The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part Two

227. The Unbrewed

Althea never showed up for lunch. She appeared, looking slightly paler than normal but otherwise no different than usual, outside the dungeon classroom just after Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Thea, why did you never come to lunch?" Hermione asked the moment she appeared.

"Oh, just got caught up in-" she began, but before she had finished, Ernie Macmillan shouldered his way toward them to address Harry.

"Harry," Ernie said in his oddly pompous voice. "Didn't get a chance to speak in Defence Against the Dark Arts this morning. Good lesson, I thought, but Sheild Charms are old hat for us old DA lags...And how are you three?"

"Fine," Ron, Hermione, and Thea muttered.

But before they could say more, the door to the dungeon classroom opened, revealing Professor Slughorn. Althea noticed as they entered that he greeted herself, Harry, and Zabini with particular warmth. Glancing around the room, Althea saw that only about a dozen students had made it to the N.E.W.T. level. There were three Slytherins, including Malfoy and Zabini, four Ravenclaws, Ernie as the one Hufflepuff, and Harry, Ron, Althea, and Hermione as the only Gryffindors.

As they slipped into their seats, Althea was surprised to see vapours already filling the room. The potion in front of them emitted very interesting smells. Althea leaned closer, taking in a deep breath. It smelled of fresh dirt, much like the smell in the greenhouses, as well as something she knew must be vanilla bean. But yet another scent wafted with the rest. It was the spicy chicken dish she, her mother, and father had made so often over the summer as it was easy to make and kept well to reheat later on. The final scent she made out was the scent of fresh herbs.

"Now then, now then, now then," Slughorn said. "Scales out everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your textbooks."

"Sir?" Harry said, raising his hand.

"Harry, m'boy?" Slughorn replied.

"I haven't got a book of scales or anything - nor's Ron - we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T. you see-"

"Ah, yes," Slughorn said. "Professor McGonagall did mention...not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts."

Once they had been given two very battered sets of scales and books, Slughorn returned to the front of the class.

"Now then," he began again. "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of them, even if you haven't made them yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

Althea sat up slightly to look into the cauldron by the table of Slytherins. It was completely clear and was bubbling fainting. Hermione's hand instantly shot into the air as Thea raised her hand much more slowly and less enthusiastically.

When Slughorn pointed to Hermione, she said, "It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."

"Very good, very good!" Slughorn praised before moving over to the cauldron by the Ravenclaws and Ernie. "Now, this one here is pretty well known...Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too...Who can-"

Hermione's hand shot into the air again. Althea smiled slightly. She wasn't going to bother anymore.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," Hermione said.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Slughorn said. "Now this one here...yes, my dear?" Slughorn said, looking bemused as he moved over to their table.

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," Slughorn said, looking very impressed. "But I assume you know what it does?"

But Hermione was looking oddly shy suddenly so Althea answered, "It's the most powerful love potion in the world with a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen from pearl dust as well as the spiral steam created as a result of the chemical reaction of the ashwinder eggs and rose thorns. It smells differently to each person according to not only the things that attract them but also things that inspire feelings of affection. For example, I smell the greenhouses, a meal my family often makes, vanilla bean, fresh herbs..."

"Very good," Slughorn said enthusiastically, looking between the pair of them excitedly. "You've got your mother's flair, Thea, that's for sure. And you, my dear, might I ask you name?"

He had turned to Hermione.

"Hermione Granger, sir," she replied.

"Granger? Granger?" Slughorn mused. "Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"No, I don't think so," Hermione said shyly. "I'm muggle-born, you see."

Beaming, Slughorn looked from Hermione to Harry as he said, "Oho! 'One of my best friends is muggle-born and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this was the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said, glancing quickly at Althea to see if she was hurt.

He had, in truth, made the statement to counteract a slightly dodgy remark Slughorn had made about his mother being an extremely talented witch despite being muggle-born, not to throw shade at Althea, but Thea didn't seem to think anything of it. She was looking at her book which Harry noticed for the first time had writing all over it.

"Very well," Slughorn said with a smile. "Take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger. Another twenty for you too, Miss Black."

With a radiant expression, Hermione whispered, "Did you really tell him I'm the best in the year?"

"Well, what's so impressive about that?" Ron whispered back, looking annoyed. "You are the best in the year - I'd've told him so if he'd asked me!"

"Sh!" Althea whispered. "I'm trying to listen."

"Amortia doesn't create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room." At the sight of Malfoy and Nott's smirks, he added, "Oh yes. When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love..."