Shelter • wolfstar au

33 ; undeniable good looks

Chapter Thirty Three: Undeniable Good Looks

27 November, 1982

The strong smell of whatever liquid that has collected at the bottom of the cauldron made Remus gag, but due to the strict instructions he was meant to follow, he was unable to move away, and kept himself rooted over the kitchen counter, desperately moving his hand in circles - twice clockwise, once anticlockwise - to stir the gradually thickening liquid, his upper arm beginning to ache soon. The sound of the door opening reached his ears, but he kept his mind focused on the potion that would be complete after twenty more stirrings ... nineteen ... eighteen ... seventeen ...

"What potion is that?" he heard Sirius's voice sound from behind him, so close to his left ear that he could feel his breath on his skin. He bit down on his lip and refrained from groaning. The potion would be finished soon. Concentrate.

"Why are you making a potion anyway? You're a muggle." Sirius's tone now held confusion, and it was with a lot of effort that Remus kept himself from hitting him. Eight more stirrings.

"Really?" he couldn't stop the words from escaping, despite the fact that talking would distract him from counting as well as from keeping track of the direction he had stirred. "Wow, that's news to me."

Sirius came out from behind him and leaned over the cauldron. The now violet liquid with the blue flames formed colorful patterns on his pale face, accentuating his hollow cheeks and lighting up his dull grey irises. Remus nearly forgot to count as he stared at him for a moment too long. But finally, he gave one last stir, and with satisfaction, watched as the light blue liquid soared up in small bubbles, which popped upon reaching the top of the cauldron, and the liquid sank back once again, forming the perfect periwinkle blue as described by the book, splashing softly against the sides of its container.

Remus let out a long, relieved sigh as he raised his hands to wipe away the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and the tip of his nose. He looked into the book, which was laid just beside the stove, protected by a shield charm Nathan had applied earlier to prevent any liquid from spilling on it. Remus found it quite pointless, for the book has already been mutilated by potions, several spots visible everywhere, either burnt, or coloured in bright colours. After making sure that the only thing he had left to do was wait for the potion to cool, he finally turned away from the cauldron and looked at Sirius, who was gazing at him intently.

"How are you so good at Potions?" he inquired with a deep frown on his forehead, as though contemplating the meaning of life. He put his hands behind him and on the counter, before pushing himself up and sitting down. "I myself never quite got the hang of the subject."

Remus looked at him in mild amusement, and picked up the cauldron to place it on the floor. "Really?" he asked in a voice that mirrored his confusion and amusement. "I thought you wizards were perfect at everything."