Snake Pit (Ryeji)

Crush

The next morning found Yeji sprinting down the corridors to her potions lesson. Someone had "accidentally" knocked her cup of tea all over her white blouse at breakfast so she'd had to dash back to the dormitories to change. Potions was her favourite subject after all and she was determined not to miss a single minute. She'd always had a knack for making them and her professors were always terribly impressed by her talents, even way back in first year, especially given she'd come from a muggle family with no prior experience.

She burst into the classroom at the last moment, Professor Park turning and giving her a small nod. Yeji returned it with a rather out of breathe smile before glancing around the classroom for an empty seat. However as soon as she spotted it, her breathe caught in her throat. The vacant seat was, unsurprisingly she supposed, next to the newest addition to their class, Shin Ryujin.

As Yeji slowly made her way over to the vacant wooden stool she could see the girl eyeing her through her blonde bangs, a blank expression carved into her face. Yeji swallowed as she cautiously sat herself down, laying her things out on the desk in front of her. The other girl barely acknowledging her at all. Yeji guessed being ignored was perhaps the best outcome she could hope for and therefore prayed it would continue like that throughout the lesson. Her thoughts were then interrupted by Professor Park.

"Right well I think we ought to get started, it's so good to see you all again, I trust you had a wonderful summer holidays and a well deserved break. For our first lesson today we shall be learning how to brew 'Jawbind Potion', reasons for using it and how to recognize it." Yeji's eyes widened with glee. She loved practical lessons! "Now can anyone tell me what this potion does?" Yeji's hand instinctively shot up. "Yeji?" The Professor gestured to her.

"Jawbind Potion is a potion used to induce lockjaw on the drinker. It paralyses their jaw and registers them unable to speak." She said enthusiastically.

"Excellent Yeji, that is the exact answer I was looking for..."

Yeji smiled to herself as Professor Park then rambled on a bit about the various qualities of the concoction. But Yeji already knew it all, she prided herself on her extensive knowledge of potions and was always top of the class. However as she glanced around her eyes caught those of the girl next to her and her smile dropped. She quickly looked away and when Professor Park asked another question she decided not to answer. She didn't want to paint any sort of target on her back and have Ryujin think she was a nerdy know-it-all, despite the fact that was precisely what she was when it came to potions class.

Yeji dared to glance back again but this time the girl was simply taking notes on what Professor Park was explaining. A look of concentration woven into her features.

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye and it was now already time to start crafting the potion. Fortunately the recipe wasn't too complicated, it was just the method that required proper technique, technique that apparently Yeji was a natural at already.

As she poured and and sliced and crushed and squeezed the various ingredients into the small cauldron in front of her, she forgot all her worldly worries, the dark swirling liquid in front of her almost hypnotic. She was so engrossed in her work she almost had a heart attack when the girl next to her then spoke.

"Sorry to disturb you." Ryujin said quietly, and Yeji attempted to muffle the squeak that left her. "It's just," the other girl continued, "I haven't done this method before." She said nodding toward the beetle Yeji was crushing, "We always chopped them where I learnt."

"Oh." Yeji responded softly, still trying to come to grips with the fact Ryujin was actually talking to her. "Well, erm, here the Professors discovered it yielded better results if we crushed them. You just place the flat side of your knife on top of it, sharp edge pointing away." Yeji explained, demonstrating with her own blade. "Then place one hand flat on the handle and the other flat against the side of the tip, just make sure not cut your hand, and then press down evenly with both like so." Firmly Yeji pressed down the blade, a light crunching noise easing its way out of the dead insect, juices spilling from the sides slightly, before she picked it up and delicately dropped it into her now bubbling liquid in the cauldron.

"Oh right, thanks." Ryujin replied.

"No problem."

Yeji pretended to continue making her potion but her eyes naturally drifted over to the girl next to her as she watched Ryujin attempt to copy what Yeji had done. Unfortunately the hard shell of the beetle meant it kept slipping from under the knife whenever Ryujin tired to compress it. Yeji could see she was pressing slightly too hard on one side but didn't say anything. However after Ryujin's fifth go Yeji couldn't bare to just watch, especially as she saw the girl grow more and more frustrated at herself. Yeji knew how difficult that technique was especially with fruit chafer beetles. She quietly cleared her throat before tentatively asking.

"Um, would you like some help?"

Ryujin looked up at her.

"Yes please." She replied almost in a whisper. Yeji was glad there was generally lots of chatter and movement in potions class with Professor Park, meaning no one noticed her go and stand behind the new student and place her hands on top of the other girl's. Ryujin was fortunately slightly shorter than Yeji which allowed her to see what she was doing.

The girl's hands were warm underneath her as she placed the knife carefully on top of the beetle, very wary of making sure the tip didn't press into Ryujin's hand. Again, pressing firmly, the beetle beneath the blade crunched and cracked, leaving a small trickle of fluids on the tabletop.

"There." Yeji said satisfied, taking her hands off and quickly brushing them on her jumper.

"Thank you." Ryujin said, "You're really good." Yeji felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

"Oh well you know, it's just practice." She said humbly.

"I'll be sure to practice then." The other said with a tiny smile. And Yeji smiled warmly back, ever so slightly flustered.

Soon enough Professor Park called for everyone to stop, and announced that she would go round inspecting each one.

Yeji felt a thrill shoot through her spine as she came around to her table. She first looked at Ryujin's, checking it carefully while Ryujin stood silently, the rest of the class crowding around behind her, intrigued as to whether the new hot topic of the school was any good.

"My my, this is a wonderful try!" Professor Park said, "You clearly have an excellent understanding of the methodology. I'd say a few more tries and it'll be near perfect."

Ryujin dipped her head in gratitude, "Thank you." She mumbled. Before Professor Park moved on to Yeji's cauldron. She checked the potion thoroughly and beamed.

"I don't know how you do Yeji." She said shaking her head with an awed expression, "This is incredibly well brewed, almost better than my own. You should be proud of yourself." Yeji smiled, her chest swelling.

"Thank you Professor." She said. Then Professor Park turned to the rest of the class.

"Yeji has made the best potion today. I shall be awarding five points to Gryffindor." And everyone sighed, rolling their eyes.

"She always gets top of the class." She heard someone muttering, her chest deflating slightly. But she tried not to let it bother her.