Hey guys! So if any of you are reading any of my other fanfictions, they are all on hiatus except for this one. I got bored with all of them, and I decided to take a break. But I might continue on them later on. Second, this idea just popped into my head one night. I know it's been done before, but I wanted to write my own. This will (hopefully) include all of my favorite pairings and a few others. I also hope for it to be somewhat humorous, but the first chapter is kind of serious, just because of the couple I decided to write about first, and I wanted them to be kind of serious. But the next chapter should be pretty funny. Anyway, I'll shut up and let you guys read. Reviews are very, very welcome here. (:
Fred and George Weasley were at it again. When words like that were spoken, most people became frightened or curious as to what else the two mischievous twins could come up with. So when news traveled around Gryffindor Tower that Fred and George Weasley were creating yet another product for their Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, most of the students began asking questions about what else they could possibly invent. They had come up with everything that could possibly be made. How did they have yet another product coming out?
The question was answered simply. Fred and George were in their seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and their parents were trying their hardest to keep them from following their dream of opening up a joke shop. Fred and George, however, were resisting the force that their parents, especially their mom, was putting on them. They wanted to open a joke shop, and that's what they were going to do. They started in the early summer, as soon as they were out of school, locking themselves in their room and coming up with ideas as to what they could sell to their fellow students their last year at school. All of their ideas were great, and they knew that every one of their products would sell out quickly. But this…this one particular product was probably the best idea that they had ever had.
This product was an incredibly strong love potion, much stronger than the powerful Amortentia, and it could last longer as well. Well, that's what the twins hoped. They had taken ordinary Amortentia and added a select few ingredients to produce an even greater potion. The only problem was that they had no one to test the brand new pink liquid on. Neither of them wanted to do it, and Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson refused almost immediately as well. When the twins were about to give up hope that anyone would test it, a younger, timid boy knocked on their dormitory door with a small smile and a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
"I heard about your new love potion that you want to try out," he said, his voice so small that the twins could hardly hear him. "I-I want to try it out for you."
At first, the news was too good to believe. Their new, possibly dangerous product was willingly being tested by none other than cowardly, fidgety Neville Longbottom. Perhaps Ron sent Neville as a joke, trying to get his brothers' hopes up for nothing. But then again, Neville looked as if he was completely serious about the idea. So with a final glance at each other, Fred finally said, "You really want to be the first to test a product that's never been tested before?"
Neville shrugged as he walked into their room, staring down at the floor and shuffling his feet nervously as he went. "Well, you see, I really like this girl. And I thought she might have liked me, but now I'm not so sure because she spends a lot of time with Harry, and it really worries me. So I was thinking perhaps I could give the love potion to her-"
"Oh, so you're not the one taking it?" George asked. He glanced over at Fred once again, looking rather indecisive about the idea. After all, the product could have a very dangerous side effect on someone, and they didn't want to get in trouble for that. And the fact that it was being tested on some innocent girl that they didn't even know…they couldn't let this happen.
"You are aware that this potion hasn't been tested, correct?" Fred said, for almost the fiftieth time since the potion had first been brewed. "I mean…it could have weird side effects. And…we're almost one hundred percent positive that it will work, but there's just this little doubt in the back of our minds-"
"I trust you two," Neville said, not meeting their eyes. "I mean…all of your other products have worked just fine-"
"Yes, after many tests and failures and changes-"
"-and I'm willing to try anything. I'll take it too." Neville's eyes widened for just a split second, wondering if maybe he shouldn't have volunteered himself or the lovely Luna Lovegood for the job, but then he calmed. He had been in the hospital wing plenty of times before. He could just go back again if this potion didn't work.
Fred and George didn't like the sound of letting someone that they hardly knew test a love potion for the first time, but if Neville was up for it, then they were more than glad to let him to it. Just as long as he was warned about possible side effects and didn't tell anyone that it was they who caused him harm. "Well, mate," Fred said, clapping Neville on the shoulder, "I can give this to you free of charge, but I do have a problem with you giving it to someone else. Consider these words for the last time before I send you off: It hasn't been tested. It might be dangerous."
Thousands of thoughts were running through Neville's mind as he reached out for the tiny bottle of pink liquid that would surely bring Luna Lovegood's heart closer to his. Would it hurt her? Would it hurt him? Why was he doing this? If she was under love potion, it wouldn't be her true feelings toward him. It would just be the potion talking. But he had admired her since the first time he saw her in third year. He wanted her to be his so badly, and he would do anything for that to happen. At first, he hesitated, his fingers just an inch or so from the bottle held in Fred Weasley's hands, but then he grabbed it and stuffed it in his pocket. It had to work. He trusted the Weasleys, even though he barely knew the twins. He knew they wouldn't intentionally bring harm to anyone, and he knew that they were much smarter than they seemed. It couldn't be too bad, right?
As Neville left the two boys' dormitory, he headed back to his own, touching the small lump in his pocket that was sure to bring him what he truly desired. Ever since he had first spotted Luna Lovegood sitting at the Ravenclaw table by herself one morning, he knew that he was in love. Her perfect, long blonde locks fell around her face flawlessly and making her dreamy blue eyes look much wider than they truly were. He got lost in those eyes, and he knew that he didn't want to be found. When Hermione introduced him to her, he thought he was going to melt. She was completely insane in a completely likable way, and he just wanted her to come down from the clouds and be with him, even if it was just for a little while. He started to visit her every once in a while, bringing little snacks down to the lake and sharing them with her while they talked about all of those creatures like nargles that Neville was sure that she had made up. But he liked hearing her musings, and he just enjoyed being with her. That was the greatest joy that he could have, and if this love potion would bring it to him, even for just a little while, then he would greatly appreciate it.
But how terrible was he for using love potion? It was such a selfish potion. Luna might not even like him, and he would be tampering with her feelings, which wasn't a very Neville-like thing to do at all. Her mind would be clouded over in fake emotions, and then she would wake from the dream that the potion produced, and everything would be just the same as it was before. Or worse, if she found out that he used it. Or if the potion didn't work at all.
And then he thought, well, Luna did enjoy Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and she might be thrilled if he asked her to test a new product with him. He could tell her what it was, and she would know what was going on. And then they could both be completely infatuated with each other for as long as the potion lasted. And when they came out from the trance, maybe Luna would realize how she truly felt about Neville, and she would tell him. Maybe he was hoping for too much there, but it was at least worth a shot. Yes, he would tell her what was going on so he wouldn't risk her getting mad at him. In fact, he was going to do it right now, at dinner time. With that thought, a smile spread across his round face, and he rushed back down the stairs and out of the common room, in the direction of the Great Hall.
….
"Hey, Freddy?" George asked as he sat down on his bed, which was across the room from Fred's. When Fred looked up and he knew that he had his brother's full attention, he continued. "Do you think we did the right thing? You know, by letting the Longbottom kid test the potion for us?"
Fred was silent for a long time, which was unusual for him. There was so much more to consider than just how dangerous the potion could be. For one thing, a Ministry worker had been placed in the castle to teach, and if she found out anything about the potion, she could have the twins expelled. For another thing, other people would be coming to them and wondering if they could try some as well. Or, they would see a terrible side effect on Neville and this mystery girl of his, and they would stop buying Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for good. With all of this to consider, Fred started to really worry about Neville, and he wanted to find him and take the potion back from him. But what if Neville had already used it? They should have never given it to him in the first place.
"I hope so," was all that he could manage, because he really hoped that everything went well.
"Well, I was just wondering because…I think I've made a decision." George stood up from his bed and walked over to Fred, a small smile playing on his lips. "I want to be the first one to test the potion."
Fred stared at him as if he was insane. They had just given the potion to some other poor kid to try, and now George was speaking up? They were going to get in so much trouble. Not that it mattered, because it was their last year and they didn't need it anyways, but still. They were going to get all of their products confiscated, their parents owled, and all kinds of other things that shouldn't happen but would because of their incredibly risky business.
"And you waited until after we gave it to Neville?" Fred asked, completely dumbstruck by his brother's stupid actions. "Why couldn't you have said it before then?" His voice sounded harsh now, and he slapped George on the back of the head, half playfully and half angrily.
"Ow! Well, I would have said something, but I just now thought about it. It'd make more sense for me to test it out first, and I think we should go and get it back from Neville." He then slapped Fred on the back of the head, payback for the pain that he had suffered just seconds before.
Fred rubbed his head and thought about how many problems he and his brother had caused everyone around them since the day they were born. Some of it was funny, and other times, it was serious. This situation was entirely serious, and he knew that as well as his brother did. But there was nothing else they could do besides try to convince Neville that it was a bad idea. And they had very limited time to do that. So without saying anything to his brother, he rushed downstairs and hoped that Neville hadn't given the potion to his lady yet.
…
Fred didn't make it to the Great Hall in time. While he was still in his room pondering over the consequences of his actions, Neville was making his way to the Ravenclaw table, clutching the tiny vial in his hand and hoping that Luna would agree to test this with him. Surely she would. Luna loved Weasley products, and a love potion would only make her dreamier than she already was. So what was the harm?
"L-Luna?" he stuttered as soon as he reached her side, his grip so tight on the vial that it would certainly break at any moment. She looked up at him, her wide blue eyes shining with happiness and playfulness, and he thought he was going to be sick. She was so beautiful, probably the only girl that he had ever been this attracted to. And those eyes…they were his favorite thing about her. "May I sit down?"
"Of course," Luna replied, her voice light and airy, as if she hadn't really heard what he had asked.
Neville sat down next to her slowly, placing the vial on the table and eyeing it skeptically as he watched the pink liquid inside moving around gently as if being swirled by some outside force. Little hearts seemed to be bubbling up inside of it, and some strange feeling pulled inside Neville's heart. He knew this potion worked. For some reason, he didn't doubt its abilities at all. Maybe he was crazy, but now he didn't exactly want to tell Luna what it was.
"Love potion," she said before he could even explain anything. "From Fred and George. Let me guess. You want me to test it out with you." She still sounded light and casual, like they were just talking about the weather. Her face was turned toward Neville, but her eyes were staring past him, like she was looking right into his very soul.
"W-would you?" Neville asked, looking away from her. She was making him nervous, as she always did. His hands were starting to shake, and sweat was running down his face now. Why did she have this kind of effect on him?
Luna tilted her head to the side and stared up at the ceiling, her eyes almost completely unfocused. Neville knew that she was deep in thought, perhaps not about the potion at all, because her mind worked in mysterious ways that he would never understand. He waited for quite some time for her to answer him, and after a few minutes of her dreamy gaze, Neville could almost be certain that the answer would be no. He sighed deeply and got up from the table, but Luna's tiny hand fell on his to stop him, and he froze.
"I'll do it," she said, still casual. "You and I will be a couple though, you know. If we use the love potion for each other…"
"I don't have a problem with that," Neville said much too quickly, and he covered his mouth and wished that he would have just stayed silent. "I mean…" he tried to recover, "since we're already friends…it wouldn't be awkward, right?"
Luna nodded slowly and touched the tiny vial that was sitting in front of her. "No, it shouldn't be too bad, right? It won't last very long, anyway, and it'll just be a test run. Everything will go back to normal…" She popped the lid off of the vial and brought it up to her face so that she could see it more clearly. Attached to the bottle was a small piece of parchment with instructions on it, and Luna unrolled it and scanned over it. "You have to put a strand of hair in it first." She looked up at Neville with wide eyes, and then she pulled two cups over to them and dumped an equal amount of the potion in each. With a final intake of shaky, nervous breath, she reached over and pulled a strand of Neville's hair out.
Neville rubbed his head where she had pulled the hair out and wondered to himself why she was doing this. Any other girl would have probably hit him for suggesting something so stupid. But Luna seemed as laid-back as ever about the whole ordeal. No matter what, though, he was still going to think this idea was the most outrageous that he had ever had. He watched as Luna dropped a strand of her own hair into his cup, and it dissolved almost immediately as the liquid started to bubble and turn into a light blue color. A scent reached his nostrils seconds later, and it smelled exactly like the perfume that Luna always wore, except ten times stronger. And then it started to smell like the inside of Honeyduke's, and then the dirt that they used in Herbology. They were the most wonderful scents that he had ever smelled, and it took all of the strength he had to not gulp it down right then.
"Ready?" Luna asked with a small smile on her face.
Neville glanced over at Luna's cup and saw that it had turned into a brilliant green color. He wondered what Luna smelled coming from the potion. But then he realized that she had asked him a question, and he nodded. Both of them took in a deep breath, grabbed their glasses, and clinked them together. With one final glance into their cups and at each other, they both downed the liquid and waited. It tasted kind of bitter, not at all sweet as either of them had imagined it to taste. It was almost acidic, like it was made up completely of lemon juice.
At first, Neville didn't feel any change. He and Luna were still staring at each other with wide, curious eyes, and then he suddenly started feeling a whole lot more courageous. This beautiful girl sitting in front of him became the only person in the room. All of those months of admiration and love had come into play, and he wanted to tell her how he truly felt now. Because he knew that she felt it too. His mind started to cloud over, like there was no other thought in the world to think except how beautiful Luna Lovegood was. A crooked grin started to creep slowly onto his face, and Luna returned the smile.
"Luna?" he said, his voice much stronger than usual. Those stupid little butterflies weren't fluttering around in his stomach anymore because he was no longer nervous about talking to her. He felt like he was in an entirely different body. And then something really strange happened, something he would never do. He got the sudden urge to kiss her, right there, with every single person in the room watching. He had never kissed anyone before, but for some reason, this felt right. He leaned forward, expecting Luna to do the same, but instead she just looked down at the bench they were sitting on with a shy smile. Neville backed away from her and wondered why she didn't feel the same way he did, but then realized that he didn't care. The love he felt for her was much too strong for it to matter to him.
It was true. The potion hadn't affected Luna as strongly as it did Neville. She still knew her values, and she didn't want to kiss him just yet. She had only been friends with him for a little over a month. So instead, she dodged him and placed her cold hand on top of his warm one. And she looked up into his brown eyes and felt a kind of happiness that she had never felt before. This, for now, would be enough for her.
"Neville! Neville!" Fred exclaimed as he rushed into the Great Hall, causing a huge scene. Everyone turned to look at him as he darted down the aisles and finally stopped at the Ravenclaw table. "Neville, George is going to test it. So don't worry about it…Neville?" He stopped to take in the image in front of him. He wasn't even sure if Neville or Luna could even hear him, and a smile started to form on his face. The potion worked! Or, it didn't make anyone explode, and that was good enough for him. He would continue observing throughout the week to make sure that all was well. But right now, he needed to stop George before he tested the potion on himself.