Hell Heart ❤️‍🔥 Harry Potter [1]

xxvii ⟶ Green-Eyed Monster

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xxvi. Green-Eyed Monster
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THE NEXT DAY rolls around fast, and in the afternoon, Thea is stood on her own in the stuffy Potions classroom, concentrating hard. She knows she needs to put in a little more work than her academically gifted friends, like Eden, Hermione and Draco, but she doesn't mind. It distracts her from the haunting of thoughts that just won't leave her alone. She hasn't spoken to anyone in about a week, and Dean's definitely avoiding her ever since her little show in the Three Broomsticks. She's been looking over her shoulder for her mother or Bellatrix ever since. As opposed to last year, Thea has started burying herself in textbooks and colourful notes, revising and reading around her subjects, trying to forget about the war brewing.

She hears Harry tell Slughorn about his and Ron's lack of equipment as they didn't realise they'd be able to do N.E.W.T level Potions, then Slughorn bustles about in the classroom for a moment, but Thea doesn't pay attention. She's checking she's got absolutely everything she needs, before sitting quietly and running her finger along the spine of her brand-new Advanced Potion-Making book.

"Now then," says Slughorn, walking to the front of the classroom.

Thea focuses on the man, catching every syllable of his words. She's absolutely determined to do well this year, despite everything else going on.

"I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest you know. These are the kinds of things you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.Ts. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this is?"

Thea cranes her neck to see what looks like water bubbling in the cauldron. She frowns at it, not having a clue of the answer Slughorn's asking for.

"It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," Hermione, of course, answers.

"Very good, very good! Now," Slughorn points a chubby finger at the Ravenclaw table. "this once here is pretty well-known...featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too..."

Thea's hand shoots in the air. In the cauldron is a thick and mud-like substance – she knows this one! She read this last night! It's –

" – Polyjuice Potion, sir." Hermione. Again.

Thea tries not to be annoyed, her hand dropping, but she can't stop feeling a little deflated.

"Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here...yes, my dear?"

Thea glances at the potion in the cauldron. It's shimmering, and reminds her of a pearl...and the smell is delicious...the smell of black tea, old vinyl, and something reminiscent of a hug, as strange as it sounds; sweet, a little like treacle tart, and woody, like a broomstick handle, but so comforting...

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," says Slughorn, who's beaming greatly, like he just found a diamond amongst old tins. "but I assume you know what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" Hermione exclaims.

"Quite right! You recognised it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

Thea picks up her quill and scribbles that down. Distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen. Got it.

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals, and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and – "