"What are you smiling about?" she teased softly, looking up at me with playful curiosity.
"Just thinking," I admitted with a small laugh. "This feels exactly like our walks back in the underworld, doesn't it? You know, minus my mum constantly spying on us."
Sona giggled. "True, but are you sure she isn't watching us right now? Knowing Serafall, she probably has hidden familiars somewhere nearby."
I instinctively glanced around the treetops, suddenly suspicious and a little paranoid. I wouldn't put it past my mum to keep tabs on us even here, and I tried not to feel too annoyed by the thought.
Sona noticed my wary glances and sighed. Telling me not to bother because she's learned the hard way that Serafall just does whatever she wants.
...
The next day...
It was my first ever potions class, and the dungeon classroom felt just as cold and gloomy as I'd heard it would be. I settled down beside Hermione, my girlfriend, whose presence immediately made things a bit brighter. She already had her notebook out, neatly organized, ready to soak up whatever our professor said.
I couldn't help but smile fondly at her.
Across from us, Malfoy was making a spectacle of himself, finally thawed out from the icy punishment he'd received the day before. He was red-faced, practically shouting at everyone around him, "Stop laughing! My father will hear about this! Just you wait!" His furious threats only seemed to amuse the Gryffindor guys even more, their laughter echoing through the classroom as Malfoy grew more livid by the second. "Shut up, all of you! You're all going to regret this!" Malfoy snapped angrily, pointing a shaking finger at the group that was led by Ron Weasley.
"Yeah, Malfoy, what's he gonna do? Cry about it to the Headmaster?"
Malfoy's pale face flushed an even deeper shade of red. "Laugh all you want now, but you won't be laughing when you're expelled!"
"Expelled for laughing?" another Gryffindor mocked loudly.
Malfoy glared daggers at them, clearly picturing every painful scenario he could inflict on them, his eyes blazing with uncontrollable fury.
Not like the piece of shit didn't deserve getting "iced" by Sona yesterday. I wasn't exactly rooting for either him or Ron though. When I glanced over, Ron's group stopped laughing and glared at me next.
"Fuck off, Potter!" Ron shouted. "Keep your eyes to yourself and your bitch girlfriend!"
"Yeah, you're a damn fraud!" A guy named Seamus added with a sneer.
Hermione gasped softly beside me, her eyes wide with shock and hurt at the harsh words being thrown our way. My temper flared immediately, a hot rush of anger making my hands clench into tight fists beneath the desk. I could feel my demonic magic bubbling just beneath my skin, ready to burst out. I was seconds away from pulling out my fake wand and showing these bastards exactly who they were dealing with.
Drowning them suddenly seemed like a perfectly reasonable response.
"Just ignore them, Harry," Hermione whispered quickly, grabbing onto my arm to hold me back. "They're not worth it."
"Maybe not," I muttered back fiercely, unable to hide my rage, "but someone needs to teach them some damn manners."
The room's atmosphere thickened dangerously, and just as I was about to stand up and confront Ron and his little gang directly, the heavy dungeon door swung open abruptly. Everyone's attention snapped to the entrance as Professor Snape strode in, his black robes billowing dramatically behind him.
"Enough," Snape barked coldly, his dark eyes sweeping over the room with clear annoyance. "I expect silence in my classroom. Whatever childish drama you've brought in from the halls ends now."
His piercing gaze lingered momentarily on Ron's group, then shifted pointedly to Malfoy and finally me.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, our newest celebrity," Snape sneered sarcastically, his voice dripping with obvious dislike.
Hermione immediately spoke up from beside me, her voice steady but clearly irritated. "Actually, Professor-Harry's last name is Sitri, not Potter!"
Snape didn't even look at her, dismissing her without a second glance. "Minus five points for interrupting a professor, Miss Granger," he said coldly, his dark eyes locked intensely onto mine. I felt Hermione shrink back slightly, frustrated and embarrassed at losing points so quickly.
Snape stepped closer, towering over me as if trying to intimidate me. "If Mr. Potter isn't correct, then perhaps Mr. Black would be more fitting," he said, his tone nasty and mocking.
I stared at him, genuinely confused. "What?" I asked bluntly, not even bothering to hide my confusion.
His lips curled into a twisted sneer, eyes narrowing dangerously. "It's obvious, isn't it? That worthless troublemaker Sirius Black was always around James Potter and Lily Evans. It's clear enough-your mother must have betrayed James Potter with him. You're Black's illegitimate child, aren't you? Just another bastard hiding behind a fake name!"
The entire class fell silent, stunned by Snape's accusation.
Hermione gripped my arm tightly, sensing my rapidly escalating anger.
"Professor, that's completely inappropriate!" Hermione protested, her voice shaking slightly with fury.
Snape didn't acknowledge her at all, simply staring at me with an icy glare. "You can't hide the truth forever, Mr. Black," he spat out venomously. "Not in my classroom!"
Before I could reply or react, Snape abruptly turned away, flicking his wand sharply at the blackboard. Instructions appeared instantly, neatly scrawled in his handwriting. "Start your assignment now," he barked harshly, stalking toward his desk.
I sat there, utterly bewildered, anger and confusion swirling inside me. What the actual fuck had just happened? Was Professor Snape completely insane?
"No, that's impossible! The Black fortune should be mine! A bastard better not get any of it!" Malfoy hissed.
Across the room, Ron muttered loud enough for me to hear. "I knew he was rotten! Just another no-good dark wizard, just like Sirius Black! His dad probably escaped to recruit him, not kill him!" he sneered bitterly, prompting his cronies to nod eagerly in agreement.
I turned to Hermione, genuinely confused and frustrated. My voice was a bit louder than intended when I asked, "Hermione, seriously, is there something in the magical water here that turns some magical people into complete retards?"
Hermione sighed deeply, clearly just as fed up as I was. "Honestly, Harry, I have no idea.."
From nearby, Daphne Greengrass leaned toward us, her blonde hair falling smoothly over her shoulder as she gave us a small smirk. "Trust me, Mr. Sitri," she drawled. "Us snake girls have been asking ourselves that exact same question for years now."
I raised an eyebrow at her, surprised she'd even joined our conversation. "Glad to know it's not just me," I replied bluntly, shaking my head. "You'd think being at a prestigious magical school would filter out the idiots, but clearly, that's not the case here."
With a casual shrug, I pulled out my fake wand and pointed it at the empty cauldron in front of me. Demonic Sitri water flowed from its tip, rapidly filling the cauldron with a faint glow that shimmered slightly in the dungeon's dim lighting. I glanced over at Hermione, who was staring at me curiously, clearly wondering what I was doing.
Next, I effortlessly levitated all of today's potion ingredients off the table in front of me. They floated in mid-air, neatly aligned, while everyone nearby stopped their preparations, turning to stare openly at the unusual display. Hermione gasped loudly as, without hesitation, I dropped every ingredient simultaneously into the cauldron!
"Harry! You can't-" she started anxiously, clearly about to warn me that I was doing everything wrong.
"Mr. Black, what in Merlin's name are you doing?!" Snape shouted from his desk, suddenly standing with a furious glare in my direction. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Ignoring the stunned silence from the rest of the class, I smirked confidently, slipping the fake wand back into my robe. "Potion's done," I announced bluntly, folding my arms and meeting Snape's glare with defiance.
It had taken less than five seconds.
"What absolute nonsense are you talking about?" Snape snapped irritably, storming across the classroom toward my workstation. "There's no way-"
His angry words cut off abruptly when his eyes landed on the cauldron, where a flawless purple sleeping potion was simmering gently, emitting a sweet, calming scent into the air.
His expression shifted rapidly from anger to complete disbelief. He whipped out his wand and cast several rapid analysis spells, his movements growing increasingly frantic as each spell confirmed the impossible perfection of my potion.
"This...this is impossible!" he stammered, openly gaping at me, his composure completely shattered. "How did you do this, Mr. Black? Explain yourself immediately!"
"My last name is Sitri..." I told him with a glare.
"Answer me, Mr Black!" he glared right back. Not only was he stupid, but he was a stupid dick. It was a good thing his class was one thing I didn't need to take seriously.
Around us, students had stopped pretending to work, openly muttering and whispering in shock. Some stared at me with awe, others with suspicion or outright jealousy. Ron's face was a fascinating mix of anger and disbelief, while Hermione was simply wide-eyed and utterly speechless.
"I used magic," I replied sarcastically, before I stood up and Hermione automatically joined. "I'll see you next class... professor." I said as I walked out of the room with her.
Of course, as soon as we stepped into the hallway, Hermione grabbed my arm and spun me around to face her, her brown eyes wide and demanding answers. "Harry, what exactly did you do back there?" she asked urgently. "That was supposed to be impossible!"
I chuckled, trying to look casual about it even though part of me was still a bit amused by Snape's shocked reaction. Dickhead deserved it.
"It's not actually that complicated," I began, glancing down at her earnest expression. "Sona explained it to me earlier. Our clan, the Sitris, are masters of water magic, right? But it goes deeper than just being good at blasting water spells around."
Hermione tilted her head slightly, clearly intrigued but still waiting for me to clarify further. "What do you mean, deeper?"
"Well," I continued patiently, "there's a reason our clan manages all the hospitals back in the underworld. Our affinity for water doesn't just let us control it, we can also use it to instantly create any water-based potion as long as we have the right ingredients. And pretty much every single potion at Hogwarts, or at least everything Snape teaches, uses water as its base. So basically, I don't even need to try hard in potions class-it's almost automatic."
Hermione stared at me, her eyes narrowing slightly in mock irritation as she absorbed what I said. After a moment of silence, she crossed her arms and pouted her cute lips, giving me a slightly accusatory glare. "Harry, that is so unfair!" she complained, though I could hear the amusement creeping into her tone despite herself.
I smirked and took a small step closer to her, placing one hand gently on her waist as I leaned in, lowering my voice teasingly. "What can I say? Your boyfriend is just too awesome for that fake dungeon bat's pathetic excuse for a class."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a soft giggle, her cheeks flushing a lovely shade of pink. "You're ridiculous," she whispered, though her gaze had softened considerably.
Unable to resist, I tilted my head down and captured her lips with mine, feeling her smile against me as we kissed. Her hands rested gently against my chest, and I pulled back slightly, smiling down at her affectionately.
"Ridiculously awesome, you mean," I corrected teasingly, earning another playful eye roll from her. "Come on, let's spend some time together before our next class."
— Snape —
Professor Snape stormed down the corridor, his black robes swirling dramatically behind him. His pale face was twisted in a deep scowl, fury blazing in his eyes as he approached Dumbledore's office. That arrogant brat-how dare he make a mockery of his class?
And using that ridiculous fake name Sitri, no less! Snape's fists clenched tightly, nails digging painfully into his palms as he quickened his pace.
He practically snarled the password at the gargoyle, which hastily jumped aside, sensing the professor's seething anger. Snape didn't even pause, throwing open the heavy oak door so violently that it slammed against the stone wall.
"Headmaster, I must speak with you immediately!" Snape barked, storming inside without waiting for an invitation.
Dumbledore sat calmly behind his ornate desk, eyes twinkling with their usual annoying calmness. But Snape barely registered him, for sitting opposite the Headmaster was a woman he had never seen before. She was strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing black hair, vibrant eyes, and an undeniably voluptuous figure that made even Snape momentarily falter. Her outfit, however, was completely bizarre-sparkling with an intensity that hurt his eyes if he started to long.
But Snape's irritation swiftly returned, overwhelming his momentary distraction. Ignoring the strange visitor entirely, he spun to face Dumbledore directly, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "There is something incredibly strange going on with Mr. Black!" Snape spat out the words, barely keeping his voice steady through his rising anger.
Dumbledore tilted his head slightly, looking genuinely puzzled. "Mr. Black, Severus? I'm afraid we have no student enrolled here by that surname, unless of course you mean Sirius-"
"Not Sirius Black!" Snape snapped impatiently, cutting Dumbledore off mid-sentence. His frustration was mounting rapidly. "I'm referring to Potter-Harry Potter! Or should I say, Harry Black. It's blatantly obvious. That arrogant attitude, that long black hair! The boy's real father must have been Sirius Black! You can't expect me to believe your pathetic attempt at hiding his true parentage behind some ridiculous made-up surname like Sitri."
The room fell into a tense silence, and Snape finally noticed the woman slowly rising to her feet, eyes blazing with fury. "Fake? My last name is Sitri," she said coldly, her piercing gaze locked firmly on Snape's face. "I am Serafall Sitri. And who the hell do you think you are, accusing my darling Harry of not being MY son?"
Snape suddenly felt the temperature plummet dramatically, an icy chill spreading rapidly through the air. He involuntarily shivered.
"Explain yourself, Professor Snape," Dumbledore's calm voice held a firm edge now, clearly displeased with his accusations.
