"No," Lucy said, pushing her glasses further up her scrunched up nose. "That wouldn't work. "Asphodel would induce too much somnolence and slack the nervous system too much. The body wouldn't be able to heal itself quickly enough from the Ptolemy."

Lysander cursed under his breath. "You're right," he said. "And what if we replace the Ptolemy with Slaghorn and Nightshade?" But Lucy was already shaking her head.

"The Slaghorn would counter the effects of the Cearteo charm."

"Are you sure of that?" Lysander asked, stirring the simmering potion in front of them. Lucy looked at him sharply. "Of course I am," she said. "I came up with it."

"Have you tested it?"

"No, but I came up with the theory. I don't have to test it to know that it won't work."

Lysander shook his head, not understanding how she could predict such things without concrete data.

"But don't you want to be sure?" he asked. "What if the theory is wrong?"

Lucy flushed. "Do you doubt me?" She asked. "If I say it won't work with my spell, it won't work with my spell. I don't have the power to work miracles."

Lysander muttered an apology and asked whether she had any idea to fix their potion then.

"No," Lucy said. "Let's head back to the library."

Lysander's eyes began gleaming. "The one with the computers?"

"No." Lucy crushed his bubble. "I'm already done with investigating science for my spell, as you could have guessed by the completion of it."

"You're not altering it?" Lysander asked. "My potion will work if you can make that spell fo yours work with the nightshade."

Lucy could feel her cheeks flaming. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to develop a spell?" She asked. "This," she gestured to the potion and him, "is nothing in comparison. You can try and make a thousand potions and making a spell will still be harder. The risks are bigger, there is more work involved, not to mention that you start with nothing."

"Developing a potion is no piece of pie either," Lysander said. "You never know how things react in different situations, contrary to spells, apparently."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I've worked and experimented a lot to gather this knowledge. Maybe you should have, too."

"You try out everything." Lysander challenged. "Magical plants are unpredictable."

"I pronounce one syllable wrong and I end up in Mungo's." Lucy said.

"Fine," Lysander cried out. "I'll alter the damned potion. It´s really unfair how you bring up the fact how your job is lethal every time. My grandma died that way, you know."

"You don't want me to follow her, do you?"

Lysander snorted. "Like you would. What are the odds dying in a spell experiment."

Lucy cocked her head. "Bad enough that redeveloping a potion is a hell of a lot better to do."

Lysander nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "How about we grab some food before you leave me for dead in that dusty library with a problem we both know I won't be able to solve?"

Lucy looked up at him and took off her reading glasses so she could see his face better. "I'd say that that sounds rather a lot like a date." She said. "You're not trying to slack off by distracting me, are you?"

"Can't I take my bird out for a bite to eat?" Lysander asked, his eyes lighting up. "I deserve something as a reward for all my overwork, and I have experienced that she is a bit more frisky after a fight."

Lucy's head turned into a tomato, but she looked up and met his gaze with a cocky smile. "I have one hour." She said. "I have to read that literature thing for my mum."

"hm," Lysander said, and he hoisted her over his shoulder. She screamed as she almost fell headfirst into the potion.

"What are you doing," she yelled, stomping his back with her fist in her shock. He seemed not to notice as he walked to the fireplace with her.

"We might have to skip dinner then." Lysander said and he ran his hand up her leg, shutting her up quite effectively.

"Because it will take a while before I am done with you."

Lucy shivered at the contact. "Maybe we should fight more often," She breathed. "I love fighting with you."

AN: prompts used: data, food, understanding, theory, bird, literature, problem, knowledge, power, love, science, library