The Art of Dying - R. Black

thirty seven

April 24th, 1979

Being near him again makes me feel off. Being potions partners is odd. So far this week, I've left potions in a bad mood every single class. However, today is Jack's eighteenth birthday, so I'm determined to keep my good mood the whole day.

Emmeline and I got to potions early, so by the time that Regulus got there, I had told myself to not let his presence affect me.

"Hey, McKinnon," He said, sitting down beside me.

I gave him a polite smile. "Morning, Black."

My eyes glanced up at the small scar on his forehead. It was barely noticeable, and if you didn't know that he had it, you would probably never even see it. But the tiny white scar just above his eyebrow was hard for me to ignore.

During potions, I kept my attention focused on Slughorn and his lecture. Occasionally, I would become too aware of the fact that Regulus's knee was touching mine underneath the table, and shift in my seat.

When the bell rang, I gathered my things and quickly left the classroom, Emmeline trailing behind me, as we headed towards the third floor for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Professor Partridge was sitting behind his desk, reading through the third-years essays.

He was one of the younger professors, he couldn't be older than thirty five. Lots of girls liked to talk about how fit he is. He is quite attractive. He is also the best Defense of the Dark Arts teacher I've had in my seven years at Hogwarts.

I sat down in my seat towards the front of the class, waiting for class to start. Emmeline sat towards the back of the class with Dirk Cresswell.

Jack walked into class with a grin on his face, and sat down in his seat directly in front of me.

"How's your birthday going?" I asked.

Jack shrugged, "It's pretty good. Are we all hanging out tonight?"

"Yes," I replied. "But if there's going to be any illegal substances then I know nothing about it if anyone asks."

The class started to fill up, and it wasn't long before Pandora Volant was sitting beside me, getting her textbook out of her bag.

"Hey, Pandora," I said.

She smiled at me. "Hello, Meredith," Pandora looked at Jack, "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Pandora!"

Throughout the year, I've learned that Pandora is extremely good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. She also seems to be very interested in it.

Professor Partridge stood up from his desk and smoothed the non-existent wrinkles from his shirt. He had a small smile on his face as he pointed towards the chalkboard.

He was pretty fit.

"Today we will be working with the Patronus charm," He announced. "Several of you have been able to produce an incorporeal Patronus, and some of you have not tried. We will be casting the Patronus charm and trying to produce an incorporeal Patronus, or a corporeal one."

Everyone in the class listened as he spoke.

"So, who has cast an incorporeal Patronus?"

I raised my hand, along with Pandora, Jack, and about half of the class.

Professor Partridge nodded. "Okay, looks good. Just remember not to be discouraged, the Patronus charm is ridiculously advanced. It is believed that the caster has to be pure of heart, and be able to cast complex spells."