HP: god of potions

Chapter 2

Once all the first years were sorted into their houses, students buzzed with excitement. Professor McGonagall tapped a cup to get their attention, announcing, "Your attention, please." Dumbledore then rose from his chair and declared, "Let the feast... begin." With a wave of magic, food appeared on all the tables, filling the Great Hall with awe and chatter. "Magic food," thought Gray, as his face showed no expression. It was as if he were a zombie, and the dark circles under his eyes didn't help either, which is why some of the students next to him were keeping their distance. "Childish," Gray thought as he dug in, while listening to the conversation at his table.

Seamus chimed in, "I'm half and half. Me dad's a Muggle. Mam's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." Neville laughed at this, and Harry, sitting next to Percy, leaned over and asked, "Say, Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" Percy replied, "Oh, that's Professor Snape, head of Slytherin House." Curious, Harry inquired, "What's he teach?" Percy responded, "Potions. But everyone knows it's the Dark Arts he fancies. He's been after Quirrell's job for years."

While Gray placed a nicely cut piece of chicken in his mouth, he thought, "Maybe I am a prince or something." He chuckled in his mind as he cut another piece of chicken like he was royal-born. "It's not really far-fetched; this body was originally an orphan before he got the letter." That was when suddenly a semi-transparent figure appeared from the table Gray was sitting at, probably trying to scare him, but all Gray did was stare at him. The ghost, named Nick, greeted him with, "Hello! How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor." Many other ghosts flowed from the walls, and the Bloody Baron exclaimed, "Whoo-hoo-hoo!" A girl pointed and said, "Look, it's the Bloody Baron!" Percy asked Nick, "Hello, Sir Nicholas. Have a nice summer?" Nick replied, "Dismal. Once again, my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied," before beginning to float away.

Ron recognized him and shouted, "I know you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" Nick corrected him, "I prefer Sir Nicholas if you don't mind." Hermione, intrigued, asked, "Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Nick demonstrated by grabbing his head and pulling it to the side, revealing it hanging by a thread. Ron screamed, "Ahh!" while Hermione moaned in disgust, and Harry simply rolled his eyes. Nick reattached his head. Later, Percy led the Gryffindors to the staircase tower, instructing, "Gryffindors, follow me, please. Keep up. Thank you."

A boy called out, "Ravenclaws, follow me. This way." Percy explained, "This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases. They like to change." As they walked, several portraits greeted them, and Neville exclaimed, "Seamus, that picture's moving!" Ron pointed out another, saying, "Look at that one, Harry!" Harry teased, "I think she fancies you." A girl exclaimed, "Oh, look! Look! Who's that girl?" A man in a painting welcomed them, and the girl asked, "Who's that?"

Later, on the seventh floor, the students approached a large painting of a woman in a pink dress known as "The Fat Lady." She asked, "Password?" Percy confidently replied, "Caput Draconis." The Fat Lady smiled and nodded, and the painting swung open to reveal a doorway leading to Gryffindor Tower. "Follow me, everyone. Keep up. Quickly, come on," Percy urged. Inside the common room, he instructed, "Gather around here. Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. Boys' dormitory is upstairs and down to your left. Girls, the same on your right. You'll find that your belongings have already been brought up."

So Gray went to the boys' dorm, which unfortunately for him, was shared. "This is going to get old real fast," he thought as he got ready for bed, but he didn't sleep. He was preparing for his lessons tomorrow morning.

It was a busy morning at Hogwarts. In one of the many rooms, there was a classroom, and this classroom held the Transfiguration class for first years, where Gray was sitting comfortably, holding a quill and paper. "I should pay attention to this class. I definitely feel like it's going to come in handy later on," Gray thought to himself as suddenly, two students burst into the classroom—those two students being Harry Potter, someone Gray found out was very famous, and Ron Weasley. They spotted a tabby cat on a desk, and Hermione rolled her eyes at their tardiness. "Whew! Made it! Can you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if we were late?" Ron exclaimed, making Gray smile. Suddenly, the cat leaped off the desk and transformed into Professor McGonagall, leaving Harry and Ron in awe. "Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley," she said, a smirk on her lips.

"Perhaps it'd be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocketwatch. That way, one of you might be on time," McGonagall continued. "Hm, I like her," Gray smiled before continuing to take notes. Harry tried to explain, "We got lost," but she responded, "Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats." Then the class continued.

-scene change-

Later, in Snape's Potions classroom, the class that Gray was most looking forward to, given his serious expression, had an atmosphere that was charged with anticipation as the door slammed open and Snape swept in, his expression forbidding. "There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class," he announced.

As he surveyed the room, he added, "However, for those select few who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses." Snape's gaze fell on Draco, who smiled smugly. "I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death," he said, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Draco while looking at Gray, whose attention he had fully. He then turned to Harry, who was scribbling notes, and asked, "Mr. Potter. Our... new... celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" 

Harry shrugged, prompting Snape to press further, "And where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione's hand shot up again, along with Gray's, causing the two of them to look at each other, but Harry replied, "I don't know, sir." Snape's disappointment was palpable as he continued, "And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Harry replied, "I don't know, sir." Snape, with a smirk, said, "Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Mr. Potter?" Hermione looked surprised as laughter rippled through the room while Gray sighed, "Huh, guess Snape has something against Potter," but it was none of his business—he was here to learn potion-making. Snape then leaned in closer, explaining, "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death," which Gray started to jot down, earning a glance from Snape, who continued speaking.

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A/N sorry, i was sleepy so i forgot to upload this chapter(it was 8 in the morning for me)