A/N: Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) Potions Class! The assignment was to write a fic where a potion went wrong, and I also used the prompts disaster and melting.

Developed Disaster

...

"Ee!" A squeal of delight found its way into the air, the woman who made it currently dancing. "We got it! We got a big scoop!" The photographer behind her tried not to roll his eyes. Rita Skeeter, the most influential gossip columnist the world had ever seen was just too much sometimes.

"I'm not sure what's so interesting about two kids hugging." Rita smacked him on the arm, giving him the demeaning look she gave to everybody.

"Of course you don't. Brutes don't understand the high class entertainment that gossip delivers to the world." She ignored the scoff that came in response, waving for the man to follow. "Let's go borrow some of Professor Snape's ingredients and get this developed!"

"I don't really think that's a good idea." Rita laughed.

"Of course it is! Stop worrying!" Rita said, walking towards the castle without hesitation.

Once they made it into the dungeons, Rita was more anxious than ever. She wanted to get everything developed and sent to the Daily Prophet as soon as possible. She watched as the man, whose name she had completely forgotten (Jerry?) put in various ingredients to the cauldron. Perry was moving at an agonizing pace, stirring and sometimes just watching the cauldron.

"Come on, hurry up!" Rita was dancing on her feet, watching the photographer brew a new batch of developing solution. "We have to get this out now!" Perry suppressed a sigh, looking back at the woman.

"Miss Skeeter please! I need to concentrate or it won't turn out right. It needs to sit for exactly three minutes before I can add the final ingredient!" Rita rolled her eyes, glancing at the jar of bat spleens that needed tipped in. She was never the most patient woman.

"Oh, what's a few minutes?" She said as she threw a handful of bat spleens into the cauldron. Wiping her hand on Perry's sleeve, Rita ran over to the camera, pulling out the photo and sending it into the cauldron with a splash. Perry watched as the potion began to bubble, arms crossed.

"A few minutes is everything when you're working with potions." He couldn't help the small smile that was on his face, wondering what the picture would look like when Rita pulled it out. The potion kept bubbling, and the room was getting noticeably warmer. Perry took a few steps back.

"Do you think it's done yet?" Rita asked, peering into the cauldron. She grabbed a pair of tongs, and stuck them into the boiling cauldron. What she pulled out was a melted, mangled mess. The two teenagers depicted were morphed beyond recognition. Perry snapped a picture of Rita doing this, of course. He'd keep that one away from her.

The next week, Rita picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet, still fuming over her lost article. She glanced at the headlines, to see what had taken her articles rightful place.

Rita Skeeter's Developed Disaster!

By Perry Pivis

Beneath the title was a picture of Rita Skeeter herself, pulling out her ruined picture, a horrified look on her face. She wore the same look now, skimming the rest of the article. She tore the paper up and threw it in the trash when she read the last line. She was going to have a word with that low life photographer!

Patience is a virtue! -Perry Pivis