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the red-haired girl was joined in the gryffindor common room by big red and seb. she already knew that ricky would miss breakfast on a monday, so she just shook her head knowingly and the three went down for breakfast.
they'd all eaten quite quickly so they could return back up to the common room. when they climbed through the portrait hole, they were met with a sleepy ricky bowen dragging himself across the common room, dressed in his gryffindor robes.
"well, good morning sunshine!" ashlyn exclaimed with a smirk
"way too early." he mumbled grumpily, yawning
the three chuckled at his behavior "well, we got you your schedule from mcgonagall and some toast."
"oh thanks," he sighed, biting into his food as he read the piece of paper before groaning "great. potions on a monday morning."
"potions isn't that bad!" ashlyn sighed as they started to make their way down to the dungeons - with the acception big red and seb, who weren't taking potions this year.
ashlyn and ricky were taking potions though; ashlyn being the only one who somewhat liked the subject but even though ricky despised it, potions was a requirement if he wanted to become an auror after graduating hogwarts.
"you just say that because slughorn adores you and you're a primary part of the slug club." ricky told her
"you're just saying that because you're jealous of him not asking you."
ricky snorted "yeah, as if i'm actually desperate to go to one of those boring parties and dinners he does."
ashlyn shook her head with a sigh as they continued their way and finally arrived to the classroom.
they both set their things at a table together with two other gryffindors and got their ink, quill, parchment and textbooks out, waiting as the other students got themselves ready and professor slughorn walked in, ready to begin the lesson.
"welcome, welcome," he exclaimed with a light smile as he waddled around the tables, the murmuring and chattering coming to a silence "i'm pleased to see you all have chosen to take potions to a N.E.W.T level,"
ricky rested his chin on the palm of his hand, listening to professor slughorn go on with the introduction of their syllabus and the difficulties and requirements that will come with the subject as his eyes wandered around the room.
they soon fell on a brunette girl — whom he had recognized almost instantly as nina salazar — writing boringly onto her parchment while her friends beside her listened.
though as soon as her eyes lifted up towards the teacher, ricky looked away, realizing that he was asking for them to stand up and near closer to the front of the room.
"now, i've prepared a few potions for you all to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. these are the kind of things you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.Ts. you ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet." he chuckled "can anyone tell me what—"
but before he could finish his sentence, ashlyn's hand rose up to the air and ricky shook his head with a knowing smile
"yes, miss caswell,"
"that's veritaserum, sir." she answered, ignoring the dirty looks she got from a few slytherins around the room — including from her cousin.
ricky shot them all a glare as he stood up a little taller to stand ground for both him and ashlyn. she was like a sister to him, and anyone who messed with her, messed with him. and rarely anyone ever dared to cross him, really.
"it's the most powerful truth serum in the word, effectively forcing that which consumes it to answer any questions truthfully. though there are some circumstances where some can resist it." ashlyn went on
professor slughorn nodded in amusement "excellent, miss caswell, take five points for gryffindor."
ricky shot ashlyn a smile as she grinned back before rising her hand into the air once again when professor slughorn asked for the next potion
"polyjuice potion," she said confidently "it allows the drinker to assume the form of someone else. it's a really complicated potion to make and takes about a month or so to complete."
"very good!" professor slughorn beamed "and could you tell me the ingredients?"
ashlyn nodded "lacewing flies, leeches, knotgrass, fluxweed which would need to be picked at the full moon, shredded boomslang skin and a bit of the hair of the person you'd want to turn into." she listed
"you forgot the powdered bicorn horn,"
all attention turned to the back of the class where nina salazar had been standing beside a raven-haired boy, who was too busy glaring in ricky and ashlyn's direction, and a black-haired boy wearing glasses who didn't seem to give a care in the world as to what was happening.
"i'm almost certain i did not." ashlyn seethed
"yeah, you kind of did." nina replied unbothered "page 25? paragraph 3?"
ricky watched the girl in slight amusement of her confidence, letting ashlyn look through her book before a few students agreed with nina, the red-haired girl slamming her book shut in slight frustration as she fell silent.
"well done miss salazar! and you too, miss caswell. both of you take five points each for gryffindor and slytherin." he exclaimed "miss salazar, could you tell me what the last potion is?"
nina stepped a little forward to get a good look "that's amortentia, i think. it's the most powerful love potion in the world. you're supposed to be able to smell what you're attracted to the most."
nina kept to herself what she could smell, not wanting to be embarrassing and odd. though, it was (to her dismay) quite pleasing to experience. she could smell the scent of parchment, vanilla, freshly cut grass and oak wood...
