circles; h.potter

81- Potions Prodigy

"Holly eh? Do you happen to have heard of Aubrey Bennet-Black? You look rather like her-" Slughorn peered at Liana closely and Liana let out a hollow chuckle.

"Yes I've crossed paths with her a few times Professor. She was my mother you see," Liana revealed sarcastically and Slughorn looked as if he was about to levitate with delight but before he could open his mouth to reply with great gusto, Harry and Ron came hurrying in through the door.

"Harry my boy! I was beginning to worry, and who have we got with us?" Slughorn chortled as the pair of boys hovered awkwardly by the door. Ron especially looking as if he would rather be anywhere but here.

"Ron Weasley, Sir, but I'm dead awful at potions- a menace actually so I'm probably just going to-"Ron cut himself off as he made an attempt to dodge past Harry. But Harry caught him by a fistful of his robes and yanked him back.

"Not to worry, we'll soon sort you out- after all any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine, get your books out-" Slughorn nodded.

While Harry and Ron were busy trying to explain why they didn't have any textbooks with them, Liana leant over to Hermione.

"I didn't know Harry knew Slughorn?" Liana probed with interest and Hermione shrugged as she now watched Harry and Ron fight over a newer and nicer spare textbook in the cupboard.

"You wouldn't. He went with Dumbledore to meet Slughorn when you were still recovering from your grand night out over the summer and you got dropped at the Weasleys," Hermione told her and Liana nodded in understanding.

"Now as I was saying- I prepared some concoctions this morning. Any ideas of what they might be?" Slughorn asked, surveying the class eagerly.

Liana racked her brains as she glanced over the array of small cauldrons before slowly and slightly uncertainly lifting her hand into the air. Although she had to duck out of the way to avoid the sheer force Hermione's hand shot up with.

Slughorn smiled at Hermione in encouragement, "yes Miss-?"

"-Granger, Sir," Hermione informed him as she lowered her hand in satisfaction, "that one there is ammortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It is rumoured to smell differently to each person depending on what attracts them,"

Hermione crossed to the cauldrons and inhaled lightly, her cheeks flushing magenta as she did so.

"For example I smell new parchment, freshly mown grass and- spearmint toothpaste," Hermione finished, refusing to meet any of the eyes in the room watching her, especially Ron's.

"Very well done Miss Granger. Now, ammortentia doesn't create actual love- however it does induce powerful and obsessive infatuation, making it probably among the most powerful potions in this room," Slughorn, well aware of some of the girls in the room begin to creep forwards, longing to get a sniff of the potion, clamped the lid firmly back on the cauldron.

"What else do we have here?" Slughorn addressed, turning to the rest of the room.

Once again Liana's hand raised, with more sureness this time and Slughorn nodded at her with a  beam.

"Yes Miss Holly?"

"That one is veritaserum, the truth telling potion and I think- I think that small one is Felix Felicis," Liana faltered, looking at Slughorn for confirmation.

"Excellent Miss Holly- five points to Gryffindor. Yes you are correct, this little one here is Felix Felicis, a curious potion, it is more commonly referred to as liquid luck. It is desperately tricky to make and disastrous should you get it wrong, one sip and you shall find all of your endeavorers shall succeed. So this is what I offer you today, one tiny vial of liquid luck in exchange for an acceptable draft of living death brewed in the hour that remains."