It was the second day of the new term, and Harry Potter didn't have a good start over it. He had already had to spend two nights in a row with Filch, the grumpy caretaker of the school in a cabinet room polishing the trophy there as his detention. He still had twenty-eight more nights to spend there as the consequence of almost breaching the statute of secrecy by bringing the flying car recklessly from London to Scotland. Coupled with the loss of one hundred points before the competition could even begin, yeah, he had a terrible start this year.
'Well, at least it wasn't as bad as Ron.'
Speaking of Ronald Weasley, Harry had to flinch when he thought of his best friend's state. Other than the same school punishment that the ginger-haired boy received together with Harry, he received a nasty howler from his mum who scolded him in public, causing everyone to laugh at him, putting him in embarrassment. And to make it worse, Ronald couldn't get a replacement for his wand that broke due to the crash with the whomping willow. So now, that poor wand had to be tapped poorly to allow Ronald to do his schoolwork for the time being.
To be honest, Harry felt guilty when he thought about his best friend. Even though he had never said, he had to guess the cause of the portal that was suddenly closed in the King Cross station that day was due to Dobby, the crazy house elf who tried to prevent him from going to school. He hadn't spoken anything about his guess to anyone else, though, not wanting to attract more unnecessary attention.
'Fortunately, we didn't get expelled.' Harry thought.
The glasses boy shuddered in fear when he heard from Hermione, his other best friend, regarding the punishment for breaching the statute of secrecy. If it was a student, the expulsion happened most of the time. It was usually followed with a prison sentence for at least one year if he was still a minor. But that wasn't what he feared the most. Imagining him being expelled and having to spend the rest of his life with the Dursleys made him tremble in fear.
He didn't know why Dumbledore didn't expel him on the spot like Snape suggested, but Harry was grateful it didn't come to that. Compared with the other alternative, one hundred points and one month's worth of detention was nothing at all.
'I need to be more careful in the future.'
"What are you thinking, Harry?" Hermione asked, worried. "Your expression changes a lot in the last few seconds. Are you okay? If you are sick, do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"Don't worry, Hermione, I am okay." Harry smiled at the bushy-haired girl. "I am okay, really."
Hermione stared at him carefully, trying to find a sign of a lie. Unfortunately, after twelve years of living under the roof of the Dursley family, Harry had already mastered the art of lying. He didn't even flinch facing the intimidating stare of his brilliant friend.
"Well, if you say so." Hermione huffed, eliciting a big grin from Harry. "We have a morning class in ten minutes, are you ready?"
"Wait, we have a morning class?" Ron suddenly appeared, yawned sleepily as he just woke up from his sleep.
"Yes, Ronald. And wash your face first, please." Hermione looked at him with disgust.
"Well, sorry for not looking presentable after waking up." Ron retorted, taking a glass of water. "And cut me some slack! I have to endure detention with Snape all night, and it would be like that for the next full month! Don't you know how horrible that feeling is?"
Harry shuddered, imagining himself having to spend every night in the dungeon alone with Snape. Fortunately, his detention was with Filch. Even though it was bad, at least Filch didn't hate his gut like the potion professor.
"Well, that is completely on you! Why are you so irresponsible and decided to fly your dad's car?"
"You have to admit that it was cool, though."
"Boys." Hermione rolled her eyes once again.
Seeing the banter between those two, Harry couldn't help but smile a little. He was glad that Ron's mood was back to normal again, not too sad about his poor broken wand.
"So, what class do we have?" He asked curiously.
"Let me think. If I remember it correctly, it should be potion and- EW, RONALD! WHAT THE HELL?!" She shrieked when Ron who just heard what she said spat the water out, spraying Hermione all over her robes. Harry burst off laughing, not expecting the usual proper Hermione would curse like that.
"Sorry!" Ron cried, offering a napkin. "I am just surprised that you said we have a potion for our morning class. I thought Snape would never open up a class in the morning for anyone."
"Well, it is clear that you were not listening to what I said before," Hermione grumbled, wiping her robes dry. "Didn't I say before that we have a new professor for the potion class?" She rolled her eyes when she saw the blank expression on her friend's face. "It is Professor Shafiq, Ronald! Honestly, were you even listening to anything I said?"
"Oh, that prick who all the girls compared to Lockhart?" Ron finally realized who Hermione spoke about.
"That is Professor Shafiq to you, Ronald. And we don't compare him with Professor Lockhart." Hermione hufed.
"Really?" Ron rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Then, who did I hear talking about how handsome, smart, and charming the professor was?"
"Did you just eavesdrop on the girl's conversation?" Hermione hissed, her face blushed red.
"Oh, please. As if I need to eavesdrop on that. With how loud you girl talked about it, I am surprised McGonagall didn't hear anything about it. What is so good about him, anyway? He is just a bloody puff, for God's sake!"
"Well, you cannot blame us here. I mean, Professor Shafiq is indeed really handsome, just like Professor Lockhart." Hermione squeaked quietly, her face was like a boiled lobster. "And what do you mean he is just a puff? There are a lot of good people coming from Hufflepuff House, you know?"
"Yeah, once in a century?"
"No, and that's very rude of you to speak ill of another house, Ronald." Hermione huffed. "Anyway, what do you think about it, Harry?" She suddenly turned around, trying to drag Harry into the conversation.
"Me? I don't know." The glasses boy shrugged. "I am just glad that I don't have to be in the same room with Snape on a regular basis."
Ron and Hermione looked at each other for a second before turning around, staring at Harry sympathetically. They knew that for the reason that probably only God knew, Snape had a very strong opinion toward Harry and had been treating him unfairly. So, for the boy-who-lived, it didn't matter who would be the new professor, as long as it wasn't Snape, it would be alright.
"You are right, Harry. It is good for you." Hermione patted his shoulder softly.
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Even though he had no expectations at all toward the new potion professor, Harry had to admit that this Professor Shafiq had good taste in decorating his class. It was still in the basement, yet far on the other side of the dungeon where Snape held his class. But unlike the dark, cold, and gloomy dungeon, Professor Shafiq's class was bright even though there was no natural light source like a lamp or something similar.
The class itself also felt refreshing with a lot of fresh green plants hanging on the wall as decoration, making anyone who entered the room feel a strange calmness that could calm everyone's nerves. Just based on the interior design of this classroom, his impression of the new professor rose astronomically, especially when compared to Snape.
"So, my second class today would be from the second-year Gryffindor and Slytherin, huh?" A voice suddenly came from behind snapping everyone from their awe at the new classroom, including Harry too. When he turned around, he saw for the first time the appearance of the new professor, and he had to admit that Hermione was right, the new professor was too charming.
'No wonder the girls went crazy.' He chuckled inwardly.
"Well, as I have already introduced myself in the feast, my name is Albert Shafiq, and you all can call me Professor Shafiq." The new professor smiled, his voice had this hypnotizing effect that seemed to demand respect and full attention toward him. "Before we start our class today, everyone, stand up!"
Hearing the sudden strange command, not only Harry, but even the other students just looked around, full of confusion.
"Don't worry. I will just have to arrange the seat for you. Oh, and unlike Professor Snape who gave you freedom to choose who you wanted to pair in every session, I will arrange a fixed partner for you all, so whoever sat next to you will also be your partner in this class for this year. I hope you can get along well with each other, okay?"
Harry was stunned for a second, then worry started to emerge. For a socially awkward boy like him, being paired with a random boy or girl and having to get along for a full year would be a challenge. But it would be better than the worst scenario possible, being paired with Draco Malfoy.
'That would be a nightmare.' He shuddered.
It seemed he was not the only one who was worried about this prospect. Whispers from the students echoed all over the room before Hermione finally had enough and raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss?" Professor Shafiq pointed.
"Hermione Granger, Sir. Will it really be for a full year?"
"Well, I hope so, since I spent a lot of time asking for your head of house to figure out the best pairing possible. But don't worry, though. I will use the first month as an experiment, and if this doesn't work, I will think of a better method."
To be honest, that didn't reassure Harry at all. But he knew he had no choice at all. He just hoped that he would be paired with someone he knew or someone decent enough to communicate. At least if he and his partner didn't work well, Professor Shafiq gave a way out after the month of this experiment.
"Well, if there is no question, let's start the arrangement. Mister Longbottom, you will spend this year together with Miss Parkinson."
Harry winced unconsciously, sending his prayer to his poor friend. Pansy Parkinson was one of the nastiest girls in Slytherin, always following Draco all along with his shenanigans. Neville Longbottom who also realized what kind of girl he was paired with looked like he was about to faint. Seeing that, Pansy scowled, unhappy with her partner either.
"Mister Weasley, you will be with Mister Zabini."
Not the worst pairing in the world, Harry thought. Blaise Zabini, a half-Italian boy was a nice bloke. He was probably the only Slytherin who acknowledged Harry's presence without any hostility like the other snakes. However, based on Ron's prejudice, Harry could guess his best friend wasn't ecstatic about this either.
"Mister Potter with Miss Davis."
The mentioning of his name gave Harry a mild jolt, yet when he heard who he was paired with, he sighed in relief. Compared to the other Slytherin, Tracey Davis wasn't that bad. The girl wasn't as stoic as the others, always being the sunshine around the ice queen Daphne Greengrass. Imagining himself sitting alone with Daphne Greengrass as he tried to strike a conversation awkwardly only to receive cold stars just gave him nightmares.
"Mister Malfoy with Mister Nott."
A wonderful pairing, Harry snorted. Those two were the most horrible boys in Slytherin, always picking up trouble and daring to flaunt their superior family to the others. They would get along pretty well.
"Miss Brown with Miss Bulstrode."
"Mister Thomas with Miss Patil."
After a few names passed and the others sat on their seat, Harry finally heard the last name he was waiting for.
"Miss Granger with Miss Greengrass."
Urgh. Harry had to give his biggest sympathy for his other best friend. Not only did she have to be paired with the ice queen, but they also had to sit in the last row, the least favorite spot for any good student like Hermione. Based on Greengrass's reaction, it seemed she was unhappy with this pairing too.
"Well, that would be the partner you will work with for about a year, so I hope you can get along with each other well, okay?" Professor Shafiq smiled innocently as if he didn't do anything intentionally. "For the side notes, though, you can make a complaint to me about your partner after the trial period this month, but I will only change the pairing if any of you give a valid reason for it. I don't want to deal with any nonsense such as you don't want to work with your partner because they are a slimy snake or a stupid Gryff, okay?"
For a moment, a dangerous aura flared from the professor's body, a dangerous glint could be seen scrutinizing the entire room, daring anyone to object to him. Harry gulped, for the first time feeling intimidated by anyone in the magical world. Hell, even Dumbledore or Quirell last year didn't give him such a chill like this.
"Well, I am glad that you understand about that."
Suddenly, that dangerous feeling disappeared, and Harry had to blink a few times as he saw the innocent smile on his professor's face to figure out whether before was an illusion or real. It seemed he wasn't the only one who was not sure what just happened. At this time, almost everyone in the room felt how was it to be dominated by a wizard with strong magical powers.
"Since today is just the beginning of our long year, let's start with a review. Any of you can tell me what kind of potion you studied last year? One person per potion, each got 5 points for their house. Yes, Miss Granger!" Professor Shafiq pointed his finger at Hermione excitedly as if he were the host of a quiz program that Harry secretly watched on telly when the Dursleys were out.
"We have learned forgetfulness potion, which was a potion that could cause an unknown degree of memory loss in the drinker."
"Five points for Gryffindor!" Hermione's face blushed red when Professor Shafiq smiled, acknowledging her answer. "Anyone else? Yes, Miss Brown?"
"Boil cure?" She said nervously. Seeing the encouraging smile from the professor, her confidence rose as she continued, "Just like its name, the potion is used to remove boil scars produced by a lot of things for example a pimple jinx."
"Good one, Miss Brown! Five points for Gryffindor!" Lavender looked ecstatic as this was probably her first time receiving points for answering a question in a potion class. "Anyone else? Yes, Miss Davis?"
Harry was surprised that his new partner suddenly raised her hand.
"Herbicide, Sir. It is a poisonous potion that could kill or damage plants instantly. Professor Snape warned us to not bring it to the greenhouse ever. It was commonly used by curse breakers, magizoologists, or any adventurers who are going to an unknown place to deal with unknown plants."
"Good one, Miss Davis! And I will give you ten points for the little detail you give us!"
Tracey Davis looked pleased with herself as she got the same amount of points Lavender and Hermione got just with one question. Hermione who realized she could get extra points looked a bit upset at herself for not thinking about that.
The question-and-answer session continued for about half an hour, and Harry was surprised to know that the other students did really well in potion even with Snape last year. Not to mention Draco and his Slytherin cronies who based on the rumor received private lessons with Snape every week, even Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, the two blokes who he always found playing exploding snap in the common room or goofing around were still better than him. Hell, even Neville who was a chaos to be reckoned under Snape's cold gaze could answer one or two questions under Professor Shafiq's encouragement.
It was only him, Ron, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe who had not answered the question yet, and to be honest, Harry felt uncomfortable. Not that he had any problem with his best friend, but being in the same category as Malfoy's two thugs as bottom-tier students didn't sit quite right in his mind.
"Are you alright?" A pleasant whisper suddenly knocked his eardrum, snapping him from his thought. When he turned around, he was taken aback by Tracey's concerned gaze. "Do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"No, don't worry about it," Harry whispered back, forcing himself to smile at the girl. "Just wondering why everyone is so good at potion out of nowhere."
"Aah… So that's it. You feel inferior compared to our peers." Tracey suddenly nodded as she just figured out the problem. Harry blushed, throwing away his face, didn't want to admit that Tracey was right. "Didn't you hear anything from the Puff and Claw though?"
"Hear what?"
"Hear what would be the first lesson with Professor Shafiq, of course," Tarcey replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Their schedule is a day earlier than us, so we ask what to expect. That's why we are looking good today. Hell, we even know what would be our homework later."
"Really?" Harry frowned, hated being left out. It reminded him a lot of his situation with the Dursleys. "How come I have never heard about it?"
"I don't know." Tracey shrugged. "Maybe it is because you are only socializing with Granger and Weasley? One is a teacher's pet, and the other is a rude, lazy boy. If you think about it, are you really that surprised about not being well-informed?"
Harry opened his mouth, ready to defend his friend. However, his words stuck in his throat, unable to get out of it. When the girl's words finally sunk in, he realized that what she said was right, and it stung.
Apart from the quidditch team, he has always been socializing with only Ron and Hermione. Maybe with Neville too, once or twice. But that was just exchanging words out of pleasantry, never anything serious. As for his other peers like Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, and the others, Harry just realized he had never talked about anything with them. It was like they lived in a different world even though they were in the same dormitory, which was quite sad.
As for his peers from the other houses, the only relationship he had was with Draco and his thugs, and it was a bad one. Other than that, he had no friends outside of the three.
"Here is my genuine advice as a Slytherin if you want to hear it." Tracey continued. "Society doesn't run by just one or two people. While it is good to have a best friend or two, don't close yourself to others. You don't know what kind of problem you will have in the future and who will be the one helping you there."
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Author note
I make a site for anyone who want to support me. If you are willing to help, you will also be able toread this story up to chapter 15. If you are interested, you can visitpatre0n/BlankNotes04. Please, support this work too! I hope that you are satisfied with this story! Thank you!