A/N: This fic is for the Going, Going, Gone! Challenge for the prompt amortentia, and the Insane house challenge for the prompt Merope Gaunt. It's 606 words.
Merope Gaunt held her breath and added what she hoped was moonstone to the potion in front of her.
It had taken nearly all of the money she had found hidden in the shack to obtain it and prayed to Salazar that it worked.
The Gaunts had insulted too many families over the last few generations for her to call in any favours, but there were those who still revered and respected the fact that they were descendents of Salazar Slytherin and willing to help.
As the minutes passed she continuously stirred the mixture and Merope was happy to see the steam rising in spirals.
All of my hard work won't be for nothing, she thought.
Merope had tried to learn and practice many spells from the old textbooks that littered the few shelves of her home, but had mostly been unsuccessful. Potions, however, had come slightly easier to her as she was used to following recipes when she cooked for her father and brother. The potions she had brewed previously hadn't prepared her for the complexity of Amortentia, but after buying a new second hand pair of scales and having them re-tuned, she was confident that she would be able to make it.
The only reason Merope was trying to make Amortentia in the first place was because she was in love with Tom Riddle; a wealthy muggle who lived in the next village. She had been in love with him for many years although he had never looked at her as anything more than dirt.
But he won't soon. Not after I give him the potion.
That was going to be the hardest part of her plan to execute.
How was she going to get the handsome young man to drink anything she offered him?
He'll surely be thirsty after he's been for a ride. Yes. I will offer him a drink of water and he will never suspect what I've done, she thought.
After adding the pearl dust to the cauldron and stirring it three times anticlockwise Merope left it to simmer for an hour before it would be ready to put into vials.
I cannot wait for the day we can be together.
Now her father and brother were not there to mock and scald her for falling in love with a muggle she was free to follow her heart. It was the only chance she would have to be happy; something she had never truly felt before.
Merope had often wondered what it would be like for Tom to look at her with desire and adoration, and be the one who brought joy into her life.
She pictured them living in a house similar to the one his parents owned with two or three children who all took after him. They would be together and content with their life, with nothing and no one to bring them down.
The hour passed by quickly and when she took the potion off the flame she could smell horses, some kind of spice, and fresh grass. The smell was so heavenly to Merope that she stood for almost five minutes breathing in the fumes before she realised that she need to strain and bottle the potion to make sure it lasted.
It's a good job you only need one drop a day. This should last me a few months at least.
With the Amortentia brewed it was just a case of picking the right moment to approach him. After all, Merope would only have one chance to get this right and if she failed then she would be doomed to a life of misery.