Novaturient || Wizarding World

Chapter 52

Auriah

Harry and I were disappointed that Slughorn didn't even give us a chance to talk to him, but we weren't going to give up. We just had to figure out a way to make him open up, possibly with a bottle of Firewhiskey or two.

Harry and I headed up to his dorm, we were going to hangout for a while before curfew.

When we passed Dean and Seamus in the Gryffindor common room I was hopeful Harry's dorm room would be empty.

"It's beautiful isn't it, the moon." Ron said dreamily, staring out the window as we walked into the room. I held in a disappointed sigh, though I wasn't even sure what I would do if I had Harry alone in there.

"Uh, divine." Harry replied, making a face.

"Had ourselves a little late night snack, did we?" I laughed, looking at the completely empty chocolate box on the ground. Sweet wrappers surrounded Ron.

"It was on Harry's bed, the box. I just thought I'd try one." Ron replied sheepishly.

"Or 20." Harry scoffed.

"I can't stop thinking about her, Harry." Ron stood up. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, Lavender wasn't that amazing, Hermione was clearly much better.

"Honestly, I reckoned she was annoying you." Harry replied, picking up the empty box and throwing it in the bin.

"She could never annoy me." Ron answered, sounding offended. He scrambled across the room, retrieved the empty heart shaped box from the bin and got right up in Harry's face. "I think... I love her."

Harry looked over at me again, terror in his dark green eyes. I tried to hold in my laughter, Ron must have taken something from Neville's herb collection.

"Well...brilliant?" Harry tried to put some space between them.

"Do you think she knows I exist?" Ron asked sprawling across his bed.

"I sure hope so. She's been snogging you for months now." I answered Ron, taking a seat on Harry's bed.

"Snogging?" Ron sat up and his face filled with confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who are you talking about?" I asked back, this batch of Neville's stuff must have been strong.

"Romilda, of course. Romilda Vane." Ron answered.

"Okay, very funny." Harry forced a laugh.

Ron stood up from the bed and threw the box at Harry angrily.

"Ow, what was that for?" Harry rubbed his arm.

"It's no joke! I'm in love with her!" Ron shouted.

"Alright fine, you're in love with her." Harry was exasperated.

"Have you ever actually met her?" I asked.

"No." Ron frowned. "Can you introduce me?"

Harry looked over at me, confused and slightly annoyed.

Ron didn't wait for Harry's answer, he went back to the window to stare at the moon in a daze. I stared at the discarded chocolate box and picked it up. A card was attached to the bottom.

On the card was a picture of Romilda Vane blowing a kiss. She wrote "Dear Harry, thinking of you" and had signed her name and surrounded it with hearts.

I suddenly put the pieces together, Hermione had warned me that Romilda was in love with Harry trying to smuggle him love potions. If the card and her plan weren't so ridiculous I might have been jealous but it was honestly just comedic.

I passed the card to Harry and he realized the same thing instantly. Ron was under a love potion.

"Come on, Ron." I walked over and pulled him away from the window. "I'm going to introduce you to Romilda Vane."

Ron followed me excitedly while Harry went back to being confused. I led the boys out of Gryffindor Tower and towards Slughorn's office.

I knocked on Slughorn's door and as soon as his little window opened I spoke fast.

"I'm sorry sir, but we wouldn't bother you if it weren't absolutely essential." I told him.

"Where's Romilda." Ron whined, impatiently.

"What's the matter with Wenby?" Slughorn asked.

"A very powerful love potion." Harry whispered to him.

"Very well, better bring him in." Slughorn opened the door. We walked into the room and Slughorn started to collect the ingredients for his antidote. "I would have thought you would be able to whip up a remedy for this in no time, Harry."

"Well I thought this called for a more practiced hand, sir." Harry responded as he watched Slughorn carefully.

"Well how about you, Auriah? I'm sure your aunt has had to make plenty of these. All the girls were after her wizard back in her day." Slughorn chuckled.

"I would end up poisoning him if I tried." I joked, ignoring the reminder that Yaxley was my aunt's wizard 'back in her day'.

"Hello darling, fancy a drink?" Ron clung on to Slughorn's arm. The professor looked at him like he wished someone would poison the boy.

I pulled Ron off of him and over to the couch to have a seat.

"I'm sorry, by the way professor, about earlier today. Our misunderstanding." Harry said as he helped me take care of Ron.

"Oh, no worries." Slughorn replied. "Water under the bridge, you know. Correct?"

"Well, I expect you're tired of it after all these years." Harry answered. "All the questions about Voldemort."

I had a few questions about my father for him myself, he knew my father longer and much better than I did.

"Don't use that name." Slughorn snapped, starling both Harry and I. Slughorn stirred the poison rapidly, probably eager to get us out of there.

We waited in silence, except for when Ron made a weird comment. When Slughorn finished he passed a glass with red liquid to Ron.

After drinking it Ron's dopey smile faded and was replaced with pure confusion.

"What happened to me?" He asked.

"Love potion." Harry smirked.

"A bloody strong one at that." Slughorn added.

"I feel really bad." Ron's face was pale.

"You need a pick-me-up, Wallace. Let's see what I have." Slughorn said to him, walking to his desk. "Butterbeer, wine, pumpkin juice? Oh I have this dazzling oak- matured mead. I had other intentions for this, but I think given the circumstances..."

He poured the mead into four cups and handed one to each of us.

"To life!" Slughorn cheered, raising his glass. Both mine and Harry's clinked his but Ron was already chugging away. The three of us were about to drink when Ron's body collapsed to the ground.

His body started to shake and froth flowed out of his mouth. Ron had been poisoned.

"Ron!" I gasped, Harry ran to his friend's side. Ron continued to gag on the froth. I quickly looked around Slughorn's office and saw a familiar box across the room.

"Professor, do something!" Harry yelled desperately.

I reached the box and opened it, it contained a few bezoars. Aunt Helena always reminded us the importance of having bezoars around for emergencies.

After removing one from the box I ran to Ron's side and shoved the large clump down his throat.

"Come on, Ron. Breath!" Harry urged as we waited for the bezoar to take effect. Slughorn sat on his sofa, perplexed at what was going on.

Finally, Ron gasped for air and his eyes were no longer rolled to the back of his head.

"Oh thank Godrick." I sighed, wrapping my arms around him.

"These girls," Ron sighed, "they're going to kill me."