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Chapter 8
- Living Death -
The potions classroom looked the same as usual, but yet it was different somehow. The room was warmer and lighter than usual. A table stood at the end of the room, on which several potions were bubbling loudly. He looked around but didn't see the new professor. Guessing he had yet to arrive, Teddy chose a spot at one of the long tables. He leaned down to pick up a quill that'd fallen on the ground with the lightest of sounds.
"Why hello." A jolly voice said from beside him and he jumped, hitting the back of his head on the table. He rubbed it, standing straight and holding onto the table edge. "Oh, sorry." Professor Slughorn chuckled. "Didn't mean to sneak up on you. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." He said, thinking about the epic bruise that'd most likely formed on the back of his head.
"A bit early don't you think, to be coming to class." He said, walking over to his desk and putting down his things. "Or did you need something, Mr?"
"Teddy Lupin."
Slughorn's eyes lit up. "Ah, yes. Tesdon Lupin."
"Please, just call me Teddy, sir."
"I've heard a lot about you, Teddy." He held out his hand excitedly and wrapped it around Teddy's, shaking strongly. Teddy gave a smile fake smile. He'd been nervous about the new teacher, after the last few hadn't been so amazing. After somehow slipping his hand free from Slughorn's grip, he quickly tucked it into his robe pocket. "You have?"
"Of course!" He spoke loudly, eyes still shimmering. "I've heard you're quite the Dark Arts students, good with dueling too according to Professor Flitwick. And it's not everyday you meet a half-Werewolf." He sounded like a collector who'd just come face to face with the newest object to act to his collection. Teddy didn't know whether to feel flattered or not. It all took him by surprise. "So tell me, why are you here so early my boy? Class doesn't start for a little while."
"Just thought I'd get a head start. Excited I guess." He shrugged, still looking at the professor cautiously.
"And you should be, I've got some good stuff planned for today." Slughorn motioned for him to sit down which he did. "You know, you look just like your father."
"You knew him?"
"Yes, I taught him Potions. Good student. Didn't know him that well though. Quite a quiet kid. Never invited him to the club in the end."
"Club, sir?"
"Another story for another time." He looked up at Teddy, who was still standing slightly beside his table. The Professor gave a small smile. "I understand that you may feel a little cautious towards me, Teddy- and I don't blamed, considering the last batch of new teachers that you've met." He said, taking a few steps around his desk towards his student. "But I promise you, I'm nothing like them."
Teddy looked up at him, spending a second to read the professor's eyes. Eventually, he grinned confidentially, giving a quick nod. "Attaboy!" The professor grinned. Students began to walk through the doors, looking around the classroom then at the professor. "Ah, welcome. Welcome. Alright, everybody grab your books and meet me at the front of the classroom."
Soon they were all standing in front of the large table of potions and the professor had begun to teach the class. Teddy saw Hermione and immediately stood next to her. "Hey, Teddy." A familiar voice whispered, standing on the other side of him. Hermione kept glancing over Teddy's shoulder to look at Freddie in surprise and confusion, then she would look up at Teddy himself and he would shrug.
"Now attention to detail in the preparation is the prerequisite of all planning." Slughorn said and turned around when he heard footsteps at the door. Harry and Ron were peeping into the classroom.
Teddy had heard about Slughorn allowing students who'd gotten 'Exceeds Expectations' on their OWLs to join the NEWT level class. "Ah, Harry my boy. I was beginning to worry. You brought someone with us, I see."
"Ron Weasley, sir." He said, looking a little shabby with his tie hanging out and his shirt half tucked into his pants. "But I'm dead awful at Potions. A menace, actually so... I'm probably just gonna-" He turned around but harry stopped him.
"Nonsense! We'll sort you out. Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine. Get your books out."
"Sorry sir," Harry said. "I haven't actually got my book yet. And nor has Ron."
"Don't worry, get what you want from the cupboard." Slughorn said, flicking his hand impatiently then turning back to the class. "Now as I was saying. I've prepared some concoctions this more. Any idea what there might be?"
Unsurprisingly, Hermione's hand was the first and only to shoot up. "Yes, Miss...?"
"Granger, sir." She took a few steps towards the table. "That one there is Veritaserum." She pointed and Teddy's eyes flicked to Harry and Ron, standing in front of the cupboard. "It's a truth-telling serum. And that one is Polyjuice Potion, terribly tricky to make. And that is Amortentia. The most powerful love potion in the world."
She stood in front of a potion in which large plumes of smoke were drifting out of. The smoke changed colour as she stood near it. "It's rumored to smell differently to each person, according to what attracts them. For example, I smell freshly mowed grass and new parchment and spearmint toothpaste-"
She shook her head, snapping out of her trance. A few of the other girls had begun to creep towards the potion seductively and Teddy pursed his lips to stop himself from snickering.
"Now Amortentia doesn't create actual love, of course. That's impossible." Slughorn said, ignoring the girls edging closer and closer to the colour changing smoke. Teddy too. had begun to smell the concoction, yet not strongly enough to be completely obsessed by it.
He sniffed at the sent of chocolate, the type his father always carried around, a dense forest and the pages of a book.
"But the potion does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. For that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room." There was a clang as he shut the lid on the potion and the girls walked backwards embarrassed.
"Sir, you haven't told us what's in that one." One of them said, pointing to a tiny vial, no long that Teddy's finger.
"Ah yes," he took the little vial and held it up to the class. "What you see before you, ladies and gentlemen, is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis. But it is more commonly referred to as-"
"Liquid Luck." Hermione said in awe.
"Yes, Miss Granger. Liquid Luck." He continued to display the vial which Teddy looked at curiously. "Desperately tricky to make. Disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all your endeavors succeed... at least until the effects wear off." He added eventually before putting the vial back. "So. This is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of liquid luck to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death, the recipe for which can be found on page ten of your textbooks."
There was a loud rustling of pages and Teddy glanced down at the recipe. It looked extremely difficult and he glanced over at Freddie who was looking exceedingly worried.
"You should know," Slughorn said proudly. "That in all my previous years of teaching at Hogwarts, not once did a student brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this prize. In any event, good luck to you all." His eyes drifted from Harry, to Hermione, to Teddy in a way that just seemed to add to the pressure. "Let the brewing commence."
Teddy ran over to his table and then to the shelves to collect the ingredients. Once he was ready he begun to read the instructions. The first steps were easy and included a lot of pouring, mixing and timing. 'Step 6: Cut up one Sopophorous bean.'
He grabbed a knife, then his bean and sliced down. But the bean slipped from under the blade and whizzed across the room. He tried again, holding the bean this time. But the result was the same. It was like the bean was purposely jumped away from the blade before it could come in contact. "Come on." He muttered.
"Gah!" Freddie gasped from beside him as another students bean flew an inch past his face.
"Sorry!"
Beans were flying everywhere, smashing into shelves and other students. "How did you do that?" Hermione asked and he looked up to see her gawking at Harry, who'd somehow cut his bean and was squeezing the juices into his cauldron.
"Crush it don't cut it." He replied.
"No, the instructions specifically sat to cut." There was light tinkle as another glass on the shelf was broken by a flying bean.
"No, really." Harry insisted and Hermione glanced down at her textbook. Finally, Teddy was able to catch his knife on the edge of the bean and squeeze its juices into his cauldron.
Teddy wiped his hot forehead. Soon the hour was nearly complete and students potions were acting up. One boy's ladle was melted, Seamus' potion exploded, a Gryffindor girl's cauldron spat out a large pile of green goop and Teddy's occasionally caught fire.
Hermione's didn't look too good either, her hair was messy and her forehead sweaty from stress. Harry;s on the other hand looked perfectly fine and soon when the hour was done Slughorn was staring at it in awe. He let a small leaf drop into the completely black potion and watched as it disintegrated immediately.
"Merlin's Beard! It's perfect." He chuckled in glee. "So perfect I daresay one sip would kill us all! Here you are then, as promised." He held out the small vial to Harry. "One bottle of Felix Felicis. Use it well."
The class clapped for Harry, who gave a small smile back. "How'd you do it?" Teddy asked as the walked out of the classroom.
"Luck, I guess."