Sirius chuckled as he stirred the gently boiling mixture in his cauldron. He was on a mission, out to prove a point. Remus' constant 'wet dog' comments were outrageous. He wasn't annoyed as much as he was determined to show up that chocolate-devouring lunar-cycle shape shifter. Wet dog, he thought to himself, shaking his head.
Luckily for Sirius, Slughorn had been busy in his office hosting another one of his extravagant parties and had therefore left the potions classroom unattended. The lock on the supply cupboard wasn't too difficult to get around either; Honeyduke's had better security for their cockroach clusters than Hogwarts had on deadly nightshade berries. Go figure.
He watched the Moonstone powder dissolve on the surface of the burgundy liquid and he glanced at his wristwatch to keep time. It was almost two in the morning and if he had been following the instructions correctly (which he was certain of), he would be finished by dawn.
As the minutes ticked by, the potion started bubbling more slowly. Instead of the cheerful simmering, the now baby blue concoction was churning in ripples that formed perfect circles from centre to rim. As directed by the worn copy of 'Advanced Potion Making' ('borrowed' from Peter sometime at the beginning of the semester), Sirius deftly cut up the Ashwinder egg before it could thaw in his hands and dropped it into the cauldron. Immediately it lightened to a hazy grey colour and continued to blanche as Sirius stirred counter-clockwise as required.
A deep sigh left his lips as he finally pointed his wand at the flames beneath the cauldron and reduced the temperature the to bare minimum necessary for it to stew for the next hour. The pearlescent liquid was letting off spirals of steam that for all intents and purposes smelled irresistible.
Sirius wiped the back of his hand on his forehead and all but fell into the chair behind him.
Six hours he had slaved away.
He threw his head back and laughed.
Slughorn may have been daft but he did notice some of his supplies had gone missing and had spent the better half of every potions lesson since meticulously reorganising every ingredient. He was also entirely aware of what the missing ingredients were used for, and was certain that no student other than a seventh year (or a particularly skilled sixth year) could have had any idea what potions those ingredients could be used to prepare.
There was no point for the professor to make a huge deal out of it; after all, if some love-struck teenaged girls had snuck in and stolen the necessary components for Amortentia and were triumphant in temporarily causing a fellow classmate to obsess over them, then he would by all means congratulate them. An unsuccessful attempt would result in nothing more than a headache and a bad aftertaste. Other teachers would call him careless, or maybe even apathetic in his reaction, and maybe to an extent that was true. But he was certain, that if a student suddenly turned up seriously ill, it would not be a result of the missing supplies from his classroom.
He did, however, keep an eye out for students acting strangely. He had, after all, seen the affects of Amortentia firsthand and was aware of just how bizarrely hormonal teenagers could act when subjected to further sensory… stimulation.
He watched them carefully. He also took to sniffing in what he hoped was an idle fashion, but had already been asked by several students whether or not he was coming down with a cold.
Sirius observed this behaviour and picked up on it almost immediately. He hadn't planned on executing his scheme instantaneously, but the added suspicion of his potions master delayed him further.
Remus' snarky comments about his odour continued whenever Sirius sat next to him at the Gryffindor table or in the common room.
It was Saturday of the following week by the time that Sirius had had enough and decided to carry out his plan.
He awoke early and set off, beneath James' Invisibility cloak, to the fifth floor. After murmuring the password, he slid into the tiled room, locking the door behind him.
Stripping, Sirius pulled the vial of Amortentia from his pocket and poured it into the huge bath as it filled with piping hot water.
He didn't bother with the fancy oils and soaps, not this time. As the water mixed with the potion, the steam rose in tendrils above the surface. The bathroom was filled with smells that made Sirius' mouth water and head spin.
The Quidditch pitch after rain; Leather; A spicy aroma that he couldn't quite pinpoint; Something musky that Sirius associated with a sweater or scarf.
A myriad of other smells floated around him but those four seemed to assault his sense and he dived into the giant tub.
He stayed in there for a long time, hoping to soak the Amortentia into his skin and therefore get the better of Remus, and once and for all end his comments about Sirius smelling like a damp hound.
After drying himself of and making sure the bathroom returned to its previous state, Sirius donned the cloak again, and returned to the dormitory to change clothes more appropriate for breakfast.
The common room was empty, and when Sirius reached his room, only Peter was still asleep, with James and Remus having already left for the Great Hall.
After folding the invisibility cloak and tucking it under James' pillow, Sirius swapped his pyjamas for jeans and a warm jumper and made his way from Gryffindor tower to meet his best friends for breakfast.
He passed few people in the corridors, but upon descending the stairs into the Entrance Hall, he noticed heads turning as students inhaled deeply through their noses, trying to find the source of their favourite smells.
"Do you smell freshly baked bread? Wow, just like my mum's!" A blonde, third year boy said to his friends from somewhere on Sirius' left.
As a pair of girls who appeared to be in their fifth year brushed past him, one of them turned sharply to her companion and asked incredulously: "Did you get a new perfume? Jasmine is my favourite! Where did you get it?"
Sirius couldn't help the grin spreading on his face. Not only was he being a smart ass to Remus, but he was inducing a lovely aspect of chaos into those around him as they detected the pleasing scents.
Feeling particularly smug, Sirius swaggered into the Great Hall with his hands in his pockets. As usual, girls peeked from over their copies of the Daily Prophet and giggled to their friends. He spotted his friends sitting near the end of the long Gryffindor table.
James was leaning over table and animatedly discussing something (probably Quidditch) with Mary McDonald who was waving her bacon around with little regard for the possibility of it flying off her fork and hitting someone.
Remus was sitting quietly leaning over a book, his fingers idly tapping on the rim of a steaming mug of tea. He was wrapped up in a worn sweater of deep blue, and he looked healthier today; no bags under his eyes, and the shadow of a genuine smile gracing his lips.
James waved distractedly from Remus' left as Sirius slid gracefully into the seat on the sandy-haired boy's right, and continued his conversation with Mary about how the Appleby Arrows didn't stand a chance in this year's Cup.
"So, what do I smell like now?" Sirius asked, a self-satisfied grin on his handsome face.
Remus picked up his tea and took long sip without removing his eyes from the book in front of him. As he replaced the mug on the table he released a heavy, mirth-filled sigh. Sirius suddenly caught the obscure spicy smell. It seemed to radiate off Remus, mixing with that unidentified musky scent from the bathtub. Sirius' brow creased for a moment but his thoughts were abruptly severed by Remus' low voice.
"I smell chocolate and wet dog. Nice try covering it up though."