Petals & Thorns | Fred Weasley

fourteen

SONG OF THE CHAPTER -
it's you • ali gatie

Finals were daunting for most students. They were scared about marks because they were caught up in the excitement of the year. They didn't have much spare time to study. For Adalinda, it was something to bury herself in. Within the days following, Adrian Pucey was too nervous to even cast her a glance. Whatever the boys had done to him, it clearly worked. She found comfort in her books and heavily ignored the letters that flooded in from her parents. She wasn't sure how, but they knew about the severance of her relationship. They seemed to know everything before anybody told them. They always had a way to get information. She wasn't in a good enough mindset to try and deal with their wrath on top of everything else. She took post in the library almost daily. Upon everyone learning the news about Addy's breakup with Adrian, Fred's heart was buzzing. She had not reached out to see him since, leaving him wondering the worst. He thought maybe he had found out about their relationship, or he threatened her in some way. The truth was, she was too broken to bring him into the mess.

The morning of their potions exam fell on the same day as the final Triwizard task. The young girl had revised and studied harder than anyone in her year, maybe even in the school. If she couldn't keep her parents happy with her relationship, she felt like she was obligated to with her grades. Despite that thought, she genuinely enjoyed school. She was good at it, and it came easy to her. When she made her way into the final, heads turned to look at her. The power in her walk had returned. She swaggered with the Malfoy name. Her chin was held high, her glasses strung on her nose, and her textbook clad under her arm. She held herself with authority and importance. When Fred looked over at her, he almost drooled into his cauldron. It had been the first time he'd seen her in days. Along with that, it was the first time he'd seen that strong personality in months. Adrian stripped it from her, but it was back with full force.

Her cauldron stood before Snape's desk. They were spaced out evenly, an anti-cheating jinx strung on every post. Her legs carried her to her own, and she placed her book upon the desk with grace. Snape gave her a slick nod as she took her place. Days before, they had a conversation regarding her injuries. She had to assure him that they weren't at the hands of anyone else, and were of her own clumsiness. He didn't believe her, but her word was the only proof he had. Now, as the head of house could see her strength returning, his suspicions were proven. Still, he couldn't do anything to Adrian unless she openly said so.

As the last few students filed into the classroom, Snape took to the chalkboard. He wrote down the name of what they would be doing, and her smile widened as the words became clear. "Amortenia." Snape announced. "We've discussed this potion earlier this semester. You have one hour to create it, and another hour to finish the written portion of the exam. This is one of the most difficult potions to perfect that we have touched on, and will prove your comprehension of the years learning. The instructions are on page one-hundred-twenty-four of your text, and the ingredients you will need are on the table in front of me." His eyes fell on every students face singularly as he explained. "Of course, they will not be completely finished within the hour, as this takes days to perfect. I am simply looking for the correct colour and consistency for the first stage. You should be able to smell it's intoxicating scent by the end of the time you have." He added. "You may start now."

The sounds of pages flipping filled the classroom, bouncing off the walls. She found the page and noticed her small handwritten notes in the margins. She took to the table full of ingredients, already knowing many by heart.  She took Ashwinder eggs, rose thorns, peppermint flower heads and leaves, and moonstone. When she returned to her desk, she filled her cauldron halfway with standard potioning water. She conjured a flame under the cauldron, heating the contents. When the water was lukewarm, she bruised six of the flower heads and dropped them inside. She let it settle for a few moments, then stirred them without direction, just enough to taint the water. She let twelve peppermint leaves float in, which were eaten by the potion base. She crushed the moonstone and measured it in, stirring anti-clockwise with each tablespoon of ingredient. The water began to heat and casted a slow steam. She wiped a bead of sweat off of her forehead as she finished the last scoop of her own moonstone powder.