[October 1976]
"Amortentia! Blimey." Lily looks interestedly at the vat sitting on the desk in front of her.
"What is it?" Sirius hisses to Remus, who looks rather sick at the smell coming from the cauldron.
"Love potion," Lily replied. James suddenly feels more enthusiastic about this lesson. "It's supposed to smell like the person you are in love with." He sniffs deeply, but Lily's shampoo is overpowering.
"Very nice, Miss Evans!" Slughorn catches the last bit of the conversation. "Will anyone volunteer to tell us what they smell?" No one volunteers. Slughorn looks rather disappointed. "Mr Pettigrew, would you mind?"
Peter looks terrified. "What?"
"Come tell us what the amortentia smells like to you, my dear boy."
"I—" He looks desperately at James.
Sorry, James mouths.
"Erm, okay, I guess." He shuffles up to the cauldron and inhales awkwardly. "Erm, I dunno. Er, cinnamon? I think? Then, er, I think that's grass. Or, no! Straw. Or hay. And sugar. I think." Peter looks like he's about to pass out.
"Thank you, Mr Pettigrew." Peter sinks into his chair, and Jams pats his head consolingly. Slughorn moves on to the rest of the vats in the front of the room and describes each. "I'd like you to make the perfect Draught of Living Death. This can be found on—"
James has already zoned out, watching Peter hurriedly flip through the pages. "Padfoot," James whispers, poking Sirius's head. "Pads."
"What?"
"What do you smell?"
"Huh?"
James repeats the question, louder.
Sirius blinks and tries to smell the potion from his chair. "Er, that weird smell in the library. And wet dog. Chocolate. And something else, but I can't place it." He turns back to James. "You?"
James blushes. "Ink and firewood. Or something burning. And coconut. And leaves. And—"
"Blimey," Sirius laughs. "Any idea who it is?"
"No," James lies.
He has an idea, but he isn't sure if it's just his subconscious that is making the desk diagonally from him smell like coconut shampoo.
hi, guys! i'm sorry about being inactive :(. this is part of a greater fic i'm working on, but it's coming on slowly. at the moment, it's a six pages document filled with mostly phrases and small scenes. i'm attempting to tie it together, but don't get your hopes up. (i actually have multiple marauders fanfictions going on that are like that. rip. why am i like this.)