The Light in the Dark | Neville Longbottom

Chapter 48: Dancing Queen

*CW: Violence*

"Ms. Malfoy?" the words echoed in the back of my mind, "Ms. Malfoy, could you tell us what your amortentia smells like?"

I snapped back into reality, worriedly looking around the room. I must have zoned out because I just had a vivid dream of Cedric from two years ago. Amortentia was infamous for causing infatuations, which would have explained the dream.

I noticed Professor Slughorn, along with many other students, looking at me impatiently. I didn't know how long I had been standing there. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I awkwardly shifted the weight between my feet; I was beyond embarrassed.

"So, are you going to tell us what your amortentia smells like?" Professor Slughorn asked once more, "Unless you're quiet because the person is in this room!"

I shook my head, staring at my feet. I could have told everyone that it smelled like Neville. That was what most were expecting to hear anyway. The potion truly smelled like freshly-baked goods with a hint of vanilla. I was conflicted as to why I smelled Cedric instead of Neville.

"It smells like plants." I said quickly before shuffling back over to Hermione.

I folded my arms, keeping my head lowered. I heard snickering from the other side of the room and glanced up to see some of the Slytherins laughing amongst each other due to my response. They were about my and Neville's breakup. But that was just the thing, why didn't I smell Neville? It didn't make any sense. I was so sure that I was in love with him. Why would I have still been in love with Cedric? He died over a year ago.

I noticed some of the other girls walking towards the potion as Slughorn continued on with his tangent about amortentia until he placed a lid over the cauldron, causing all of the girls to return back to their posts.

"Professor, you haven't told us what's in that one." Hermione stated, pointing to the last potion on the table, which was a small vial full of a golden liquid.

"Oh yes, what you see before you is a curious little potion, ladies and gentlemen," Slughorn began, picking up the vial, "Known as Felix Felicis, but it is more commonly referred to as Liquid Luck. Desperately tricky to make... disastrous, if you get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all of your endeavors succeed, at least until the effects wear off."

This caught my attention, as well as many others in the room; including Draco, who had, until this moment, been zoned out of class. All of my endeavors would have succeeded, maybe that would've included making things right with Neville. If I could've used the potion to get him to listen to me for just a couple minutes, that would've made everything right again. The amortentia was wrong. I was still in love with Neville, and always would've been.

"So, this is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of Liquid Luck to the student, in the hour that remains, who manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death," Slughorn beamed, causing students to glance around at each other with excited and competitive faces, "The recipes for which can be found on page ten of your books. I should point out, however, only one of my students has managed to brew a batch of sufficient quality to claim this prize. Nonetheless, good luck to you all. Let the brewing commence!"

Slughorn dismissed us back to our tables as students dug into their books. Potions was never one of my strong suits, but I managed to receive decent marks in the class. I was still bothered by the amortentia, and it hindered my ability to concentrate on the potion. I, like many others, were trying to cut the Sopophorous Beans needed for the potion. But every time I brought my knife near the bean, it jumped. If the amortentia wasn't enough, the strenuous bean definitely irked my nerves.