AN: I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but life has been difficult lately. Here is the first chapter of a two part story. I want to thank Glitterally for being my beta on this chapter. She is amazing. Go check her out. I have no idea when the second part will be done, but I am working on it. As always, I do not own HP. I am not JKR. Review if you wish!

The lake was absolutely still, and a soft wind blew her thick hair gently. Her dark eyes kept their vigil on the water, as if she was searching for something in the darkest depths. She bit on her full lips, her back to the castle. She shifted her weight from one trainer to the other, her skirt swaying as she moved. Her school bag rested at her feet, and she closed her eyes as the wind continued to play with her hair.

She came out here almost every day, enjoying the silence and the views of the lake. It was the one part of her day that didn't involve pitying looks or whispers. She let out a large breath, her hands in her pockets of her robes, her fingers curled around her wand. She heard the distant clang of the bell and knew she should head to class. Potions. Professor Snape would be angry if she was late, and he hated taking points away from his own house.

She scooped up her bag and schooled her expression into a mask of indifference. She slipped into the school and made her way through the students, who parted as she strode to the dungeons. As she walked in, she spotted a flash of gold and red and sighed inwardly. Gryffindors. Of all the days to have double potions, she had it with Gryffindors. She found a seat in the back and took her things out, hoping no one would sit next to her. So far it worked in every class she'd had, but it looked like her luck was running out today.

Harry Potter slid into the seat next to her just as the final bell rang and Brooke had to fight the sigh that almost escaped her lips. Potter? Of all the potential Gryffindors she could have been stuck with, he was one she was hoping wouldn't grace the seat next to her. She kept her eyes on the board as Snape went about telling them which potion they would craft today. Amortentia.

Predictably, Hermione Granger's hand shot into the air. " Professor, we've already crafted this once before."

A sneer crossed the Professor's features, " I am aware, Miss Granger. I want to see you do it again."

Hermione's cheeks were tinged a pink color, but she was silent as the ingredients appeared on the board.

Snape's voice was brisk and to the point. "Work with your partner closely on this one. I expect you to brew the potion and write twelve inches on the properties it possess. Together."

Could this day get any worse? Now Brooke had to work with Potter and write an essay with him. She pressed her lips together and glanced at the board to get the correct ingredients. She walked back to the student's cupboard and grabbed the Ashwinder eggs, the powdered moonstone, the rose thorns and the peppermint. By the time she returned with the ingredients, Potter had already grabbed a cauldron.

The rest of the class went by quickly. Snape was going to assign extra inches to those who didn't have their potion brewed before the class ended and Brooke didn't want to have to write more than she had to. The less time she spent with people, the better. Luckily for her, the bell rang as the characteristic spirals began coming out of their cauldron.

Professor Snape stopped by our cauldron and gave a sharp nod. " Excellent work, Miss Scott. I can see having for a partner didn't hinder you at all. Have you smelled the potion yet?"

I shook my head. "No. I was waiting for Harry to smell first."

Snape nodded and moved on to the next row, and I turned to Harry. He was giving Snape a glare and quickly stopped when he noticed I was looking at him. He gave me an apologetic smile and leaned in to smell our potion.

A grin spread across his face as he closed his eyes a moment. "I smell treacle tart. Something woody, like the handle of my broomstick. And…"

His voice trailed off as he tried to identify the last smell. After several attempts, he shrugged his shoulders. "There's something else there, but I can't identify it. It smells incredible, but I'm not sure what it is." He shot me a look and gestured to the cauldron. It was my turn.

I pushed my hair back behind my ear and leaned in; I closed my eyes and took a deep breath over the cauldron. It was unlike anything I'd ever smelled before. I could make out two distinct smells, but the third was something I couldn't make out. I kept leaning over the cauldron, trying to figure it out. As I was leaned over, Dean Thomas bumped me from behind, and I started to lose my balance. Gravity pulled me quickly toward the potion.

I felt a pair of arms pull me back, hard. I fell back, landing on the unyielding cold stones below. I opened my dark eyes and saw emerald above me. Harry. He held out a hand and I slipped my smaller one into it. I could feel the calluses on his fingers from Quidditch against the softness of my skin. I gave him a soft smile, which he returned.

The class was emptying out quickly, so we bottled a sample and left it on Professor Snape's desk.

As we walked out, Harry asked, "When did you want to get together to write the essay?"

I bit on my lower lip a moment. "Um.. How about tomorrow? Library?"

Harry nodded, "Sounds good. See you then."

I arrived early at the library. I got a private study room, told Madam Pince I was expecting Harry and slipped my headphones out of my bag. Soon I was lost in my music as I worked away on our essay Maybe if I had it finished before Harry got here, I wouldn't have to spend so much time with a Gryffindor. I was so lost in my writing that I didn't notice Harry enter. I felt fingers on the back of my neck and reached for my wand slowly.

I turned around, my wand pointed at my assailant, only to discover it was Harry. I let out a large sigh, pulled a headphone out of my ear and set my wand down.

"Sorry." I gave him a soft smile.

Harry shook his head. "It's okay. I would have reacted the same way. How far have you gotten?"

I showed him what I had accomplished, and over the next couple of hours, I discovered Potter wasn't as dim as I was led to believe he was. In fact, he was pretty funny. We'd long finished our essay when he asked me what I smelled in the cauldron.

Harry's expression turned a bit serious as his eyes met mine. "What did you smell, Scott? You never told me."

I pressed my lips together and said, "Well, the first two I could figure out easily. Chamomile, like the tea my grandmother makes, and caramel, like the cookies my grandfather and I made before he died. But the last one.. it's much harder."

Harry's brow scrunched at my words. "I'm still having trouble with the last smell myself."

I glanced out of the room, noting how it was nearing evening. An idea popped in my head, and I began gathering up my stuff quickly. I reached out for Harry's hand and pulled him through the library and down to the dungeons. At the entrance to Snape's office, I said, "wait here."

I swept into Snape's office to find him seated behind his desk. He raised an eyebrow at my entrance. "Miss Scott. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I gave him a smile, "I'd like to look at my potion sample, sir. For the essay."

Snape nodded his head. "It's over there. Bring it back here when you're finished."

I nodded, taking the potion and leaving the room. Harry was waiting for me, and I asked, "Do you know of a place where we won't be bothered?"

This time it was my turn to be led through the school, where we stopped at a blank wall. I gave Harry a weird look as he paced in front of the wall a few moments. Finally, a door entered and he pulled me through it.

"This is the Room of Requirement, it appears for whatever you desire." Harry's voice echoed through the room as we entered. A comfy couch appeared with a soft pop.

Harry and I sat on the couch, where I uncorked our potion. We took turns smelling the potion before I corked it. A table appeared, and I set it on there.

"What did you smell?" I asked him, turning my body so I was facing him.

Harry mimicked my motion. "The same things as before, but the last one. Still hard to figure out. But it makes me think of France. And fields of something.."

I glanced over the room and thought a moment. France. Field of what? I slipped my robe from my shoulders and as I did so, Harry's eyes widened. His jaw dropped a bit as he stared at me.

"Stand up a moment," he asked, his voice a bit incredulous.

I stood in front of him where he sat, and he rose up quickly. I moved back and tripped over his bag. As I fell to the floor in what was a recurring theme for me, Harry caught me again. This time, he kept me close to him. Standing so close to him, breathing in each other's scent, I smelled the woody, yet spicy scent from the potion.

Harry's voice was soft. "What is that perfume?"

My voice came out in a whisper. "Lavender. Specially made in France for me by my father."

Silence reigned between Harry and me for a moment. He kept me close to him as he asked, "What did you smell, Brooke?"

I knew it was his scent. So I told him. "Spicy, woody. Cologne."

Harry briefly smelled his sleeve, but I knew it was him. Standing there in the room of requirement, staring into his eyes, I wasn't sure what the next move was going to be. I smelled part of him in the potion, and he smelled me. Where did we go from here? His emerald eyes reflected my thoughts back at me. Standing so close to him gave me the chance to look at him in a different light. He was taller than me, his body lean and sculpted from years of quidditch. His raven black hair was messy, standing up in all directions, but his eyes. Those piercing emerald orbs grew even darker as he stared at me.

My breath hitched as he leaned his head closer, closing the distance between us. His lips were soft and gentle as they caressed my own. His hands roamed over my back, holding me tight against him. I felt one of his hands slide through my dark hair, and against my better judgement, a soft moan left my lips as he kissed the side of my neck. In that moment, I realized what was happening. What was I doing? What good could come of this pairing? A Slytherin and a Gryffindor?

I hurriedly grabbed my robes and bag and left the room. As I ran into the coldness of the Slytherin common room, I only craved the safety of my bed. Safely shut up in my bed, I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to forget the feel of his lips on mine, how my heart beat faster as he held me in his arms. We each smelled the other in the potion we'd brewed, and I was afraid of what that meant for me. I could still feel his lips on mine, feel his hands in my hair as I curled on my bed and sobbed. What was going to happen now?