Euphoria ; Harry Potter [4] (DISCONTINUED)

Eight

The Potions classroom was still bustling with frantic sweaty students standing over their simmering cauldrons. Slughorn was making his rounds when he pulled out his pocket watch, his eyes bulging slightly looking at the time.

"Time's up! Let us see how you have all done." Slughorn announced and some students sighed as they were forced to step away from their uncompleted potions.

Regardless of whether she won or not, which she highly doubted she would, Robyn was proud of herself. She looked down at her potion. It wasn't quite finished but it looked perfect to the picture in the text book for what stage she was at.

Robyn watched Hermione glance into Harry's cauldron and she felt herself do the same. Her mouth fell open in shock. Harry had always be adequate at Potions. He did enough to pass but that was the first time Robyn had ever seen Harry brew a perfect potion.

"How did you--Harry, the text says you're not even supposed to be able to finish it within an hour. That looks like the completed potion!" Hermione whispered to Harry, still in shock.

Harry remained silent and looked at the text book and the words that lay scrawled in it. He looked contemplative, not smug that he beat Hermione. He looked as if he couldn't believe it himself.

Robyn could hear Slughorn making his rounds on everyone's potions. "Very nice; very good; hmm; oh, you used a brass stirring rod, didn't you, Mr. Finnegan, too bad; very good; not bad at all, Miss Patil..."

He finally arrived at the quartet's desk. He looked into Ron's cauldron and nodded but did not say a word of praise. Robyn watched as Ron deflated and couldn't help but feel bad.

"Well! Miss Granger, I could have guessed you'd do so well. Very nice indeed! I think--" He looked into Robyn's cauldron. "But oh, who's is this?"

"Robyn Thompson, sir."

"Oh, yes of course, I should've expected to see great things from you. Well, it's clear to say I think we have a draw-"

But before he could continue, his eyes slid over Harry's cauldron and beamed. "Oh, my. Oh, my, Harry, I was not wrong about you--you have your mother's cleverness, don't you! Why, that's perfect, it looks very nearly completed, even in such a short time! Class, we have a winner."

He handed Harry the golden potion; Felix Felicis. Harry took it quietly, still not quite able to believe his luck. "Thank you, sir."

Slughorn looked at Harry with a stern but fond eye. "Remember, no sporting competitions! All right, class, very nicely done for your first day."

Everyone began to pack away. Hermione did so without saying a word. Robyn and Harry shared at glance.

"I suppose you think I cheated?" Harry said.

Hermione looked up, obviously not wanting to go that far with her thoughts. She contemplated her words for a while and chose words that were a gentle compromise. "Well, you had help. Just because it worked once, I wouldn't believe everything those notes say. You can get in trouble trying unknown things in magic."

"I wonder whose that book was?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry picked up the book, glancing at the front cover; nothing. He turned to the back, writing in the same scrawl as inside the book, were the words; This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince.

>>>

It was during one of their breaks before class started that Robyn decided to go and talk to Dumbledore.