I Want to be Your First Choice, Harry Potter

Chapter Fifty

This morning after breakfast we got news that Harry would be the new quidditch captain. It's exciting but he didn't seem too ecstatic about it. So I pulled him aside in the hallway to have him explain what happened on the train to me, and to see if he's ok.

He told me everything about what Malfoy did. I'm disgusted by him once again. But I don't want Harry to be reckless and make stupid decisions that almost prevent him from making it to school all in one piece.

"He seems shady, Gab I'm telling you-"

"But don't do that again." I say. He looks a little taken back by that. Like what I said was crazy or something.

"Gab, he's trying to get rid of me. I'm going to find out why." He says.

"But you almost got sent all the way back to London!" I raise my voice a little then instantly regret it because we're in the hall. I don't think anybody noticed though. "Fine, then I want to help you." I say.

"No." He says. He sounds sure if his answer like it's not a question, like it's final.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Gab, I didn't want to worry you but I think he's a death eater. It's evident that his parents are and there's no reason why he wouldn't join them, so I'm not going to let you get hurt. This is serious stuff." He says. I don't know if I'd go as far as to believe he was working with Voldemort, he's so young.

"So you think I'm incapable?"

"No, that's not what I said."

"Might as well have. Harry, don't try and shelter me from the screwed up world we live in. I've been through everything with you. Don't try and bench me now, besides you need me." With that I walk away. Whatever he was going to say I didn't want to hear it. And I was right about the him needing me part. He would've never figured half of the stuff we have without my help. He's very intelligent, but he doesn't like to read and that's sort of half of it.

We go to the library and head straight over to the restricted section of course to search for our answers but I do all the reading and he asks pointless questions, distracting me.

I make him sound stupid but he always actually does all of the hard work. Like battling Voldemort... and winning. I just don't want him to go alone and get hurt because then he'll blame himself.

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Professor Slughorn is about to give instructions for class today when Harry and Ron walk in. I thought that Harry told me he had a free period this class- oh I get it now. Slughorn greets Harry graciously but has to have Ron introduce himself. They both go and grab a notebook from the cabinet.

Apparently Harry had been wearing tons of extra cologne today because I could smell it from across the room, I'm not complaining though. It smells good and I guess over the summer he had kept his quidditch gear with his robes because I can smell that too. It almost smells as if it isn't coming from across the room which is silly because that's where he is standing but it sort of feels like it's coming from this cauldron I'm standing in front of. I can't help myself but smell it over and over until Hermione pulls me back

"Get away from that!" She says. I look at her inquisitively. "That's Amortentia" she informs me.

"Very well done Miss Granger! Fifteen pints to Gryffindor!" Slughorn says. He explains that it's the worlds most powerful love potion. It Connor create real love but a huge obsession. Just like any other love potion I know of. The only difference between this one and others that I've heard of is that the potion will smell different for everyone. Like for example I obviously smelt Harry. Thankfully. Hermione said she smelt toothpaste and freshly mowed grass or something. I wasn't really listening because I couldn't focus over the sent of the Amortentia that was still right under my nose.

For class we have to brew Draught of Living Death. Whoever brews the best one wins a vile of Felix Felicis or liquid luck. I'm confident I'll win it. I've always been brilliant at potions, and I'm working next to Harry who is hopeless in this class.

We get our ingredients out and before I even put my first one in Seamus has managed to blow something up.

I can't seem to cut one of my ingredients without it flying away from me every time. I look over at Harry who has got it down already and is moving on to the next thing. "Harry, how did you do that?" I ask.

"You're supposed to crush it, not cut it." He says. That's not what the directions said but he's prevailing while I'm behind. You gotta do what you gotta to. I take the blade of my knife and crush the bean like thing and juice starts to pour out from it. He was right, how did he know that?

I copy everything else he does which leaves me one step behind the whole time. When Slughorn checked ours he said I was 'a very close second' Harry shoots me a little smirk knowing that this is agonizing for me. I just wanted to win, I like winning. There's nothing wrong with being competitive. It's not like I even had a use for the Felix Felicis but I just wanted to prove I was better than everyone else. I have a slight suspicion that Harry cheated. I won't say anything in from of Slughorn because I'm not a prat but there is no way that he just knew all of that off the top of his head when it wasn't even in the book.

Hermione's clearly furious. But maybe just because her hair looks like she went through a tornado or something.

As we exit the class Hermione and I both come up on either side of Harry "I know you cheated, Harry." I say.

"Yeah sorry but it's simply impossible that you bested both Gabriella and I." Hermione adds.

"Wow you really have no faith in me do you?" He asks. I kind of feel bad so I go to say something nice but Hermione speaks first

"We do, but-" She runs out of ideas for what to say next. I never thought I would see the day for when that happened.

"Potions Harry, really? You aren't fooling anyone. I'm just going to rip the band aid off and say it. You are terrible at potions now tell me how you won that vile." I say. He gives us a slight glare then admits he didn't do it himself. We ask a bunch of questions but he won't tell us how he did it. Eventually we give up for now.

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