Dandelions

9

Snape POV

My first potions class of the year was with fifth-year Slytherin and Ravenclaw students. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the year. Ravenclaw fifth-years boasted of the best wizards and witch the school had seen in a while now. They craved knowledge and competed among themselves making my job a breeze. Then there were the Slytherins, the lot worshipped me. The majority of Slytherin Quidditch team players were in their fifth year, I suppose they buttered me up to secure the Quidditch field for practice.

I felt light on my feet, it was a beautiful day. I hummed an unknown muggle tune I picked from Lily years ago whilst staring at the clock.

"Good Morning Professor Snape." Of course, Maya Bagnold had to be the first one in class. I gave her a slight nod.

She took her usual seat right at the front of my classroom and began to examine the ingredients I had laid out. I didn't notice the class fill up, my attention was fixed on Bagnold as she rummaged through her potions textbook. She tucked her long wavy hair behind her ears while the gap between her face and the textbook reduced with each passing second. She reminded me of Lily in many ways.

She wears her hair just like Lily. She even bites her lips when she is concentrating too hard.

I held back a smile. Her eyes suddenly lit up and her face pulled away from the book. It was clear she had figured out the potion assignment for today. I tore my gaze away from her and inspected the now full classroom.

Flint is here. I see Stretton at the back there. Great! Everyone was in class.

"Today we will be making the Pepperup potion. It is a known cure for the common cold." I announced.

A smile appeared on half the Ravenclaw faces. I was confident they would nail the potion even in their sleep. The reflection from a small piece of metal fell on my eyes. I squinted my eyes to detect the source. It was the prefect's pin on Pucey's chest glimmering in the sunlight. He wasn't paying attention to me.

Probably dreaming about Quidditch.

His eyes were fixed on the back of Bagnold's head. An oblivious Bagnold scribbled away to glory in her unicorn scented parchment paper.

"Each of you will be paired with a fellow student for this assignment. The same pairing will hold for each subsequent assignment. Am I clear?"

The note-taking Bagnold still had Pucey's undivided attention.

"Pucey!" I yelled making the poor boy jump off his chair, he looked lost. "Make your way to the front of the classroom. You will be working with Bagnold here for the rest of the year." I saw a sudden change in his expression. His eyes lit up, a tiny smirk spread across her lips. Without wasting a second scrambled towards Bagnold.

At least grab your belongings!

I remembered the excitement I felt 19 years ago when Dumbledore paired me with Lily for a Defence against the dark arts project. I almost let out a laugh when Pucey stumbled on a stack of books in his haste. Bagnold, on the other hand, gave me a steely glare. I was confident if her grades weren't in my hands she would have hit me with an unforgivable curse by now.

That's enough matchmaking for the day!

Adrian POV

I couldn't believe my good fortune. First I get to spend Tuesdays and Thursdays patrolling with Bagnold and now she was my potions partner for the entire year. At this rate, I could make her my fiancé before graduation. I made my way to the front of the class as fast as my legs could carry me. I didn't want to give Snape any time to rethink his decision.