Song:
Ain't no rest for the wicked (Cage the Elephant)
The Potions Class could only be described as rather depressive. It was located near the Slytherin Common Room in the dungeons which meant that there were not as many windows to lighten the heavy, humid atmosphere that reigned in the room. The desks were placed in rows, two chairs corresponding to each table. On top of them, there was a cauldron, as well as a solution in a small red vial in case something caught on fire. The walls were filled with disorganized shelves with different herbs and tools, the ones on the bottom being classified as the most common and harmless ingredients while the ones on the top were protected by a glass case that was locked. Callisto sat on a table at the back of the classroom, examining the shelves as more students started to fill the classrooms. She immediately spotted the petite figure of Lily Evans, who grinned widely at her and sauntered to the empty seat next to her.
"Callisto! Can I sit here?" She questioned, trying to stiffle her laughter. The now green haired girl noticed it and instinctively reached for her hair.
"Okay." She mumbled and Lily sat down, throwing her bag on the ground. Quite frankly, Callisto didn't really care who would be sitted next to her for potions. All she needed to do was clarify that she was indeed the top in this professional relationship and as long as the other person did exactly what she instructed, they would both receive Os in every assignment.
"So, are you any good at Potions?" Lily asked, her mind trailing off to her past grades.
"Let's just say that I do know a thing or two."
The two girls remained silent, observing as all the tables were now full. Callisto could see from the corner of her eye James Potter peering at them intently, occasionally turning to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to mumble something incoherent as Peter Pettigrew desperately tried not to fall asleep. The man Regulus had teased her about the previous day came in, his watery eyes scanning the class before he beamed a smile.
"Hello everyone and welcome to the first Potions class for your final year! As you already know, my name is professor Slughorn and together we will be preparing for your N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year." He began, the smile never leaving his face. "Since we have finished with the syllabus, we will be doing revisions of what you need to know for the exams and you will be preparing some of the most complex potions such as Felix Felicis, Amortentia and Polyjuice Potion on your own. You can pick your own partners as long as you pay attention during the lesson and you have by the end of today's class to settle on a final student. In case any of you face difficulties, I will be making changes."
"He does talk a lot, doesn't he?" Callisto whispered as Slughorn kept on rambling about the importance of N.E.W.T.s. Lily snickered, not averting her gaze from the professor.
"Today you will be brewing a Regerminating Potion. You will all deliver a vial with your potion and a label stuck on it with your names. Off you go!"
"I'll go pick up the ingredients." Callisto stated, heading to the shelves in the opposite side of the classroom that was now packed with students.
"Nice hair, Claire." James sniggered, reaching to pat her hair down. The girl glared at him and he immediately removed his hand, glancing at Remus who was standing next to him.
"It was a nice prank, Jace." She complimented with a small smirk. "Rather smart how they can't punish you."
"The beauty is in the details, Callisto." Remus commented, a sense of pride filling him that someone was recognizing his role in the prank.
"That is unless somebody could claim and actually prove that they saw Jace and Black with green paint all over them after curfew. How funny would that be?"
"What are you playing at, Claire?" James inquired, frowning. Remus looked at his friend, startled by what Callisto had said.
"I have an offer that benefits us both." She began, unable to hide her amusement. "I don't rat you out and you four owe me a favor."
"Even if you can prove that we were out after curfew you'll get detention as well. If we go down we're taking you with us." Callisto rolled her eyes at how dramatic James was. He really just said that as if she hadn't thought about it already.
"She'll probably get a week with Slughorn while we'll get a month with McGonagall or even Filch." Remus interved. Callisto's eyes rested on him, taking in his clenched jaw and hard look in his eyes.
"Looks and wit? Well done, Lupin!" She praised, sounding rather impressed. "Ladies, do we have a deal?"
"We'll let you know by the end of the lesson." James huffed, taking off his glasses to clean them on his shirt. Callisto nodded, winking at Remus before she started collecting all the ingredients needed for the potion. Her eyes skimmed over the shelves, searching for the shrivelfig when she heard Slughorn's voice behind her.
"Do you need help with the ingredients, Miss Claire?" He asked kindly, a smile that reminded her of a cheshire cat on his lips. Everyone knew that the Potions classroom was one of the messiest places in Hogwarts, mostly because Slughorn avoided anything that had to do with classifying materials like the plague.
"Could you tell me where the shrivelfig is?"
He cocked his head to the side, reluctantly opening a cabinet and handed a small bag to Callisto. "It's not needed for the potion, Miss Claire."
"The root of the shrivelfig will help make the plant resistant to harsh environmental conditions." She answered, doubt still clouding the man's eyes. "I will add it when the potion is in room temperature so that the root doesn't react with heat and blows the potion up."
"Interesting approach though I guess it should be expected given your...reputation." Callisto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she walked back to the desk. Lily had already prepared the cauldron and had written their names on a small etiquete, sticking it to a clean, empty vial.
The two girls started working in silence, Lily's eyes frequently turning to the tall marauder sitting a few tables to their right. Callisto smirked, throwing in the peppermint extract and stirring the purple mixture three times.
"It says two times in the book." Lily noted, pointing at the recipe.
"The book is wrong." Callisto answered. As if on cue, the potion started shimmering and small fern dot appeared in the middle of the cauldron, slowly expanding to the sides. Lily's eyes averted to the already prepared potion sitting on Slughorn's desk and she turned to look at Callisto, a wide smile on her pink lips.
"Please don't leave me." Callisto grinned at the comment and poured some of the potion in an empty, clear pot before sprinkling a bit of the grinded shrivelfig root inside.
"The shrivelfig root in the potion will not only revive the plant but also make it resistant." She explained and habded the pot to Lily so that she could pour some of their finished potion on the vial. "And I'm not going anywhere. You're probably the only person in here I can work with."
"I'll take that as a bloody compliment!"
"Are you two girls done?" Slughorn questioned, lifting the small vial and bringing it close to his face. He went over to the desk where a series of dead plants were and poured three drops of the potion. Immediately, the plant bloomed; its brown, dried leaves now looking green and healthy. Slughorn reluctantly pointed his wand at the plant and a small fire erupted, startling the whole class. Lily was sitting on the edge of her seat, waiting to see what would happen to the plant while the Slytherin just gazed at it calmly. The fire was put out and to everyone's surprise, the plant was still intact.
"Merlin's beard!" He exclaimed, his lips forming an o shape at the sight. "This is brilliant, girls! Twenty points to Slytherin and Gryffindor. Miss Claire, I want to see you in my office after the lesson."
Callisto nodded and Slughorn moved to another table where two Gryffindors had finished.
"I told you I know a thing or two about potions."
Class got dismissed and Callisto started picking up her stuff, waiting for everyone to leave before she sauntered to the desk where Slughorn was sitting. A stack of papers was in front of him, filled with names and grades. Callisto cleared her throat and Slughorn put the papers aside, motioning for her to sit.
"I have been informed about your stuation in Durmstrang and even though the reason for your explusion can't be overlooked, it is evident that you have talent." He began, taking a light green folder from the drawer under the desk. "I have organized a small club that consists of the brightest students in my class and I would be delighted if you could join. Miss Evans is also in the club and I'm certain she'd be wiling to introduce you to the other members."
"It'd be an honor to join." Callisto agreed, a fake smile making its way on her lips. Even though she wasn't particularly fond of such clubs, it would be an idiocy not to notice that this could be an opportunity to make connections. Some people could call it Slytherin over-ambition but would it really matter when she was eating from golden spoons in her lavish mansion? She deemed that tolerating a bunch of arrogant and delusional teenagers was possible.
"Great! Our first meeting is this weekend in my office. You will find all the information you need in the folder." Callisto nodded and bif the professor goodbye before exiting the class. She had barely managed to put the invitation in her bag when a hand grabbed her from the shoulder and pulled her in an empty broom closet.
"Touch me one more time, Lupin and I'm going to feed your hand to the owls!" She hissed, shaking Remus' hand off her shoulder. In front of her stood the four Marauders, cramping up in the limited space. A stong wave of different mixed colognes hit her nose but she ignored it and focused on the four boys.
"We have thought about your offer." James began, extending his arm. "And you have yourself a deal."
"Will I have to shake hands with all of you?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. James rolled his eyes and took her hand, intertwinding it with his own before shaking it. "What? No unbreakable vow? I suggest Lupin comes in for this one because out of you four he seems the most trustworthy."
"Is she - is she for real?" Peter whispered at Sirius who looked just as perplexed.
"I'm kidding, Blue-blue." She sighed, taking her hand out of James' grasp. "But if you guys feel unsure about my integrity then by all means, let's pinky promise this away."
"Blue-blue?" Sirius questioned, completely skipping over the unbreakable vow part.
"Yes, Black. Peter is Blue-blue, Potter is Jace and Lupin's nickname depends on what he's doing this weekend." Remus felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears heat up at the suggestive comment as his brain desperately tried to come up with a smart response. At times like these he hoped that Sirius' spirit would take over his body, but after finding out that this was actually jail-worthy and very dangerous magic, they decided to let their dream of possessing random people go.
"Well boys, I have to go now but by all means, feel free to inform me next time you decide to fuck my whole house up."
She opened the broom closet door and stepped out on the corridor, heading to the Great Hall. The four Gryffindors watched her retreating figure with shock etched on their faces. Multiple girls had been interested in their friend over the years at Hogwarts but he had never pursued a meaningful relationship bur rather, had opted for temporary flings. Of course, he made clear from the beginning that he wasn't interested in anything more, but that didn't stop the hopeless romantics from believing that it was going to be different with them. And so the flings started to diminish and the young werewolf was left in the sidelines, watching his two friends playing hide and seek with love while the last one hunted it down with a burning passion.
"Mate, she was flirting with you." James acknowledged, nudging Remus' shoulder playfully.
"She's a tad...temperamental but at least she's not boring." Sirius added. "And as I've said before, she has a lovely physique."
"A physique I'm not interested in." Remus retorted with a smirk. "Padfoot, why don't you make a move?"
"The players don't play with players."
"That has to be the most discordant sentence I've ever heard." Peter mumbled, receiving a smack in the head from Sirius. "And what the bloody hell, Pads? You're setting our moonpie up with the blonde, female, slightly scarier version of you?"
"I never said anything about a relationship, Wormtail." The black haired boy argued as they walked down the broad corridor. "I'm merely suggesting a romantic escapade without the vacation part. A summer fling, if you will, but during autumn."
"Well, sorry to disapoint but she's just a friendly acquaintant."
~ ~ ~
"And then he said that his parents would be delighted to have me in the house during the Christmas break, which just further proves that he's very much in love with me. So next time the little brunette twat decides to do as much as bat an eyelid at his direction, I will personally tear our her nails and feed them to her family." Narcissa rambled on, annoyance lacing her voice as she angrily cut her steak in pieces.
"Maim the bitch." Regulus gave his input on the matter of 'Brunette Ravenclaw flirts with Narcissa's boyfriend and soon to be fiance, Lucious Malfoy'.
"Make her cry." Callisto added, her eyes skimming over the long list of names scribbled in Nick's swirly handwriting, along with the potions she needed to make. One would think that with her changing schools, business would reduce significantly, but she was glad to see that the number of clients hadn't changed much. After all, people in Durmstrang were pure bloods used to the luxuries that money could provide and getting a good mark in potions without moving a single finger was one of them.
"What is this?" Narcissa questioned, peeking at the paper. "Dimitri Voldog, Anna Akulov, Katerina Borev... Is this a hit list?"
"No." She simply stated, putting small, red numbers after each name.
"Okay, then what is it?" Regulus insisted, standing up slightly so that he could take a good look of the parchment.
Callisto sighed and put the pen next to her plate, glancing at their eager faces.
"How I will become rich, of course."