Into The Past | Tom Marvolo Riddle

Potions and Tom's Tricks

"Amortentia is considered the most powerful love potion in existence," she answered, her cheeks slightly burning as Slughorn complimented her on her knowledge.

"Good, good Flora. Now does anyone know the antidote?" Slughorn asked. Tom lazily raised his hand as everyone once again shrugged. "Tom," he acknowledged.

"It doesn't necessarily have a name, sir. But, it's the clear liquid antidote," Tom answered Slughorns trick-question. Before Slughorn could praise him, Flora raised her hand.

"Flora?" Slughorn asked.

"Tom forgot to mention that a hate potion can also cancel out the effects of the Love Potion, and vice versa," Flora added in, her knowledge of the subject broad due to her originally being a Ravenclaw. Where she endeavored for the best grades possible.

"Ahh... also correct," Slughorn smiled. Flora felt eyes burning into the sides of her face, it belonging to Tom. She raised her head expectantly.

"You didn't let me finish," he whispered harshly, his head dipping down sideways to her ear.

"Sure..." she drawled out. His blue eyes were irritated and his focus turned back to the teacher. His smirking exterior now gone within a minute.

"Now, everyone grab a partner because we'll be brewing the antidote in pairs," Slughorn ordered. Before Flora could find a partner, Tom grabbed onto her wrist.

"We'll be partners," he ordered. She frowned at him, but looked around to find everyone partnered up. His two friends standing idly by, out of place.

"Everyone grab a book out of your pair and head to the tables," Slughorn ordered, pointing to the wooden cabinet. Everyone nodded and Flora was about to go and grab one when she felt Tom's cold hand still gripped to her wrist. Tom dragged her to a table before waving a book in his other hand to her face. She nodded, understandably and awaited the other pairs to be ready.

"It's on page..." she blocked Slughorns following words as she eyed everything in front of her. Tom had let go of her hand awhile ago and she weirdly missed his pale hands on hers. The contrast of their skins fading into each other. Tom watched Flora carefully as she was out of it, her fingers tracing the black pot. Not knowingly, both of them were out of their element. "Now!" Slughorn's voice boomed around the room. Tom and Flora now alert. "Anyone who can brew the perfect consistency of the antidote, which will be tested with a Barrington leaf may I just add. Will get this luck serum," Slughorn smiled, shaking the luck serum.

"But theirs two partners, sir," a girl spoke up.

"And... you're old and competent enough to choose who gets it, aren't you?" Slughorn replied before saying 'Go'.

"So it says to chop this up," Flora spoke, before looking at the notes scrawled in Tom's handwriting. "You've done this before?" Flora questioned eyeing the scribbled steps and the rewritten ones.

"Of course I have," he spoke.

"Um... then squish it with the blade?" Flora spoke, her order coming out more as a question. He smirked and did it before Flora measured the amount and putting it into the pot before stirring it. The substance in the pot turning a black misty colour. "Ne-" Flora was stopped from completing her sentence  when something hit her face.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. It slipped from under the knife," a girl apologised.

"Oh it-" Flora was interrupted once again as Tom spoke.

"Watch it next time Herrington," Tom growled, eyeing the raven haired girl. She seemed to wince at his voice, but nevertheless she retrieved the item that had went flying and returned to her friends with a giggle.

"She's a weird one," Flora whispered to Tom as he measured the amount of Gurdyroot.

"Oh please. She's probably telling her friends that I said hi to her..." he trailed off, his icy blue eyes glancing towards her warm brown ones.

"Hmm... the girls in our year seem to be infatuated with you," Flora giggled, waving her eyebrows teasingly. Tom simply rolled his eyes.

"Hmm... they all are," he smirked, adding Wiggin tree twigs that had been grated into the pot. Another thing Tom had changed on the steps. Grating instead of slicing finely. Flora stirred the pot before speaking.

"I don't think so," she hummed. He cocked his eyebrow in response. "I don't like you," she pointed out.

"Sure..." he dragged out. Flora lightly smiled at him mimicking her from about 5 minutes ago. Flora followed the last direction and she dropped the thirteen items into the pot before mischievously smiling at Tom.

"Your ego's to big for you to handle, you know?" Flora questioned.

"Oh please Nightingale. I can handle it perfectly fine," he smirked, his icy blue eyes falling down to her warm brown ones.

"You alright, Miss. Nightingale," Slughorn asked, referring to her face.

"She's fine Sir, it's just her ego may be wounded," Tom answered.

"Whatever... Riddle" Flora frowned, turning her attention to the finished antidote.