Chapter 13! Year 6. Lauren and Snape brew a special potion. She learns something new, he has something change.

Bittersweet is this chapter, you'll understand why when you read it so I'm not going to say any more.

Much thanks to PandaWong, SandyLovesKittens, XenaHades, nightworldangel, FonzFan, The Yoshinator, Isa'ralia Faradien, Lost Astronaut Of Apollo 11, Readergirl99 and DrainaPurpurne2412.

I hope you all can enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and get a little kick out of the beginning if you're not Slughorn fans.

Thanks to the random readers too! Enjoy!

Chapter 13 – Little Miss Sweetness

Snape had an interesting project planned for them that Lauren was excited for and that he was reluctant to go through with.

Thanks to her own shortcomings and Slughorn's previous ignorance to those shortcomings she had failed the Amortentia brewing at the beginning of term. It was a shame because she had been excited for it, if only to see what she would smell, and refused to work on with someone else that first lesson. Since then, a few months ago, she had brought it up every now and again. It was mostly to complain about how girls kept pushing themselves at Harry and other boys but there was a longing undertone in her voice when she talked about it.

For some odd reason he felt it proper to indulge her in this, help her learn a little more, and so had her come back to his class after dinner.

Now the two of them sat side by side, he watching with sharp eyes as she prepared the ingredients and dropped them one by one into the simmering cauldron.

A few times he had to stop her, as usual, but he was glad to see that she needed a little less correcting than before, a little less instruction than before. He was sure that if she kept up at this rate she'd be able to brew on her own by the time she graduated.

He was quite proud of her, even if he didn't say so aloud, and gave a slight smirk as he recalled what she had told him about Slughorn. Severus had never liked his old teacher much. He was a cowardly, self-absorbed man. Not the kind of person to be teaching in his opinion, though he supposed he really shouldn't talk.

His mind focused back on her as she picked up her wand. They had talked about this part before beginning, how much power she should put into it. So far all was well, this was the moment of truth.

She waved her wand and then peered nervously over the edge of the cauldron, the nervousness giving way to a dreamy smile moments later.

She sighed. It was lovely, and a little surprising, the aroma rising up in the misty steam. It smelled like the air right after rain, sea breeze, and something she could not at first place. It was strong and heady, a little bitter, but also full of spice. She could vaguely recall smelling it before, maybe two or three other times. It made her think of warmth and strong arms, a devilish smile…

A blush filled her tan cheeks as she belatedly realized it was the scent of her companion and Professor, Severus Snape. It was the mixed aroma of potions material, soap, and his own personal smell that she had only been close enough to catch a few times or rather had only taken conscious note of a few times. Apparently her subconscious was on the ball though.

Leaning back and away from the lovely stuff she gave another, contented, sigh and looked at him.

He was looking back at her just as intently and she wondered if she had perhaps been leaning over the cauldron for longer than she thought. How stupid had the look on her face been? Her smile right now didn't feel particularly goofy, maybe a bit shy but…

"I think I did it right" she offered. "Pass?"

He nodded but did not say anything, leaning over the cauldron himself. She wondered what he smelled. Was it rude to ask? She wouldn't risk it but she wished she knew.

Whatever it was it made him smile. Just a small smile, and a little sad she thought, but it was still a smile.

When he leaned back he held up a hand to let a crystal bottle, larger than the ones they usually used, fly into his waiting hand. She nearly giggled when she observed the obvious heart shape and wondered why in the world he would own something like that.

He didn't give an answer to this question and she didn't vocalize it, watching instead with rapt attention while he filled it to the top and stoppered it with a round top cork.

"Congratulations Ms. Dari" he said, handing it off. "Is there a young man you plan to torture with your peers? Perhaps Mr. Potter or Draco?"

She laughed aloud then. "No! Why would I?"

"Someone else then?" he quirked a brow and she shook her head.

"I just wanted this so I could see what it smelled like… and maybe give it to my mum for daddy." She smiled fondly as she recalled her parents. Every year around Valentine's Day her father got order after order for this stuff. He only filled a few of them, for buyers he knew were in stable relationships that they only wanted to enhance for a night or so, and he sometimes made it for her mother. She loved Amortentia tea. "It's just for fun" she insisted.

Snape was intrigued. It was very hard for him to believe that a girl like her did not have at least one boy she was interested in, or that she did not have at least one boy interested in her. She wasn't extraordinarily beautiful but she was cute, pretty even when she dressed for her body type. She was sweet and endearing and affectionate to a level that made him uncomfortable and as far as he'd heard enjoyed having a good time when with friends.

"No one you fancy then?" and he had to wonder why he was so terribly interested, though he knew the answer.

She blushed. "I didn't say that…"

He watched her tug her lower lip between her teeth then free it to pout. "I'm not going to drug him though… not all us girls are crazy."

Her arms crossed over her chest and she looked away, obviously flustered.

He considered briefly seeing if he could get any more information out of her, or her mind, and decided against it. Did he really want to know, did he want to know so terribly, terribly bad? Did he want to hurt himself so terribly bad?

A bell chimed and they noticed the change of the hour.

It was curfew now and he already had a note written, having anticipated the length of time this potion would take to brew.

They cleaned up their workstation, she packed her things away and then started for the door.

"Good night Professor" she called over her shoulder.

"Good night Ms. Dari" he called back, not moving his gaze from the steaming cauldron. There was enough of the potion left to fill another bottle and he ladled it in with a deep breath and a sad, longing sigh.

The smell of leather bound books and the cinnamon shampoo Lilly used in her hair wafted towards him, two of the three things he remembered from his first brewing of Amortentia. The third was new but still familiar, replacing the smell of dried roses people used in potpourri.

He looked up in time to see her back disappear through the door and closed his eyes as she blinked away behind the wood, letting the scent of Chamomile fill her absence.

Bittersweet right? I didn't know what his real Amortentia was so I made it up, obviously. I thought he might enjoy the smell of books, his house is apparently covered in them, and notice that I didn't strike Lilly out completely. As someone who's been in love, several times, you never really get rid of the feelings. If you love someone truly you always will and I didn't want to mess with that. Why cinnamon? She just seemed like the kind of person who would be full of warmth and cinnamon is warm... I duno. XD

Oh, and the dried roses, more of me making odd assumptions. I feel like they'd be something his mother kept in the house. I'm weird.

Just as a bit of useless knowledge, the sea breeze in Lauren's is reminiscent of her second home in Brighton where she'd walk along the coast with her mother and collect shells. She's always loved the smell of the sea. And the rainy air comes from a family tradition where they all dance in thunder storms. Her favorite part of that is laying in the wet grass once the rain stops and smelling the clean air.

Random facts! They're fun. =3

Anway, got any questions, comments, or advice? Throw em my way! And if not have a good day/night/other~