[Mike]
"I hope you all had a satisfactory break, but this is a N.E.W.T. level class, so we will just dive right in. Today: Amortentia." Potions Professor Brenan Wells announced from the front of the room- well, dungeon. Yes, Potions classes were still held in the cold, foreboding, uncomfortable basement of Hogwarts.
His proclamation was met with mixed responses: most of the guys groaned, while three out of the four girls (not many girls wanted to continue Potions farther than was required) squealed in excitement. I'll give you one guess who the last girl was (hint: her name rhymes with "Ram Halfoy"). It was no surprise that she was bored by the concept of a love potion; she had never struck me as a very emotional person.
"So, if everyone would open their books to page 125, we can get started." Professor Wells waited for all of us to reach the assigned page, then continued. "Ah, Mister Lupin. You seem not at all distracted by the redhead to your right and completely willing to read the history of the Amortentia potion, yes?" Teddy's head whipped up at the sound of his name (he had been talking with Sam about something, their heads bent together), and a few of the students (mainly the ones in green and silver) snickered, including Sam's arrogant brother, Scorpius.
Professor Wells had a habit of saying sentences as questions to make you think you had a choice in the matter, when in reality, he was issuing a command. Teddy knew this, of course (everyone did), and he reluctantly began reading.
"The Amortentia potion, often known as simply, "the love potion", is one of the oldest potions still in use today. Its origins trace back to the most primitive of times. . . ." Teddy droned on, reciting from the book in a monotone voice that made me want to laugh. Teddy was usually such an animated person, but he could keep a straight face when he wanted to.
I could see Sam picked up on it too, and I heard her chuckle softly. It sent a pang of jealousy through me; her laughing at Teddy. She was already sitting next to him (they had walked in together laughing about some private joke) while I was stuck sitting at the desk to the left of them by myself. I sighed and forced myself to look away, instead looking towards the door, already wanting to escape this class.
A flicker of movement along the wall caught my eye. I sat up a little straighter but tried to not look as if I was doing so.
The lighting was awful in the dungeons, so all I could make out was a dark shape slinking towards- towards me! Oh, Merlin! I became nervous at the thought of what hideous, deadly monsters there were hiding down here. Some Gryffindor I am, I thought dryly.
". . . . The Amortentia potion is, unfortunately, one of the easiest potions to make. This caused a large amount of trouble in-"
"Sorry to interrupt, Mister Lupin," Wells cut Teddy off abruptly, "but I think we have a late arrival in our midst. Mister Potter, you can stop slinking around back there now, hm?"
Wait- Potter? What? I was completely shocked to see the shadowy form I was so scared of moments before stop and cringe, then stand up and continue walking towards me, a light hitting it to reveal my cousin, James Sirius Potter.
"Of course, Professor," James said smoothly, pulling the chair out next to me and leaning back in it, resting his feet on the desk and crossing his arms behind his head like nothing had happened. "I was simply trying something new. We all need a little variety in our lives, yes?" He said the last in a very accurate imitation of Professor Wells' dry tone, causing stifled laughter from almost all the students in the class (except for Golden Boy Malfoy and his cronies), while the Professor's face turned red, his dark eyebrows drawn down.
"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mister Potter," Wells shot back. "Ten more if you don't take your feet off my desk." James yelped in protest, but took his feet off the desk, not wanting to cost us any more points. Now that, Malfoy and his followers found absolutely hilarious.
Professor Wells turned back to Teddy and had him continue reading like nothing had even happened. While Teddy read on, I subtly whispered to James, "James, what are you doing here?"
"Taking Potions class," he whispered back. I rolled my eyes.
"I meant, what are you doing taking NEWT level potions? You told me you got all D's and T's on your OWLs last year."
"Yeah, well, I lied." James said bluntly, seemingly caring more about making his hair look perfectly tousled than the fact that he lied to his family. I couldn't help but feel a little hurt at that.
"Why would you lie about your scores, if you obviously did well on them?"
"Because," he said with a sigh, "I have to keep my image up." I looked at him, confused, and he explained, "Everyone has an image of themselves they put off to others. Yours is a smart, goody-two-shoes kinda thing," I bristled at his tone, and he added, "no offense. But mine is a cool, extremely handsome, uncaring bad boy, which means if people thought I was smart, it would ruin me." I resisted the urge to yell at him how stupid that was. What was wrong with being smart? He shouldn't have to change himself to what other people thought he should be!
"Thank you, Mister Lupin," Professor Wells' voice cut through my thoughts. "Now, I have a batch of Amortentia already complete at the front, if all of you would join me?" Wells walked over with long strides to stand behind his desk. The only thing sitting on it was a large black cauldron with what I assumed was Amortentia bubbling inside.
All the students, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, got out of their seats and jostled for a good position at the front. I started to walk towards where Sam was standing, but after being pushed around, I ended up next to her brother. Perfect, just perfect.
"Now this is an example of a perfectly brewed batch of Amortentia," the Professor said proudly. "I will let each of you come and smell it because, as we know, each person smells something unique that represents love to them. Let's start with Mister Malfoy, and then everyone else form a line behind him, yes?"
I went to stand behind Scorpius since I was right next to him, but I was pushed back by his two ugly cronies, who muttered some choice words about Gryffindors and my family that I couldn't help but overhear. Rage welled up inside me, and I clenched my fists but didn't say anything. I didn't want to sink to their level, and I didn't want to get any more points taken away from Gryffindor.
I realized with a start that I was the next person in line to approach the potion, and I unclenched my fists and walked forward.
I leaned over to look in at the potion; it was beautiful, really. It was a pale pink color and a pearly sheen, with small tendrils of white vapor wafting up from it. I took a deep breath in through my nose and swayed a bit when its scent reached me.
I smelled parchment and old books. . . . Those vanilla candles mum always put around our house. . . . The scent outside after a spring rain. . . . and. . . . something else I couldn't identify, something kind of sharp and a little fruity, but not overpoweringly so.
I refused the urge to take another wiff of the potion, forcing myself to walk back to my seat. I sat down heavily, the potion still clouding my senses and thoughts. I was wracking my brain to place the last scent when I heard Professor Wells speak again.
"So, who would like to share. . . . Ah, Miss Malfoy, how about you?" I shook off the remnants of the potion so I could clearly hear Sam's response.
"I smelled the leather of my Quidditch uniform and the quaffle, the smoky scent of fireworks, my mum's perfume, and vanilla," Sam replied with a small smile on her face, looking like she was still in a daze, her beautiful silver eyes unfocused.
"Excellent," Wells said to her. "Next, Mister Alexander?" He looked over at a Slytherin boy, who described what he had smelled in the same fashion as Sam; dazed and slightly smiling.
Professor Wells called on a few more students, who each told what they had smelled in the Amortentia. He then finished the class by saying, "I hope you all learned something today, because I expect a full roll of parchment from each of you on my desk tomorrow about the properties of Amortentia, and your thoughts on the moral side of it: whether or not the wizarding world should continue producing, distributing, and using this potion, and why you feel that way." A few students groaned at the long assignment, but Wells fixed them with his "no nonsense" stare, and they quieted.
"And it will not be late, yes?" He added, looking straight at James, who grinned and saluted- saluted!- Professor Wells. I smacked a hand to my forehead.
Professor Wells' face darkened again but before he could say anything (most likely to take more points away from Gryffindor) the class period ended, all the students walking out of the dungeon and to their next class at varying rates.
By that I mean most students all but running out of the dungeons and the rest walking briskly out. Instead I lingered behind and took my time putting my book away because I wanted to get the chance to talk to Sam, preferably without Teddy by her side.
After thinking the situation over I decided I would just go to her, whether Teddy was there or not, so I picked up my things and walked over to Sam, who was unsuccessfully trying to shove her Potions book into her over-crowded bag.
"Need a little help there?" I asked her with what I hoped was a friendly smile. Her head whipped up and she jumped a little at the sound of my voice.
"Why does this keep happening to me?!" She shouted angrily at the sky while Teddy laughed. Yes, Teddy was still sitting next to her. "It's nothing, really," she told me in a much calmer voice. I probably looked really freaked out if she felt the need to explain. "People keep sneaking up on me and surprising me; that was the fourth time today." She shouldered her bag and stood up, but almost everything in her bag fell back out as soon as she did so.
I bent down to help pick her things up, James (I hadn't realized he was still here) suddenly coming over and helping Sam and I pick everything up; I had forgotten that they were really close friends.
In no time at all we had picked up almost everything. I grabbed a small slip of older-looking paper, wondering why Sam would keep an old scrap of parchment with her.
I subtly unfolded it and looked for writing on the inside. What? It wasn't snooping, necessarily. I was just. . . . making sure she wasn't getting creepy notes from anyone. Yep, that was it.
So I opened it up and saw a note written in what looked like my handwriting. How was that even possible? As much as I wished I could write notes back-and-forth with Sam on a daily basis, I had never done so. So how did something that obviously wasn't from me but had my handwriting end up in her bag?
I quickly glanced up to see if anyone had noticed me grab the note- nope. Teddy had joined James and Sam, who were now sitting on the floor having a casual conversation. I was just surprised Professor Wells hadn't kicked us out yet, but another glance around the room showed that he had disappeared. Where he would've gone, I had not a clue.
Mentally shrugging, I turned back to the note in my hands, ignoring the fact that it was my handwriting, and read it:
Samantha,
I had so hoped that we could be friends and that I could spare you. Unfortunately, it seems as if I was mistaken. You give me no choice but to involve you in this. Tell no one of this note, or else face severe consequences.
-The Sphinx
"What are you doing, Mike?" Sam demanded angrily, easily ripping the note out of my hands, as I was still dumbstruck upon reading it. "You can't just snoop through my stuff like that! I can't believe you! What kind of person does that?" She shoved the note into her pocket and crossed her arms, shooting daggers at me with her glare.
"Sam," I finally said after it was clear she wanted an answer, trying not to let my concern show in my voice, "what was that? When did you get it? Who is it from? Have you told Shay? Why-"
"What are you freaking out about, Mike?" James interrupted my stream of questions.
"We better make ourselves scarce," I ignored James and stood up. I figured that Professor Wells would not be happy to find four students still in his classroom. "Come on, before Wells gets back," I added when no one else stood up with me.
The thought of angry Wells put them into action, Teddy helping Sam (who now looked a bit pale) to her feet.
Once we were out of the classroom, Sam said, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you guys anything. I just can't. I need to go." She tried to walk away from us but Teddy caught her arm.
"Samantha Hylla Malfoy, don't you walk away from me!" Teddy told her, smirking at some private joke. She stared at him, her expression unreadable. After a tense second she fell back into line with us. I was still shocked to find out Sam's middle name was Hylla and that Teddy knew it. Sam had always been touchy about her middle name and now I knew why.
Sam sighed. "I can trust you boys, right?" She looked at James, Teddy, and I in turn and we all nodded, although she hesitated a bit longer when she turned to me. I understood that she didn't know me as well, but it still hurt that she thought she couldn't trust me. "Okay." She took a deep breath before spitting out, "IfoundthiscreepynoteinmyroombutIdon'tknowwhoit'sfromorhowitgotthere."
"Come again?" James asked with a confused smile, scratching the side of his head.
"Today when I went to my room to get my things, I found a note sitting on my bed." Sam fished the note out of her pocket and held it up. "I don't know how it could've gotten there because it looks like a guy's handwriting, but I definitely did not invite any guys into my room." She shot an angry glare at Teddy and James, who were snickering about her last statement, and they quieted, Teddy trying to pass his laughter off as coughing. Meanwhile, I was left furiously blushing and unable to meet Sam's eyes. What? I'm a sixteen-year-old boy with raging hormones and all that. Cut me some slack!
"Well, read us the note!" James said. Sam did, although her voice wavered slightly, which was probably the only time I had heard Sam Malfoy sound uncertain and unconfident about something in the six years that I had known- well, known of- her.
"But it said not to tell anyone," Teddy said once she had finished. "It said you'd face 'severe consequences' or something like that if you did."
"I know, but as much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to need help figuring out what it all means and who this. . . . Sphinx character is," Sam replied.
"Yes!" James shouted and pumped his fist in the air. "We get to be secret agents- ow!" Sam smacked his arm.
"Keep your voice down, idiot!" She told a pouty James, who was rubbing his arm where she hit him. Teddy chuckled, muttering something about Sam's abusive tendencies. "Besides, if you really were a secret agent, you would've just blown your cover and we'd probably have to kill you and everyone who heard you." Sam added with a blank face. James was struck speechless, looking as if his mind had been blown, while Teddy and I chuckled.
"There's our little firecracker," Teddy told her, flicking a finger over the end of her nose. She scowled and swatted him off, but then stuck her tongue out at him, apparently back in better spirits.
"Don't worry, Sam," I tried to reassure her. "I bet it's just somebody trying to prank you and freak you out. It can't be any worse than what our parents had to face, right?"
"Yeah, you're probably right," Sam said as we sat down together at the Gryffindor table for lunch. "I mean, it's not like he's the spawn of Voldemort or something!" She smiled and laughed, and I smiled, but my heart wasn't in it. I wouldn't count anything out just yet, no matter how unlikely it seemed. Crazy things just seemed to happen at Hogwarts.
If I were a cat, my ears would've pricked up as the sound of wings flapping signaled the first round of owl mail coming in. Owls of all different colors, breeds, and sizes flew around the Great Hall and dropped letters or packages off to their recipients. It was what some would call 'organized chaos'.
The four of us looked up as one when a plain, average size, unremarkable tawny owl swooped over to Sam and dropped a piece of parchment into her lap.
We shared a nervous look, for the parchment looked exactly like what Sam's note from earlier had been written on.
Sam picked it up and opened it with shaky hands. All four of us held our breath as Sam's eyes quickly skimmed the page.
She suddenly turned pale as a sheet and dropped the note, frozen in fear. Her eyes were focused somewhere above my head, her mouth open in a small "o".
James hesitantly reached over and picked up the note so that he, Teddy, and I could read it.
Samantha,
I thought we had agreed not to tell anyone? Pity you didn't listen. . . . Oh, well. This just makes everything even more fun! For me, that is. I couldn't imagine it would be very pleasant seeing all your friends and family die before your very eyes.
-The Sphinx
A/N: Duh... duh... DUH! Sam's been threatened by the mysterious Sphinx... any guesses as to who it could be? I was uber pleased with how this chapter turned out and I can't wait to get the next ones out to you guys! But I will restrain myself and just keep writing! In the meantime, I'd really love to hear any opinions you guys have on Two of a Kind, and, as always, thanks for stopping by! Have a superb week, dear readers! :)