Entry for "Alchemy" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)

Task: This weeks task will have you to make your own creation myth. It doesn't have to be creating life, however, you could write about creating anything. Min 300 words

Entry for "Hopscotch" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"

Prompts: "We're on fire!" (dialogue), "Get that strawberry away from me!" (dialogue)

"George, we are geniuses, aren't we?"

"Oh, how right you are, my dear Fred. Nobody can match us! We're on fire!" George exclaimed, grinning widely at his twin brother. The two of them were standing in the small lab they had in their shop, which was already a magnet to all kinds of costumers, thanks to their wide product palet. But still they had felt as if there was something important that lacked their range, and this moment, they had realised what they needed, what their shop needed – love potions. From their own experiences, they knew that teenage girls at Hogwarts would rip these from their hands if they only were good enough.

So they had decided to create their own special recipe, one that was better than the of the average love potion, and right now, as they complimented themselves, they just had had their break through.

Fred and George had worked for hours, and it was already late now, but they now could see that it all had been worth it.

"Okay, we only need to add some strawberries now, for the right colour," George ordered as he stirred in the huge cauldron that held their final try, the one that would be ready to be sold.

"As you wish," Fred winked and turned towards their ingredients table to grab the bowl of strawberries they had had prepared. "And Snape always said that we would never be able to brew more than apple spritzer."

In the corner, a bewitched quill was studiously scribbling notes into the most classified Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes recipes and production instructions book, and thick, sweetly smelling fumes in different shades of red and rose were filling the air.

Fred poured the strawberries into the cauldron and George stirred a little bit faster so that the strawberries disappeared into the depths of the cauldron and started to merge with the rest of the potion.

For a moment, nothing happened at all, but suddenly, the potion seemed to be rising. Fred and George exchanged bewildered looks, wondering what was happening – they had read a lot about experimental potion making, and there never had been an author who had mentioned something like this.

"Oi, what is th...," Fred started, but before he could finish the sentence a giant strawberry emerged from the cauldron, dripping with love potion. The two red-heads jumped backwards in shock, staring at the strawberry while the quill in the corner kept documentating what was happening

In the next second, the strawberry started to tilt, very slowly, but still fast enough to surprise Fred – and within a moment, the strawberry fell onto the boy, heavy from being soaked with liquid.

"Aaah, George! George, get that strawberry away from me!"

George's eyes were wide in shock, but still he had enough sense in his head to grab his wand and swing it, chopping the strawberry into pieces with a charm. Odd fumes shot through the air, pink and glittery, and they came directly out of the body of the strawberry, whose pieces were now flying back into the potion, and immediately, everything was quiet.

The only thing that stayed behind was the sweet and fruity smell of fresh strawberries and a perfect love potion that was glowing pinkish.

"We really are geniuses," George panted while grinning at his brother, who had fallen to his butt upon the attack of the strawberry and was now brushing the pink glittery powder the fume had turned into from his shirt.

"Yes, we are, George," Fred sighed, sounding a little bit exhausted, but still happy. "Though the production process might need some modifying. Maybe we should chop the strawberries first next time."

And that was how one of the most famous products of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, the special love potion, was created.