Life After Death - An Erica Black Continuation (4)

Two

2017

Miss Black,
I hope you will be available to cover a potions lesson on Wednesday next starting at 1pm.
Please send your answer hastily.
Headmistress,
Minerva McGonagall

Erica Black's tired eyes roam the parchment in her hand. She had not been able to sleep well for a few days now, her mind plagued with nightmares. The babbling chatter of her daughters brought the woman back to reality and she hurriedly scrawled a reply.

Passing the sealed envelope to the rather impatient looking owl on the windowsill, she turned to the two girls with a motherly smile.
Holding her eldest daughter on her hip, Erica carefully stirred a pot of oatmeal whilst the girls twin played at her feet.
"Erica.." a soothing, familiar voice echoed about her head.
"Erica you need to find him" the voice commanded.
"Erica! The baby!" It cried suddenly after a moments silence. Erica sprang from her trance like state, instinctively catching the small hand of her daughter before it could touch the bubbling pot.
"Willow no!" She yelped. Her panicked tone causing the child to wail.
"Oh baby... you're okay Will, you're fine.." she coos bouncing the child comfortingly.
As she flips through the rest of that morning's post, she waves her wand, levitating the spoons to feed the two girls.

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"Hello Black Household!" Calls Teddy Lupin as he steps out of the cottage's fireplace.
"Ted!" Exclaims the woman "I'm so glad you could come, I owe you one!" She smiles, kissing the boy on the cheek. "You are early though," she chuckles after glancing at her watch.
"Well I just couldn't wait to see my favourite goddaughters" he laughs, "Speaking of, where are they?"
The woman joins his laughter. "It's not noon yet, they're still napping Ted" she smiles.
"Oh... crap"
"Hey!" She exclaims indignantly "I'm still here thank you very much!"
They collapse into laughter like they used to.

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"Hello Class! I am Miss Black and I will be covering your potions lesson today!"
She strode into the classroom with an air of confidence that she learnt from her Grandmother's portrait. Pointing her wand purposefully at the windows as she strode down the aisle at the centre of the classroom causing them to spring open one at a time, letting the bright midday sun saturate the usually dark and grungy room. Most of the students squinted, some even brought their hands up to rub their eyes.
"Can anyone tell me what you've been doing this week in potions?"
A few hands rose into the air. "Yes mr..." she asked pointing at a boy with bright green hair in a set of Hufflepuff robes.
"Gregory Miss, and we have been working on Everlasting Elixers recently" the boy spoke.
"Well thank you very much Mr Gregory, a point for Hufflepuff" she beamed at the student, the boy flushed Scarlett, clearly not used to such praise.
"Well I wouldn't want to interrupt your professor's teaching so today I think we'll have some fun" she grins, a glimmer in her eye causing a wave of excitement to ripple through the students as she hold up a book "with this".
"What's that Miss?" Questions a couple of the kids.
"This," She smiles brightly, clearly just as excited as the children "is 101 Potions for on the Go: Under 10 Minutes addition" she explains, holding it up for her class to see. "And I want you lot to do is make as many of them as possible within the time, perfectly. Of course."
The students seem somewhat divided, some visibly excited and others clearly a little surprised by her unorthodox lesson.
"The rules are simple.
-You have 45 minutes.
-You can attempt any of the first 90 potions.
-You may work alone or in pairs.
-You may use any and all equipment and ingredients you require.
-The potion must be perfect to count for full points.
-The winner will get a prize.
Ready?"

The students nod, "okay, then go!" She smiles, waving her wand and releasing a Burst of green sparks.

Erica Black watched as her students began their task. The time slowly ticked away.
"5 minutes guys, finishing up now please!" She called clearly. Some students continued as they were, some began to rush, their panic clear on their faces.

"Okay Time! Step away from your workstations!" There was a clatter of spoons being dropped to the tables and a shuffle of the students stepping back.
Slowly, the woman prowled the classroom, examining each workstation as she weaved between them. Most students had chosen to pair up except for a select few who had decided to brave the challenge alone.
Some groups had managed to make six or seven potions.
Most had presented between ten and thirteen.
However one group in particular had created an astonishing 20 potions, using a third cauldron between them both.
"Merlin's beard! I think we have our winners!" She cried out to the rest of the class, "twenty potions! Twelve perfect and eight excellent. Meaning a grand total of 160 points" the class filled with excited whispering.
"320 points to Hufflepuff! And I would like to give you these, fully annotated..." She smiles holding out two copies of the book they used during the lesson "and these... as a sweet treat" she winked handing over a small bouquet of sugar quills to the pair.

"Okay guys, that is time! Thank you for being wonderful, I hope I get to teach you all again!" She smiled brightly as the bell rang.
She stood by the door, handing out small pieces of fudge to each student as they left.

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2019

"Draco," she nods at the man in-front of her, noting his appearance which had declined noticeably since she'd last seen him.
"Erica" He smiles weakly at the woman who, as long as he'd known her, had only ever been helpful and generally a ray of sunshine within the often gloomy castle. 
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Astoria was a wonderful witch and mother, Scorpius loved her very much. I am only sorry I couldn't have befriended her earlier." Unlike most others who had offered their condolences following the death of his beloved wife, Draco Malfoy couldn't detect an ounce of pity in her voice. Her words offered only respectful and genuine mutual melancholy at the loss of a friend, a wife. This was too much for the man and without thinking he embraced the petite woman tightly, letting out an anguished sob.