Chapter 14:: Love, Laughter, and Friendship
"Neville, dear – stir the potion clockwise – not anti-clockwise. Didn't we go over that?"
"We did Professor Black, but-but I keep forgetting..."
"Aye, Aye..." Professor Black searched the room for someone to help Neville with his potion. "Hermione! Come here please."
Hermione dropped her quill and made her way over to Professor Black. "Yes?"
"I need you to bring your things over here so you can help Mr. Longbottom please? I want him to do a good job on this one..." Neville's cheeks went red as he looked down into the bubbling sapphire potion.
"I don't mean to ruin anything, Professor..."
Professor Black smiled down at Neville and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know dear, I know. I just want to take precautions. You can't afford to blow this one up – it's mighty important." She smiled and winked at Neville.
Harry looked down into his potion. "Why are we making a love potion? It isn't valentines day for months."
"Professor Black said that it was 'mighty important'. Maybe we're going to have to make it for a mid-term exam or something..." Ron stirred in a few ingredients when he suddenly looked up at Harry. "Do you figure that this is the potion that Melissa used on me the night of the dance Harry?"
"She used a potion on you?"
Ron rolled his eyes and nodded. "Hermione told me she came down and said something about using a love charm me... do you think this one is it?"
"A love charm? This is a potion Ron, you drink it... you don't wear it. Did Melissa give you anything?"
"Yeah she gave me a watch because I was always late for classes and meeting her for organizing the dance thing. She gave it to me... umm... right after we started. Why?"
"Do you still have it?"
"No... It broke Friday night after the fight."
"Oh. Okay – that explains a lot then."
Ron tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows together. "Explains what?"
"The reason you ended up crying on Saturday morning... since you weren't wearing the watch – the spell wore off or something. It broke because your feelings for Hermione were to strong to be swayed by a love charm."
"Love charms are horridly dangerous things. They can cause trouble in the most unexpected places. No one should ever mess with a love charm unless they know exactly what they are doing..." Professor Black was standing over Harry and Ron. "The potion is turning green. Add the olphai leaf now, or it'll be ruined." Professor Black smiled and walked towards the front of the room.
She clapped her hands and along with that movement – gained the attention of Seamus and Dean. "CLASS! Please add your olphai leaf to the potions! Remember to stir them in clockwise not counter clockwise! And for pity's sake, be careful!"
The class nodded and from the left side of the room Seamus and Dean's cauldron over boiled with a green bubbly liquid. "Oh noo... DEAN! You didn't add the olphai leaf!"
"I thought you were going to do it? Aw geeze, now it's ruined..." Dean stopped and looked at the potion. "And turning purple?"
"Boys, Boys, Boys..." Professor Black leaned on the table, vaguely aware that she was creating quite the large amount of cleavage as she leant over the cauldron. Seamus and Dean looked straight at her bosom and went red in the cheeks. "Please do pay attention to what I'm saying," she lowered her voice and caught their eyes with hers. "And if you choose to stare at my bosom, please do so without my knowledge?" She started to laugh as she cleaned up the mess with magic. She smiled and walked towards the front of the room singing an old Irish folksong.
The bell rang for lunch, and everyone but Seamus and Dean left the classroom. "If you would boys, I have an engagement that I must attend – can you please close the door on your way out? Don't linger to long either please."
"Okay Professor."
"Thank-you Dean." She smiled warmly and left through the teacher's entrance to the room.
"She's so pretty... too bad she's older than us hey?"
"Seamus! She's a teacher!"
"You were eyeing her too!"
"Shut up and pack your books – I'm starving..."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Neville stopped Hermione on her way out into the yard to meet her friends for lunch. "Thank-you for helping me Hermione..."
She smiled. "It's not a problem Neville. If you need help – ask me okay? At least this time we got the potion right... and it was Seamus and Dean whose potion was ruined."
Neville nodded and laughed as he headed off in the direction of the hall. Hermione quickened the pace she was walking at in order to reach her friends.
"Eww... PDOA's are not needed boys... it's lunch." Elle wrinkled her nose up and turned towards Melissa to hide her face.
Draco and Harry laughed. "It's not my fault... he started it." Harry pointed at Draco and suffered a smack on the arm.
"I did not. Eat your sandwich." Draco laughed as he watched Harry smile and take a bite of the sandwich Draco had given him.
"You are both just so cute!" Melissa had cupped her hands, tilted her head to the side and put her hands under her chin smiling
"Malfoy's aren't cute Melissa... we're spiteful, crude, and-"
"Cute!" Elle added as she ducked an incoming piece of food. "I'm joking!" Harry tired to hide his face as he laughed. He leaned in towards Draco and whispered in his ear after everyone had found their own conversations.
"Thank-you for putting up with my friends. You've had to sacrifice so much just so that you can be with me – and now you have to be seen with us... I can't help but feel bad."
Draco smiled and shook his head. "Like you said before," Draco paused and looked down. "My mum is dead, my dad is as good as dead... who am I trying to impress?"
Harry frowned and took Draco's hand. "I'm sorry about that comment... I shouldn't have said it no matter the situation." Harry was playing with the Slytherin ring on Draco's left hand ring finger.
"It's okay Harry... it's the truth. It hurts... but it's the truth." Draco took Harry's hand in his and smiled as he kissed his cheek.
Melissa glanced over at them. They were sitting with their foreheads resting together talking in small voices. Melissa felt an urge to have the same thing. She was amazed at how quickly everyone had accepted her – even though she had caused so much trouble. Elle looked over at her friend and took her hand.
"Don't worry Sunshine, you'll find someone who is perfect for you in every way. I promise." She offered Melissa a smile and squeezed her hand. Melissa looked up and smiled into Elle's eyes.
"Sometimes I feel like we should have been sisters, or cousins..."
Elle tilted her head to the side. "Why?"
"Because we're so alike, and we always seem to know exactly what eachother is thinking."
Elle smiled. "That's what a best friend is for isn't it?" She put her hand to Melissa's cheek and smiled the smile she reserved for Melissa alone. "I love you, Sunshine. Don't ever forget that, okay?"
Melissa smiled and nodded. "I love you too."
"And if all else fails, we'll just have to get married! We can be two old grannies, sitting on creaky rocking chairs on an old broken down porch protecting our dying strawberry patch and feeding our 1000 hungry cats." Elle smiled and her eye twinkled. "We could scare off little muggle children all day long."
Melissa burst out laughing. "You're crazy."
"But that's the whole reason you love me isn't it?"
"It sure is." The girls laughed together. Melissa hadn't been this happy in a long time. Elle always knew what to say to cheer her up, and make her feel like she was worth the skin she was in. Melissa remembered the time that Elle had given her a necklace for Valentines Day and had and inscription placed on the back of the locket, which read; "To Melissa - my soulmate, my friend, my guiding light. I love you." Inside was an animated picture of Elle making faces and laughing, and Melissa on the other side, simply smiling and laughing beautifully as she always did.
The bell to end lunch rang, and Elle jumped up and offered Melissa a hand. "Walk with me to my next class?"
Melissa smiled and got up. "You bet!"
Hermione and Ron got up and started to walk towards their next class. Ron turned around and waved at Draco and Harry. "Don't forget Quidditch practice tonight Harry!"
Harry got up and smiled. "Yeah Ron, I won't! See you soon!"
Draco started to walk towards the school humming. "What class do you have?"
"I've got Herbology. You?"
"Transfiguration."
"Herbology is on the way to Transfiguration, mind if I walk you?"
"Not at all." Draco took Harry's hand and hurried into the school.
"Neville, dear – stir the potion clockwise – not anti-clockwise. Didn't we go over that?"
"We did Professor Black, but-but I keep forgetting..."
"Aye, Aye..." Professor Black searched the room for someone to help Neville with his potion. "Hermione! Come here please."
Hermione dropped her quill and made her way over to Professor Black. "Yes?"
"I need you to bring your things over here so you can help Mr. Longbottom please? I want him to do a good job on this one..." Neville's cheeks went red as he looked down into the bubbling sapphire potion.
"I don't mean to ruin anything, Professor..."
Professor Black smiled down at Neville and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know dear, I know. I just want to take precautions. You can't afford to blow this one up – it's mighty important." She smiled and winked at Neville.
Harry looked down into his potion. "Why are we making a love potion? It isn't valentines day for months."
"Professor Black said that it was 'mighty important'. Maybe we're going to have to make it for a mid-term exam or something..." Ron stirred in a few ingredients when he suddenly looked up at Harry. "Do you figure that this is the potion that Melissa used on me the night of the dance Harry?"
"She used a potion on you?"
Ron rolled his eyes and nodded. "Hermione told me she came down and said something about using a love charm me... do you think this one is it?"
"A love charm? This is a potion Ron, you drink it... you don't wear it. Did Melissa give you anything?"
"Yeah she gave me a watch because I was always late for classes and meeting her for organizing the dance thing. She gave it to me... umm... right after we started. Why?"
"Do you still have it?"
"No... It broke Friday night after the fight."
"Oh. Okay – that explains a lot then."
Ron tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows together. "Explains what?"
"The reason you ended up crying on Saturday morning... since you weren't wearing the watch – the spell wore off or something. It broke because your feelings for Hermione were to strong to be swayed by a love charm."
"Love charms are horridly dangerous things. They can cause trouble in the most unexpected places. No one should ever mess with a love charm unless they know exactly what they are doing..." Professor Black was standing over Harry and Ron. "The potion is turning green. Add the olphai leaf now, or it'll be ruined." Professor Black smiled and walked towards the front of the room.
She clapped her hands and along with that movement – gained the attention of Seamus and Dean. "CLASS! Please add your olphai leaf to the potions! Remember to stir them in clockwise not counter clockwise! And for pity's sake, be careful!"
The class nodded and from the left side of the room Seamus and Dean's cauldron over boiled with a green bubbly liquid. "Oh noo... DEAN! You didn't add the olphai leaf!"
"I thought you were going to do it? Aw geeze, now it's ruined..." Dean stopped and looked at the potion. "And turning purple?"
"Boys, Boys, Boys..." Professor Black leaned on the table, vaguely aware that she was creating quite the large amount of cleavage as she leant over the cauldron. Seamus and Dean looked straight at her bosom and went red in the cheeks. "Please do pay attention to what I'm saying," she lowered her voice and caught their eyes with hers. "And if you choose to stare at my bosom, please do so without my knowledge?" She started to laugh as she cleaned up the mess with magic. She smiled and walked towards the front of the room singing an old Irish folksong.
The bell rang for lunch, and everyone but Seamus and Dean left the classroom. "If you would boys, I have an engagement that I must attend – can you please close the door on your way out? Don't linger to long either please."
"Okay Professor."
"Thank-you Dean." She smiled warmly and left through the teacher's entrance to the room.
"She's so pretty... too bad she's older than us hey?"
"Seamus! She's a teacher!"
"You were eyeing her too!"
"Shut up and pack your books – I'm starving..."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Neville stopped Hermione on her way out into the yard to meet her friends for lunch. "Thank-you for helping me Hermione..."
She smiled. "It's not a problem Neville. If you need help – ask me okay? At least this time we got the potion right... and it was Seamus and Dean whose potion was ruined."
Neville nodded and laughed as he headed off in the direction of the hall. Hermione quickened the pace she was walking at in order to reach her friends.
"Eww... PDOA's are not needed boys... it's lunch." Elle wrinkled her nose up and turned towards Melissa to hide her face.
Draco and Harry laughed. "It's not my fault... he started it." Harry pointed at Draco and suffered a smack on the arm.
"I did not. Eat your sandwich." Draco laughed as he watched Harry smile and take a bite of the sandwich Draco had given him.
"You are both just so cute!" Melissa had cupped her hands, tilted her head to the side and put her hands under her chin smiling
"Malfoy's aren't cute Melissa... we're spiteful, crude, and-"
"Cute!" Elle added as she ducked an incoming piece of food. "I'm joking!" Harry tired to hide his face as he laughed. He leaned in towards Draco and whispered in his ear after everyone had found their own conversations.
"Thank-you for putting up with my friends. You've had to sacrifice so much just so that you can be with me – and now you have to be seen with us... I can't help but feel bad."
Draco smiled and shook his head. "Like you said before," Draco paused and looked down. "My mum is dead, my dad is as good as dead... who am I trying to impress?"
Harry frowned and took Draco's hand. "I'm sorry about that comment... I shouldn't have said it no matter the situation." Harry was playing with the Slytherin ring on Draco's left hand ring finger.
"It's okay Harry... it's the truth. It hurts... but it's the truth." Draco took Harry's hand in his and smiled as he kissed his cheek.
Melissa glanced over at them. They were sitting with their foreheads resting together talking in small voices. Melissa felt an urge to have the same thing. She was amazed at how quickly everyone had accepted her – even though she had caused so much trouble. Elle looked over at her friend and took her hand.
"Don't worry Sunshine, you'll find someone who is perfect for you in every way. I promise." She offered Melissa a smile and squeezed her hand. Melissa looked up and smiled into Elle's eyes.
"Sometimes I feel like we should have been sisters, or cousins..."
Elle tilted her head to the side. "Why?"
"Because we're so alike, and we always seem to know exactly what eachother is thinking."
Elle smiled. "That's what a best friend is for isn't it?" She put her hand to Melissa's cheek and smiled the smile she reserved for Melissa alone. "I love you, Sunshine. Don't ever forget that, okay?"
Melissa smiled and nodded. "I love you too."
"And if all else fails, we'll just have to get married! We can be two old grannies, sitting on creaky rocking chairs on an old broken down porch protecting our dying strawberry patch and feeding our 1000 hungry cats." Elle smiled and her eye twinkled. "We could scare off little muggle children all day long."
Melissa burst out laughing. "You're crazy."
"But that's the whole reason you love me isn't it?"
"It sure is." The girls laughed together. Melissa hadn't been this happy in a long time. Elle always knew what to say to cheer her up, and make her feel like she was worth the skin she was in. Melissa remembered the time that Elle had given her a necklace for Valentines Day and had and inscription placed on the back of the locket, which read; "To Melissa - my soulmate, my friend, my guiding light. I love you." Inside was an animated picture of Elle making faces and laughing, and Melissa on the other side, simply smiling and laughing beautifully as she always did.
The bell to end lunch rang, and Elle jumped up and offered Melissa a hand. "Walk with me to my next class?"
Melissa smiled and got up. "You bet!"
Hermione and Ron got up and started to walk towards their next class. Ron turned around and waved at Draco and Harry. "Don't forget Quidditch practice tonight Harry!"
Harry got up and smiled. "Yeah Ron, I won't! See you soon!"
Draco started to walk towards the school humming. "What class do you have?"
"I've got Herbology. You?"
"Transfiguration."
"Herbology is on the way to Transfiguration, mind if I walk you?"
"Not at all." Draco took Harry's hand and hurried into the school.