The Exposure

Chapter Four

           You take your seat next to Ben, apologizing once again for his weekend in the hospital wing. He seemed forgiving enough, saying, "Are you kidding? It got me out of herbology. I couldn't take another day of those shrieking baby mandrakes." Perhaps I can put in a good word for him with Georgia to make up for it.

           Your heart stops when Snape enters the room with dramatic flare, the door slamming open at his arrival. The hum of the students immediately hushes at his entrance.

           "Who can tell me the main ingredient of Amortentia?" You timidly raise your hand. Snape cocks an eyebrow at you, "Yes, Miss Y/n?" "Mother of pearl is the primary ingredient, Professor." Snape slowly makes his way closer to you, looking intently into your eyes. "And what are the effects of this potion?" Your mouth suddenly feels dry, your mind goes blank, and you can feel the pounding of your heart in your fingertips and—"Miss Y/n?" he asks softly. "Yes sir, sorry sir, uhh.." you stutter, trying to gather your wits.

           "Amortentia is a powerful love potion, Miss Y/n. Its effects cause the drinker a powerful and unyielding...infatuation with the person offering the potion." His eyes drop to your trembling hands and slowly back up to your eyes. You nod, dropping your head in embarrassment. Snape continues pacing between students' desks, lecturing on the ingredients and misuses of Amortentia. You don't know why he has this effect on you. No one's ever really made you lose your words and wit like this. He is quite an intimidating man, you reason.

           "Now that you have all completed your NEWTs, you will be brewing this potion today." Snape turns and glances at you, "However, mistakes will not be tolerated whilst brewing this potion, as the results of such clumsiness can. Be. Detrimental." Your insides grow warm and your thighs quiver at his staccato tone and his eyes penetrate you. Seeing you.

           "You may all begin." The light clanging of cauldrons and quiet muttering between potions partners fills the room. "The recipe is on page 143," you say to Ben. He nods and flips open the potions book to reveal instructions and warnings for the love potion. Ben gathers the herbs, "Do you reckon we're supposed to chop up the rose petals?" he asks. "It doesn't specify...lets leave them whole." Ben agrees, and you place the cauldron over the flame. "Perhaps..." you tense as you suddenly hear that deep voice behind you, "you ought to allow Mr. Jeffreys to manage the temperature, Miss Y/n?" Your body feels warm and you have the sudden urge to lean back into his chest. "Yes, Professor.." you stand to swap seats with Ben and as you turn, you nearly bump into Professor Snape as he looms over you. You try to avoid his eyes as he looks you over in what you guess must be a look of annoyance.

           Your potion has been heating long enough to begin steaming, and you watch hopefully for the typical spirals that indicate a successful brewing. You lean closer, smelling the potion and begin to pick up subtle hints of cedar, amber, cinnamon, and ink. It feels warm and wonderful. You wonder if something is wrong with the potion since it doesn't smell at all like rose petals and pearls, whatever pearls smell like. You wait and see the spirals of steam rising, debunking your theory. You ask Ben, "Do you think it smells right?" Ben leans over the cauldron, sniffing. "It smells like banana bread, and gravel and...vanilla and peppermint...?" Something must be wrong with our brewing, you worry.

           You apprehensively approach Snape's desk. "Professor?" Dark eyes flick upwards to meet yours. "I'm wondering if you might help us determine whether our potion was brewed correctly?" Snape rises from his desk and walks with you to your steaming cauldron. Ben moves aside as Professor Snape glances at the contents. "What is the issue?" You timidly reply, "Well sir, the smell doesn't seem right. It doesn't smell at all like roses. I smell...cedar, amber, cinnamon, and ink. Ben smells something entirely different." Snape catches your gaze and holds it for a striking moment, something dancing behind his eyes. Amusement? You can't quite place it. "The color is exact and the steam is characteristic of an Amortentia potion. This brewing is correct. Well done." Confused, you return to your seat and shrug at Ben.

            "Perhaps you have by now noticed that Amortentia presents a scent unique to the one that smells it," Snape addresses the class. While one may smell honeysuckle, baked bread, apples and leather, another might smell...cedar, amber, ink and cinnamon." His glance returning to your confused face. "The most powerful love potion in the world, Amortentia, will smell like what attracts you. Often these are things that bring you comfort and cause a feeling of warmth and serenity." The other students begin buzzing about what they smell in their cauldrons. You leave class that day confused about where you've smelled that scent before...it was so familiar. You've always loved the smell of cinnamon since it reminds you of the end of the year and Christmastime. But some of the other smells you can't quite put your finger on.

           Later that night, you leave your studying in the library to take a break and stretch your legs. Most of the other students have gone to bed by now, but you feel content in the solitude the night hours provide. You make your way to the viaduct to overlook the Black Lake. You walk the halls of Hogwarts as the paintings on the walls either greet you or scowl at you. Your mind wanders to the potion you brewed earlier that day and where you've smelled that before. You close your eyes tight, trying to remember. Suddenly, you smell it. It can't be...

           "Miss Y/n. You know students must be in their dormitories after 10 o'clock." You turn and meet eyes with your potions professor, the moonlight reflecting on your skin. "Yes, Professor, I was just..." you smell it again and look up at him, the realization dawning on you.

           "Yes, Miss Y/n?" He presses. "Nothing. I'll just. I'll go back to my dorm. Goodnight, Professor." With a swish of his cloak, he disappears down the long corridor.

           You return to your dorm, heart pounding with confusion. You want to sort it all out but you can't exactly talk to your roommates about it. You pull out your journal from beneath your bed and begin writing.

           I'm having a crisis. I think I'm in love with my Potions Professor. I know I shouldn't be...but I realized it was him I smelled today in the Amortentia potion. That's the strongest love potion there is! And every time he's near me I just...want to lean into him and feel his breath on my neck and oh my god I'm definitely in love with Snape. What is happening?? He's much too old for me, and he isn't exactly the most friendly man. But he makes my heart jolt and my legs tremble in a way no one ever has before...I wonder if he notices how he makes my body react. I nearly drooled today when he stood behind me and told me to let Ben handle the brewing. I want to feel his warmth around me. It's all I can think about...