Chapter 3: Waves of Blue
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related characters. The Harry Potter series is created by J.K. Rowling and owned by Warner Bros. Pictures. All rights of Harry Potter belong to Warner Bros. Pictures. This entire story is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment purposes only. I am not making a profit from this story.
Notes: This chapter is inspired by the song "Waves of Blue" by Majid Jordan.
Autumn 1996
The gothic torches suspended on the stone walls cast an eerie glow down the dark corridor of the dungeons as Sue and I walked to Potions, our last lesson of the day. I always dreaded this class because of Professor Snape's rude countenance towards anyone who wasn't a current or former member of the Slytherin house. But this year we were supposed to have a new teacher, Professor Slughorn, whom Dumbledore introduced at the start-of-term feast. He seemed pretty friendly (at least compared to Snape) so I had higher hopes for Potions class this year.
We passed by the Slytherin dormitories as Malfoy and some of his unsavoury friends were leaving. I guess we were going to have class together this year. Great…
"Get out of the way Ravencrap!" Blaise Zabini bellowed, shoving past me and Sue so he could reach the classroom first. But before either of us could defend ourselves, Pansy Parkinson blocked our way.
"Don't think you actually stand a chance at getting more house points in this class just because Professor Snape isn't teaching it this year. Ravenclaws aren't the only smart ones at Hogwarts. There are plenty of students from other houses who are also clever," she said smugly with her hands on her hips.
"You mean like Hermione Granger?" Sue asked. I broke into a nervous sweat at her cheeky response.
Pansy's eyes flashed dangerously and she whipped out her wand, but Malfoy suddenly stepped between us and gently rubbed her wrist until she eased it back into the pocket of her robe.
"I think Pansy was actually referring to me. Weren't you, love? I'm usually within the top five. Anyways, we'd better hurry along. We're already running late," Malfoy said quietly. He appeared paler than normal and unusually fatigued for an afternoon class.
He then curtly nodded at us before leading his protesting girlfriend into the classroom. Had Draco Malfoy just de-escalated an inter-house conflict? Weird. I glanced at Sue who looked equally perplexed before we entered Potions class.
Mumbling apologies to Professor Slughorn, we took our seats. He waved them off and re-started his introduction.
"Ooh lovely, there are more students to welcome to N.E.W.T.-level Potions class! As Professor Dumbledore previously stated during the start-of-term feast, my name is Horace Slughorn and I will be your new instructor," our teacher smiled warmly.
"Now, I prepared some concoctions earlier this morning. Miss Granger has already correctly identified all of them. If one of the four students who showed up late is able to do the same, I won't take away any house points," he promised, gesturing towards three small bubbling cauldrons at the front of the classroom where he stood. Bollocks! I knew there had to be some sort of catch to allowing upper years to stroll in late.
"I think Draco knows the answers. He's very adept at Potions," Pansy crooned and gazed adoringly up at her boyfriend. Malfoy was momentarily caught off guard as his expression morphed from distracted to bewildered. I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh and Sue visibly gagged beside me. Pansy glared at us while Malfoy cautiously made his way to the table of cauldrons so he could inspect them more closely.
"Excellent! Please share your hypotheses with the class Mister…?" Slughorn trailed off.
"It's Malfoy, Sir. The potion in the first cauldron is akin to water. It's both colourless and odourless. I believe it's Veritaserum, the Truth potion," Malfoy explained. Slughorn nodded in agreement, so he carried on.
"The next potion has the appearance of liquid mud and is bubbling slowly. Although you mentioned brewing all the potions this morning, I suspect this particular one is actually Polyjuice potion and that you started making it a month ago," Malfoy said with a bit of uncertainty.
"Would you like to test that theory?" Slughorn suggested.
Malfoy immediately plucked out a few strands of blond hair from the crown of his head and dropped them into the cauldron, waving his wand to complete it. Our class drew closer and I saw the potion's colour change to an emerald green. Malfoy grinned.
"Remember class, Polyjuice potion allows the user to temporarily change their age, sex and race, but not species," Slughorn reminded us.
Malfoy looked intrigued by the last cauldron, which contained a dusty pink potion with a pearly sheen to it. He raised his hand to waft the smoke to his face so he could smell it. His pupils dilated and he began to greedily inhale the fragrance as though it was a drug.
"Well, what do you think Mr. Malfoy? Care to go three for three? How does it smell to you?" Slughorn coyly asked.
"I smell the Hogwarts library, spearmint toothpaste, and…," Malfoy suddenly trailed off and his face turned ashen. He abruptly stepped away from the cauldron.
"The final scent is rosewood perfume. This is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world Professor," he quickly finished and strode back to his group of friends who immediately began applauding him.
"Well done Mr. Malfoy! There will be no house points docked from Slytherin or Ravenclaw then," Slughorn beamed. I rolled my eyes as Pansy smirked triumphantly at me and Sue. Hermione looked genuinely stunned by his correct responses. Their eyes met from across the classroom, before she broke contact first, redirecting her attention towards Slughorn. Malfoy sported a pleased little smile as he did the same.
"Now Amortentia cannot create actual love, merely infatuation. Its scent varies depending on the individual's likes," Slughorn continued. Pansy gasped.
"I wear rosewood perfume everyday! Oh Draco darling it was meant to be!" she cried and threw her arms around him. He smiled back, although it appeared a bit fake.
"Professor, can we all take turns smelling the Amortentia? I want to see if I can smell him too," Pansy gushed.
"I don't see why not. Today is just an introductory lesson. Single file everyone and no pushing," Slughorn instructed.
"What a waste of time. I already know that I'm going to smell my boyfriend. I don't need a stupid potion to tell me that," Sue scoffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.
When my turn came, I took a small sniff of the Amortentia and was instantly hit by familiar waves of sandalwood, ocean breeze and apple cinnamon. I took a few more deep breaths until Sue poked my side, forcing me to come to my senses and shuffle back to my seat in confusion. Had I been stalling for a long time? I jotted down the scents I detected in my notebook and tried to jog my memory as Sue finished her turn and returned to our table.
"I did smell Normande, by the way. Parkinson also announced that she had smelled Malfoy. But the real question is, what on earth did you smell that made you stand there for twenty seconds? Someone older or a muggle perhaps, since none of the boys from here, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang ever caught your eye," Sue teased.
"Someone older…," I parroted before realisation slowly dawned on me.
Sandalwood aftershave. Ocean breeze from travelling overseas for work. Apple cinnamon tea.
I liked Dev.
That's why I've been thinking about him since the engagement party. It explains why the Amortentia smelled like him. It's the reason I can't calm down.
As if on cue, my chest constricted and I started having difficulty breathing. Dev is a handsome, accomplished curse-breaker. He's kind and smart. But, he is so much older than me. There was no chance he would ever return my feelings in that capacity. I was doomed.
"We'll talk later Sue," I groaned, folding my arms on the table and resting my head on top of them.
Notes: Confession time - I originally wrote this fic in third person, but kept getting the twins' names mixed up so I switched to first LOL