Potions
23rd October 1972
Slughorn was teaching us to brew this thing called 'pleasant dreams' potion. It would take a few weeks to brew.
"You'll need to come back regularly in the evenings to check your potion's progress. I shall be marking you based on your persistence and attentiveness. You will be working in pairs so that you can take turns in checking the potion." Slughorn declared.
Severus will obviously want to be with Evans.
Urgh I'd have to find a partner because I very well am not partnering up with Mulciber. Eww. Who should I-
However, my thoughts were interrupted by Slughorn speaking again. "No, no, I have learnt my lesson," He passed a severe glare at Potter and Black. "You may not choose the partners you had last year. In fact, I shall assign the partners and no mixing of houses."
I glanced at Severus.
He nodded. I distanced myself from him and positioned myself beside this Gryffindor girl with cocoa complexion and dark curly locks. Her name is Dorcas Meadowes I suppose.
Slughorn ended up partnering Evans with Lupin. Severus was casting a malevolent glare at them. Slughorn then decided to part these two Gryffindor girls named Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon as they were as joined at the hip as Potter and Black.
MacDonald was a curvy girl with high cheek bones while McKinnon was a blondie with light skin.
Slughorn decided to pair them with Potter and Black.
"I want Sirius!" MacDonald squealed. McKinnon nudged her and both of them dissolved into giggles while Black looked horrified. I couldn't help but raise a brow at the farcical situation. I glances at Severus with a scoff. He just rolled his eyes, finding the situation as absurd as me.
Potter just ran a hand through his messy hair with a neutral expression.
Pettigrew ended up with Meadowes while I ended up with Severus. It was our plan from the start. If Slughorn had spotted us standing beside one another, he would've split us up. But if we were positioned away from one another, he would definitely partner us up.
Slughorn had cognitive limitations.
I wasn't thrilled to be partnered up with Severus but he was the only person in the room that I could tolerate. Besides, he was so good at Potions that I didn't have to do anything.
With crossed arms and a smirk plastered on my lips, I went back to Severus.
I had offered my hand for a high-five but Severus' eyes were riveted on Lupin who was making his way to Evans and thus he ignored me.
"You're hurting my feelings, you know?" I shook my head in mock despair.
"Shut up." His gaze was intact on Lupin and Evans.
"You know, you can keep your jealousy a little less obvious." I turned to Lupin and Evans as well. "I'm not jealous." He muttered.
"Oh, that would be even more deviant. Not being jealous when the girl you fancy is being partnered up with someone else." I smirked tauntingly. Severus' head abruptly swiveled to me. "How did you-"
"You think I'm blind? Or am I a dolt?" I rolled my eyes. "Doesn't require much wits to figure this much out."
Severus stared at me with mild bewilderment before turning away. "Don't tell her."
"As if I'm interested in involving myself in this little romance of yours." I scoffed.
Severus muttered something under his breath that I wasn't really interested in being enlightened about.
We eventually settled down. Our desk was just behind Lupin and Evans'. Severus was desperate not to leave this spot behind his beloved. Eww. "Hi Remus, are you feeling better?" I heard Evans speak to Lupin who appeared quite dull.
"Oooh they're on a first name basis already?' I decided to ignite Severus' jealousy.
"Better keep well, Lily." As a response to my jeer, Severus hissed at Evans and Lupin. "Loony Lupin might be contagious." "Shut it, Snivellus." Lupin muttered in response. "Yes, please be quiet, Sev." Evans glanced over her shoulder at Severus, casting him a stern look resembling that of McGonagall.
Oh this is amusing!
"Only trying to help." Severus shrugged. "We don't want anyone else coming down with Lupin's mysterious ailment, do we? Let me know if you need anything, Lily."
"Remus and I are perfectly capable of completing the assignment ourself, thank you." Evans snapped, tossing her mane of red curls and opening her textbook.
"Feisty." I whispered to Severus,
The clock ticked on, a while later Severus spoke again. "Of course, 'Loony Lupin' is quite apt," Although he was talking to me, the loudness of his voice made it obvious that he was intending the words to be heard by Lupin. "Because he really is utterly mad - I've seen him, Y/n, wandering around the castle on his own, lurking in the dark corners. You may recall he actually attacked me last year. He's clearly dangerous, I don't know why Dumbledore allows it."
I spotted Lupin's ears turning red.
"Say one more word." Lupin growled. Severus just smirked at him, contented that e got a reaction out of Lupin. Evans grabbed Lupin's arm and pulled him back. "Just ignore him." Evans muttered something more under her breath to Lupin.
Something regarding the condition at Severus' home.
Evans and Severus lived in the same neigbourhood.
"Let's really start with the potion." Severus finally tore his eyes away from Evans. We (mostly Severus) prepared the ingredients and he began stirring. Severus doesn't believe others when it comes to preparing potions and I can't be more glad that someone else is doing the job for me.
Some squeaky giggle fell on my left ear. I snapped my head around. MacDonald, who was Black's partner was nudging and giggling for some unknown reasons. He was just forcing a smile while she continued to peer pensively at Black as he was preparing the ingredients. MacDonald couldn't make it even more obvious that she was attempting to brush her arm against Black's at every chance she got.
An involuntary scoff escaped my mouth.
Its obvious by now that MacDonald fancies Black. I turned back around. I didn't have anything to do anyway as Severus bore the brunt of preparing the potion. I teared a smaller piece from a parchment and started scribbling with my quill.
Severus momentarily glanced at my direction probably wondering what I was writing before he resumed to minding his own business.
'Got yourself a admirer, huh? I am honestly impressed that someone can tolerate you! You two look pathetic together. Bunch of hideous brutes!'
I folded the piece of parchment into a star. I couldn't think of any other shape. I made it float across the room to Black with a swing of my wand.
Seeing this mysterious note fly to him, Black curiously put forward his hands for it to land on his palms. He held the star up and examined it. His turned his head around, probably scanning for the sender. His eyes eventually landed on me. He once glanced at me and then at the star. With narrowed eyes, Black raised a brow.
I gesticulated Black to open the star.
Although probably suspicious, Black opened the parchment and read the contents with narrow eyes. MacDonald had tried to peek but Black held it away from her sight. She just frowned and turned to stirring the potion.
With a sullen countenance, Black withdrew his wand. He made the parchment float in the air again and burnt it there.
Getting under his skin just brings a different solace to me. I sneered as Black flashed two unpleasant fingers at me. I was about to feign despair when suddenly Severus shrieked from my right. "What the-" I turned to him.
"Eurgh! Look at him!" Severus shrieked in a nasty and cloying voice that made almost half the class turn their heed to him.
Severus was pointing at Lupin's bare arm. He had rolled back his sleeve probably to stir the potion more easily. But the problem was that Lupin's arm was covered with scars. "What sort of disease does that?!" Severus wailed.
Severus isn't wrong. This is the first time I've seen scars like that.
"Shut up, Severus," Evans barked. "Why do you have to be so horrid?"
"Lily, just look!"
"Mind your own business, Severus."
"Oi Snivellus, what are you said about our mate?" Potter howled from the other side.
"Stay out of this, Potter!" Evan groaned, You'll only make it worse!"
"Silence, please," Slughorn boomed. "You're not first years anymore, I should think you're able to concentrate at the task at hand." Silence fell. Severus went back to stirring the potion.
The dull silence lingered for quite a while. It was so tedious that I began scribbling down shapes onto the desk absent-mindedly.
"Oi Potter!" Evans suddenly shouted.
She was calling out Potter's name but Severus' head jerked up as well and his stirring halted. I rolled my eyes as my head hung over the desk. This little crush that Severus had on Evans was getting mundane.
"Oh nothing." I heard Evans say sweetly.
Not even ten seconds had passed when suddenly our cauldron trembled vigorously and exploded, a magnificent mass of purple bubbles spilt over the brim, all over Severus and my robes. I hastened away from the cauldron as fast as I could. My rage was fueled as the class began to laugh. These fucking morons-
Severus was just as infuriated as me.
"Oh dear!" Slughorn bustled over. "A bit overeager with the beetle husks, eh Severus?"
Severus never makes any mistakes with potions. What the hell was wrong with him toda-
"I didn't do it!" Severus fumed as purple bubbles settled in his hair. "He did something!" Severus pointed at Lupin who winces. 'he must have!" I turned to Lupin as well, dusting the bubbles away as much as I could.
"Did you see Mr. Lupin tamper with your potion?"
"No, but..."
"Miss Lierre is your partner, right? Did you see anything, Miss Lierre?"
Severus' anticipating eyes fell on me as Slughorn spoke. I exhaled. "Look, I didn't see but-"
"It's settled then," Slughorn threw two green tea towels to us. "Come now, boy. We all make mistakes. Even you!" Severus spluttered incoherently.
After the lesson ended, Severus was still scowling. "You sure you didn't do anything wrong? I mean you're always scribbling your own recipes. Not really following what the textbook says." I said while gathering my stuff. Severus scoffed. "That Loony Lupin was pretending to yawn and stretch his arms when Evans called out to Potter. I'm sure he must've done something then."
"You should've been careful then. Instead of being abstracted just because your crush is calling out someone's name." I muttered, shoving my book into my bag.
"For your kind information, I was doing all the work anyway while you were slacking off. You should've been attentive instead of sending love letters to Black." Severus snapped.
It stroke a nerve.
I abruptly turned to Severus. "I wasn't sending love letters to Black."
"You weren't attentive either." Severus scowled. "Check on the potion tomorrow." Saying that, Severus brushed past me while grumbling about how I expected him to do all the work and pay attention to Lupin at the same time.
I groaned. Boys!
"Wait up!" I sprinted after him.
"Made your boyfriend upset, Lierre?" There stood the hellion with his friends, leaning on the doorframe. I inhaled a sharp breath as an attempt to compose myself.
'Tarantallegra.'
With a flick of my wand, I made Black's legs start dancing uncontrollably. He bumped into Lupin and both of them landed on the ground. I heard Black yell. "Why do you always have to get physical?!" I ignored him and continued to catch up with Severus.