I AM NOT DEAD!
But now I'm on Holidays, thou shall update more often!
Anyway, here's the long awaited chapter… that is, if my readers still remember this facfic exists at all after the long hiatus.
'You cannot open a book without learning something'
–Confucius
Chapter Twenty-One:
"What colour is Golem blood again?" Asked Sirius as the both of us stood over the cauldron of inky black liquid that bubbled and fizzed.
"Dark purple," I muttered as I checked the different vials and bottles scattered along the bench. We were never ones to keep clear and clean work space. It defeated the purpose of potion making, which was first and foremost, a bloody great mess.
He leaned over the book, a puzzled look plastered on his face, "Well it says we need four drops in the cauldron…"
"When?"
He looked at his watch, biting his lip, "Three seconds ago,"
My eyes went wide and I quickly threw the bottle at him, "Oh Merlin!"
He flipped open the flask and carefully dripped for drops into the inky liquid.
"Okay, now it should turn a milky purple-grey," I read from the book.
Sirius frowned, head looming over the cauldron filled with bright violet mixture, "Well, it's certainly turning… purple,"
I shrugged, "Good enough for me, what's the next step?"
He grinned and read from the book, "Add crushed scarab beetle and pulverised threetle bone,"
"Is there even a difference between crushing and pulverising?" I asked.
"Apparently,"
"Intriguing,"
"Indeed," Sirius chuckled as we got on with our work.
I couldn't help but sneak peeks at him out of the corner of my eye every once and a while. Just watching him work – chopping various ingredients and reading out instructions from the book in his cool velvety voice – it was mesmerising. I'd always found a fascination in the beauty of somebody in their element. The concentration on their faces. The light spark in their eyes. Completely at peace with themselves as their mind ticked away while they immersed themselves in their passion.
It was James when he rode a broom, Remus whenever he studied, Peter during Care of magical Creatures and Sirius while brewing potions. Everybody had something; they just had to find it.
Of course I had my own, there was my art; my murals which I missed more dearly than anything else while away from home.
"Is there any reason why you're staring at me? Do I have something… unnatural… on my face?" Sirius asked, looked confused and slightly irritated.
I jumped slightly, blinking as my foggy mind found its way back towards reality, "N-No… sorry, just zoned out…"
He grinned, his usual cute lopsided sheepish smile, "Well, I need help with this bit,"
I nodded and did as Sirius said – he was after all, the expert here.
"I… still don't get it,"
Ariana sighed, "It's quite simple, just–"
I laughed bitterly, "Uh, no, it's obviously not 'quite simple' otherwise don't you think I would have got it by now,"
She ignored my rudeness with her usual sharp yet elegantly kind grace and continued as if I hadn't spoken, "You just need to a little more ridged and sharp with your wrist action and less… smooth; otherwise your connection with the object will simply… slip away. It's just not strong enough,"
"I'm an artist all my wrist movements are smooth. I can't be trained out of it; I don't want to be either," I frowned at the thought.
"You should still try, at least," She smiled and demonstrated the charm once again, her bucket and scrubbing brush beginning to scrub the floor of the abandoned girl's bathroom. Soapy water flooded the cracked tiles flowed into the drain, "I'm sure you'll get it with practise!"
"She probably won't, she's hopeless at magic…" Interrupted Moaning Murtle with a smug smirk on her face.
"Go find somebody else to haunt," I snapped and threw my brush through her hovering head.
"Watch it!" She squealed.
I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest, "Why? You're dead, remember, it's not like–"
"Stop it, the both of you. I'm trying to tutor here!" Ariana snapped her book together with a sharp crack.
With a sniff, the ghost melted back through the cubical door.
"Yeah, go sulk in your toilet Murtle," I muttered under my breath.
"Why are you always so argumentative?" Asked Ariana, a foul look of her face.
I shrugged nonchalant, "Why are you always so not?"
"I'm a Hufflepuff," She answered simply.
I stared at her curiously, "Sometimes I wonder; are you nice because you're a Hufflepuff, or are you a Hufflepuff because you're nice?"
"Well, sometimes I wonder if you're arrogant because you're a Gryffindor, or are you a Gryffindor because you're arrogant?"
I smirked, "No, I've always been arrogant,"
"And I guess I've always tried to be as nice as possible," She smiled warmly.
And that is why Sirius loves you and not me… I thought bitterly to myself, but soon supressed the negative thought.
I squinted my eyes at her, "So… you actually do sometimes feel as if you want to rip somebodies head of in cold blooded murder, you know, like a normal person?
"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, I get annoyed sometimes, like everybody does," She laughed, "But I just ignore and supress it, negative thoughts will get you nowhere,"
I gave her a sceptical look, "I'm a pessimist, and I'm going somewhere. Everybody ends up somewhere, although it may not be where you planned – you'll still be there, and there is still a somewhere,"
"Do you ever make sense?" She asked with a slight smile of her face.
"No, not really. It takes a special type of person to learn my language," I grinned.
"Like Sirius?"
"Exactly like Sirius. He's been my best friend since we were little kids, he'd better k now by now how to speak crazy," I smiled to myself at the memories.
She shuffled uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes, "Was he ever… more than a friend?"
Slightly taken aback by the question, I tried not to laugh and I answered, "God no! That would be… weird and… unnatural. We're simply best friends, always have been and always will be,"
Ariana smiled with what appeared to be relief, unknowing of the fact that I was lying through my teeth.
I know it's short and not my best writing, but I just wanted to post something.
Please review, they make my day!