𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒

「 ginger, mint and cigarettes. 」

chapter twenty four

「 ginger, mint and cigarettes. 」

♱

Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.

♱

POTIONS WAS THE last lesson of the day and Slughorn was droning on about the ingredients needed to make Felix Felicis when all the students had been distracted by what was happening next door. Since Valentine's Day was a week away, Ms Emmell -though she was El's alchemy teacher, she also taught potions and herbology- was teaching her class about Amortentia. It was all people could talk about as they wanted to know what they would smell. Who thought putting a powerful potion in the same room as a bunch of hormonal teenagers was a good idea, that was a disaster waiting to happen. It didn't stop Eleanor from being curious. Some people smelled the things they loved the most or something related to a person they loved, platonically or romantically. A strange bit of magic that should have never been invented. But here they were on a random afternoon, bugging to get out.

The classes had been promised that they would merge towards the end of class as the school was trying to teach prevention from taking the potion, to keep them safe. This included a lecture on the dangers and they had to brew a counter serum - which Dorcas did amazingly at. Finally, the time came and they all shuffled out of the door. Lily and Mary both joined the two girls as they walked the short distance to the next classroom when Slughorn paused the whole group, just outside the door.

"Now, split yourselves into groups of four. Ms Emmell has her classes in tables so you will have to join a preexisting group." He explained as they all shuffled to be with the people that they wanted to be with. Lily rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who they'd have to group with. The blonde nudged her with a slight frown, she was under the influence that the two were getting on quite well. Simply shaking her head, Lily was the first to enter the classroom and found a spot between Peter and Remus as the class were all standing at least a metre away from their desks - each one had a cauldron placed in the centre. Mary joined Lily at Remus' side whilst Eleanor stood next to Sirius with Dorcas at her other side. Her eyes flickered up to the boy who was looking straight ahead with a smirk on his lips, causing her to smile a little too as she turned to listen to Ms Emmell and her safety lecture. They were only to go up one a time from each group so the professors could keep an eye on them.

Without hesitation, James had volunteered himself to go first. He received a pat on the back from Sirius as the boy strutted forward. There was a weird silence that hung over the room as the first few people stepped in front of the cauldron and waited for further instructions. A nod came from Slughorn and they were able to take off the lid and have a sniff. The group waited as they watched James' face contort from confusion to mild concern to cockiness, his lips were pulled into a signature smirk.