Written in the Stars | Sirius Black

IX. The Joker

O C T O B E R  1 9 7 6

.・。.・゜✭・.・✧・゜・。.

POTIONS HAD ALWAYS been Clara's best class. This was a well known fact. She was Professor Slughorn's star pupil, you'd have thought she walked on water with the way he praised her in nearly every class. But today, as they were in the midst of brewing the Draught of Living Death, a commotion took over the back of the classroom. A thick cloud of purple smoke surrounded a set of twins – their fiery auburn hair barely visible through the violet fog. The entire class went into stunned silence.

"Merlin's beard, what on Earth is going on back there?" Professor Slughorn asked, eyes wide as saucers.

"It was him!" the boys shouted in unison, pointing at one another in order to blame their twin for the disaster.

Professor Slughorn was not a stern man, not at all. Perhaps a bit vain, but always good-natured. But bear in mind that this was the same man who collected his star students as if they were stamps – proudly showing them off when given the chance and subtly taking credit for their achievements. It was no secret that the Professor played favourites. Of which the Prewett twins certainly were not among.

Most of the time, he pretended as though the twins weren't even in his class at all, which was more than alright by both of them. But as the two boys stood side by side, covered in violet tinted soot with devilish grins on their faces, Slughorn simply couldn't turn a blind eye to them any longer.

"I suppose I'll have to split you two up." Professor Slughorn tutted, shaking his head as he surveyed the room.

Clara tried to shrink herself, practically hiding behind her cauldron and doing just about everything in her power to avoid the Professor's gaze. There was absolutely no scenario in which she was going to happily work with either of them. Especially after that. Clara had high expectations for herself in this class. The last thing she needed was for her perfect reputation to be tarnished by a boy with a pretty smile and a knack for destruction.

"Miss McKinnon, would you please partner up with Gideon?"

Damn.

Clara and Marlene shot a desperate look at one another. The girls had been potions partners since their first year. That was how they met after all. A Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor, an unlikely team, but perfect for them nonetheless. Even though it seemed that most days the girls harboured traits from each other's houses rather than their own, they still knew each other like the back of their hands. They had years of experience together under their belts, after all.

It wasn't just that Clara preferred working with Marlene simply because they were friends, she trusted her. The blonde was effortlessly intelligent in a way that Clara envied. While Clara had to pour hours over textbooks and soak old sheets of parchment with dark ink as she scrawled notes endlessly, Marlene had no need. It was probably this fact alone that allowed the blonde to be so outgoing and charming. No doubt that less time studying allowed for a more vibrant social life.

Being partnered together for so long was like a safety blanket to Clara, there was no risk of anything unexpected happening. When it came to potions, she needed a partner who could be trusted to not sabotage the entire brew in five seconds flat. And the Prewett twins could not be trusted. But now that her best friend had reluctantly packed up her bag and began walking toward the back of the class, that meant there was only one possibility left for Clara. A possibility that she was absolutely dreading.

"Fabian, please come work with Miss Potter for the remainder of the period." Professor Slughorn directed.

What on Earth had Clara done to deserve this punishment? It was a fate she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. That wasn't to say she thought Fabian was a bad person. There was nothing wrong with him, necessarily. She simply didn't want her perfect six year track record in potions to be ruined in five minutes flat.