dedicated to harmonyrules - congrats on winning the contest dear

Ch. 27: Potion Master Potter

Song For Chapter: Tree Hugger - Antsy Pants & Kimya Dawson [i see this as Elle's opinion of Harry right now, yes - it's childish - which is just like Elle]

    I was half asleep in the place that I stood in Slughorn's class room. It was the first day in a long time that I had to be up early for anything, let alone school. And, I wasn't taking it too well. My schedule was a bit messed up this year with Potions first block and then Defense Against the Dark Arts. Usually those were mid-day classes. How was I going to procrastinate on my work now? 

    I had practically signed up for every class that would give me the wider variety of jobs in the future. I hadn't the slightest idea of what I wanted to do when I got out of Hogwarts. Maybe I would work under Fred and George, but anything else seemed rather vague. Maybe I'd get a Muggle job? Like... a librarian, or something.

    "Elle, are you think about something boring again?" Lana's voice pulled me out of my daze as a smirk spread on her lips, "Your face always grows pale when you are thinking about something you don't like."

    I huffed out a sigh, but nodded, turning my attention back to Professor Slughorn. He was having us all gather around different mixtures of potions, to see how much we knew about them. I felt a half-smile quirk up my lips.

    I had this class in the bag. It was practically the same course I'd taken in fourth year.

    "Temperature is a very important prerequisite to this particular potion," He nodded towards a sludge green colored one, adjusting his cap as Harry noisily stalked into the dungeon room, dragging a very peeved Ron along with him.

    "Ah, Harry Potter," Slughorn turned towards the boys with a wide grin on his face, obviously excited. "I was beginning to worry," I held back a chuckle as I saw the professor eye Ron with a weary glance, "You've brought someone with you, I see?"

    Ron let a small simper slip onto his face and he nodded, "Er, yeah. The name's Weasley, sir. Ron Weasley." 

    I felt a nudge in my side and I turned to give Jenna an irritated glare, before realizing that she was nodding pointedly towards Lavender Brown. "What?" I whispered, watching the silly girl with a slight annoyance. She hadn't bothered me last year, but I could tell that with Jenna and Lana back, they'd draw in more unwanted attention - once again.

    Jenna just tilted her head, attempting to make me look back at Lavender. As I did, I noticed that she was fidgeting with a curl of mousy brown hair and fluttering her lashes while staring at Ron's face. Rolling my eyes, I sent her a glance to tell her how 'unamused' I was. 

    "Sorry, sir," Harry's apology yanked Jenna and I away from our pointed looks, "But, I haven't actually gotten any books. I've just transferred."

    Slughorn waved them off with a flicker of his hand, "Not to worry, just retrieve some from the cupboard," He then stepped around the table to face the rest of our class. I took a moment to scan the room and determine what I was dealing with this year. Along with Lavender Brown, I noted Malfoy's pale mug, and a few idiotic Slytherins, like Pansy, but nothing with too much bite to their bark.

    Beside me, I noted that I was not alone with the people noticing Malfoy. A sly smirk spread on Jenna's cherry tinted lips as she made eye contact with him. Draco's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment at the locking gaze, then he quickly tore his eyes away, scowl growing on his lips.

    Not that it discouraged Jenna at all.

        Great. I thought to myself with an internal sigh, Here we go again.

    "Now," Slughorn motioned towards the three cauldrons and gave us a grin, "Can any of you identify the potions I have prepared for you today?" 

    A nerdy spark of excitement filled my gut and I took a small step forward to glance into the largest pot, analyzing it and the ingredients that Slughorn had conveniently laid down beside them, giving the identity away. 

    I tossed my hand in the air a millisecond before Hermione did, earning a small eye of disappointment from her as I was picked on, and a groan from Malfoy's side of the room as the fact dawned on him that both Grangers were going to be dominating every morning of his life this year. 

    "Yes, Miss," Slughorn's eyes squinted a bit as he tried to figure out which twin I was, "Miss Elizabeth Granger, was it?" 

    I nodded, tucking a clump of hair behind my ear, "Yes, er... Elle," I spat out, unsure of why I'd addressed him that way, but it was too late now, "The first potion is Veritaserum, it's colorless, odorless, and practically tasteless. Consumption of it will cause the victim to have a fit of uncontrollable honesty."

    "A fit of uncontrollable honesty, you say?" Slughorn chuckled, "I think I quiet enjoy those choice of words, Miss Granger." He turned towards the second one, "And, this one?" 

    Hermione's hand practically sliced through the air particles it went up so fast. Behind Slughorn's unsuspecting back, Harry and Ron struggled for something in the cupboard, muttering curses to each other. I was so enraptured by the two of them, that I'd barely heard Hermione explain the potion to Slughorn.

    "Very good, Miss Hermione Granger," He complimented her and motioned towards the last, smaller, cauldron, "And, this one?" 

    To say I cheated to answer this question first would be a bit of an exaggeration. Instead, I merely side stepped in front of Hermione's eager face and held up my hand, cutting her off entirely, to Lana's apparent amusement by the way she began cackling in the background.

    "The last one is called Amortentia, Professor," I explained, trying to ignore the glare Hermione was shooting through the back of my skull, "The effects of the potion on a person are described to be near instantaneous, and are extremely dangerous towards others surrounding the person infected with it. While it would need to be administered more than once, the long lasting effect is... less than ideal," I stopped talking once I realized that I was really going off on a rant about love potions.

    Hermione stepped beside me and picked up where I'd left off while Jenna and Lana mocked me in the background. "Gez, Elle - when did you let your nerdy side show in public?" Jenna giggled with a light whisper in my direction. 

    "It's rumored to smell differently to each person accordingly to what attracts them," Hermione blinked a bit and took a small inhale through her nose, drawing somewhat closer to the cauldron, "For example, I smell freshly mowed grass, and new parchment," Hermione's eyes fluttered a bit as if she was trying to keep something to herself, "And, and... spearmint toothpaste."

    She shook her head slightly and took a step back, earning a grin from me. 

        However, that's not what I smelt. To me, the aroma was more of a sweet one. I could smell honey and wood, like the kind - I realized after my date at the Burrow - that was used to polish clubs and broomsticks, paired with the stench of freshly pulled toffee, and a tiny hint of musk. 

    I found that I was so enraptured with dictating what every smell was that I'd almost forgotten I was in class. Slughorn was the one to pull me back into reality by covering the love potion with it's lid.

    "Amortentia doesn't create actual love, of course. That's impossible. But it does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. For that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room."

    "Sir," A Hufflepuff girl nodded towards the shining vial that was sitting innocently on top of the desk. "You haven't told us about that one."

    Slughorn nodded and grabbed it off the desk with a smirk, "Ah, yes! What you see before you ladies and gentlemen is a curious little potion known as-"

    I murmured under my breath, recognizing it immediately from an assignment I'd had before, "-Felix Felicis." Ron shot me a look of confusion, obviously I'd never shared a potions class with these people. Was it my fault that I got a bit carried away? 

    "Why, yes, Miss Granger," Slughorn nodded, smile on his lips, "And do you know what it is most commonly referred to?" 

    I nodded, opening my mouth to respond, but Hermione beat me to the punch line, "Liquid luck," She blurted out, sparing me an apologetic eye. But, really it was more of a glance that read 'sorry, not sorry'. 

    "Yes, Miss Granger," He chuckled, eyes dancing from Hermione and I, "I can see a little sibling rivalry beginning, nothing more cheerful than that. Liquid luck. Devilishly tricky to make, and, disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all of your endeavors succeed, at least until the effects wear off," He shrugged and hobbled over to his table, setting the vial down on it.

    "So, this is what I offer each of you today," He spared us all a challenging smile, and I could feel the anticipation in my toes. I'd already taken Advanced Potions, so it was almost as if I was at an advantage compared to the others; it was almost not fair. "A tiny vial of liquid luck for the student who manages to make a successful draft of Living Death, on page ten of your books."

    I flipped open my book and glanced down at the page, feeling my stomach shrivel up in slight dismay. It was an extremely difficult potion to master. It was a level nine and I could barely come close to that. In fact, the hardest potion I've been able to master yet was a seven and a half. 

    "I should warn you," Slughorn chuckled at our nervous faces, "Only one student has ever mastered the potion well enough to claim this prize. Never the less, good luck to you all."

    I stalked towards my desk and set everything up quickly, before walking to the cupboards and grabbing everything that the list called for. Once I'd gathered everything in my arms, trying to make it all in one trip, I laid it all on the table I was sharing with Jenna and Lana, reading the first few instructions.

        Pour in 250 fl. oz. of water in to crystal beaker
       Cut up one Sopophorus bean
        Five pinches of African salt

    I grabbed my blade and a thick, black Sopophorus bean, balancing the thing between my thumb and forefinger to keep it steady against my cutting board as I attempted to slice into the flesh of it. However, the bean was more rubbery than I'd expected and it popped out from my fingers, hopping across my table. 

    Quickly I caught it with a grunt and pinned it down tighter, attempting to think of an easier solution as I tried to cut it once more, but failed miserably once again. "Maybe the book says something about this..." I trailed off, eyes scanning over the pages in search of some hint, but coming up empty, "Nope. It only calls for the juice," I muttered to myself.

    Beside me, Jenna and Lana took turns fooling around, trying to impale the bean with both of their knives at once. They both had given up the assignment before they had even begun. 

    Hermione was furiously stabbing at her bean at the table in front of us as she watched Harry scour the pages of his excessively worn out book. "How did you do that?" She demanded to know, seeing Harry drip the juices from his bean with ease into the cauldron.

    "Don't cut it," Harry told her with a grin, "Crush it; I guess it releases more juice that way." 

    Hermione's nose turned up and she shook her head at him, "No, the instructions explicitly say to cut." 

    Weighing out the options, I re-read the instructions for a third time. The recipe only called for the juice, not the bean's shell itself, so - to me at least - it really shouldn't matter how the juice was retrieved. "Oh, 'Mione," I rolled my eyes at her, just to annoy her a bit, "Don't be so uptight and try it." 

    Harry shot me a small smile, happy that I was for the alternative method, as I grabbed the blunt end of my knife, pressing down hard against the bean to crush it flat. Just like Harry had stated, crushing the bean actually worked.

    "Ohhh," Jenna poked her head over my shoulder, watching what I was doing, "Thanks for that, Elle!" Then, her and Lana followed Harry's hints as well.

    Hermione watched us with a frown of disapproval on her brow, "You guys, there are instructions for a reason." Across from us, Seamus tossed a pinch of chemicals into his pot and the whole concoction blew up in his face. 

    "Yeah," Lana snickered, stirring her cauldron quickly, getting potion everywhere, but not caring, "Like that's working out so well for everyone else." 

    Jenna grabbed the next ingredient for her potion while I began peeling the skin off of my pulverized bean, grabbing a pumice stone. It didn't call for the bean to be smashed by one, but I figured the more juice I released into the potion, but better it would turn out.

    "Professor," Jenna asked, calling Slughorn's attention from helping other students, "Will be be learning how to make the Amortentia potion in this class?"

    He chuckled a little and shrugged his shoulders, "Well, Miss Chase, it is a very dangerous potion to master, and it is extremely powerful, so I do not think that will be very likely any time soon. I rather like my job, and would not take very kindly to losing it due to a mishap with a love potion."

    I watched as Slughorn turned to help Crabbe before elbowing Jenna in the ribs, "What was that all about? Attempting to sabotage someone's breakfast tea?"

    "No," She smirked, "I was merely curious, besides, I don't need a love potion to get a guy," Jenna sniffed, flipping her long, blonde hair behind her shoulder as if I'd offended her. 

    "Well," Lana's sarcastic voice rung out as she vigorously stirred her thickening liquid, "That's the spirit, Jenna. Just keep your head up."

    I chuckled at Jenna's expense while she simply flipped the two of us off, turning back to her potion that was starting to steam a freaky, yellow color. "I don't think it's supposed to do that," I insisted as she attempted to try and fix it with another pinch of salt.

    Her ladle turned to a dripping, deformed mess as she continued stirring it. "Fine! Fine!" Jenna tossed her hands in the air with a humph, "I give up, I don't need luck!" She flicked her wand at the flames under her cauldron and turned it off, dropping out of the race.

    Slughorn came over and offered her a small consolation, "That's quite ordinary, really. Don't worry, your skills may get better after this year." 

    "Thanks Professor," She beamed, cleaning up the rest of her mess and putting her potion things away even though we still had roughly thirty more minutes left of class time. "That means a lot," But, that translated from Jenna language was more along the lines of 'You don't really mean that, and I know you don't like me because you didn't invite me to your stupid Slug Club.'

    Personally, I didn't understand what the big deal was, it was just some stuck up club for nerds and goody-goodies. But, Jenna probably just wanted some attention for something this year, seeing that Hogwarts was no longer filled with hot, Durmstrang men.

    After a few minutes of letting my Living Death draft simmer, I felt a pit grow in the deep crevices of my stomach. There was no color change in my potion yet, but, in Harry's, his was moving along just fine. Better than fine, actually. 

    Hermione noticed his potion as well and a furrow carved into her brow as she let out a groan of frustration, "How is it that you've managed to make this whole process seem easy?"

    Harry didn't respond right away at first, but merely shrugged his shoulders, face screwed up in an innocent expression. "I don't know what you mean, Hermione. I'm just following the basic instructions," He trailed off, grabbing another Sopophorus bean and crushing it flat with his blade, "With some imagination, of course."

    "No you're not," I jumped at the sight, "You'd better pay more attention; the recipe only calls for ten beans, and you're about to put an eleventh one in there!"

    He glanced down at his hands in a slow reaction of shock and chuckled, scratching the back of his messy haired head, "Oh, right - thanks, Elle. I'll be more careful next time." 

    "It's no problem," I waved him off, turning back to my own potion to see that it was finally beginning to brew into a black tint. Lana watched from the side lines, cheering on Seamus and I. For me, she was telling me to win, but for Seamus, she was attempting to place random items within reach of his hands so he would accidentally make something explode again. 

        She had succeeded in turning his hair, and her fingers, green, however. For which, Slughorn demanded both of them to immediately call upon Madame Pomfrey for an antidote to the potion, or they could suffer some serious losses.

    I had turned my attention on the two of them, like the rest of the class, as I chuckled under my breath towards their antics. It was funny; this class was actually pretty entertaining now without Snape as the Professor. 

    When I glanced back to Harry, I caught the sight of him dropping the juice into his cauldron from two more Sopophorus beans. My face contorted in a marred face of confusion towards Harry's deliberate choice of ignoring me, but, I let it go. 

    Harry was going to do what he wanted to. Who was I to stop him?

    Besides, if his excessive use of beans messed with his potion's chemistry, it would only help fuel my chance of winning the Felix Felicis. I could practically taste the luck in my blood stream. What would I do with such a potion, though? I didn't have an answer yet, but I knew I would come up with something.

    I had just set my cauldron to the side to begin cooling when Slughorn cleared his throat and adjusted his cap, sending the room of students a cheerful, and slightly curious, gaze. "Alright students," He motioned for all of us to present our concoctions to him, "Let's see how you performed."

    Hermione fidgeted nervously beside me, her hair a static mess around her head. I was suddenly extremely self conscious of my own mane, thanking Godric that I'd reminded myself to toss the long strands of stringy hair into a sloppy bun before starting my potion. It was long enough now that if I leant over my cauldron, I may just catch fire.

    Slowly, Slughorn slid from potion to potion, sometimes cringing, sometimes making random remarks that could have helped the person in the process of brewing. When he got to Hermione's, he merely glanced into it, offered her a sympathetic smile, and kept walking.

    The look of abhorrence in her eyes was enough to send me over the edge. Quickly, I began biting down on my knuckles to keep myself from doubling over in fits of giggles. However, the feeling suddenly dispersed as the Professor stepped up to my own cauldron. 

    "Hmph," Slughorn sniffed, then, he reached into his coat pocket, pulling a small wooden box from it and dropping a, what looked like tea, leaf into the water. After a minute, the leaf floated on the surface of the potion, a stark contrast against the black water. Finally, it began to disintegrate, shriveling up and dying in the cauldron. "Very nice, Miss Granger," He glanced up from my potion and into my eyes, with a small amount of surprise in his eyes, "Very nice indeed." 

    A grin spread my lips as I thanked him for the compliment. In actuality, I was just as shocked as Slughorn. Obviously, the potion was nowhere near perfect, but I'd managed a some what successful killing potion, and for that, I was pleased with myself. 

    Slughorn then stepped up to the very last cauldron, Harry's. Harry seemed a small bit nervous, but he offered the Professor a tiny smile of confidence as Slughorn dropped a tea leaf into the pitch cauldron. I got up on my tip toes to peer into the potion, watching in horror as the tea leaf floated down to the potion surface and burned on impact.

    "Merlin's beard!" Slughorn grinned towards Harry, "She's perfect! So perfect, I'd dare say one drop would kill us all," I forced my mouth shut as I turned to glare at Hermione who was already glaring between Harry and I. We were both thinking the same thing. 

        How had Harry Potter, The Boy Who Barely Skated By In Potions Last Year With Hermione and I's Help, suddenly turn into Potion Master Potter. It was practically illogical, but he'd done it.

    We all gathered around as Slughorn pulled Harry up to the front of the class, Lana and Seamus just making it back in time to see the winner of the contest. "So, here we are, as promised," Slughorn announced, handing Harry the vial, "Use it well."

    "Thank you, Professor."

    Jenna sighed, crossing her arms beside me, "Huh, who'd of thought Harry was actually good at Potions. We should start calling him Living Death Potter." 

    "Living Death Potter," I rolled my eyes, "Potion Master Potter, either way...," I trailed off, connecting eyes with Hermione as she pouted a bit, cleaning up her mess, "He accomplished something I couldn't do properly, and I helped him with his homework last year."

    Jenna rose a brow at that at watched as Harry slipped his extremely worn out book into his satchel, "Maybe he had... A very good study buddy over the summer?" 

~~~~~ [wow, I'm on a roll] ~~~~~~~