Hope everyone is doing alright with the outbreak. I had some free time so I came back to this story. There wasn't too much interest when I first uploaded, but we'll see what happens now. Please review and let me know your thoughts!
Chapter V: The Club Forms
The mood at Hogwarts was dour and the halls filled with whispered gossip. The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Quidditch match had ended in horror as a swarm of Dementors attacked Harry Potter, knocking him from his broom during a raging thunderstorm. Dumbledore – of course – had saved Harry, but the student body was nervous. For two months the Dementors had been an unpleasant thought, but they stayed far enough away so that one never really had to think of them. The recent attack had disabused the student body, and the Hogwarts staff, of the notion that they could ignore those soul sucking horrors.
Not only could the Dementors not stop an escaped Azkaban prisoner, Sirius Black, from invading Hogwarts, but they'd also attack students as special as Harry Potter. Who was safe?
Giuliana looked back at Harry Potter while Professor Snape had his back turned to the class, writing on the blackboard and concluding his lesson on Lycanthropy and time as substitute Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. As usual, Potter was attentive on the lesson, pretending he didn't notice the eyes on him. Giuliana thought humility was good and all but the lengths Harry went to in order to downplay his fame made him seem a bit daft or simple at times.
A snarky comment by Professor Snape to a Gryffindor snapped Giuliana's attention back to the front of the classroom. Her mind was wandering too much that day, and after a few minutes of half-heartedly trying to take notes, she gave up. Looking to her left, Vaughn didn't seem to be doing much better. He was scribbling in his personal journal, angled in a way like he was trying to hide what he was writing from her.
She huffed at the gesture and looked away from him in turn. Vaughn had been in a foul mood since the weekend. Their third trip to the seventh-floor laboratory and foray into off the books potions making had been an utter failure. The Calming Drought had been a bust, congealing into a disgusting purple blob the first attempt and fizzling to the point of evaporation on the second attempt. Vaughn had then attempted by himself to make a third batch, only to fail again. His meltdown afterwards had been one of the worst reactions she had seen from anyone.
Finally, class ended and everyone lined up to turn in their papers on Lycanthropy. As Vaughn and Giuliana waited in line, the latter attempted to cheer up her best friend.
"Ready for our first study group?" she asked.
Vaughn shrugged. "I put together all the notes. We'll see how it goes."
"You really want to be Teddy's friend, huh?" Giuliana teased. Vaughn's face grew red at the comment.
"So, what if I do?" he asked, his tone accusatory.
"There's nothing wrong with it! Just don't forget about me, that's all." Giuliana replied. "Of course, I could just hang out with Lisa. We should check in to see if she got the choir up and running, yeah?"
Again, Vaughn shrugged and handed his paper into Professor Snape. He then turned and left the room, leaving Giuliana to scurry after him.
"Hey! Wait a minute! Vaughn, stop!" He finally did once he was out of the classroom, allowing the other students to pass him by and Giuliana to catch up. Once she did, she pulled him aside so they could speak privately. "Vaughn, I'm sorry too that the Calming Draught didn't work out. But it was our first attempt. We can get more supplies and try again later though."
"I know." Vaughn said.
"But this attitude needs stop. Why are you acting like this?"
"Giuliana, I swear I'm not upset or anything. Can we please just go to this study group in peace?"
"Vaughn-"
"Giuliana, please! I swear that I am fine. Bloody hell."
They were quiet as they walked. Giuliana knew Vaughn needed some time to calm down. She wasn't sure what was bugging him, but whatever it was she'd give him time. It wasn't his fault that they had failed the potion, she hoped he knew that. It was an advanced potion. They would get it with some more practice.
"Where are we meeting them again?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Down in the library. Teddy is getting us a table." Vaughn replied, turning to lead them down the staircase.
"How many people?"
"Don't know. I think like seven or something."
"All Hufflepuff?"
Vaughn shook his head. "No. I think some Ravenclaws too. I know that we're the only Slytherin and there are no Gryffindors."
"None at all?"
"Nope."
"Good."
Vaughn and Giuliana laughed together. The Gryffindors had been particularly obnoxious of late after their golden child Harry Potter had his run in with the Dementors. A lot of them acted once more like their House was the most important due to Potter. Like whenever Potter was in danger, somehow, they all were, and whenever Potter was important, somehow they all were important.
'What a joke.' Giuliana thought. Gryffindor never ceased to annoy. 'But when Slytherin sticks together like that, somehow we're just below Death Eaters in terms of awfulness.'
Together they went down the moving staircases to the third floor of the Hogwarts castle to meet up with their new study group. Giuliana had some worries about the group, uncomfortable with the idea of having to meet new people. Also, the fact that Giuliana felt out of her depth with History of Magic. Professor Binns always managed to put her to sleep.
"Do you actually know this subject?" Giuliana asked.
"Yeah. I mean, well enough." He replied.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, I studied a lot for this meeting."
"Did you use the potion?"
Vaughn was silent for a bit before finally responding. "So, what if I did?"
Giuliana laughed. "Nothing. I was just curious. You have two vials left now, right?"
"I do. We should make more of it soon."
Giuliana gave a nod of agreement. That would help boost Vaughn's mood. She also had to admit that the desire to make more potions was a constant pull in her. The sense of accomplishment, mixed with the thrill of breaking the rules, was a feeling that fourteen-year old Giuliana wanted more of.
They arrived at the library in a hurry, feeling like they were late. They found their new study group already gathered, sitting at a large table next to a large window pan that overlooked the Great Lake. With Vaughn and Giuliana joining them it was a total of seven students. They were the only Slytherins, while Teddy sat with three other Hufflepuffs and two Ravenclaws. No Gryffindor's was truly a relief. Giuliana wasn't in the mood to deal with them and their puffed-up egos now.
"Vaughn! I was worried you weren't coming!" Teddy said, jumping up from his seat to come greet them. He gave Vaughn a hug, which seemed to surprise everyone, though Vaughn gladly returned it.
"Class just ended, of course I was coming." Vaughn replied, leaning in deeply to the hug. Once more, Giuliana noticed a flash of red across her best friend's face. The two boys broke apart and Teddy turned to Giuliana to introduce himself. He was a nice guy. Very, very friendly and a bit hyper for Giuliana's taste, but overall not horrible. The rest of the group introduced themselves as Giuliana and Vaughn took a seat. Giuliana recognized Megan Jones but didn't know anyone else there.
"So, where should we begin?" Teddy began once introduction ended. He turned to Vaughn, handing over control of the group to him.
"Um, why don't we start at the beginning of the semester, with the Witch Burnings in the 14th Century." Vaughn offered, opening up his bag and pulling out a stack of parchment paper, each with detailed writing on it. "I've already gone ahead and compiled an outline of the assignments and readings we got. Sorry if the writing is illegible. I was working pretty late and lighting in the Slytherin Common Room gets a bit rough."
Everyone at the table looked stunned as Vaughn distributed the parchment. Giuliana was as well until she realized he must have used the concentration potion to do it. Judging by the remainder of his stack, he had made an outline for everyone on each section they had covered in History of Magic.
"This is… bloody hell." Megan offered, looking over the parchment. She was genuinely impressed, as were the others.
"How did you do this? A repetition spell? Enchant a quill?" Teddy asked.
"No, I wrote it all by hand."
"Liar." Teddy laughed.
"No, I'm serious! It helps me study to write everything." Vaughn replied, clearly reveling in the gratitude. "Let's take it subject by subject to review."
"Or maybe just one subject for today and then we can move on to another section for the next study round." Megan offered, holding up the parchment. "You've given us six sheets for just the Witch Hunts alone, and you wrote on the front and the back!"
"Good idea, Megan." Teddy said in support.
Vaughn looked put out but didn't protest. "Well then why don't we start with the causes of the Hunts and then go into Wendelin the Weird?"
The group agreed and they followed Vaughn's lead. Giuliana had never known her best friend to really shine in group dynamics as he was often prone to stammering and getting sweaty in front of his peers. Here though, Vaughn seemed in his element and entirely comfortable with the subject matter.
'The potion really is remarkable.' Giuliana thought, but further thinking that Vaughn was remarkable for having worked out the details on the potion.
They spent over an hour studying before the Hufflepuffs had to run off to their next class, effectively ending the study group. As they packed up, the group continued to give Vaughn praise for his outlines. No one sung Vaughn's praises higher than Teddy though.
"This truly is remarkable work, Vaughn. I didn't think anyone could ever actually care this much about History of Magic!" he said, grabbing onto Vaughn's shoulder, not for the first time that study group. As if on cue, Vaughn's face went red again.
"It's a fascinating subject. It's just too bad it's taught by a complete bore of a professor." He replied, packing away his parchment. Everyone one else had left except for Vaughn, Giuliana, and Teddy. Megan was waiting for Teddy near the library door.
"And do you really write out all your notes like that? It's so much information! You practically outlined the book!"
Vaughn laughed. "I don't do it for all of my classes, but I like to be prepared."
"Well, it's a good work ethic. Parents would love that."
"Actually, it was a little bit more than just 'work ethic' alone."
Giuliana glared at Vaughn, which he returned briefly. His look didn't show any concern. Teddy looked intrigued as well. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Promise you won't tell anyone? Even Megan?" Vaughn asked.
"Vaughn!" Giuliana interrupted, though she wasn't sure what to say to change the subject. It gave both of them away as Teddy's eyes lit up.
"Bloody hell! You did use an enchanted quill!" he said, "That's so clever! You have to show me how to enchant one of my own! You Pure Blood's really do know a lot of magic!"
The Pure Blood comment threw both of them off. "It wasn't an enchanted quill, or a repetition spell." Vaughn clarified.
"Vaughn, stop!"
"What?"
"Hey, it's ok, you can trust me! I won't tell!" Teddy assured them, before leaning in closer to Vaughn, looking serious. "I wouldn't do that to you, Vaughn."
The atmosphere around them felt odd, like something you would see in a romance novel. Giuliana wasn't sure what to make of it but she knew she didn't like it. Teddy's statement was enough for Vaughn though.
"Giuliana and I make potions that improve concentration, let you work for hours and hours, totally focused on the work in front of you."
"VAUGHN!"
Her raised voice got her a stern shush from people in the library. Teddy just stood there shocked. Before long, a smile came to his face.
"That's incredible." He breathed. "You make them yourself?"
"Yeah." Vaughn replied, relief on his face.
"As do I!" Giuliana added, suddenly feeling quite protective of her contributions to their secret project.
Before they could continue the conversation, Megan reappeared. "Teddy, we have to go!" she insisted. Teddy looked like he would give anything in the world not to leave but nodded his head in agreement. Before he left, he looked at both of the Slytherins and gave them a promise.
"I won't say a word, but I want to know more about this the next time we meet." Teddy said. Vaughn nodded eagerly while Giuliana didn't react. Once he had left with Megan, Giuliana hit Vaughn on the shoulder.
"Why would you do that? What about keeping a low profile with this?" she demanded.
"We can trust Teddy." Vaughn replied.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Based on what?"
"Just a feeling! I know I can trust him."
"And why is that? Because he looked at you very earnestly?"
Vaughn didn't reply to that, instead changing the conversation. "I want to start selling our potion to people."
The idea caused Giuliana to shout again and got them kicked out of the library. Once they left, Giuliana grabbed Vaughn by the arm and dragged him to a nearby corner of the castle where they could talk privately. When nobody was around, Giuliana began to accost her best friend.
"Why do you want to start selling to people? Do you actually want to get caught and expelled!"
"Giuliana. Don't you want people to know about what we've made?"
"Not if it gets us caught!"
"We could make our own potion shop!" Vaughn continued. "We could start our own network here at Hogwarts! And maybe even beyond!"
"Why? We don't need the galleons." Giuliana replied. Own their own potions shop? What a ridiculous idea. Having to brew in secret, cater to a clientele, gaining a reputation in a rather unsavory manner.
Or was it really unsavory? Some of the most respected witches and wizards were master potions brewers.
"It'll be a little extra spending money. Admit it, it would be fun!" Vaughn countered.
Giuliana considered all the little items she could buy with some of that money. Some cute decorations for her bed. Some new robes. Perhaps a new crystal ball and some books on Divination? Not that her parents deprived her of money. But still, it would be nice not having to disclose everything she was buying to her parents.
"Besides," Vaughn continued. "We can do it to show that we can."
That gave Giuliana pause, and she gave Vaughn a sympathetic look. "Vaughn, it was just one potion."
"Oh, bloody hell!" Vaughn hissed, face turning a slight shade of red.
"One potion we weren't ready for yet!" she continued. "You have nothing to prove!"
"I'm not doing it because of that! I'm want to do it because I want to create something unique, something special, and work on my potions making!"
"Well that's not what I want." Giuliana said. "That's not the life I want for myself."
"Well it's what I want for myself." Vaughn said defiant. "And it's what I plan to do."
"But… why?" Giuliana continued, still confused on the reasoning.
"Because… oh I don't know! Because I want to! Because I want to build something! Because I want to feel like my work matters!"
"Your work?"
"I know how it sounds. I just want to do something. And this, this seems ideal. And it would be contained. And I want you to join me on it."
Giuliana didn't respond immediately. She was thinking it over. Really thinking it over. Neither of them had been under any illusions about what they were doing. Making these potions was certainly against school policy. It was probably even against Ministry law! But she couldn't deny the fun she had while making it. Besides, while the concentration potion may be against the law, making calming droughts and other potions of that type certainly weren't
And seeing Teddy's face light up in wonder at what they had done was nice. Gratifying even to know that someone could appreciate them.
"Say we were to do this," Giuliana began cautiously, "how would we start?"
Vaughn smiled, already knowing she was on board. "I don't think we should involve anyone else in Slytherin. I doubt they'd rat, but we don't want any issues in our House. Imagine Malfoy with knowledge of this!"
"He'd be even more unbearable than usual." Giuliana admitted.
"Preciously. Because of that, we should go through Teddy. He's popular and gets on with everyone it seems. He could help us find our first customers!"
"If we can trust him." Giuliana pointed out, not sold on Teddy yet. The connection him and Vaughn invoked a mess of confusing feelings from her she wasn't sure what to do with. "Can we really trust him?"
"We'll find out soon enough." Vaughn shrugged. "If he tells Megan or others about the potion then he obviously can't be trusted and this new business won't be going anywhere. We'll just have to leave it up to fate, and you love fate and all that stuff!"
Giuliana rolled her eyes and smiled. "Should I get my crystal ball to try and tell the future on that one?"
"Only if you want to. But I already know we can trust Teddy."
Adjusting her glasses, Giuliana considered the plan further. "If we do this, we can't call it a business."
"Why not?"
"Because if other people know that, then it'll just raise eyebrows and questions from people we don't want that attention from."
Vaughn considered that before nodding his head in agreement. "Ok, what should we call it?"
"Well, let's start off with calling it a club!"
"So… we need to get a professor to sponsor us?"
"No, no way! This is secret, right? But if we call it a club then others will as well, and if people overhear us talking about it, they can just write it off as people talking about a legitimate club."
Vaughn nodded his head in agreement. "Ok, so let's call it what?"
"The Potions Club!"
Vaughn frowned. "There's already a Potions Club. Professor Snapes the faculty sponsor."
"Oh, right."
"Also, whatever we come up with should be able to be acronym too. How about, the Potions Appreciation Club!"
Giuliana thought about that. It came too quick to Vaughn. Clearly he had been thinking about this some, making Giuliana wonder again what he was writing down in that diary of his. The name itself wasn't incredibly original but it wasn't horrible. It sounded much like any other school club. "And it can be shortened to P.A.C." she continued.
"Exactly!"
"Well, I'm not opposed. Potions Appreciation Club it is then!"
Vaughn's face lit up and Giuliana couldn't deny how excited she was about the prospect as well. It was something unique, something that would be all Vaughn and her's. And Teddy's, she supposed, but hopefully he could be minimized and wouldn't want to brew with them.
Besides, who didn't want to be part of something secret and a little bit dangerous? All the greatest Witches and Wizards in history had been a part of an exclusive club at one point or another.
"We should start right away on!" Vaughn said, blazing ahead with new ideas. "I have some new potion ideas in my journal that we could work with as well!"
"Of course!" Giuliana cautioned. "But first, we have to wait and see if Teddy can live up to his promise."
We're finally getting into the Potion Appreciation Club! Now is when all the hijinks start.
Stay tuned for more coming soon (I promise since the next chapter is already done).