things worth dying

by springleopard

Ever since third year, we've planned to get a flat together. I don't think any of us ever really thought about life after Hogwarts before that. Well - we'd thought about it, of course. But not as something that would happen to us. That June, we finally realized.

25. 25: Remus

Remus

After lunch, it's time for the practical.

Potions has always been one of my weaker subjects. With a lot of revision, I managed an E two years ago - just barely enough to make it into Slughorn's NEWTs level classes. But it's never come naturally.

There's an intuition some people have for it. Lily has some of it. She's got a solid understanding of each ingredient's purpose why it belongs in the potions it's in. For the OWLs, that's enough. That'll get you an O.

But for the NEWTs, they want to see a deep level understanding. Not only of the pieces, but of how it all comes together. A deep understanding, and a bit of creativity.

For all his flaws, this is where Snape really shines. Somehow he knows what potions need even better than the textbook does. I've watched him - he stirs the wrong direction at times, adds ingredients that don't belong… except somehow they do belong, when he adds them. He knows exactly what changes to make to improve whatever potion he's brewing.

Lily can do it, sometimes. But not like Snape. None of the rest of us even come close.

I'm hoping to scrape by with an A. Not sure I'll manage even that.

Still, it's a useful skill, potions. And so I've stuck with it.

It's not going to be easy, getting by in the world as a werewolf. I'll need all the useful skills I can get.