A Hogwarts Romance: Ron Weasley (IN PROGRESS AND UNDER EDITING)

Amortentia

*Ron's Point Of View*

I'm in my Potions class, ignoring the other students and still thinking about what happened last night with Bella.

"This here is Amortentia," Professor Snape drawls in his nasally voice as he leans over a steaming golden cauldron. "It is the most powerful love potion in the world. It smells different to every person based on what attracts them. Why don't you all come up here and take a sniff and tell me what you smell? Line up, everyone."

We all line up. I take my place in line, right behind Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.

Harry is first in line. "I smell... treacle tarts and wood from a broomstick handle... and something flowery," Harry announces as he leans over the cauldron and inhales deeply. "Definitely something flowery... perhaps perfume." He blushes.

"Probably Hermione's perfume," chuckles Neville.

"Shut up, Neville," Harry mutters. He goes back to his seat as the line moves up.

Neville is next. He peers into the cauldron from quite some time before finally taking a whiff. "Smells like plants of some sort. Bark from a tree, perhaps. And cherries... and fresh dirt." He stares wistfully into the cauldron, as if he's silently telling it all his secrets, and then walks back to his seat.

Next is Seamus Finnigan, and then Dean Thomas. Neither of the guys say a word about what they can smell in the potion. They both appear to be wholly uninterested and walk quickly back to their seats without speaking at all. As soon as they walk away, I feel myself tense up slightly. I'm up next in line, and for some reason, I feel a bit nervous.

"Mr. Weasley, you're up next," says Professor Snape, nodding at me.

Slowly, I walk up to the cauldron. Swirling, mysterious steam wafts up from it. I lean towards the cauldron and breathe in.

The first thing I smell is the familiar scent of Chocolate Frogs. Of course, it doesn't surprise me. I can also smell Cauldron Cakes, I think. And something else. Something sweet and fresh and kind of minty. I take another sniff. I think it's peppermint shampoo. I know I've smelled that smell before.

And then it hits me.

It's Bella's shampoo.

It is definitely Bella's shampoo. The smell sort of envelops me, wrapping me up and pleasing my senses. I breathe in again and sigh in content. The love potion is supposed to smell like the things that attract you, so of course it smells like Bella. I take another sniff, and now I can also smell the faint scent of vanilla, and I remember that Bella's skin always smells like vanilla. I let out a sigh.

"What did the Amortentia potion smell like to you, Ron?" Harry asks once I step away from the cauldron and go back to my seat.

"It smelled like Chocolate Frogs," I state. "And... it smelled like Bella."

"Oooh," Harry whistles. "You've really got it bad for her, Ron."

"I know," I sigh.