The Houses Competition:

House: Slytherin

Class: Arithmancy

Category: Option Two

Prompts chosen: [Object] Pot of ink [Word] Describe

Word Count: 736

Summary: The trio does homework in the library when Ron knocks over a pot of ink and destroys Hermione's assignment.

Title A Library Mishap

Hermione let out a long frustrated sigh. "Honestly, Ron, It's not that hard."

For the past hour, the trio were attempting to finish their potion assignment. Harry and Ron, however, were making no progress at all. Hermione half suspected that they were doing it on purpose just to drive her crazy. She was on the verge of pulling out her hair. She was ready to put her books away and call it a night, but she couldn't leave the two hanging - not when Snape was looking for any excuse to take points away from Gryffindor.

"Look, Describe the three most important ingredients in an Angel's Trumpet Draught," Hermione read, running her finger across the words as she spoke. "One of the most important ingredients would be the flower the potion is named after, Angel's Trumpet. The flower is very poisonous and can cause serious harm if not handled correctly. That's why not many Potion Master's brew the potion." Hermione explained.

Hermione made a small mental note.

"Now, what would be the next ingredient?" Hermione asked as she tapped her quill on the parchment.

Ron sighed loudly, his shoulder slumped, boredom clear on his face. He would much rather be sorting through his Chocolate Frog cards right now, or pretty much anything that didn't involve homework. It felt like his brain was melting out of his ears. Desperate for the evening to be over, he took a guess, "I don't know…beetle eyes?"

Hermione's frustration grew. She pressed her lips together tightly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Ron. "Have you been listening to a single thing I've been saying?" She asked, her voice sharp. "Do you even know what the potion dose?" Hermione questioned, her voice rising slightly as she tested Ron's knowledge.

Ron paused for a moment as he searched for an answer "The potion…" he started, pausing again. He took a breath "it's used for…" another pause, the silence growing thicker. "...it's poison," Ron finally answered.

"And…?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrow.

Ron took a glance over at Harry who looked just as confused as he did.

"...and nothing," he answered, thinking it was a trick question.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Angel's Trumpet Draught is a powerful poison that kills quickly. It's also said that whoever dies from this poison can not come back as a ghost. The theory is that their spirit is either destroyed or forced to cross over." Hermione paused for a moment before continuing. "The reason why this poison is so dangerous is because it's nearly impossible to diagnose. The symptoms are very subtle; paleness, taste of snow, stiffness, and the final symptom is tiredness which leads to the person dying peacefully in their sleep. It isn't until someone tries to wake them up that they realize that that person is dead." Hermione explained "It's one of the most silent killers in the wizarding world."

Ron found himself drifting off as Hermione explained the potion, only snapping back when she finished.

"So, why are we learning about this poison if it's a silent killer? Seems like a waste of time," Ron complained, tossing his quill forward. In an instant, the quill hit the pot of ink they were using, sending black ink everywhere. The dark liquid splattered across Hermione's papers.

"Ron!" Hermione gasped, jumping up as she tried to save her work. Ink spread across the table quickly. She grabbed what she could before it was destroyed but most of her assignments were covered in ink.

Harry quickly stood up along with Hermione as he tried to help rescue her work for her.

"It's alright," he reassured as he gathered up papers into his arms as Ron worked on the ink spill. The most that he did was build a barricade with his papers and the ink was quickly soaking through.

"No it's not!" Hermione cried, her voice echoing throughout the library. "It took me all night to do that assignment and it's due in a half an hour. There's no way I can redo it."

Frustration bubbled up inside of her, coming out in a loud growl. She snapped as she gathered up her papers and stuffed them into her bag. "Just forget about it. And - for your information - we learn about this stuff so we can be prepared for the future."

With that, Hermione stormed out of the library, leaving Harry and Ron to deal with the mess.