His only Need

Ashes to ashes, Lust to Lust, Someday all men turn to dust!


Hermione was thrilled that Draco was back and puzzled as to what Harry had done to get through to him. The boys kept it to themselves, not telling however much she begged and pleaded. So she let it be, for now. But when Draco was well enough, she had ways to make HIM beg to be allowed to tell her, she thought with a smirk. Something she had adopted from Draco and something Ron teased her with every time he got a chance. “Hi, Malfoy… Oh, it’s you Hermione, didn’t recognize you with that smirk on your face.”

At first she had reacted by sending her canaries after him, making him run down the great hall fending off the birds while screaming with laugher at the amount of curse-words she was sending after him. But after the fifth or sixth time she just glared at him.

The quartet had been back to school about two weeks after the MoM allowed them to return to study up for their NEWTS with the rest of their classmates. However, with the amount of learning they had missed, they would have to take the exams during the summer holiday.

The three boys had all mumbled some reasons why they thought it would be a bad idea, but Hermione had been overjoyed at the chance to complete the NEWTS this year instead of having to wait.




On the following Monday the other N.E.W.T level students would begin their exams and the quartet would be meeting their replacement teachers for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. Snape had been back as both Potions and Dark Arts professor and as such he was not available. “I bet it’s some old retired Aurors or something,” Ron said, playing with his breakfast. “It would be so wicked if it was a vampire or something like that, wouldn’t it, Harry?!” Ron looked enthusiastic. Harry just smiled at his friend, not really caring if it was a ghost or goblin that took over from Snape, as long as he escaped Snape’s criticism on his every move.

As the quartet walked to the DADA classroom, they chattered happily amongst themselves and when they were close enough to the door they heard to people talking in the classroom.

“Don’t be so nervous, Peggy. I know these are young people, but I wouldn’t throw you into the fire as a new professor if I didn’t think you could handle them.” Lupin’s voice said.

“But I’m not that much older than them. Will they even respect me, Remus?” A female voice so sweet and mellow almost whispered. It sounded like a mix of silver bells and nightingale song and sent shivers down the 3 boy's spines.

Hermione ran into the room “LUPIN!” and she leaped into his arms. “I’m so glad to see you, are you back as DADA-professor?”
He smiled down at her. “I’m glad to see you too, Hermione. May I introduce you to your new Potions professor, Peggy Skylark.”

Hermione turned, blushing; she had been so overcome with joy at hearing Lupin’s voice that she had forgotten about the nervous young female voice that she had heard from the hall. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

A beautiful young woman with auburn hair and the lightest blue eyes looked back at her. “Miss Granger, nice to meet you.” She offered Hermione her hand and waited for her to take it. “A pleasure meeting you, Professor Skylark,” she mumbled. She had never seen a more beautiful woman in her life. Not even Fleur Delacour could match the young professor’s delicate beauty.

She turned to the door, only to see all three boys staring at the new professor, their mouths wide open. “Boys! You’re positively drooling!” Hermione said in a harsh tone, making even Draco blush. That made Hermione’s jealousy flame up and her eyes threw daggers at him. He muttered sorry under his breath and walked up behind her, pulling her into his arms, his chin on her right shoulder.

“Ron Weeeasly” Ron shrieked as he threw his hand towards Skylark, making her lips curl upwards but not quiet laughing at him. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Weasley. I think our fathers work together in the Ministry. I look forward to teaching you what I can,” her voice once again sending trembles down his spine.

“Harry Potter." She turned away from Ron and walked over to Harry who still hadn’t left the doorway. “It’s an honor to meet you.” She beamed at him and then her eyes looked worried. “Remus, what can I teach these pupils that they don’t already know!?” Her voice sounded shocked as she turned to Lupin.

“Peggy! You’re worrying too much. It’s Potions and their former Professor was Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House. He’s one of the best, but you know as well as I, that he always favours Slytherin students over any other students, no offence Draco.”
“None taken,” Draco said casually.

“Professor Snape didn’t really like us three Gryffindors.” Ron said.

“Potions has never been one of my favorite subjects,” Harry said. “Snape made it his personal goal to ruin my day with his classes!”

“Hmmm… What potions have you studied?” Skylark asked, and Hermione started to name ALL of the potions Snape had taught them over the years. The two young witches walked over to the desk and Skylark stared to write down what Hermione said, sighing, shaking her head or nodding in approval while the quill flew across the paper.

“Well, you’ve been through most of what I would have chosen, but I have some special potions I will teach you, to baffle the examiners at your N.E.W.T’s Potions exams.” She smiled to herself as a brilliant idea came to her and then she laughed her silver bell-laugh. “They have to give you at least an E if you succeed making these two potions! And I know you will!” She beamed at the quartet, then left the room mumbling to her self and taking notes.

“Wow!” Ron whispered and Lupin, Harry and Draco agreed, making Hermione throw her elbow into Draco’s side.




In the afternoon they headed for the dungeons for their first Potions class with professor Skylark. Hermione walked hand in hand with Draco discussing what potions the Professor would teach them that would baffle the examiners.

As they entered the room four cauldrons as well as a bunch of ingredients and two recipes were set at different tables spread across the classroom. “Welcome. Please be seated and tell me which potions you can make with these ingredients.”

On the table there were Ashwinder eggs, monkshood, porcupine quills, pomegranate and some standard potion-making ingredients.

Skylark turned to Ron first... “Ummm ummm, porcupine quills are used in the boil-cure potion,” he stuttered.
“Very good. Harry?”

“Ashwinder eggs are one of the ingredients in the Amortentia potion and have to be frozen as soon as possible or they will burst into flames,” Harry said without blinking and then, smiling, met Skylark’s eyes.
“Correct, Harry… Not that you would have to use a potion to attract a girl.” The last words she said so low that she was the only one that heard it and her cheeks went slightly pink.

“Draco?” He looked over the ingredients and picked pomegranate and carefully explained how it was used in strengthening solutions and that the solution had to develop over some days to have the right effect on the drinker. Skylark smiled and nodded in approval.

“Then, Hermione, can you tell me anything interesting about the monkshood?” Skylark tilted her head ever so slightly and narrowed her eyes, interested to see how much this young witch knew.

“Monkshood is also known as aconite or more commonly known as Wolfs-ba…” Hermione stopped and looked in disbelief at the young professor and, when she smiled back knowing that Hermione had figured it out, Hermione clutched her hand to her mouth not to shriek in joy.

“What’s with you ‘Mione?” Ron asked, looking mystified.

“We... we are going to… going to learn how to make the Wolfsbane potion, right, Professor?!” Hermione said, tripping over her tongue and eyes blazing with hope.

The boys looked at each other and then at Skylark, who just stood there smiling. Then she slowly nodded making Hermione jump to her feet and dance in glee around the classroom.




Over the next couple of days Skylark not only taught them the basics of making Wolfsbane, but also started teaching them how to make the Blood-Replenishing Potion that had saved Mr. Weasley on the night he was attacked by Nagini.

The foursome competed amongst themselves to be the first to make a fully working Wolfsbane potion. Ron’s first attempt had turned a sinister bluish green colour and spewed sticky slime all over his desk and himself making Draco fall off his chair in laughter.
Harry’s first go at the potion started out very well and Skylark patted him on the back and leaned over his cauldron commending him on his progress, which gave him a free look down her blouse, making him clumsy and disorientated, knocking over his cauldron as he watched her move along to Hermione's table. The cauldron smashed to the floor and sent a strange smell throughout the classroom and even out into the hall. Hermione just shook her head. “Boys,” she thought and carried on with her potion.

Hermione’s potion looked to be almost perfect more than halfway through, turning the right colour yellow but it didn’t change again to show that it was ready. She looked over to Draco’s desk where he sat leaned back and smirking. His potion had turned to the right shade of yellowish brown that indicated that his potion was ready and most likely perfect. However, his cauldron began to rumble and then explode knocking Draco off balance, smashing into the wall behind him, then slithered to the floor. This time all three Gryffindor’s laughed so hard that tears rolled down their cheeks.



It took them three more weeks to make their first working potions of both Wolfsbane and Blood-Replenishing Potion.

Ron was the first to complete a perfect Blood-Replenishing Potion, much to his own astonishment. “Well done, Ron. Your father will be so proud!” Skylark said clapping her hands in excitement and went over and hugged him tightly. “I’m so proud of you! It took me months to make a potion this bright red. Truly magnificent!” Ron turned the same shade as his hair, no teacher had ever told him that they were proud of something he did in class. His eyes sparkled with self-esteem and his smile made the other three smile back at him.

“Well done, Weasley!” Draco mumbled not quite knowing how to feel, being beaten by a Weasley, but then smiled. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t the first to make the potion; Ron deserved to be the one. Draco knew that Ron had always been fighting to find something that would make him stand out from the rest of his brothers and sister. Finally, here was something that he was the first to do! “Hey, Ron!... I mean it… Good job.” And Ron grinned back at him.

Soon after the other three made a working Blood-Replenishing Potion, too. And the on the day of the last exam Draco and Hermione’s potions both turned to that yellowish brown colour that revealed that their potions were nearly there.

“Damn, I hope it doesn’t blow up this time,” Draco hissed then looked up at Hermione. “May the best wizard or witch win!” He said with a smirk and Hermione just stuck her tongue out.

“Perfect.” Skylark looked at first Draco’s and the Hermione’s potion. “Congratulations, both of you! You have made your first Wolfsbane potion, and just in time for the full moon. We’ll be testing your potions on some volunteers as soon as it’s time. Hopefully Ron and Harry will have made their first working potions soon, so they can be tested at the same time!”

The four looked at each other wondering if Lupin was amongst the volunteers, but didn’t ask.

“Well, as tomorrow is graduation for your friends and with the graduation ball, I will let you get two days off, but then we only have two more weeks before it’s you that will be taking the exams. If we work hard you’ll blow the hats of the sensors on your test day. Class dismissed… Oh Harry, please wait here for a moment, there is something I need to talk to you about.” She turned to her desk waiting for the three others to leave the classroom, then she turned around and looked at Harry.




“Wonder what she wants with Harry,” Ron said as they closed the door. “Don’t be so noisy, Ron,” Hermione murmured but she was thinking the same, and by the look on Draco’s face he was thinking it, too.
“She has been flirting a lot with him, hasn’t she?” Draco calmly said making both Ron and Hermione stop and turn gasping at him.

“What? Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed!” By the look on their face they hadn’t. Draco started to laugh. “She has practically eaten him with her eyes. I think Potter is going to get lucky.” He smirked and busted out in genuine amusement at the sight of his to friends’ jaws hitting the floor.

Then they heard Harry yelling for them to wait up. They turned to see a blushing Harry running towards them. “Oh… Oh my god… I’m sooooo… sooooo embarrassed,” he said trying to catch his breath.

“What happened?” Hermione looked worried.

“Well, after you all left, she turned to look at me. Stupid as I am, I thought that she was coming on to me, you know, that she wanted me to go with her to the dance!” he gasped.

“She didn’t?” Draco asked confused, had he read her wrong?

“I started to take her hand… You all know… Well she is pretty and single… and…”

“Go on Harry!” Ron said wondering where this has going.

“Well, she looked puzzled at me and then I knew I had embarrassed myself… I said that I was sorry, and asked what I could do for her.”

“AND?” All three shouted at him.

“She wanted me to ask Ron if he would go to the ball with her.” Harry stared at Ron, who first turned red then turned white.

“She, what?” Draco didn’t believe his ears. Hermione smiled and then laughed. “Read her wrong, sweetie?” She left the boy’s shocked, laughing all the way to the great hall.