STARS | r. lupin (1)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

POTIONS WITH GRYFFINDOR IS THE synonym of hell on earth. There's always at least one potion that explodes or becomes some kind of poison or acid.

"Hello, all," Slughorn smiled and ushered in his students. "We'll be making amortentia today. Page forty two in your books. Pairings are on the board."

Aubrey Larson, Peter Pettigrew
Caroline Scott, Marlene Mckinnon
Reina Parker, Yasmin Lee
Sirius Black, Deliah Abbot
Narcissa Black, Regulus Black
Bellatrix Black, Lucius Malfoy
Lily Evans, James Potter

Althea snorted at the last pairing. She was sure that Slughorn wanted those two to get together no less than any normal student.

Althea Dubois, Remus Lupin.

She sighed to herself. Of course it was him, when was luck ever on her side. "You have got to be kidding me."

"I hope you're not angry about the seating arrangements." Remus grinned at her.

"Like you aren't." she sat down in the second row of seats and took out her Potions' book.

"Well, I was under the impression that we were friends?" he followed her and took out a quill and his cauldron. "I was going to call you Thea, one day."

"We are friends." she turned to him, "But I hope you now understand why I was unhappy with the arrangement."

"I'll just get the ingredients. I'm not sure I want to know." he huffed. She just crossed her arms and awaited his return.

He set the ingredients down on the table and got to work without another word, scribbling down words every now and then in his book.

"Oh, fucking shit!" he cursed as he spilled some ink on the table. Slughorn turned around.

"Who said that?" he asked angrily. Remus turned around to look at James, who was behind him.

"Language, James!" he shook his head disapprovingly.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Mister Potter." Slughorn glared at James and Remus laughed.

"It seems your plan didn't work out quite as well as you'd thought." Althea noticed and started to work on the potion. "How do you get professors to always believe you, anyway?"

"'Oh, poor ickle wee Remus." he sighed, imitating the professors, "stuck with such horrible boys. He's so smart, he would never break a rule!'"

*

"Is that it?" Althea looked into the cauldron, now filled with a liquid producing spiralling puffs of steam. It had a beautiful, mother-of-pearl sheen to it that she found rather appealing.

"I think so." Remus looked down at his book. "Why don't you smell it?" he suggested, smirking.

"Alright." she looked at him suspiciously, "I smell... Fresh roses... Caramel apples... Log fire."

He raised an eyebrow and got a little closer to her. Her heart beat a little faster at the sudden proximity.

"Are you sure you don't smell me?" he whispered. She laughed in return, ignoring her own irregular breaths.

"Pretty sure." she rolled her eyes. "You smell like cinnamon and chocolate. I smell neither of those things."

"So you've smelled me?" his eyes twinkled mischievously.