Digging out Phoenicis
Chapter Five - Potions and the Prince
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for original characters.
Summary: Jessica Bolts is in her sixth year at wizarding school when she is suddenly transferred to Hogwarts at the request of Dumbledore. Her life will be completely different as she meets new people and possibley finds love.
They arrived at Potions just as Professor Slughorn was telling the class what they were going to be doing that lesson. He looked up just as Harry and Jessica crept into the classroom. "Harry my boy, I was wondering where you were."
"I'm sorry Professor, Jessica here is a new student and she didn't know where she had to go, that is why we are late." Said Harry as Jessica walked forward.
"Ah a new student hey? Very well, very well, take a seat then and take out your textbooks. Harry led Jessica over to the desk where Ron and Hermione were sitting.
"Okay class turn to page 67 in your books please." Professor Slughorn's voice sounded over the murmur of the students.
Jessica heard Hermione let out a gasp, "What is it Hermione?" she said looking across the desk at her.
"We are going to be making the Draught of Happiness. That is one of the hardest potions to make." She replied ecstatically.
"As most of you have noticed by now, today you will be working in pairs and together you will be attempting to make the Draught of Happiness, I do not expect any of you to complete this draught as it is indeed very difficult and very lengthy to make. It takes a full month for the potion to mature. But when it is mature, believe me when I say you will be the happiest you have ever been in your life. I will come around and place you into pairs"
"Wow," Ron whispered to Harry, "We should give Hermione a few drops when she gets into one of her moods." Smiling Harry nodded.
Professor Slughorn walked around the classroom splitting the students into pairs. When he reached Harry's table he looked at them, "Well hello there Harry me boy, you and Miss Bolts can work together on this. Miss Granger you and Mr Weasley can work together." He then moved off to the next table. Jessica looked down at the ingredients that were needed for the potion. It was indeed one of the most difficult potions that she had seen. "Ok let's get started," Harry said also looking at his book, "Ok I will get all the ingredients from the store cupboard, so if you can get the cauldron going we can get started."
"Ok sure." Jessica leaned down to her cauldron and lit the fire with her wand, straightening up Harry had returned laden with an armful of ingredients, which he placed on the table. "Ok so first we have to chop up three dung beetles, get the juice from a pigmy bean and lace wings." Read Jessica from the textbook. Jessica started to cut the dung beetles with her silver knife while Harry weighed out the lacewings on his brass scales. Jessica tipped the dung beetles into the cauldron and was just about to start squeezing the pigmy bean when Harry stopped her, "Wait a minute." He looked in his own textbook and Jessica saw that the page was covered in handwritten scribble, "You should use the blunt side of your silver knife and squish the bean, you will get more juice that way."
"Really? I never knew that." Sure enough, when she pressed down on the bean with the blunt side of her knife a large quantity of juice spurted out. "Wow, I never expected that a bean that small could hold that much juice." She said looking up at Harry, "how did you know to do that?"
"The Prince told me."
"Excuse me? Who told you?" she said puzzled.
"The Prince, here look." He pushed his textbook towards her, "see the handwriting, that is what the Prince has written." Looking at the page Jessica saw that the Prince had crossed out, written and re-written the instructions for nearly every potion in the book. There were also what looked like spells, which the Prince had made himself.
"Where did you get this?" she said looking up.
"It was one of the second-hand books that the school has, I had to use one because I didn't have a book at the beginning of the year and this was the book that Professor Slughorn gave me."
"Ok so what does the Prince say to do next?"
"Um… he says to mix the lace wings and the Pigmy bean juice together before adding it to the cauldron." So that is what they did.
At the end of Potions, Professor Slughorn walked around the room inspecting each of the potions, many of which were a deep emerald green. Harry and Jessica's potion however was a hot pink. When Professor Slughorn saw their potion he gave a cry of astonishment, "My my, in all my years of teaching, I have never seen students get so far in the brewing of this particular potion. In fact many adults have trouble getting as far as you two have. Indeed, I believe that your potion is now ready to be left for thirty days it can be matured, for this outstanding achievement both of you will receive 20 points each for your house." He walked off still muttering "Superb… Remarkable… in all my years." to himself.
Forty minutes later the class entered the dark corridor that led up to the entrance hall, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Jessica were the last ones to leave the Potion classroom. Walking along the corridor Harry heard Hermione and Jessica whispering together. "What are you two talking about?"
Cutting their conversation short both girls looked up, "nothing, just discussing the potions class that's all." Said Hermione quickly. It was hard to see Hermione's face in the dark corridor to see if she was lying or not so he didn't question her answer. Upon reaching the entrance hall the four headed to their right and through a secret door in the wall that led to a courtyard that was unknown to many of the students. "So how are you liking Hogwarts so far then Jessica?" said Ron as they sat down on a couple of benches that were under a tall willow tree.
"It's fantastic, it is so much different to my other school."
"In a good way, or bad way?" Ron inquired
"Good way of course" laughed Jessica, "how could anyone not like this place, it's amazing."
"No one in their right mind could think that." Said Harry, "this place is they only place that feels like home."