Chapter 2 is here! I hope people are liking where the story is going but for now, most things are just introductory and it will kick off properly within the next few chapters x
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
"Okay, students! Today we will be brewing Ammortentia! A new start to the year equals more new and exciting potions for you kids to enjoy!"
There was an audible groan as Professor Slughorn's voice pierced the early morning with a forceful stab. This allowed the Gryffindor and Slytherin potions students to reminisce about more exhilarating moments from the summer holiday, then realising that yet another excruciating sixteen weeks of school were left until Christmas. Yes, just the average class of sixth years dreaming of being anywhere but this dire potions classroom.
"Now, I'm going to put you all into pairs and you will be working together in these groups for the rest of the year." His voice demanded.
Alex. Alex, Alex. Please, let my partner be Alex; potions would be a blast. Unfortunately, my luck was non-existent and since I'm a 16-year-old witch with nothing on her side except her mother's intelligence that I was now forced to live up to, it probably never will be.
Slughorn read through the names. "Rose, you will be paired with Scorpius!" He called then continued to read out basic instructions and information about the potion brewing. There was no worse combination.
Malfoy had slipped into the seat next to mine and tossed his textbook onto the desk we now shared. He tilted the chair back and lazily put his hands behind his head.
Well, this would certainly be an exciting development. I had two guesses; he would either be tolerant of me on the account that his best friend was also best friends with me, or he would be a complete idiot and disregard the fact that he would possibly lose his best friend because of it. The latter, I wouldn't be surprised for him to carry out.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let the brewing commence!" Slughorn insisted.
We would be making Ammortentia, something that I was surprisingly familiar with. It was the strongest Love Potion in existence. It caused a powerful infatuation in the drinker and had a different aroma for everyone who smelt it. It also happened to be one of the most dangerous potions in the room so I can't imagine why we'd be making it in our first potions class of the year.
There was a thud as the legs of Malfoy's chair hit the ground next to me. "So, did your friend make it to the bathroom yesterday?" He seemed nonchalant; I had high hopes for the toleration option.
"Just about." I said, keeping the bitterness out of my voice, I decided to cooperate and make this easier for the both of us; after all, we're partners now and who knows how long this Slughorn project is going to last.
He sat there with his head over the potions textbook, casually looking for the correct page as if class wasn't going to end within the hour and we weren't on a deadline. I decided to make conversation.
"I hear you're the new captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team." I made sure to make it sound like a challenge; I didn't want him to think that I was a pushover.
"Scared?" He chuckled, full to the brim with arrogance.
"No." I really wasn't. Slytherin were over-confident and reckless, which always ended badly so since my team had the upper hand, I had absolutely no reason to be afraid.
"You should be." He sounded nonchalant but I bet he was quivering like a lost puppy inside.
This irked me. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" I pressed.
He sat up in his chair. "It means Gryffindor shouldn't be so self-assured this year." He had that same smug, supercilious tone that just evoked my annoyance even further.
"Is that a challenge?" I remained calm, as I knew that James, the Gryffindor captain had a surplus of tricks up his sleeve. We would beat Slytherin in the upcoming match undoubtedly.
"Yes." He said firmly. "And we need to brew this damn Ammortentia." He had a point.
I added ingredients while Malfoy stirred accordingly. Carefully dropping in rose thorns and previously powdered moonstone. I was beginning to settle into the routine of things when Malfoy's eyes widened at something behind me and then he said, "Oh, shit."
And then the whole room exploded. Well, not all of it but all of it in Al's general direction. Black smoke bubbled out around his cauldron, shooting sparks and glimmers of colour around the classroom. Slughorn was shouting out protests and flailing across the room as if it was the world's end.
The smolder cleared a little and revealed Al's black face; his hair charred with dark embers and stuck up at all angles. Even the windows had fogged over and the air began to reek of burnt wood. He never was skilled at potions.
In spite of everything, a laugh fizzed up inside me and came out in a loud burst. I realized that Malfoy was laughing right along with me. By now, the students in the class were all staring at Al's destroyed worktop and deadpan face, astounded that something like this could happen on the first day of lessons. However, this increased the hilarity of the situation.
"Looks like you really blew it this time, Al." I said in between surges of giggles.
Malfoy joined in. "Yeah, but it looks like you gave that love potion a real spark." This made me laugh even harder.
Al stood next to his now simmering cauldron with an expression that was the epitome of hatred and humiliation. I desperately tried to stay serious but the urge of laughter tugged at my stomach until I couldn't keep it contained any longer and I erupted into laughter once more. If I wasn't his cousin or best friend then I would probably be petrified for my own life about now due to the murderous glare he was aiming at Malfoy and I. Whereas, this was half the reason for all of the amusement.
Both of us managed to control our laughing as we looked around at the unamused faces of the class and in particular, Professor Slughorn, who did not look very pleased at all.
By the end of the class, Al and his partner had managed to brew another Ammortentia with results not as disastrous as the previous, I am sad to say. However, it turns out that Malfoy and I scored top in the class; our Ammortentia was irritatingly perfect.
I was sat in the library that evening and I couldn't get that damn ring out of my mind. I was filling my head to the brim with more and more questions the further I thought about it. How did it get into my suitcase? Why did it burn Alex? As well as one of the worries with a particular amount of mystery tugging at my brain, why did it not burn me? There was still the possibility that a group of idiotic first years could have done it but even then I would have spotted at least one of them giggling in the hallway as I passed.
If only I knew where the ring was from or who it belonged to. I could go to the dorms and take it back with me to library and research it. But I knew Alex would be there and question my motives, she had probably already noticed this ring was bothering me and stop me from researching any further as I would get more and more distracted by it. However, I couldn't see the drawback of simply finding out where it was from and what kind of magic it had, if any.
I decided not to retrieve the ring that night as it would cause too much of a sir with Alex and got up to leave. The library was like a sanctuary to me and I always came here to think and relax because I knew no sociable person would ever sit in here on an evening when they could easily be having more fun elsewhere. I hated to be clichéd but I never felt alone when I was surrounded by books or engrossed in a story that I was reading, it was like the author understood me. Just like now when I could feel the familiar buzz of the stories and lessons I had not yet learnt and could smell the old woody scent of book spines and creased parchment pages. However, the light in the room was now fading and I knew it was time to leave.
I clicked the rusty door shut behind me and strolled through the echoed corridor in route of the common room. I found the castle rather eerie at night but the comfort of knowing there was no place safer made a great deal of a difference.
The snapping of shoes against the stone floor made its way into the forefront of my mind and I shot my head up in the direction of the noise because even though it wasn't peculiar that someone would be walking around the castle at this time, it still wasn't as if a student would have enough time to study in the library for a reasonable amount of time.
The mysterious form was Hugo, approaching me.As he came closer, the creases in his forehead and worry in his eyes became more apparent.
"Hey, are you okay?" I wondered.
"No." He scanned the corridor with anxiety. "I have to tell you something." Tugging me by the wrist from where I stood, I almost fell forward. He pulled me through the castle until we reached the stairs up to the seventh floor. I drew my hand from his grip and demanded to know what was going on.
He sighed and looked around for any passersby, there were none, he was just being paranoid as usual. "I have to tell someone or else I'm to going to explode." He did seem pretty stressed out to be honest, so I let him continue.
"I overheard a conversation between mum and dad a few weeks ago and-"
"You were eavesdropping." I cut him off.
He sighed impatiently. "Rose. They were talking about some newfound dark magic and that the ministry are taking extra care with protection spells…because they think someone wants to avenge Lord Voldemort." He managed to force out.
I absorbed the information quickly. Why would someone want to avenge Voldemort? I thought his most loyal followers were dead or at least that was what my parents told us. Was there a chance that more deatheaters could be plotting against the ministry? Although, the ministry contains the most experienced Aurors, including my parents and Uncle Harry, the thought still scared me. I sighed.
"Hugo, it'll be fine. I mean the ministry goes through this kind of thing all the time, right? Wizards and witches thinking they can just overthrow them." I was partially trying to reassure myself.
"Well then, why was mum in hysterics and saying over and over that it was 'happening again'?" He questioned irritably.
I realized how bad it was, or at least how bad it could be. "Shit."
"So what do we do?" Hugo seemed to breathe more steadily now but this was something the ministry had to handle, not us ignorant Hogwarts students.
"Nothing. It's beyond us and if there really was something wrong then mum and dad would tell us." I trusted my parents and knew that they would always put Hugo and I first in any situation. However, it appeared that Hugo wasn't listening; he was looking to the floor, probably thinking up some kind of protection plan for when this mysterious group of deatheaters attacked Hogwarts. Ridiculous really, with all the protection spells over the castle, to be thinking such things. However, I knew the house trait of loyalty particularly stuck out in Hugo.
A wondering Gryffindor walked past us towards the staircase, which made Hugo break from his stupor and shake his head, turning back to me.
"You're right." He finally gave in and we called it a night.
We followed the stairs up to the seventh floor, gave the password to the fat lady and entered the common room where various Gryffindors sat. Some barely awake, some playing chess or reading about Quidditch with the blazing fire the only source of light in the room.
"I hear you and Malfoy are potions partners." Hugo said as we strolled past the worn red sofa, occupied by two snuggled up Gryffindors. I was in awe for a second at the fact that they looked so comfortable and peaceful wrapped up in each other's arms. I wondered what it would be like to be in a relationship like that. I would never admit this but I had a strange longing for a relationship that was more than just platonic.
"Ugh. How did you hear about that?" I grumbled. A whole three hours of Malfoy a week was more than enough for me, I didn't want to be talking about him during any of my treasured time away from him.
"Practically the whole castle knows. Just be careful with him, okay? It's bad enough that Albus is friends with him." I knew Hugo was bitter, and if not at least wary, about Malfoy. Frankly, I believed in giving one a chance, despite what my parents may say about his family.
I scoffed. "He can't be that bad. And anyway, it's not like we're bosom buddies." I tried to lighten the mood.
"Let's hope not." He grimaced by means of goodbye and climbed the staircase up to the boys' dorms. I rolled my eyes and ascended the stairs opposite.
I couldn't sleep that night. I kept dreaming about figures in black capes and masks of silver, shooting green sparks from their twisted up wands. There was also screaming, I didn't know who it was but I felt helpless against a force that had possessed me all of sudden and I couldn't move a limb.
The next few nights the dream was the same; the dark figures coming from nowhere and wrecking havoc all over the scene. The same person screaming and calling my name, yet I couldn't respond. The only thing different was that this time, fires blazed up around the battle and burned down the building. Then everything was black.
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