An elderly woman stood at the fruit stands, her eyes roaming over the apples. She sighed and shook her head. They weren't nearly big enough. She turned to leave when a glossy shine caught her eye. She smiled and picked up the largest apple. Yes, this one was perfect...

Severus pushed open his door. Three brown paper bags rested in his arms as he carried them inside. He walked over to the small table and sat them down. He had just come from the markets, and was more than ready to take a bite out of what he had bought.

He dove his hands into the bags and started laying his guilty pleasure into a bowl on his counter top. Plums, pomigranets, pears, bananas, and cherries were layed softly into the bowl. Fruit had to be the most amazing food ever created. He reached into the bottom of the bags and pulled out the last, and personal favorite, fruit - red apples.

Severus lay the apples into the bowl and sighed happily. He kicked off his shoes and hung his cloke onto a small rack on the wall. He came back to the bowl and picked up the first apple that caught his eye - the biggest.

He licked his lips and slowly took a bite. The glossy red skin tickled his teeth, and the burst of juicy flavor sent a shiver down his spine. His toes curled and he moaned softly. Oh, yes, apples were his all time favorite fruit. The flavor, the crunch, the juicy feeling in his mouth could only be described as a mouth orgasm.

He took his time with the apple, savoring the sweet taste with each bite. Finally, only the core was left. He slid his mouth along the core, sucking off the last juices, and threw it into the rubbish bin. He was reaching for another apple when there was a knock on his door. He growled angrily and pulled it open.

"What is it?" he snapped at the person on the other side. Which happened to be the last person he had ever wanted to see on the other side.

"Professor, what is this?" Harry Potter held out a phial of a reddish-pink liquid, his green eyes blinking up at Severus. Severus frowned and turned his head to look at the clock on his wall.

"Potter, you realize you are breaking curfew?"

"Yeah, I know, but I couldn't wait any longer to ask you," Harry explained quickly. "I asked Hermione, and even she didn't know what it could be." He shook the phial in his fingers, gesturing for Severus to take it.

"Even Granger didn't know?" Severus grabbed the phial with two fingers and lifted it into the light.

"When she said she had no clue, I was worried it was a type of dark poison or something, so I came to you."

Severus rolled the phial in his hand, the reddish-pink color sparkling in the light. He uncorked the phial and sniffed it softly. His eyes widened and he looked at the boy. "Where did you get this?"

"In the markets, this morning," Harry answered. "An old woman gave it to me and told me to 'use it wisely', whatever that means."

"An old woman?" Severus stiffled the urge to ask Potter why he was in the markets. It wasn't any of his business, after all. "What did she look like?"

"Uh... Long silver hair, grey eyes... Oh, and she wore a black top hat for some reason."

"Top hat?" Severus stepped back and motioned for Harry to enter. "Of course, it's that time again."

"What?" Harry shut the door behind him, his eyes roaming around the room. "Nice digs, Professor. Very classy." Severus' eyes narrowed at Harry. When he couldn't find a speck of sarcasm in the boy's eyes, he pursed his lips.

"Was that a compliment, Potter?" He watched as the boy's face flushed with embarrassment.

"I like the place, what's wrong with that?" Harry cleared his throat loudly. "So - so what is it?" Severus sighed and sat down down his small sofa. He pointed to the armchair opposit. Harry nodded and sat down.

"This is a love potion, Potter, but not just any love potion. This is the love potion, the first and last of its kind." Severus waved a hand and a large, leather bound book slammed onto the coffee table. He waved his hand again and the book opened. "It goes by the name Cupid's Wine."

"Cupid? As in the little baby who shoots love arrows at people?" Harry bent over to look at the page. Severus kicked his legs up onto the sofa and held the phial above his face.

"Your intelligence never fails to amaze me, Potter," he said cooly. "Cupid is the God of True Love, not an infant. Although, he does use arrows as his choice of magic. He pierces someone through the heart, and the first person they see will become their true love."

"I thought he shot two people?"

"No, that is one of the myths that circle his name," Severus explained. "This potion is said to come from Cupid himself."

"Really?" Harry's eyes lingered on the small phial in Severus' hands. "That's actually kind of cool."

Severus smirked. "Yes, it does sound like it, doesn't it? Here, Potter, take a sniff and tell me what this potion smells like." He held out the phial. Harry took it and uncorked it, holding his nose over the rim.

"Red roses, lavander, and pepermint," Harry answered.

"I find that it smells like burning candles, hot tea, and apples."

"Wait." Harry frowned and corked the phial. "It smells differently to you?"

"It does."

"So... it's like Amortentia?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed, Potter." Harry blushed and dropped his eyes to the ground. "Yes, the two potions have similarities in scent as well as color, although Amortentia was originally a knock off of Cupid's Wine."

"It was?"

Severus nodded. "This potion is very rare. I only know of two families who have the recipe this day in age. Amortentia was an accidental creation. Someone tried to recreate this - " he pointed to the phial. "But instead, they created an entirely new potion."

"Strange. I didn't feel the need to drink this, though."

"You wouldn't," Severus explained. "It doesn't hold the strong properties that Amortentia does. Its scent changes depending on the person, but it doesn't almost force you to drink it."

"What does it do exactly?" Harry turned the phial in his hands. "Does it make you obsessed with someone?"

"That is where the two potions differ importantly," Severus said. "While Amortentia only creates infatuation, Cupid's Wine creates true love. Once the effects of Amortentia wares off, the person of your desires will not be in love with you. They may leave, unless you give them another dose. Cupid's Wine, however, works differently. Once you lay eyes on the first person you see, you are in love with them for all eternity. The effects do not ware off. They do, however, take effect a little slower than Amortentia."

"Slower?"

"It takes more time to love than to lust." Severus waved his hand and the page turned. Harry squinted his eyes at the picture on the page. "This potion can be drank, of course, but the tradition is to infuse it with food, preferably an apple."

"Why an apple?"

"Cupid's favorite drink was apple wine, which is why the potion is deemed Cupid's Wine. You were raised by Muggles, so I'm sure you know the story of Snow White?"

"She was poisoned by an apple, right?"

"The true Snow White wasn't poisoned, but loved by a poor boy in town. He wanted to make her love him, as well, so he inlisted the help of the town witch. She fashioned a potion and infused it within a red apple. The boy brought the apple to Snow White. Another boy, the prince of their kingdom, was visiting her at the time. When she took a bite, her eyes instantly landed on him, thus ruining the poor boy's chances with her forever."

"That's... depressing," Harry said slowly. "Why didn't the poor boy just try to win her love the proper way?"

"When one is in love, one does drastic things. But ever since that moment, an apple has always been the main food of Cupid's Wine. I've noticed that the phial is only half full."

"Or half empty," Harry said. "Do you have to use the whole thing?"

"No. Half of this would make one person fall for another, and the other half could be used for an entirely different person. Or you could use the last half for the selected lover, which would make falling in love a lot easier."

"So maybe the old woman had already used half when she gave it to me? Why did she give it to me, anyway?"

"That old woman is one of the last to know the recipe," Severus explained. He sighed and sat up, closing the book in front of them. "She is known to give the last half to a random stranger in hopes that they will finish her work."

"Does she do this often?"

"No. This potion takes... four to five years, I believe, to brew. Every five years or so, she visits markets and infuses this with an apple, then hands it to another."

"Four to five years?"

"It needs at least four years to simmer."

"That's a long time for a potion." Harry yawned and slid the potion into his pocket. Severus glared at him. "What? I'm not going to use it! I'm just keeping it safe until I figure out what to do with it."

"The proper thing to do is finish her work, but since you are at school, perhaps you should wait until you graduate."

"Yeah, but I don't know who to use it on."

"It doesn't matter, really."

"But what if the person is already married or something? That wouldn't be fair, would it?"

Severus chewed his bottom lip. "Good point... What about using it on Granger and Weasley?"

"What?"

"Come off it, Potter, even I can see there is something more between them," Severus chuckled. "They've been making eyes at each other for more than two years."

Harry smiled. "But neither of them will ever admit it." Severus looked at the clock again.

"I think it's time you left, Potter. I've allowed you an hour and a half of rule breaking, now hurry off to your bed."

"Oh, right," Harry stood and stretched his arms. "Sorry to come at such a late hour, sir."

"If you have any further questions in this matter, just feel free to stop by. Before curfew." Severus stood and waved his hand. The book flew back onto the bookcase.

"Yes, sir." Harry opened the door and stepped out.

"Potter, wait." Severus turned, his heart pounding as he watched the boy leave.

Harry stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Professor?" Severus stared deep into the boy's eyes. They were like two emerald mirrors, and he was afraid that if he looked away, he would lose himself completely.

"Erm... keep the potion safe." Severus tore his eyes away, his heart racing.

"I will, sir. Good night." Harry closed the door, leaving Severus standing alone in the middle of the room.

What the Hell was that? Severus shook his head angrily and grabbed an apple. He bit into it, expecting to feel that amazing tingle in his body like always. But there was no tingle. The juices seemed to die on his tongue. He held the apple out in front of him, his eyes wide in horror.

"No..." He threw the apple into the rubbish bin and quickly undressed. "That's not possible. I would have noticed..." The book flashed into his mind. 'Once infused with food, Cupid's Wine is undetectable'.

Severus pulled back his sheets and slid into bed. He closed his eyes tightly and willed his heart to calm. It wasn't possible. He was just paranoid. Yes, that's it, he was paranoid - afraid - of being cursed to love Harry Potter for all eternity. A logical explination. Everything was fine.

An image of Potter ran through his mind. He remembered those emerald eyes, the way they sparkled with life. They were very much like his mother's eyes, but, as Severus thought it over, very different in the same. Lily's eyes held kindness and caring, while her son's held a playful teasing and also a tortured past. The eyes were the same, but the emotions behind them were completely changed.

Severus growled to himself and rolled over in bed. He rid himself of the cursed image, scolding himself for even thinking of Potter. He drifted to sleep, praying against hope that he wouldn't dream of the wretched boy.