VIBRANCE || FRED WEASLEY [1]

[07]: COLD TEA

"Actually, I didn't." Arden sighed, pushing her stray hairs out of her face. "The food literally disappeared on me."

Cedric chuckled before bending over to fish through his bag. "Well," he said, his fingers pulling out a crimson red apple. "Do you want—"

"Yes!" Arden almost yelped, grasping ahold of the fruit before sinking her teeth deeply into the skin of the apple.

Just as Arden was about to take another bite, the door slammed shut behind her and she sensed the very ominous presence of Professor Snape. His cloak fanned out behind him, the black robes blending in eerily with the stone walls and darkly colored desks. Arden quickly took a large bite of her apple before hiding it inside her robes' pocket—she knew well enough that Snape would give her detention for simply eating during the class period. "Turn your textbook to page twenty-nine and refrain from speaking for the duration of the period." Snape announced bitterly, his voice cold and unfriendly as his gaze scanned the class with disinterest—looking for anyone and anything to call out.

Arden and Cedric shared looks of amusement before they began reading the designated passages. She placed her chin in her palm, crinkling her nose as she read about a potion called the Calming Draught. The concoction's main use and purpose was to calm a person after suffering either a shock or emotional outburst. Arden snorted to herself, she could've definitely used that last night.

"Today," Snape's voice suddenly rang out, "You will be attempting to brew a cauldron of the Calming Draught. Should you succeed and create an absolutely flawless potion, you will be excused from the quiz scheduled for this Friday. Any person who does not meet the standard will write a four paged essay by this Thursday." The class groaned, a reaction that Snape instantly silenced with a sharp glare and a scowl. "Get to work!"

Immediately, the class bursted into whispered conversations. Arden turned to Cedric, "I'll get the supplies, you start the fire?" She proposed.

The boy agreed, a grin stretched across his face. "Deal, we can switch next time." He replied. Arden, without hesitation, began to make her way towards the abundance of supplies Snape had laid out for the class across a wooden table. Weaving her way past a group of girls, Arden reached out to wrap her fingers around a bag of powdered moonstone and unicorn horns. She piled it into her arms, then taking a hold of a vile of poison-free dragon blood. The smell was quite disgusting, but she grinned and bared it as she made her way back to the table.

"That smells horrible," Cedric coughed, waving his hand in front of his nose in attempt to fan away the very malodorous ingredients. "Reminds me of how Snape smells." He whispered underneath his breath. Arden stifled a laugh as the greasy haired teacher walked passed their table, casting a rather grim look at the whispering pair.

"Good one," Arden praised as she poured two cups of cold water into the cauldron. It let out a light steam from the boiling hot fire lit beneath the bottom of the cauldron. She watched as Cedric spelled the fire once again to keep it from dying out. He looked almost scared of the cackling flames, causing Arden to chuckle every time he jerked his hands away with fright. "It says that we need to crush the porcupine needles—you can do that because I don't favor having my fingers poked."

Cedric cocked his brow. "And what makes you think that I don't mind it?"

"Oh, I know you mind it. I just thought that out of the two of us, better you than me." Arden shrugged, causing Cedric to laugh and shake his head.