Cards, Fire & Cinnamon - F.WEASLEY

27

───── ❝ Amortentia ❞ ─────

She had been back at Hogwarts for about a week and Christmas already seemed like a distant memory. She did feel better but not at all normal. Though her focus and work ethic had returned, thank god. It was another rainy potions lesson and Snape was yammering on about how dangerous the potion they were about to make could be if it was misused. Draco and she sat at the back, like the year before, but now Hermione sat in the spare seat of their table. They were both helping her, making sure that she hadn't and wouldn't fall too far behind.

"You will work in tables, we don't want too many batches," Snape announced and the room filled with whispers of excitement. "You will be brewing Amortentia today, does anyone know what this potion does?" he asked over the chattering students, who all quickly became silent again. Cass had brewed this potion in her old school and apparently it had been outstanding, she didn't smell anything in it though. This time, however, she hoped that she would. Cass already speculated who it would be. Hermione's hand raised. "Miss Granger," Snape sighed.

"Amortenica is the most powerful love potion in the world. It smells different to each person, depending on what attracts them," she answered, smiling despite Snapes earlier tone.

"That is correct Miss Granger," he paused, looking around the room at all the Slytherins in disappointment. "Get to brewing," he ordered. The room echoed with the scraping of chairs against the stone floor. Draco and Cass headed to the supply cupboard and grabbed what they needed whilst Hermione flicked through the potion book. Once they returned, the cauldron had been set up and they were ready to go.

She groaned, nursing a headache with her face against the table. Hermione had been trying to explain a simple concept for a potion for the past twenty minutes, it just didn't make any sense. "I'm starting to think that these potions are slowly melting my brain."

Draco laughed, "No Cass, you're just stupid."

She looked up, anger flashing behind her eyes. "I will hurt you."

Hermione was focused on getting the potion correct, Draco and Cass were not. Cass ended up with an entire pot of dried herbs poured in her hair and Draco had some sort of slime from an animal spread across his cheek. They managed to clean it all up before Snape saw though.

"Are you guys going to smell it?" she asked both curiously. Draco brought the potion to his nose and inhaled, a soft smile formed on his face. "So?"

"Oh, I'm not telling you that," he laughed.

"Oh come on! That's not fair," she sighed, glaring at him. Draco only shrugged then walked to the supply cupboard, arms full of near-empty vials. Hermione went next and she immediately turned pink in the face. Her gaze darted straight over to Ron (who was currently taking over the potion he, Harry and Seamus were making). "It's Ron?" Cass whispered and Hermione turned a deeper shade of pink. "You would make a cute couple, I've always thought that," she smiled and Hermione looked to the ground.

Hermione cleared her throat, scooping some of the herbs up from the desk with her hands. "It's your turn," she replied.

Cass walked forward and inhaled. She immediately cut the smell to a person. It now seemed to waft around the room, encasing her senses with something that was so divine. A fresh deck of cards, a burning fire and Cinnamon. Fred.

-

At dinner that evening, Cass turned around to the Gryffindor table and caught Hermione's attention. "Are you guys doing anything tonight?" she asked. For the past two nights she had been alone in her room, slipping further down into the dark depths of grief. She needed a distraction and Draco was off studying.