LIONHEART ❃ george weasley

056 | sour candy and gunpowder

"Great!" Carly gave a little jump of excitement, and continued onwards with a skip in her step. "Maybe this weekend we could start?"

Albany smiled fondly. "Sure," she agreed, and then glanced up to find they had arrived at the Potions classroom. "See you later?"

"Of course!" Carly cheered, and gave her a little wave before heading off again.

Potions was nowhere near Albany's favourite class for a multitude of reasons; the biggest of which being the professor, though that went without saying. The amount of work they were consistently assigned was another con. The pros? George had become her brewing partner since the time he and Fred had turned Roger Davies into a canary — though even that fun was ruined by the enforced silence in the room and the amount of points the twins lost every class.

And this particular day, the uncomfortable stuffy and humid air of the classroom was combining with her exhaustion to form a wicked migraine.

All in all, Potions sucked ass.

"Today's class," Snape drawled from the top of the room as he scribbled notes on the chalkboard, "we will be brewing Amortentia. Though one of the less respectable potions out there, it is, regrettably, on your course. Would anyone like to explain what Amortentia is?"

Albany exchanged an unbothered glance with George, leaning her chin in her hand as she prepared to endure the hour. Her head was already beginning to pound, and she wished she'd brought water with her to drink in attempt to ease the pain.

"It's a love potion, innit?" someone from the back of the room piped up, which suddenly piqued Albany's interest. George waggled his eyebrows playfully at her, and she stifled a laugh, elbowing him in the side.

"Correct," Snape drawled, returning to the chalkboard. "Amortentia is regarded as the most powerful love potion in the world, though do not be fooled — it creates mere infatuation, and is notoriously difficult to brew successfully. Open your books to page two hundred and seven and begin brewing immediately; once it is left to simmer, you may take down these notes. If I catch anyone attempting to drink the potion, or administer it to another student, I will not hesitate to take you to the Headmaster's office immediately."

"Must be heavy stuff," Albany mumbled under her breath, flipping through the musty pages of her Potions textbook while George prepared their equipment.

"Must be," he agreed. "I've heard of it before, but I dunno much about it."

Albany raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I thought you would've studied its ingredients or whatever to apply it in your own products."

George shrugged. "Figured a love potion wasn't worth looking into," he reasoned, and then grinned. "Not really our area of expertise."

"I reckon you'd make some wicked pranks with a bit of love potion," Albany said jokingly.

George made a face at her. "Playing with people's feelings?"

"Oh, that's off the table but nonstop projectile vomiting isn't?"

"....Yeah?"

Albany rolled her eyes in amusement. "Whatever you say, Weasley."

Amortentia was certainly no easy potion to brew, as Snape had assured them. The instructions were horribly vague — where did you draw the line between a sprinkle and a pinch of powdered gnashroot? All the while, the room grew warmer and more humid as the cauldron fires were lit. Albany rubbed at her temples periodically, trying in vain to soothe the building ache behind her skull. George spared her a concerned glance every now and again, but she waved away his concerns before he could voice them, insistent that she was alright.