Until the End ~ A Dransy Fic

VII - The First Potions Class

"Greetings, everyone, welcome," Professor Slughorn addressed the students after everyone got settled in their seats. The plump man made his way to the front of the room and pointed to the blackboard. "You can call me Professor Slughorn, and I'll be teaching your potions class this year,"

It wasn't much of a class, really. There were the four Slytherins, The Golden Gryffindor Trio (eyeroll), Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecomb, and Ernie McMillan. 

"I trust you all have your textbooks, yes?" he asked. Everyone held up their own copy of Advanced Potion-Making, and he nodded approvingly. Potter and Weasley raised their hands.

"Sorry sir, we were stuck in this class last-minute and we didn't buy the book..." Ron said. Draco looked over his shoulder at Theo, who scoffed.

"I understand, Weatherby, just grab one from the cupboard." Slughorn said. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Zabini, it looks like someone's late, will you please let them in?"

Blaise nodded and unlocked the door, and Pansy was standing in the threshold. "Sorry Professor, Sinistra kept us late today," she lied as she sat down next to Draco.

"Quite alright, Miss Parkinson," Slughorn replied as he busily got out supplies for the day's lesson.

"Look who decided to show up!" Draco teased. Pansy feigned anger and pretended to punch him, but then put her elbow on his shoulder.

Slughorn cleared his throat. "Draught of Living Death. A very complicated potion to brew, but I think an hour should be sufficient to complete it. Every student will create their own potion, and, just for fun, he or she who brews the potion that I deem the best will recieve a prize," he said, pulling out a tiny vial that held a gold liquid. "Can anyone tell me what this is?"

Hermione's hand shot up instantly, and Pansy rolled her eyes. Mudblood, she mouthed to Draco, who pretended to gag.

"Yes, Granger?" Slughorn said.

"That is felix felicis, otherwise known as liquid luck," Hermione recited quickly. "Whoever takes it will undoubtedly succeed in all of his or her endeavors."

Slughorn chuckled. "Thank you, Miss Granger. I don't know about undoubtedly, but it sure will help anyone intending to do any sort of task."

Task.Task! Draco's head shot up and looked at the old man, who had already moved on. "I was going to have you split off into pairs, but, seeing as there's only ten of you, I don't think that will be necessary. Alright, turn to page twenty in your books, and off you go! I hope your Draughts of Living Death are to die for!" he finished, laughing at his own joke.

He could use a little bit of luck. Draco threw open his textbook and turned to page twenty and began gathering the ingredients, water, root of asphodel, wormwood, valerian root, sopophorous bean, sloth brain... He went over to the sink and waited in line to fill up his cauldron with water, but when he came back to his table, everything was already sitting out for him. Pansy made finger guns at him from across the room, and he silently mouthed a thank you and made finger guns back at her. 

When he was around knee-deep in his potion, he noticed Harry in front of him crushing his sopophorous bean with his hand instead of cutting it with his knife, like Draco was currently in the process of doing. He looked around at everyone else, and they, too, were cutting. Smirking at Potter's ignorance, he continued cutting the bean and making his potion.

About fifteen more minutes passed, and Slughorn said "Tools down ladies and gentlemen!" The whole class looked absolutely exhausted, with frizzy hair from leaning over the steaming pot for so long and remnants from different ingredients caked on their hands. "Let's see what everyone's got..." he walked around the room, dropping small leaves into each cauldron and watching them wither away.

Each student's potion was different, and almost none of them looked even close to an actual Draught of Living Death. Except... Harry's?? While every other student was standing sheepishly or shamefully behind his or her foul-smelling cauldron, Harry Potter had a smug look on his face that only got more smug as his leaf burned away almost instantly. The four Slytherins had to pick their jaws up off of the floor as none of their leaves ended up more than half dead.

Slughorn took out the vial of felix felicis and handed it to Harry. "Well done, my boy! I can tell you have the beginnings of a great potioneer, just like your mother!" Slughorn said, slapping Harry on the back. "Class dimissed!"

Draco seethed his way through the hall to his next class, Astronomy, that he shared with none of his friends. The felix felicis would have made his task a thousand times easier, and now stupid Potter had it and would use it for something stupid like getting into stupid mischief with his stupid friends. How did he know to crush it instead of cut it? Whatever. It's fucking stupid.

But why had Pansy decided to show up to that class? Was it just because he was there?