Believe
Chapter; Fifty-one
Year; Six
! #$%^&*()
Alice,
Calm down – everything will be okay.
Who says the old bat's gonna chuck it? Give him hell anyway.
How's classes, pranked anyone?
Lots of Frogs,
-Dad
#$%^&*()_
The next day Alice woke up early with Hermione and they had their classes. They went on as they normally did, though they seemed to be a bit harder, now that they were NEWT students. It was nothing Alice couldn't handle though.
It was also good that at breakfast she had been talking to Professor McGonagall about being able to do potions and the professor had said yes. Alice felt herself grin, yes; she'd be able to be a healer after all.
It was only when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Alice all arrived in the DADA room did they receive any surprises.
Snape, like the other entire Defense against the Dark Arts teachers Alice had had over the years; had decorated the room in his own way. He had the shutters closed so the only light that came in was dim, and the walls were also covered with depressing gory pictures. Alice rolled her eyes, it was so – Snape.
Snape started with a depressing lecture on the Dark Arts before heading right in on having them cast defensive spells and other jinxes at each other, but nonverbally.
This unlike how it sounded was a very difficult thing to do. Alice had pared with Hermione to practice and she found she could barely get a weak spell out nonverbally. She would have to practice this, this year she would have to put in allot more study. NEWT classes were actually important and Alice knew that she had to get impressive marks to get a traineeship with St Murgos – McGonagall had told her.
Alice could already hear Snape already yelling at someone. Alice sighed, it was bad enough that she couldn't get it but now she had to pass up on mocking Snape just so she could get these things down?
"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing non-verbal spells, Potter?" Snape snapped.
"Yes," Harry responded annoyed.
"Yes, sir," Snape corrected.
"There's no need to call me 'sir', Professor." Alice couldn't help it – she laughed. Harry would pick up her slack.
~51~
Lunch, Alice loved lunch.
Alice ate and talked about Snape, all of them letting out a good laugh from Harry's comment. Everything was quite fine with her lunch.
"Ah, Snape," Ron laughed slightly. "One would think he'd lighten up a bit now he teaches DADA."
"Not a chance mate," Harry muttered.
Alice snorted. "Needs a cheerfulness charm he does… Hey! That's a great idea! Who's with me?"
Hermione sighed. "Alice, Snape would notice you try to charm him…"
Ron hummed. "Yes, but there's a pretty simple potion for that, you could put it in his food somehow."
Alice stopped her eyes wide. "Ron, please marry me?"
"Hmm," Ron mused. "I shall have to confirm with my planner but…"
~51~
After lunch Alice decided that she was going to potions.
Alice stepped into the potions room to find it opened up in a way she hadn't seen it… ever. Sunlight was coming in, it smelled clean and fresh. It was a far cry from what it'd been when Snape taught the subject.
"Why, hello, Miss Black," Professor Slughorn happily called, Alice responded with a wide grin and a wave.
With her ever present smile Alice stood between Dean and Hermione, her eyes examining the different size cauldrons on display before them as the class began.
"Now, when making potions one must have all ingredients already at hand, no dilly dally in the preparations of making potions. One must also be attentive and be able to notice the slightest change, to see the smallest detail. Attention to detail in the preparation is the prerequisite of all planning," Slughorn was explaining to them when Harry and Ron walked in.
"Aw, Harry, m'boy! I was beginning to worry about weather you'd be here," Slughorn smiled before catching sight of an uncomfortable looking Ron. "We've got someone with us, I see."
"Ron Weasley, sir," Ron told him. "I'm dead awful at potions, so I'll probably just go-" he had started to back out of the room, but Harry and grabbed him and shoved him forward again.
"Nonsense! Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine!" Slughorn smiled. "Grab your books from that cupboard there," he said gesturing to a random cupboard before turning back to the class. "Now, as I was saying, I prepared some concoctions this morning. Any ideas what this might be?"
Hermione's hand shot in the air as he opened the first lid. "Yes, Miss…?"
Hermione spared the professor a short smile. "Granger, sir."
"Ah, yes, Miss Granger?" The Professor asked again.
Hermione stepped forward, peering into the first cauldron. "This one is Veritaserum. A truth telling serum and the potion must mature for a full lunar phase, and is quite difficult to produce. It can be mixed with any drink, and three drops are a sufficient dose. It's clear, colorless, and odorless, which makes it very hard to differentiate from water. However, it does have a distinct taste."
"Very good, and the next?" he asked, lifting the second lid.
Hermione looked into it and scrunched her nose, it only took five second for Alice to realize why, and it made her want to laugh. "That would be Polyjuice Potion; it changes the appearance of one person to another. It's tricky to make, and takes around a month to make."
Hermione glanced over at the next cauldron, and as Slughorn turned back to the class, a bit of its scent wafted over to Alice. She could smell; fireworks, fresh clean air, grass, and oddly enough a smell that she associated with Harry.
"Good, good, Miss Granger. Now, can anyone else help identify the last of the potions?" Slughorn asked happily.
He got no response. He wasn't going to get one either – well except from Hermione.
Hermione's hand shot up, again.
"Well, then Miss Granger?" he sounded amused.
"This is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world," she said, glancing around uncomfortably now. "It's rumored to smell differently to each person according to what attracts them. For example," she took in a long breath before continuing. "I smell freshly mown grass and… new parchment, and…" her voice had become dreamy and for a moment Alice thought she was lost in her own memories "-spearmint toothpaste."
She seemed to have realized her lack of consciousness and backed away from the seductive potion. However, many of the girls were drawn to it and began taking small unconscious steps towards the cauldron. A waft of pure delight swept into Alice's senses and filled her up. It was as if it filled the entire room with an intoxicating familiarity.
Alice unconsciously moved towards the potion only to be held back by an amused Dean.
"Now," Slughorn began, grabbing Alice's attention. "Amortentia doesn't create actual love, that would be impossible, but it does cause powerful infatuation or obsession," Slughorn told them, eyeing the girls who were creeping forward. "And for that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room," He then placed the lid back on, which abruptly ended the scent and the girls' delusions.
"Sir? You haven't told us what's in that one," Lavender pointed towards a tiny vial of golden liquid.
"Ah, yes! What you see before you is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis, also known as-"
"-liquid luck," Hermione finished.
"Yes, Miss Granger, liquid luck," he seemed pleased at Hermione's prior knowledge, but turned back to the class, holding up the small vial. "It's desperately tricky to make, disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you'll find that all of your endeavors succeed. At least until the effects wear off."
"So, this is what I offer each of you today; one tiny vial of liquid luck to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable draft of Living Death. Recipes for which can be found on page ten of your books-"
The room immediately filled with the sound of flipping pages, Alice's included. Alice dumped all of her things on a table to be joined by Dean and Lavender (It was three students per desk, and Ron, Harry and Hermione were all already sharing and Alice offered to sit with others. That was what usually happened when it was only three a desk.)
Alice set off to do what the book told her, along with the other people on her table. After ten horrible moments of trying to cut her bean – Alice gave up and sat back. Everyone else had managed to cut it – she hadn't, Alice huffed.
Alice noticed that the professor was watching her critically – probably cautious because of what Harry had told him about her potions marks…
"Hey Alice," Dean said looking at her, and leaning over grabbing her knife. "Like this." He demonstrated.
Alice grinned getting back up. "Thanks Oliver!"
Dean scowled and moved back to his potion and Alice continued to make her potion.
~51~
One slightly botched potion later, with more help from Dean and Lavender sharing her knife with her when Alice's one broke. Alice was glaring at the potion – after all that, it hadn't worked!?
Alice heard a happy trill of deep laughter. "Merlin's beard!" Professor Slughorn exclaimed as he looked down into Harry's cauldron. "Why I have never seen a student get this potion so close on their first try!" he exclaimed.
He then finished walking around the room before he walked up to the front of the class, the whole glass running forward as he picked up the vial. Everyone waited silently as he looked over the small crowd. "Harry, would you come forward?"
"Now, Harry has managed to brew a quality potion, so here as promised a vial of Felix Felicis," the professor called out… Wait, Harry had made a better Potion than Hermione?
Slughorn proudly handed he small vial over to Harry.
#$%^&*()
"Harry, come with me!" Alice yelled as she pulled Harry's arm, dragging him away from whatever conversation he had been in with Dean Thomas. It seemed like a pretty violent conversation if you asked her anyway.
"What?" Harry asked grumpily, as they came to a stop five minutes later.
Alice shrugged he shoulders, and threw her growing hair back. "You seemed annoyed. I decided you have reached your quota for fights."
"I have a fights quota?" Harry asked sounding very unimpressed.
Alice shrugged her shoulders again. "What were you arguing about?"
"Nothing," Harry grumbled.
"Harry!"
"Nothing."
Alice pouted, and then her face lit up. "Can we do the cliché, cheesy thing where we crave our names into a tree?"
Harry sighed, and the two seemed to lock themselves into a staring contest. Harry broke first. "Fine."
Alice beamed at him. "To the middle of the forbidden forest it is!"
"Yes, yes, wait – what?"
%^&*()_
Dad,
I think Harry's annoyed at me again, do all boys PMS too?
I have calmed down.
Do you think Snape would notice if I put a potion in his food?
…Can I have some spell-check quills? I ran out last year and forgot to buy more, thanks!
Lotsa Frogs,
-Alice X
