NOTE: The potion and its ingredients were found on .com

Chapter 4

Talent

Dahlia came running and puffing behind Harry and Ron. "HEYYY! Dancing may keep me in shape, but that doesn't mean I can sprint very fast. Sheesh!"

"You dance?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I want to become a professional dancer, but I was recommended a backup plan. Mom wants me to become an expert at beautification potions. I guess beauty helps, but I've never used one in my life."

"I wouldn't have noticed." Ron looked away. Dahlia blushed. Harry was shocked. What was Ron doing? Wasn't he with Hermione? What if she were around? Harry didn't know what to do. He continued to walk, lost in thought, and wound up tumbling over Dahlia. Dahlia caught her balance at the last second, but Harry landed face first in the grass.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz!" Dahlia reached out to help Harry stand back up. He graciously reached for her hand, but withdrew it as soon as they made contact. How was her hand so cold? It was late August! "Is something wrong?"

"No, your hands are just cold. It surprised me, that's all." He took her hand again. She pulled him to his feet. He was covered in goose bumps, even after he let go. What was wrong with him? "Why are your hands so cold anyway?"

"I dunno..." She placed her hand on her cheek. "They don't feel cold to me...Ron?" Dahlia held her hand out to him.

"Umm..." He slowly reached for her hand. "They feel normal to me..."

"What is going on here?" Harry, Ron, and Dahlia all turned toward the voice. Hermione glanced at both Ron and Dahlia, and then her eyes locked on their hands. It took a second for Ron to register her presence.

"Umm... Dahlia just asked if her hands felt cold because Harry thought they were when he fell down and she tried to help him up and he flinched and was surprised and then he said they were cold and she said they weren't and she asked me if they were and I was checking and you walked up and..."

"Wait, what? Slow down Ron."

"I tripped and Dahlia helped me up. I thought her hands were cold and Ron was just checking too." Why was he taking Ron's side? Sure, he was his best friend, but so was Hermione. Not only that, but Hermione wasn't flirting with another guy behind Ron's back...

"Well... I'd better be off to Ministry Law now... I'll talk to you guys later..." Hermione slowly turned and walked away. Harry watched her leave. Poor Hermione, he thought. Ron's attention was now back on Dahlia. Harry didn't know how to feel about her. She was so kind, sweet, helpful, beautiful... Harry shook his head. What was he thinking? She was nice, but why did he have this feeling in his gut? Why was her touch so cold? Why?

"Today we will be learning a simple, but useful potion. The Antidote to Common Poisons is useful on bites and stings. It's simple, but few get the proportions right on the first try." Professor Shlurpskin passed out the ingredients. "I know many of you do not yet have your textbooks because we are receiving new ones shortly, so I will grade more so on attempt than on actual performance. I will be giving verbal commands so bear with me."

Groans came from every side of the classroom. Bezoars, honeywater, stewed mandrake, unicorn horn, moondew, flobberworm mucus, and puffapod spores were passed out to everybody.

"Crush your bezoars into small pieces. Some muggle laws still apply in the wizarding world. That includes the one where smaller pieces dissolve better and faster. Anyway, enough about muggles, let us continue. Your unicorn horn is already ground add a few pinches while stirring continuously. Daniel." A boy across the room looked up."Watch that clock. Tell me when it has been 2 minutes." Shlurpskin walked around the room observing the cauldron contents of each group.

"Ron! Only use two pinches. Don't add another one." Dahlia grabbed his hand.

"But he said a few, that means at least three."

"No, it just means more than one. Two is enough."

"Wouldn't that be a couple?" Harry asked.

"A couple is a few, but a few isn't always a couple you know what I mean?" Harry and Ron shook their heads. "Well trust me; see how it's a creamy white color? If you add one more pinch, the potion will become snowy white. That means that the potion is too neutralized to fight any infection in your body. What good is an antidote that doesn't anti the poison?" Ron put his pinch of horn grindings back in the bag.

"Very observant Miss Dahlia." Shlurpskin appeared behind the group. "I think you may be a natural at this potion business. Tell me dear, do you plan to further you're career? A nurse? A cosmetologist as you're mother might say. You could be destined for great things... just like your father was."

Dahlia tensed. She grabbed the cauldron side. She held her grip for several seconds before she finally came to. She quickly let go of the hot pot and looked at the burn on her hand. She bit her lip. Harry could tell she was fighting the pain. The potions master rushed to his desk. He ran back with a bowl of Burn-Healing Paste. "Thanks." She smiled weakly. "I have completed the day's lesson. May I be excused?"

"Of course you may." I will see you Wednesday. Harry and Ron watched her walk out the door, and then glanced at each other.

Hermione sat at her desk. "Employees of the Ministry of Magic are not permitted to...aren't permitted to...THAT IDIOT!" Hermione threw the book across the room. She threw herself onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. When she stopped, she could barely breathe. Her ribcage pounded up and down. What am I so stressed about? He was just disproving Harry's judgment. After all of the turmoil we've been through, I'm worrying over this? She let out a short chuckle. This was ridiculous.

"Hey."

"Oh gosh! I didn't hear you come in."

Dahlia smirked. "That's because you had your face in your pillow."

"Oh..." She saw that?

"I was just admiring your brush. It's beautiful. Such a beautiful pattern." Hermione watched her trace the swirls up the handle to the bristles. "You have such pretty hair. You shouldn't be so rough with it."

"Oh... thank you."

"You know what? I can make a potion that will prevent it from being pulled out. Can I please! It'll be so much fun. All I need is a few pieces of your hair! PLEASE!"

"I guess..."

"YAY!" She pulled several strands from Hermione's brush and put them in a vial. Hermione didn't know what to think.