Submitted for The Houses Competition Forum - Round 4
House: Ravenclaw
Subject: Ancient Runes
Category: Bonus (2. [Scenario] Potion Spill!AU)
Prompt: 3. [Event] Fancy dress or costume party
Word count: 1,840
Warnings: Canon Divergence
You're lady divine
The Hogwarts Library was where most of the students went to study. Of course, there were some exceptions like Hermione Granger, who loved to go to the library to get some time to herself, and Theodore Nott, who only went to gaze at the aforementioned Muggleborn witch.
"Why don't you go and talk to her like a normal person?" Draco Malfoy asked, watching the vacant look on Theo's face. "She probably won't bite you."
Theo always chose the table next to Hermione but tried to make sure she didn't feel threatened or overwhelmed by his presence.
"I can't go there," Theo hissed, turning to the book in front of him. "She's never looked at me before, so why would she look at me now?"
Draco rolled his eyes, but Theo was staring at his book intently. Professor Snape had allowed him to try a new potion, and since he didn't want anyone to know about it, he was making the potion in the corner of the library.
It had nothing to do with looking at Hermione while he made the concoction, of course not.
"Suit yourself, mate, but don't think I don't know the reason why you're making a dream-inducing potion." Draco cocked his eyebrow at Theo, but before Theo could reply, Blaise crashed their little party.
Blaise Zabini was the other part of their trio—and the most annoying one of their group, according to Draco. They had been friends since forever, but somehow, Theo had managed to keep his crush secret from Blaise; Draco was just nosy and had found out by accident.
"Whatcha doing?" Blaise asked, throwing himself into a chair beside Draco. "I searched everywhere for you two."
"And you found us. Yay," Draco deadpanned, making Theo snort.
"I feel so cherished when you talk to me like that, Drakie-poo," Blaise said, batting his eyelashes at Draco, who rolled his eyes at his antics.
Theo chuckled and turned his attention to the potion near him. He knew he should be very careful; Professor Snape had said that it could cause unforeseeable consequences if brewed incorrectly, and Theo didn't want to end up in detention with his Head of House.
"How long are you going to keep working on this? It's almost time for dinner," Draco complained, making Theo lose his focus.
"What are you working on, Theodore?" Blaise asked, leaning over the cauldron. "And why does it smell like a bonfire? Do you plan on setting something on fire?"
Theo sighed and dragged the cauldron closer, making the potion slush inside. "I'm making a potion that will allow the drinker to experience his dreams as if they're real."
"Alright, I get why you nerds would want to work on this potion," Blaise drawled, making Theo roll his eyes. "What I don't get is why you're doing this at the library instead of in one of the potions classrooms."
Draco snorted and Theo blushed, not looking at Blaise.
"Because Theodore here seems to fancy a certain Gryffindor who lives in the library," Draco said, and Theo blushed harder. Blaise looked like Christmas had come early.
"She doesn't live in the library!" Theo snapped at Draco, who only raised an eyebrow.
"That's what you're getting worked up about?" Draco asked. "My my, are you going to finally talk to the witch, or are you going to hide here like you always do?"
Theo didn't reply; he just went back to his potion, letting his friends snicker at him.
They were right about the fact that Theo usually hid whenever Hermione was nearby, and he was certain that he probably looked like a pathetic fool to her. He had tried to talk to her once but hadn't known what to say, and he'd ended up embarrassing himself. The potion he had decided to make was to test himself but mostly to try to impress Hermione.
"Couldn't you have made something more interesting than whatever you're doing? Experiencing a dream like it's real sounds so…dumb," Blaise whined, and Theo glared at them when Draco let out an undignified snort. "If you're trying to impress Granger, try harder."
Theo tried not to let Blaise's words get to him, but they kept bouncing around in his mind, making it difficult for him to focus on the task at hand. He knew what he would probably dream about if he ingested the potion, and it was because of his distraction that he missed Draco standing up.
"Drakie-poo, don't go! Don't leave me!" Blaise screeched, grabbing Draco's arm and dragging him back to the table. Draco stumbled, hit his knee against the cauldron, and cried out in pain.
"What are you two idiots doing?" Theo screamed, catching Hermione's attention from the table next to them. "Stop it! I haven't finished—"
The cauldron tipped over.
Theo was interrupted by the thick smoke that rose from the upset cauldron, and everything faded to black.
"Salazar, what happened?" Theo groaned, lifting his head and looking around. "Where am I?"
He definitely wasn't at the library anymore. He was at a table in a big saloon, with tables placed strategically around, and a chandelier so bright that he had to look away. Women in long gowns and elbow-length gloves roamed the large room while men wearing tight pants, fitted jackets, and gloves murmured in low voices.
"Why does everyone look so fancy and royal all of a sudden?" Blaise said from his left. Theo turned his head and found Blaise standing beside him wearing a very poncy-looking outfit. "I feel like a lowly peasant when of course everyone knows I'm a king."
Theo snorted at him and couldn't help but agree with his statement—about the clothes, not the part about the king. Everyone looked like they had stepped straight out of a fairytale or one of those paintings about the kings from the past.
"Do you feel weird?" Theo asked, and Blaise smirked. "Shut up, you know what I mean. This doesn't seem like the real world, does it?"
Blaise's expression would have made Theo laugh if it wasn't for a nagging feeling in the back of his mind trying to tell him something.
"This feels like a dream…Damn it, Blaise!" Theo cursed.
A ballroom filled to the brim, with people dancing to their heart's desire? This was a current dream Theo had, at least, after he had seen Hermione dancing on the Yule Ball. It was a current daydream of his, imagining he was the prince Hermione was promised to marry…and the ball was the announcement of their engagement.
"Theodore," Blaise said, a hand on his chest, "you're making me blush! I didn't do anything to make you use such language!"
Theo rolled his eyes at him. "If you and Draco hadn't messed around, I wouldn't have spilled the potion! Now we're stuck here and I don't have a clue how to get out!"
It was then that he realised that Draco wasn't with them, and Theo tried not to panic over the fact that he had lost his friend in a dream-world, or that he hadn't a clue on how to leave it.
"If this is a dream, I think it's a good one," Blaise said, looking around. "And look! There's some pretty birds around here."
Theo tried not to listen to Blaise, but he couldn't help but look around. His attention was caught by the prettiest girl he'd ever seen dancing across the room.
Twirling around on the dance floor, her curly brown hair haloing outwards, her skin radiating a healthy glow, it was as if she shone. The moment Theo saw her, the whole world fell away, and she became the sun, the moon, the everything that anchored him to this plane.
"Blaise, I have to go," Theo mumbled, not bothering to excuse himself. He stood up and walked towards the woman of his literal dreams. It wasn't until he reached her that he realised just who she was. "Hermione?"
She stopped dancing and whirled around to scowl at him. Placing her hands on her hips, Hermione asked—or rather demanded, "Theodore Magnus Nott, what the hell did you do? I know this is your fault!"
Theo was so entranced by her that the only thing he could say was, "How do you know my middle name?"
Hermione blushed; Theo thought she looked adorable.
"That doesn't matter right now! What have you done?" Hermione asked, trying to continue her lecture, but she stepped closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. "What's happening? Why do I have the sudden desire to dance?"
Theo thought this was because of the potion, but he didn't answer her. He was enjoying having her near him, and she smelled so good.
"I think because that's what we're supposed to be doing," Theo said. He put his hand on her waist, took her other hand and started to dance. "I was working on a dream-inducing potion that would help people to experience dreams together, but Draco and Blaise messed everything up before I could finish it."
Hermione bit her lip as if in thought, and Theo had to look away, trying not to let that little action break his self-control—the little that he had.
"I know Blaise is nearby, but I don't have a clue where Draco is," Theo said before continuing, "and I don't have a clue how to get out of this dream either."
She looked up at him and sighed. "Don't worry, Theo, we'll think of something together. I'll help you."
They continued dancing, both lost in their thoughts on how to get out of this experience they had ended up in. If Theo brought Hermione closer, or if she rested her head on his chest, they'd say it was because of the potion.
"Do you want to sit? We can talk to Blaise and see if we can figure something out." Theo stopped dancing and gazed down at Hermione, who nodded.
They walked towards the table Blaise was standing beside, only to find him flirting with a lady-in-waiting, whose face was hidden behind a fan.
"A lovely bird like you should show your pretty face," Blaise flirted, until the person dropped the fan, and they all stopped dead in their tracks.
"Can you stop flirting with me, you moron?" Draco's voice carried, and Blaise barely flinched. "I'm not a bird!"
"Clearly, you're ugly as a Hippogriff's butt!" Blaise replied, not even batting an eye. "But you do look good in a gown."
Theo laughed at the banter between his friends, and his chest swelled when Hermione giggled.
It might take some time to figure out a way to escape, but they knew they would manage. Theo just didn't know how. He knew they were stuck in an imaginary world they knew nothing about, but at least his friends and the girl of his dreams were there with him. As a Slytherin, he'd take the opportunity to build a better rapport with Hermione so that by the time they got out, she'd be his like he'd always wanted.
