On God?

Chapter 38

in which tom riddles fine lookin ass tries to talk to her

"I'm going to be honest, I don't entirely fancy going to Potions." Theo said, looking at me from where he was walking next to me. "Slughorn is just going to act like Harry is the golden boy again."

"He's what people back home would call a boomer." I said, rolling my eyes. "He's older though....anyways, boomers were old people who didn't care about anyone but themselves most of the time."

"Well then, if you say Slughorn is a boomer, then he's a boomer." Theo grinned down at me, looking almost worry free.

"Theo, you look a lot better than you did on the train." I said quietly, and his smile turned melancholy.

"It's being back at Hogwarts." He said. "Back....there, at the manor...it was terrible." His voice grew quieter, and I pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing little circles on his back.

"I promise you won't have to go back there." I said quietly, and he nodded before pulling away with a deep breath.

"You'll have to show me what Grimmauld Place is all about." He said, grinning down at me.

"Now then." Slughorn said, moving to the front of the class and inflating his already bulging chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

When I had received my O.W.L. results back, I had been shocked to see that I passed Potions, and that I was eligible for N.E.W.T. level classes in it if I so wished. To be honest, I think the only reason I passed was because Blaise let me copy what he was doing for most of the test.

Slughorn indicated the cauldron nearest to Draco and three other Slytherin's boys table, and inside was something that looked like boiling water.

Hermione's well-practiced hand hit the air before anybody else's, and Slughorn pointed at her.

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth." said Hermione.

"Very good, very good!" said Slughorn happily. "Now..." he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table. "This one here is pretty well known...Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too...Who can -?"

Hermione's hand was fastest once more.

"lt's Polyjuice Potion, sir." She said.

Polyjuice Potion looked like a slow-bubbling, mud like substance, something that looked quite vile if I was telling the truth.

"Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here...yes, my dear?" said Slughorn, now looking slightly bemused, as Hermione's hand punched the air again.

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask." Slughorn said, who was looking mightily impressed "But I assume you know what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" said Hermione.

"Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals." Hermione said enthusiastically, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and-" But she turned slightly pink and did not complete the sentence.