𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚 || 𝘳.𝘢.𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

005. potions

"Miss Potter?" Slughorn calls and her head snaps up, knocking herself from her thoughts to see that most people had started working, "Mr Black's over there."

Shit.

Maria just nods, internally groaning as she trudges over to where Regulus is sat with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Not going to blow up our potions this year, are you?" The tousle a haired boy says as she drops her bag next to the stool with a scowl on her face.

"I'll have you know, I've improved massively since third year." Maria snaps, taking out her book and Regulus rolls his stormy eyes.

"Sure."

"Don't mock me, Black."

"I wasn't mocking you!"

"Sounded like it."

Regulus scoffs with an eye roll as he begins to sprinkle something into the steaming cauldron. Maria frowns, getting closer to the potion .
Regulus stirs the potion with the ladle as he reads the potions guide intently. His eyes flicker up to her chocolate ones which instantly flicker down to her own book.

"Are you sure you added enough infusion of wormwood?" Maria asks as she gets a whiff of the steam billowing from the cauldron. Regulus nods with a raised eyebrow and she sighs, sitting back slightly. "Your brother annoys me."

"He annoys most." Regulus says as he adds some more Valerian sprigs, "it's one of his traits."
"One that was also passed to you?" Maria says with a sarcastic smile and Regulus rolls his eyes.

"You know, you didn't add enough." Maria states, taking some infusion of wormwood and sprinkling of into the cauldron.
She peers into the potion only to have arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back quickly just as the potion explodes.

"Oh well done, Potter." Regulus says sarcastically, acting as though he didn't just save her face from being burnt off.
"It didn't smell right!" Maria defends, the two of them not noticing that they're drenched in the green potion.

"That's because I hadn't added the Abraxan hair!"

"Well I didn't know that!"

"No, because you weren't paying attention."

"What on earth it going on?" Slughorn asks as he approaches them before grimacing at their state, "oh dear, maybe you two should. . .get cleaned up."

"Right." Maria nods, grabbing her bag and walking out of the lesson, Regulus following angrily behind her.
"You're a right moron, you know that?" Regulus snaps as he catches up to her and Maria scoffs. "I'm serious Potter, you could've burnt your face off!"

"And you care because. . ?"

"I don't, but I'd rather not be blamed for burning Potter's sister's face off." Regulus grumbles and she rolls her eyes, "I thought you said you've 'massively improved'." He mocks.

"I did, with Danielle." Maria snaps, "you just make it way to difficult to work with you!"
"Me?!" Regulus exclaims incredulously, "you're the one that wasn't paying attention!"

"It smelt bad!"

"'It smelt bad'?"

"Yeah it smelt bad."

"How did you expect it to smell? Good?" Regulus scoffs and Maria rolls her eyes, "it was a bloody flesh eating slug repellent!"

"I'm not doing this right now." Maria says dismissively waving her hand and proceeding to stroll faster down the corridor.

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Maria Euphemia Potter slumps onto the bench across from her two best friends with a frustrated expression on her face. The argument with Regulus Black in first period had set her mood off on one for the rest of the first day back, much to Danielle and Clarissa's displeasure.

"What is it now?" Danielle asks, spooning some mashed potato into her mouth as Maria glares over at the Slytherin table.
"He's such a stupid prat." Maria says as she sees him laughing with his friends: Stanley Harper and Alyssa Greengrass.

"You're being melodramatic." Clarissa states and Maria raises an eyebrow at the girl — who is always dramatic.

"What's the matter with you?" James asks as he sits next to his sister who rolls her eyes.
"His brother is a pain in my arse." Maria says, jabbing a finger at Sirius who holds his arms out in offence as he stuffs his face with Yorkshire pudding.

"What happened?"

"I blew up our potion and he overreacted, big time." Maria grumbles, picking at the food on her plate and James rolls his eyes.

"I thought you got better at potions?" Remus asks her and she sighs.
"I did when I wasn't paired with him." Maria says venomously and Peter snorts slightly.

"Be careful Mari, you might start world war three." Peter snickers and Remus high fives him as Sirius, James and Maria look at them blankly. "Never mind."

"Anyway, I heard that Evans willingly became your potions partner, what's with that?" Maria questions her brother who smirks triumphantly.
"I suppose I've matured." James says poshky, flicking his head boy badge and Maria shoved his face so that he almost face plants his dinner.

James gasps and pushes her so that she almost falls off the bench.
"Oh yeah, real mature." Maria mocks and James makes a 'hmph' sound as he folds his arms with a pout.

Maria's mind is all over the place as she messes with the food on her plate. Flickering from James and Lily's wedding plans to murdering Regulus Arcturus Black. And he has the audacity to shout at her, even after he saved her from getting her face boiled. It makes no sense. Why wouldn't he just let the potion blow up all over her and gives her life in St Mungo's. That would be easier for him, no doubt.

Maria's eyebrows twitch into a small frown when she sees the Slytherin girl that Regulus ditched at the ball — Rebecca Barnes. She's gorgeous, there's not a doubt about that. Her blonde curls cascading down to rest on her shoulders and her eyes a perfect, dark green colour. Her figure flawless, and her skin perfect. Maria finds it hard to find an imperfection on Rebecca Barnes

The though makes her push her food away and rest her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand.

"Ri, you've hardly touched your food." Sirius points out and Maria looks up at him before shrugging.
"I'm not hungry for turkey dinner." She grumbles and James raises an eyebrow but brushes it off.

Remus looks at his best friend's younger sister with slightly furrowed eyebrows as he watches her pick at her nails in boredom. He'd always though of Maria as this perfect girl who had a popular older brother and a pretty face. Obviously, he knows that she's a lot more than just that, everyone is. But now, as he watches her push away the plate, he figures maybe she doesn't see what he and many others do.

Remus quickly reaches into his inside pocket and takes out a bar of chocolate, snapping a large piece off and offering it to Maria who eyes it.

"Come on, it'll make me happy." Remus says, pouring his bottom lip out and Maria laughs, rolling her eyes as she takes the chocolate and takes a bite out of it.
Remus smiles widely at her, ruffling her hair as she eats the chocolate.

Grey eyes watch the exchange curiously as a blonde Slytherin tries to distract him but he waves her off and continues to watch Maria Potter.

All he can think is, what the bloody hell is wrong with me?

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