"Awful." Ginny looked at him with wide eyes. "I like playing but I knew I was just filling in for you, Harry. You're very nice, but honest, you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. I'll go back to reserve Seeker. It's fine."
Well, there went that argument.
"Listen Ginny," Harry tried. "I feel like I have a lot to keep track of, just getting back into classes and all. Really, I'd rather you finish out the season for me. All right?"
Ginny stared at him and shook her head. "Not all right," she said in a louder voice. "I told them, Harry, I told them I wasn't taking your position away. It was just temporary." She suddenly laughed. "How can you say you don't want to finish the season? Honestly! You always had plenty of schoolwork before, and managed just fine! And besides, you'd only just gotten that ridiculous lifetime ban lifted when all this other stuff happened! You're just trying to do the right thing for me, I'm sure, but it's not necessary. I'm a big girl, I can handle being second string!"
He was trying to do the right thing for the team, but since he couldn't tell them all about his eye, they weren't going to believe that. Harry pressed his lips together, frustrated.
"You're just nervous because you've been off the team for so long?"
"Ginny...." Harry sighed. "I haven't even flown in forever. There's not a lot of room for it down in the dungeons. And..." He lowered his voice. "Well, look. I'm in Gryffindor and Slytherin both. This is a lot like taking sides, don't you think?"
Ginny looked taken aback at first, but then she lifted her shoulders. "Well, maybe. Honestly, Harry, I think Professor Snape would understand why you have to keep playing for Gryffindor. But you haven't been adopted very long, really, so if you'd rather not open that can of worms... I guess I can understand." Her expression darkened. "I don't know that Ron will, though."
Ron, of course, knew about his eye so Harry wasn't worried on that score.
"What am I supposed to tell everybody?" Ginny went on in an undertone. "You don't really want me to say it's to do with your dual Houses, do you? That's bound to cause resentment."
"Yeah, just say..." It occurred to Harry that there might be a way to turn the situation to his advantage. "Just say my magic's a little unstable and that since I haven't flown in so long, you're the best Seeker Gryffindor could have."
Ginny blushed. "I'm not saying that!"
"Say that I said it, I meant."
"I'll tell them to ask you themselves."
"All right." That was probably better, anyway. More opportunity to spread the word about his magic.
Herbology with the Hufflepuffs the next morning went fine. Nobody asked him to do Parseltongue magic and nobody needed to be taken to the hospital wing. Lunch went fine as well, though Harry couldn't help but notice that Snape wasn't there. Nor had he come to the Great Hall for breakfast. Well, half the Slytherins were still missing, so probably he was dealing with House matters.
Besides, Harry told himself, Potions was next. He would see his father in Potions. He wished he felt a little more upbeat about that, but as lunch drew to a close and it was time to go, he was nervous instead.
"It'll be all right," Neville murmured in his ear as they filed into the classroom.
Harry glanced around. Theodore Nott should be in the class, but he must still be ill. Some of the other Slytherins were absent as well. The ones who remained favoured Harry with cool, calculating glances... like they were trying to figure him out. In between looks, they just seemed tired, like all the Slytherins.
Snape was late, which didn't help Harry's anxiety any. Harry kept rearranging things on his workbench as he waited.
"Do you know what we're supposed to brew today?"
"Harry," Hermione said in exasperation, "that's the third time you've asked. No, I don't know."
"Sorry, just thought I could review the potion in my mind--"
"Mr. Potter, if you could cease your chattering I do believe we might be able to begin class," was Snape's opening salvo as he finally entered the room, robes billowing out behind him.
Well, that was a bit snide but it hadn't been said in too dark a tone, so Harry just gave a definite nod. "Yes, sir."
From the large workbench at the front of the room, Snape swept his gaze over the assembled students. "As there are noticeably fewer Slytherins than Gryffindors present this afternoon, we will forego our practice of inter-House pairs." His glance settled on Harry for a moment. "I believe your current partners will do. Now, as you have no doubt realized already from our work this term, charmed potions are notoriously volatile. I repeat for the benefit of students who have missed a great deal of in-class instruction this year: you must follow directions exactly or certain disaster will ensue. I will not tolerate any first-year mistakes in N.E.W.T. level potions." He waved his wand at the board to make directions appear in his usual impossible-to-read scrawl.
It wasn't exactly business as usual --no Potter-specific insults as of yet-- but it was close enough to normal that Harry started to relax. He studied the board. "Magma Potion?"
"It boils over like lava when the final charm is applied," Hermione explained in an undertone as she set out the supplies they would need. "It's a defensive potion. Stable state until that last charm is applied in battle--"
"I know what it is!" Harry whispered. "I'm caught up on the readings! Well of course I am, think about where I've been living! I was just trying to read Snape's writing, for pity's sake--" A shadow suddenly loomed over him, and Harry had the awful feeling that the best thing he could do would be to swallow his tongue. "Um, Professor Snape, I mean," he said without glancing up.
The Potions Master moved on without comment. Or at least, without a comment to Harry. He had plenty to say to Neville, who had apparently chosen from the storeroom several rocks not nearly igneous enough, as Snape put it.
When Snape crossed the room toward the Slytherin half, Harry leaned over and spoke quietly against Hermione's ear. "What's an igneous rock?"
Still a bit miffed, she murmured, "I thought you said you did the readings."
"I did, I just don't remember every last thing."
"I'll go get the rocks." Hermione sighed.
After that, the brewing seemed to proceed without too much difficulty. Harry chopped while Hermione added ingredients and stirred, until Snape made a rather pointed remark about the inequitable distribution of labour amongst the Gryffindors. So Harry started taking his turn at stirring.
After over a solid hour of chop-add-stir, the potion was a smooth glossy blue-green, almost the shade of mermaid scales seen underwater, as the board indicated. Harry thought those directions were typically Snape. How many of the students had ever seen a mermaid underwater? Harry had, so he had an advantage, but he still thought Snape could have been a lot clearer about just what colour they should all be aiming for.
Regardless, he knew that the potion he'd made with Hermione was looking good. Snape of course, didn't comment on that. No, he had to go over to the Slytherins and give them points for what looked a lot more like swamp goo than mermaid scales. At least, it looked like that from across the room. Harry wasn't about to go over there to see.
"You'd better do the charms," Harry mentioned, as it was time to begin that phase of the brewing.
He'd forgotten about his father's phenomenal hearing.
"What did I just say about an inequitable distribution of labour, Mr. Potter?" Snape inquired, the tone glacial as he glided over.
"Um, that if Gryffindors want the world to be fair they ought to start right here in Potions class, sir?" Harry made sure his voice was neutral.