryffindor students lost a point because those nearest Neville hadn't noticed him putting the right ingredient in at the wrong time.

The class ended with all of them getting homework on the properties of asphodel to be handed in the next class. Then the students shuffled out, all but Harry. Draco stated before he left "Good luck, Harry." He had wanted to stay, but knew better then that. After the silver-haired boy left, Harry was alone with the Potions Master. It took all his self-control not to start shaking with pure terror.

***

Severus sat down behind his desk, looking quietly at the boy he had told to stay after. He was, truth be told, entirely stumped at Potter's attitude. He had expected him to be a spoiled little brat who would lord it over the rest of the class. Had James known an answer, he wouldn't have hesitated to speak it. But this child, the one who had Lily's eyes, did not answer even when it was obvious he knew it.

Shaking his head softly, the Potions Master began to speak "I noticed that you knew the second question I had asked. Yet you did not answer. Why?" The boy's head jerked up, eyes glittering with..terror. Why such fear, Potter? Wait...what the? were the thoughts that went through Severus' mind as he stared into those green eyes. Something was not right, he could sense that much. With a sinking feeling, he wondered if he had opened the bag to let the cat out.