The Hellish Life of Helia Potter

“The Potions Master.” Snape read with a frown, knowing that no one was going to like what happened in this chapter.

"There, look. "

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair. "

Daphne snorted unladylike “Oh, that’s really specific, with four Weasleys boys in school.”

“Yeah, there’s more than one tall boy with red hair.” George said in a fake offended voice.

“However, they’re only two who are heart-stopping gorgeous.” Fred said with a cocky smirk.

“What do you mean? Charlie and Bill had already graduated by the time I was there.” Helia teased the twins.

The Twins looked at her with offended expressions “Helia-Flower!” They gasped dramatically. “How could you? We are clearly the most handsome Weasley’s to ever grace the Hogwarts grounds.”

Helia smirked at them “If you say so.”

"Wearing the glasses?"

"Did you see her face?"

"Did you see her scar?"

“I bet that got old fast.” Charlie winced sympathetically.

Tonks blushed pink, her hair brightening to magenta. She had been one of the many who ogled at the poor girls scar.

Whispers followed Helia from the moment she left her dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her, or doubled back to pass her in the corridors again, staring. 

Helia wished they wouldn't, because she was trying to concentrate on finding her way to classes. 

“Drove me bloody bonkers, I thought I was going in circles, because I kept seeing the same people time after time." Helia grumbled, with a pout on her red lips.

“It really isn’t that hard.” Fred, George and Hermione said at the same time. The three blinked at each other shocked that they were all on the same wavelength.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts:

Neville’s eyes widened, “You counted?!” He exclaimed.

“No it’s in Hogwarts A History.” Helia said.

 wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. 

Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, 

“The Kitchens,” Said everyone.

McGonagall frowned at them all. “Your not supposed to know that.” She said, they just shrugged.

“It’s Hogwarts.” George said as if it was obvious.

“Nothing stays a secret for long.” Fred said with a shrug that said what can you do.

“Tell me about it.” Helia muttered.

and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Helia was sure the coats of armour could walk. 

Just as the twins were going to comment Snape silenced them with a death glare, he wanted this chapter over quickly, he deeply regretted how unfairly he treated Helia.

The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class.

“Only two locked doors and a trick staircase, the Peeves must’ve grown soft.” James mused.

“You mean that’s being kind?!” Neville asked aghast.

 He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"

“Remus taught him that!” James laughed, get a shocked look from McGonagall.

“It was you!” McGonagall hissed, looking like she would very much like to transform Remus into a babbling, bumbling baboon.

Remus cringed guilty away from his old teacher’s wrath, shooting a nasty look to his friend who smiled innocently at him.

The first time he had done this, Helia had jumped slightly, but when he made himself visible again, she started to laugh. He seemed confused, as if he wasn’t used to people laughing with him after he’d prank them. From the conversation, the other ghosts were having at the sorting ceremony, he was used to being scolded or told off.

“Well done, that was fun. Nice to meet you, but I have to get to class now.” Helia said, and off she went trying to find the history of magic classroom, as she was meant to meet up with Ron on the way.

Peeves stared after the small Gryffindor firstie, look bewildered. After that Peeves and Helia formed a sort of friendship, he would prank her she would laugh, and then they would head their separate ways. He never did anything dangerous to her, and she never got angry with him or scold him, she would smile, and they would talk more and more with each other.

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she wanted to warn Helia away from Peeves, but thought better of it.

“Potter, do you even know how to make friends normally.” Blaise sighed at Helia.

Helia tilted her hand, in confusion. “What’s the normal way.”

However, unlike her budding friendship with Peeves, the caretaker, Argus Filch, hated Helia. Helia and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. 

“That’s got to be a new record!” James crowed in delight, much to the dismay of his wife.

Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. 

The Twins nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah that would do it.”

He wouldn't believe they were lost,

“Honestly we were first years, it’s perfectly normal for us to get lost.” Helia muttered.

McGonagall frowned. “If the prefects had been doing their jobs, then you wouldn’t have been lost.”

was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing. 

The Golden Trio narrowed their eyes. It was most likely he was checking out the corridor and its defenses. Moody was watching the Trio’s reactions to Quirrell, and he didn’t like what his instincts were telling him.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. 

Sirius groaned out loud “How is that bloody cat still alive.”

“She’s part bakeneko, which is why her life span is so long.” Luna told him offhandedly, as she swayed gently in her seat.

“And what exactly is a bakeneko?” Sirius asked Luna, he always had a soft spot for the little moon-eyed girl that followed Helia around back when he was with them in his padfoot form.

“Well most cats, when they live to an old age, they begin develop supernatural powers and transform into a youkai, called Bakeneko.” Luna explained. “As they walk silently, some even walk on hind legs and as they age their powers increase along with the length of their tales.”

George looked at her weirdly. “What kind of powers are we talking her Lovegood, because we haven’t seen any from Mrs.Norris.”

“Well, they can summon ghostly fireballs and are known to accidentally start house fires because their tails act like torches.” Luna listed off. “Oh they also can reanimate fresh corpses, mostly small creatures there hasn’t been a case of a human reanimation since Japan’s Bunka period.” 

Helia twitched at the mention of reanimation, just the mention of the act caused her heart to feel as if it was going to pound out of her chest. Her fingers twitched and shook with the aborted motion of trying to scratch at her own skin.

Emerald eyes fell shut to block everything out, as she did her breathing technique she learned over the summer four seconds in 1…2…3…4, hold for seven seconds 1…2…3…4…5…6…7, breath out for 8 seconds 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8 she repeated the steps until she finally felt her grip on reality again. As she tuned back in she could hear Luna still rambling about Bakeneko’s. 

“Bakeneko’s drink lamp oils you see to warn other that something strange is going to happen, that where the ‘folk-lore’ of a cat licking oil is an omen of an impending strange event.”

“But I’ve read about them back in Romania, usually they kill their owners when they evolve from house cats.” Charlie pondered, gaining a beaming smile from the petite Ravenclaw.

“That’s right Charlie if they do not kill their owners, they often bring down great curses and misfortune upon them, however because Mrs.Norris was part kneazle before she changed it doesn’t affect her quite the same as non-magical cats.” Luna rationalized.

“That’s amazing I never thought that there could be a difference in the evolution of non-magical to magical species.” Charlie said astonished, that this little slip of a girl knew more of creatures than experts that studied them for over four decades. He didn’t think he would ever find someone that could hold his attention and interest, bloody hell his brothers joked he was just too picky and might a well just become a deranged dragon man.

She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. 

“I’ll never understand how that old coot—” Fred said.

“—Could be so fast, even with the help of the secret passageways.” George continued for his twin.

Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins)

“And the Marauders,” The Twins said, only the people who knew about the map and went to school with the marauders knew what they were talking about.

The last true marauders shared a smile.

 and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.

And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Helia quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words. 

“Of course there’s more to magic, what in Merlin’s name convince you otherwise?!” Madam Bones gasped, looking offended.

Hermione quickly came to her best friend’s defense “In the Muggle world, waving around a wand, saying a rhyme or a silly chant is how they describe sorcery and magic.”

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets, which Helia was quick to figure out she loved. The subject was fascinating and the study matter was beautiful as well.

Helia smiled softly. “Astronomy is one of my best subjects.” 

Draco remembers watching the emerald-eyed girl more than the night sky during the nighttime classes, he was bewitched by the stars reflecting in her eyes. Blaise usually slapped him upside the head when he got to lost in watching her, but not without a heavy dose of teasing.

Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, 

Neville sighed in happiness at his favourite subject, Professor Sprout always let him use the greenhouse when he was feeling stressed.

However, in these greenhouses, there were no roses, no alyssum, no dandelions, no heather, or any vegetation she already knew how to grow and care for— Helia was very familiar with gardening as it had been one of her many chores at the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia bragged to all the Private Drive neighbours that her garden won the neighbourhood garden competition four years in a row, but only because the hours and hours of hard labor Helia did rain, burning sun, high winds she was out there.

“For Merlin’s sake they treated you like Cinderella!” Hermione seethed in anger.

“Who’s Cinderella? And how does she compare to the Pup?” Sirius asked.

“Cinderella was a girl, who was abused and mistreated by her Stepfamily they had dressed her in an old gray smock and wooden shoes, and they made her work morning until evening she carried water, lit the fires, cooked and cleaned just as a maid. Instead of a bed to rest her weary body from the hard work she was forced to sleep by the hearth in the ashes, and because of this she was always looked dirty and dusty giving her the name Cinderella.” Hermione said, everyone one could connect the story to Helia’s life with the Dursleys.

Instead they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. 

Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. 

“Oh Hecate, he still does that?” Lily asked. “Dumbledore I don’t why you don’t do something about! History of Magic is an extremely important subject an actual alive, and good teacher would make all the difference.”

“But it has been a tradition for Professor Binns to teach, he’s been teaching for more than half of a century now.” Dumbledore tried to justify.

Lily huffed at her old headmaster, of course tradition is more important than the teaching and well-being of the students.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Helia's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.

Snape sneered and rolled his eyes at his colleague.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Helia had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. 

“Again, that never seems to stop you.” McGonagall said, equal parts both amused and annoyed.

Helia grinned at her head of house. “But, it’s no fun without certain risks.” She said, her emerald eyes sparkled mischievously, her Professor narrowed her eyes at her, but decided to leave it be for now.

Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. 

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned. "

Sirius offered his old professor a cheeky smirk. “Then why did you let, James and I were always let back in?”

“Is it possible, that you actually like us troublemakers, Minnie?” James asked with a grin.

McGonagall gave a small sniff of displeasure and didn’t answer, but you could see a small smile twitching at her lips.

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. Helia had found it to be quite simple to do, all you had to do was visualize what the needle looked like and remember the feel of metal in your hand. 

Lily smiled at Helia “Looks like you got James talent for Transfiguration, he was always best at it.” 

“Why Lily-Flower, I didn’t know noticed me back then.” James teased his wife.

“You might’ve been an arrogant toe-rag, but you were a talented toe-rag.” She teasingly replied.  

By the end of the lesson, to all appearances Hermione Granger was the only one who made any difference to her match. Only because Helia turned her spelled needle back into its original form of a match; 

Mcgonagall turned to Helia in shock, she hadn’t noticed that Helia turn her match into a needle and turn it back right under her nose.

Helia avoided her Professor’s questioning eyes, she was so used to hiding her schooling achievements from the Dursleys it was a habit, even now she had to catch herself from doing it.

Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.

“They aren’t that rare.” Hermione said quietly to Helia, who nodded in agreement. 

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.

“When isn’t DADA a joke, now of days?” Asked Susan.

“I quite liked, Remus as a teacher.” Luna said, sending Remus a quirky smile as the ex-Professor smiled warmly back at her.

 His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days.

The Trio shared a look, it was no vampire in Romania it was something much worse.

 His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. 

“I wouldn’t believe it either, he was always a coward in school.” Sirius scoffed.

For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather;

“Merlin’s Beard like that’s not suspicious," Sirius scoffed. "Can't he at least act like he knows what he's doing?"

"That would be even more dangerous," Helia muttered, as she cradled her right arm thinking of her de-boned arm in second year.

"Why in the name of Circe do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience?" Lily asked wearily.

"Because she is," answered Ron, Hermione, and McGonagall.

for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, 

Helia now knew the stench was the dying soul of Voldemort clinging to Quirrell.

and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well,

“We still stand by that statement,” Fred grinned.

“You won’t later.” Ron muttered.

 so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went. 

Helia was very relieved to find out that she wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like her, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start. 

"Bloody hell if anything I got a head start from the rest of our year by being friends with Helia and Hermione. I had the bloody best tutors in the whole bloody wizarding world!" Ron praised his best friends.

Friday was an important day for Helia and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once. 

“Okay I’ll admit, we really only had trouble finding our way when I was leading.” Ron admitted with a deep blush on his freckled face. “I mean Helia could find her way around within three days.”

“I could barely find my classes without getting lost for weeks, so it wasn’t just you.” Susan comforted him, with a gentle hand over his own.

"What have we got today?" Helia asked Ron as she poured honey on her porridge. 

“You still eat it that way?” Lily asked Helia, who looked at her mother confused.

“What?”

“When you were a baby the only way you would eat porridge was if I put honey in it for you, otherwise you wouldn’t eat it.” Lily said, with a gentle smile on her lips.

“I-I didn’t know that, it’s just something I’ve always done.” Helia admitted, feeling a blush rising on her cheeks.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favours them -- we'll be able to see if it's true. "

“It is true," confirmed everyone who had been who had been under Snape's tutelage.

“Go forth with our blessing.” 

“And hope of your survival.” The twins joked.

"Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Helia. 

“I do not show favouritism.” McGonagall sniffed.

“That’s obvious,” Ron muttered. Hermione lightly slapped his arm, but Helia smirked at him agreeing with him.

Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before. 

Just then, the mail arrived. Helia had gotten used to this by now, but it had given her a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps. 

Hedwig hadn't brought Helia anything so far, it didn’t bother her as she spent most of her life without receiving any mail. She sometimes flew in to nibble her ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Helia's plate. Helia tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

Dear Helia,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?

I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig. 

Hagrid

“That was sweet of him." Molly cooed.

“And to do it by owl, so she didn't feel left out when the others got mail," Lily said, her voice laced with the gratitude she felt.

"Hagrid's great like that." Charlie smiled remembering his own visits to the gentle man, they could talk for hours about dragons and never get bored.

Helia borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. 

“After Helia fed Hedwig all her bacon, of course." Ron teased, drawing a scowl from Helia.

It was lucky that Helia had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to her so far. 

“What the hell did he do to you?" Sirius growled.

"Calm down, Sirius. I don’t let Snape get to me." Helia reassured her godfather.

Hermione raised her eyebrow at her best friend at the lie. Snape had a special talent for getting under Helia’s skin and vice versa, but as she had said it to calm Sirius, so she decided to stay quiet.

At the start-of-term banquet, Helia had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked her. By the end of the first Potions lesson, she knew she'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Helia -- he hated her. 

 “What happened back then is not Helia’s fault, it’s between James, you and me.” Sirius growled quietly to Snape, who sneered at him.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. 

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, she paused at Helia's name. 

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Heliantheae Potter. Our new -- celebrity. "

“Bloody hell, shut up! It's us you're sore at, not Helia." Sirius finally lost his temper, at Snape’s actions.

“Sirius, Severus is allowed his own opinion.” Dumbledore said.

"Not when he involves Helia in the issue!" Sirius growled.

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. 

Draco winced at his behaviour as he avoided looking at peoples eyes, he didn’t want to see the glares.

Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels, 

Draco winced, his godfather was in a awful mood that day. Now that he thought back on it, it probably was because of Helia. 

but to Helia the cold and emptiness, made her think of loneliness. 

Snape looked blankly at the quiet girl who looked back, he understood the reason she saw loneliness in his eyes, she had the exact same feel to her eyes. Yes she had her mother’s eyes, but you couldn’t see the hardships and sharpness in Lily’s eyes, the will to do anything to fight and survive was built in those glinting emerald eyes of Helia Potter.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word -- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.

Snape blinked, before looking at Helia in slight shock, she had given him a compliment.

 "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death –

“That speech was actually quite nice, Severus." said Lily, complemented.

 if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach. "

"Oh, dear." said McGonagall, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Not the conclusion to your speech that I was expecting."

More silence followed this little speech. Helia and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead. 

"Hermione Granger, a dunderhead?" gasped Fred. "Say it ain't so!"

"That's too horrendous to even imagine," George wailed.

“Shut up both of you.” Bill barked. “Hermione there’s no way you could ever be called a dunderhead.” Bill reassured Hermione as he held her hand in his grasp.
 
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

“Really Severus? No first year knows that.” Kingsley chastised.

Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? Wasn’t that in Magick Potions by Gerina Dunwigh, chapter nine, page one-hundred and eighty-nine they were ingredients for the Draught of the Living Dead. Add the infusion of wormwood, then the powdered root of asphodel, stir twice clockwise, add sloth brain, juice of the sopophorous bean and finish be stirring the potion seven times anti-clockwise. 

“Okay, I stand corrected.” Kingsley blinked in astonishment.

“Potter, you not only knew the question and lied, but you remember every step to the brewing of the Draught of the Living Dead.” Snape said monotonously.

“Yes.” Helia replied blandly.

Helia glanced at Ron, who looked stumped at the question; Hermione's hand had shot into the air. 

"I don't know, sir," said Helia lied, as she fixed her expression into one of confusion. 

“You know we won’t hate you if you acted smart.” Ron told her lightly.

"I know that…now," Helia sighed, as scratched at her neck. "I just...didn't want to do anything to compromise our friendship."

"Helia, you shouldn't have to dumb yourself down to make friends you taught me that!” Hermione exclaimed.

"It wasn’t just that," Helia tried to explain. "I...I feel more comfortable with not showing off, I lived most of my life in the background trying not to be seen.” Helia said as she remembered how she hide in the background of her old non-magical school, she even hid in the background at the Dursley’s. “It was a way I protected myself, it’s hard not to fall back on that habit of staying in the shadows.”
 
"Miss Potter, please try to do your best in class," McGonagall said gently. "It may seem easy learning by yourself, but we as your professors are here to help you learn.”
 
"Thank you, I am trying," Helia said.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer, Helia could tell he could see something was off with her.

"Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn't everything. "

"If you even bothered to pay attention to her, you'd know how much she hates her fame." Susan snapped at Snape.

“Susan!” Madam Bones scolded.

He ignored Hermione's hand. 

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, Helia knew that a bezoar was stone that formed in the stomach of a goat and that it was a cure to many poisons, as she read in Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, chapter four, page forty-two. 

She tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter. 

"I don't know, sir." Again she lied.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

"There isn't a book that Helia hasn't opened, in the library." Ron protested, “I mean between Helia and Hermione I don’t think their one book left untouched.”

“You're not being fair, Severus, no other student would be able to answer those questions, not many students open their books beforehand.” Lily reprimanded.

 Helia forced herself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes, without glaring. She devoured her year books and her extra books she bought in Diagon Alley while she was at the Dursleys', but she didn’t care for how Snape expect her to remember everything in Magical Drafts and Potions.

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand. 

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"They're the same thing," The twins said together in a bored tone. "They also go by aconite."

At everyone's surprised looks,"What? How do you think we’ve created some of our pranks.” Fred shrugged.

“It’s not just spellwork, potions make for excellent pranks too.” George grinned.

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling. 

"I don't know," said Helia quietly, but she did know it was in both One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook, monkshood and wolfsbane also called aconite was the same plant.

“I must say Miss.Potter you’ve read quite ahead for you to know these answers.” Madam Bones mused at her nieces friend.

“It’s like what was said, I was fascinated with potions and read everything I could get my hands on.”Helia shrugged, not really see what was the big deal about.”

“I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed; Helia caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. 

Draco stiffened in his seat, causing both Blaise and Theo too shake their heads at their friend who was pretty much oozing jealousy.

Remus could smell the sudden spike of jealousy coming from the Malfoy boy, he could feel a weary smile tugging at his lips.

Snape, however, was not pleased. 

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

“Because you didn't tell them to, you were too busy attacking another student." Remus said dryly, although everyone could hear the dangerous undertone if they cared to listen. 

Snape tensed as he watched Remus warily.

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter. "

"What cheek did you get from her? She merely said that she didn't know the answer, and she offered someone else that seemed to know the answers!” Tonks shouted, her hair a flaming red.

“Requesting me to ask Granger was cheek.” Snape sneered.

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, she could tell there was some sort of connection between the Potion’s Professor and Malfoy. They moved and act like they were family in a very subtle way, however they looked nothing alike so it was most likely a close family friend that was around Malfoy a lot. 

Both Snape and Draco looked startled that Helia could tell that they had a close relationship, from the start. With Snape being Draco’s Godfather of course he had a fondness for him, and Draco always went to his Godfather when he felt his father didn’t care for him and got angry at him as a child. He would hide away in his Godfather’s Potioneer workshop and spend hours brewing and organizing with him, until he finally fell to sleep and his mother would come fetch him after his father calmed down.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. 

Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. 

"Oh, are you sure, you were alright Neville?" Padma asked worriedly, looking at Neville with her big dark eyes that Neville always notice when the light reflected in them, they resemble a starry sky. 

Neville blushed furiously at his line of thought and smiled nervously at the sweet Ravenclaw.

"I was fine, after Madam Pomfrey healed me, honest.” Neville soothed.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, 

“Don’t speak that way to Neville!” Lily fumed.

"No wonder the boy was always so terrified of you!" Remus exclaimed. 

Snape didn't say anything, just looked at Neville with regret. Not that everybody could see it, but Helia could.

“I am sorry, Mr.Longbottom,” Was all Snape said, all he could say.

While a lot of people scoffed or look confused, Helia was the only one to see what he was trying to do. It was an olive branch, a offering of peace and apologies. Helia couldn’t help her eyes softening as she watched the potions master awkwardly try to fix his behaviour. Snape rolled his dark tunnelling eyes at her, but she could see his lips pull up in the tinniest of smiles.

clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. 

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Helia and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. 

"Severus..." Dumbledore warned.

"You -- Potter -- why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? 

“Maybe because I was focusing on my own potion, and Ron was sitting between me and Neville?" Helia sarcastically pondered.

Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor. "

"How the Bloody hell was that her fault?” Charlie demand an answer, having lost his temper at Snape’s behaviour. “She was working on her own potion it wasn't her responsibility to monitor the other students, it was yours!” He yelled looking as if he was ready to get up into Snape’s face.

"Mr. Weasley that will be quite enough." Dumbledore sighed.

"No actually, it’s not enough." Bill declared. "Why aren't you saying anything? What gives a professor in your school the right to treating their students like this, you honestly can’t approve of this kind of behaviour?"

“This occurred four years ago I found no reason to interfere than, any more than I do now, Severus if you would continue please.” Dumbledore cut off the eldest Weasley boys protests.

The Weasley boys exchanged dark looks, their expressions showing how unsatisfied they were with the headmaster. 

This was so unfair that Helia opened her mouth to argue, but Ron kicked her behind their cauldron. 

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty. "

As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Helia's mind was racing and her spirits were low. She'd lost two points for Gryffindor in her very first week -- why did Snape hate her so much?

Snape shifted uncomfortable. "It's not exactly you I hated, but rather... what you meant." 

“It’s because of me, right?" James asked Snape, looking in his eyes. "I truly am sorry for how I treated you I was a right git and it was fair.” James apologized to his old schoolmate, sincerely. “However, I will not tolerate you dragging my daughter down." Snape didn't meet James's eyes, but he gave a nod showing his understanding.

"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. 

Fred and George were just as angry as their older brothers.

"Yeah, but we actually deserve it when he takes them away." Fred grumbled under his breath. He and George remembered Ron talking about how Snape seemed to have it out for Helia more than others. If they had known what exactly went down they would’ve pranked the old dungeon bat to kingdom come. 

“You two have revenge raging in your eyes.” Daphne whispered, amused.

“So? You gonna stop us Lady Greengrass?” George asked, with a sharp grin.

She causally brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ears, as she hummed in fake thought. “No I think I’d rather like to watch.”

“Thank you for enabling us, Darling.” Fred smirked.

Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. 

What's the crossbow for?" Astoria asked curiously.

“Hagrid uses it for protection, since he can’t use magic.” Hermione answered.

Helia frowned, then a thought hit her they were read all of her school years, so they would read what she knew about who really opened the chamber of secrets. Dumbledore wouldn’t do anything with the knowledge, but with four ministry workers here than it couldn’t be denied.
 
When Helia knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang -- back. "

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. 

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang. "

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. 

"Is he very vicious?" Astoria asked nervously, she was terrified of dogs after one attacked her when she was seven. 

"No, he's very, very gentle." Helia reassured.

“It’s the ones with the sweet names you’ve got to watch out for.” Charlie informed.

“Don’t we know it.” The Trio and Neville muttered.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. 

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. 

“Why is it always the ears?" Ron complained.

"He likes you." Helia teasingly cooed.

"He likes my ears." Ron grumbled, drawing a giggle from Susan.

Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked. 

“Nope." Ron, Helia, and Draco all said. Honestly Fang was a big scaredy-cat Draco remembered how Fang ran away even before he did in the Forbidden Forest.

"This is Ron," Helia told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. 

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. “I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest. "

“Hey it wasn’t just me and George he was chasing out.” Fred complaining.

“Yeah, I mean Charlie was in there every chance he got trying to find all sort of magical creatures.” George tattled.

“Charles Septimus Weasley, how dare you risk your life to go gallivanting about the Forbidden Forest!” Mrs.Weasley screeched. “Why I expect this kind of behaviour from the twins, but you! Your supposed to set an example for your sibling not give them the idea it ok to go off into a beast infested forest!”

“Mum this was years ago, and I never told my sibling it’s okay to go into the forest when I caught the twins following me in the forest I took them straight back to the dorms.” Charlie defended himself. “Beside a lot of my time in the forest was with the old care of magical creatures’ teacher Professor Kettleburn, you know the man who recommended me for my job in Romania.” 

Mrs.Weasley’s brown eyes sharpened into slits, and her nose wrinkled in detest at the mention of Charlie’s old professor and mentor Silvanus Kettleburn. She thought that the old cripple brainwashed Charlie into wanting such a dangerous living, and she had no problems show it.

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Helia and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Helia's knee and drooled all over her robes as she secretly cooed over him when Hagrid and Ron weren’t looking. 

Sirius looked at her with a comical look of betrayal, drawing a giggle pasted her lips.

“Don’t worry Snuffles is still my favourite.” She giggled.

Helia and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git. "

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her -- Filch puts her up to it. "

Helia told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Helia not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students. 

"But he seemed to really hate me. "

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"

Yet Helia couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet her eyes when he said that. 

“That because he knows.” James told his daughter, when Sirius couldn’t look into her eyes afraid Helia would condemn him for his past mistakes.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot -- great with animals. "

Helia wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. 

"Hmm...Very shrewd thinking Potter." Theo hummed.

While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Helia picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet :

“Of course you would find the bloody thing, always looking for trouble." Sirius grumbled playfully.

"It was right in front of me." Helia protested. "Besides it mentioned the date the original robbery occurred on and it caught my eye since it happened while Hagrid and I were there." Helia reasoned with her godfather. “And I do not look for trouble, trouble finds me, thank you very much.”

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. 

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. 

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon. 

"Goblins, hate it when wizards try to stick their noses in what they see a goblin nation business especially when they are running an investigations and testing security.” Bill informed.

Helia remembered Ron telling her on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date. 

"Cause I didn't remember it." said Ron a little sheepishly.

“Thankfully, or else Miss. Potter would’ve started this nonsense earlier." Minerva muttered.

"Hagrid!" said Helia, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"

There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Helia's eyes this time. 

“For Merlin’s sake is there anything you don’t notice.” Ginny sighed.

He grunted and offered her another rock cake. Helia read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?

“Someone seems to be onto something.” Blaise purred.

“Yes." Helia said bluntly. The McGonagall and Snape groaned, what did they do to have to be stuck having to try and control a child that was curious as Helia Potter. It was bad enough with Lily and James, but their daughter seemed a thousand times worse than her parents.

As Helia and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, 

The golden trio laughed, “We still do that.” Ron chucked.

“There's such a thing as being too polite." Mrs.Weasley sighed.

Helia thought that none of the lessons she'd had so far had given her as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Helia?

“I wish you never inherited your parents curiosity, I swear Pup you’re gonna give me grey hairs.” Sirius whined.

“Your welcome.” James told his best friend with a cheeky grin.

"I can say with assurance that I would have never thought all that from just reading that article." Kingsley shook his head. "
 
"Kid's got good instincts." Moody agreed.

And what did he have to do with her mother’s death?

The final sentence hanged in the air, nobody knew what to say.

“Fawn what do you mean?” James asked his daughter. “Voldemort killed us, Snape had nothing to do with our death.”

Snape winced at that, because that wasn’t quite true without him the Dark Lord wouldn’t would’ve known the prophecy, and Lily and the Potters wouldn’t been targeted.

“There was hidden message wasn’t there?” Hermione questioned, her cinnamon eyes bright as she remembered their first potions class.

“Victorian flower language….” Lily trailed off as she stared at her old best friend, face pale.

Helia hummed, as she glanced at Snape for permission, his sneer deepened, but he didn’t show any protest.

“Asphodels are a type of lily, and they mean my regrets follow you to the grave, wormwood means absence and bitter sorrow.” Helia said quietly. “When together it means I bitterly regret Lily’s death.”

“That’s it Severus, you and I need to talk.” Lily hissed at her childhood friend, as she stocked out to the hallways with a nervous Snape trailing after her.