A/N: AH! My readers, thank you for your patience! I've been struggling with this chapter for a LONG while now. I needed a jumpstart to finish and it took a long time in coming. So...about two months too late, here is the next chapter! Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm sorry i haven't given you much to review recently. Props to you for waiting.
A/N: I suggest you reread the last chapter or at least the end of it, otherwise this beginning part will make absolutely no sense. Cheers!
Ch.9 Forbidden
Alexa ran up the dormitory stairs and rushed into her room, struggling to hold back the tears. She dove onto her bed and muffled her cries into her pillow.
Stifling her sobs, she rolled over onto her back and bit her lip. Then she gave a single desperate laugh. "Well…that went well." She sighed and felt more tears leak from her eyes. "And why did i do that?" Suddenly, she was overcome with grief. "O, Mama…" She turned again and buried her face in her pillow.
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Alexa woke awhile later to Kaitlyn's friendly voice. "Alexa, come on, darling. Classes start in seven minutes."
Alexa groaned and unwillingly opened her eyes. "How long have I been asleep?" She yawned.
"Since….lunch, I guess."
Lunch…oh yeah. Alexa grimaced. "Um, I'm not sure I'm going to classes this afternoon."
"Alexa, its the first day of classes."
Alexa screwed up her face. "True. That's…blech." However, she rolled off her bed and grabbed her books for Double Potions as well as her potions kit.
She turned to go, but Kaitlyn stopped her.
"You might want to fix that." Kaitlyn rubbed under her eyes.
Alexa turned and looked at her eyes in the mirror. She chuckled amusedly, and began wiping the trails of eyeliner off her face. "Better?" she asked Kaitlyn.
"Much," she replied, inspecting. "Shall we?" She turned to exit.
Alexa joined her and they walked down the stairs together.
"What class do you have next?" Kaitlyn asked her.
"Potions with Slughorn."
"Do you know where it is?"
Alexa pursed her lips. "Hmmm, no."
"Ok, potions. Hmmm…turn right out of the portrait hall. Continue down the hall until you reach the fourth, no," she bit her lip, "fifth hallway and turn right again. Continue until you reach the end of the hallway and turn left. Turn right at the next hallway and the classroom, erm, dungeon, is at the end of the hallway." Kaitlyn grimaced. "Sorry, its harder to give directions then just to DO them."
Alexa smiled. "It's ok. Is it really a dungeon?"
They chatted conversationally until they reached the portrait hole and climbed out of it. Kaitlyn waved at Alexa and turned left. "Oh," she called over her shoulder, "Good luck."
"Thanks!" Alexa called back. She turned right. "I'm going to need it."
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Despite her best efforts, Alexa still got turned around several times. She finally found the right second hallway in Kaitlyn's directions. Alexa turned left down the hallway and as she did so, the bell rang. Cursing, she hurried forward, found the next hallway, and turned right. She saw the classroom door at the end of the hallway and she slowed her approach. Calmly, she walked the last few steps and opened the door.
The professor's balding head swung to look at her. "You're late, Ms…."
"Regalton. I'm sorry professor. I got lost."
Slughorn nodded amiably and gestured for her to find a seat.
Alexa glanced around the class, ignoring Draco's obvious disdain and Blaise's emphatic gestures to get her attention, and chose the empty seat next to Hermione.
Hermione glanced at her. "What, we aren't trying to be neutral now?"
Alexa smirked. "No, I'm trying to make the Slytherins more angry at me."
"Really?
"No, Hermione." She dropped her smile and sighed. " I just…don't feel like sitting next to either of them right now."
"A-hem," Slughorn loudly called for attention. "Today we will be making a potion called the Draught of the Living Dead. This is an incredibly difficult potion, one far above the level of potions you have done before. As such, I do not expect you to get it completely right, but I do expect a certain level of competency from each of you as N.E.W.T students." He breathed deeply, twitching his great walrus mustache.
"The person who shows the greatest level of competency will receive a reward for this lesson. Please observe the four cauldrons behind me." He turned his large body gracefully and then stepped away to reveal four concoctions bubbling away. "The potions include Polyjuice potion, Veritaserum, Amortenia and," he paused dramatically, "Felix Felicis. The winner of today's lesson will have to identify all four potions; If he or she does, he or she will receive a small bottle of Felix Felicis." He smiled affably.
"But sir!" A student exclaimed. "What does Felix Felicis do?"
Slughorn's smile widened and he winked roguishly. "I think I'll let that wait until after the lesson, but I will give you a small clue: 'Liquid Luck'. Well, what are all of you waiting for?" He chuckled to himself as the class scrambled to gather their ingredients, light their fires, and assiduously delve into their bags for their books.
Alexa hurriedly prepared her ingredients. She wanted to win just to throw it in Malfoy's face. Who knows what snide comments he could have been making about her after her episode at lunch? How she loathed him—and how could Blaise, her romantic interest, be such good friends with a total jerk? Alexa blushed as she thought of Blaise, and then was furious with herself for having thought of him that way. She looked surreptitiously around the room and was amazed to see that she had already fallen behind. She diligently bent to her work, allowing no more thoughts of Blaise or Draco to cloud her head.
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Draco groaned in dismay as his potion turned an even darker violet—if you wanted to call it that. He sighed and tried adding little bits of every ingredient to try and balance the potion, but the potion still stayed resolutely purple. "Dammit," he muttered ferociously. He had wanted to show up Granger for once in his life, especially if it meant receiving a glorious potion in the process. He wouldn't mind showing up Potter too…as well as Alexa.
He sighed as he thought of her, absentmindedly stirring his potion counterclockwise, like the book said. Damn the book. Even though he hated her friendship with the Gryffindors, her intimacy with Blaise, her ardent disrespect for the Dark Lord…he couldn't help but admire her at the same time. Even on the train, when she had been in the compartment with Potter…if it had been anyone else, he would have hurt them like he hurt Potter, but Alexa just seemed so…perfect and…
Fire shot out from underneath the cauldron and caught his shoe on fire. Yelping, Draco leapt away from his cauldron, madly whacking at his shoe with his wand. The class as one turned as watched him amusedly, snickering and chuckling loudly. Blaise calmly put out the fire with Aguamenti and the class, regretfully, turned back to their cauldrons. Draco sat down, mortified at being seen in such a predicament. The red of his ears and face clashed violently with the deep purple of his potion, and his redness intensified as he saw Slughorn walking around to inspect the potions. He knew he hadn't won when Slughorn looked at his potion and gave just a small nod; Then he moved onto the next cauldron. Draco slumped against his chair, angry that Felix Felicis had just slipped out of his hands.
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Slughorn reached Hermione's cauldron and exclaimed loudly. "The sure winner! My dear Ms. Granger, what an excellent job! Do come, do come up!" He eagerly gestured her up to the front of the class and pointed at each of the potions.
"Which one Ms. Granger, is Amortenia?"
"The mother-of-pearl potion on the far right," Hermione answered smartly. "It the strongest love potion in the world!"
"Right indeed. What about his clear potion here?" He pointed to a cauldron at the right center.
"Veritaserum. It forces the drinker to tell the truth."
"And the thick mudlike potion?"
"Polyjuice Potion. The drinker can become another person."
"Right again. And which potion, Ms. Granger, is Felix Felicis?"
Hermione smiled. "The yellow potion on the far left."
"Correct indeed. That it's liquid luck, I've already told you. However, this potion will cause you to succeed in anything you attempt for a certain amount of time. This bottle I'm about to give you," he pulled out a small bottle, "Is enough for twelve hours worth. While Felix Felicis is a wonderful potion, too much of it can cause recklessness and can also be highly toxic. Also, Ms. Granger, it is not to be taken for sporting events, tests, elections, etc, for obvious reasons. Therefore, take it on an ordinary day, and watch how that day becomes extraordinary!" He smiled at her and handed her the tiny bottle.
Hermione walked back to her seat hurriedly and stowed the small bottle in her robe pocket.
"Thank you all for a very good lesson. No homework! Pack up!" Slughorn turned and left the room, his stomach preceding him.
The class hurriedly began cleaning up their places, talking animatedly all the while. Draco poured his purple potion down the drain, staring sourly at it. His chance to get Alexa, gone. He brought the cauldron to the back of the room and placed it with the others. Slowly he packed up his supplies and then sat looking longingly at the Felix Felicis bubbling merrily in the front of the room.
Minutes later, Slughorn emerged from his office and began slowly and methodically pouring the potions down the drain. He had poured all but the Amortenia when he was interrupted by another teacher coming into the classroom. As Slughorn hurried away from the room, Draco sat looking at the potion. What had Granger said about it? 'The strongest love potion in the world'? Draco covertly gazed at Alexa, picturing himself with her, holding her, caressing her…and then looked back at the potion.
When the bell rang, Blaise stood and began walking out, but Draco remained seated. Blaise came back to Draco. "Are you coming?"
"No. I want to talk to Professor Slughorn. I'll be up later."
Blaise shrugged and walked out, purposefully catching up to Alexa on the way. Draco watched him go, all too aware of what Blaise would think of what he was going to do. As the last student walked out of the classroom, Draco stole quietly to the back of the classroom and grabbed a small jar. Stealthily, he ran to the potion that smelled intoxicatingly of roses and rain and spring… He slowly lowered the jar into the potion, careful not to let it touch his hands. Then, he slowly lifted the jar, screwed on the lid, and placed it in his pocket. Smoothly, he strode out of the classroom.
A/N: And thank you! Next chapter hopefully--by next week? R&R por favor!