Soul mate Potion
Ginny looked at the potion, bubbling merrily away in the cauldron. She cocked one eyebrow at Professor Snape.
"Explain to me what I'm doing."
"Serving detention, Miss Weasley. After all you were caught out of the dorms after bedtime for the third time this year." He answered drily.
"You know what I mean." She growled.
He chuckled. "My sixth year Gryffindor/Slytherin class was making a relatively simple Mandrake Potion when Mr Longbottom and Miss Patil-"
"Which one, Padma or Parvati?"
"You expect me to be able to tell them apart? Parvati, I think. In any case, both students botched their potions."
"Why does that not surprise me?" She remarked calmly, "Parvati was probably too busy flirting with Dean to pay attention and Neville... well, enough said."
"Quite right. The task at the end was for both to test the potion. If they had done it correctly, nothing of consequence would have happened. However Miss Patil and Mr Longbottom both tried their potion. At first I thought they had miraculously done it right, for nothing happened. But over the following weeks I noticed the two got closer and closer. By the end of a month they were dating."
Ginny wrinkled her nose in concentration. "Parvati always thought Neville was cute but with her reputation, she would never date him in school."
"Have you ever heard of the Soulmate Potion?"
Ginny shrugged. "Yeah, in mention in an essay on Love Potions. It's a lot more powerful than most infatuation spells. It essentially draws the consumer to his or her soulmate. I heard it's a little painful."
Snape nodded. "It's only been tested once. I believe Miss Patil and Mr Longbottom let their Mandrake potion simmer too long, which is the only difference between that and the Soulmate potion."
"I thought the Soulmate Potion had to simmer for ten minutes longer than the Mandrake potion."
"Remember Miss Weasley, who we are talking about here."
Ginny laughed. "Sorry. But what do you need me for?"
He held up two vials of identical cloudy blue liquid. "I want to test my theory. This is the potion your classmates brewed. This is a Soulmate Potion I made earlier today. I'll try one, you the other."
"So I'm to be a guinea pig?"
"Unless you'd prefer to do actual work."
She took the vial as he smirked. "Thanks, but no. Oh well. Bottom's up."
She downed the liquid then gasped at the searing pain that shot through her breast. Snape responded likewise, both student and teacher leaning against the tables for support. After a while the pain faded to a dull throb. Ginny smiled ruefully at Snape.
"Guess they did make it after all." He admitted.
"What do we do now?" She asked, rubbing her chest above her heart. Through the fabric of her green teeshirt she could feel her scar. It was fitting almost. A psycial manifestation of her emotional pain. But she tore her mind away from those well trod paths and focused on what Snape had to say.
He shrugged. "Wander the halls and hope you see your soulmate. If you don't see him.. or her, today, come by after dinner and I'll give you an invisibility potion and a pass key to the other houses."
Ginny nodded. "By the way, since I'm still in detention, is there anything you want me to do?"
Snape tossed a book to her. "Myrtle's been complaining lately, give that to her." He smiled. "Try to get it through her stomach. I hear it's worth fifty points."
888
The first persom Ginny saw was Harry. After a polite exchange, both took their ways, Ginny rubbing at the dull ache in her chest. She was a bit upset that Harry wasn't her soulmate. She might be gay, but she still carried a bit of a torch for the dark haired boy.
She was also pleased to note that neither Colin nor Dennis were her true loves. It would be a bit creepy if they were.
It was a long way to Myrtle's bathroom and the halls were pretty empty for a saturday so she met with only a few others on the way. She opened the book, amused to note it was a book on the effects of love potions on poltergiests. Though the thought of Myrtle and Peeves together sent chills down her spine, she read the book as she navigated the deserted halls to Myrtle's liar. She surpressed a shudder at the memories the room brought up and pushed open the door, trying to ignore the twinge of pain in her scar.
"Myrtle, I hope you know..." She began then she looked up. "Malfoy? She asked of the silver eyed Slytherin sitting with a bubbling potion.
"What are you..." She began.
Then two things happened. Malfoy's potion exploded. And the dull ache in Ginny's chest disappeared.
(A/N: Ahahaha! Oh, I'm going to get killed six ways from Sunday for this, but it's totally worth it.