ACT ONE, CHAPTER EIGHT
AMORTENTIA & TRAIN STATIONS
The castle halls were abuzz with the palpable excitement that always accompanied the last day before Christmas break at Hogwarts. Laughter and chatter echoed off the stone walls as students hurried to their final classes before the holiday festivities began in earnest. Among them were Lily Evans, Madelyn Laurent, Remus Lupin, and James Potter, making their way through the corridors to the dungeons for their last potions lesson of the term. Lily, Madelyn, Remus, and James walked together, their steps quickened by the excitement of the impending break.
The anticipation of the holiday season danced in their eyes, and the air buzzed with the promise of relaxation and merriment.
As they entered the potions classroom, they were greeted by the sight of Professor Slughorn bustling about, adding final touches to the festive decorations adorning the room. Garlands of evergreen draped over the chalkboard, while enchanted candles flickered with a warm, golden glow. As Madelyn sat down at her table, Lily made a face and then looked at James.
"Merlin, Potter! How much of that damned cologne did you put on!" Lily said, disgusted.
"I don't know what your on about, I didn't have time to put on any this morning." James shrugged, setting his bag on the floor beside his chair. Lily turned to look at Madelyn, who also shrugged. Madelyn didn't even smell James' cologne. She smelled, freshly baked cookies, old books, chocolate and a different although familiar cologne.
Professor Slughorn greeted his students with his customary joviality, his booming voice filling the room with warmth. "Welcome, welcome, my dear students! I have a special treat in store for you." Lily, Madelyn, Remus, and James listened attentively as Professor Slughorn explained the day's assignment.
"Today, we will be brewing Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in existence," he announced, a twinkle in his eye.
Lily made a face, she wasn't dumb, in fact she was the furthest from that. She put the puzzle pieces together, the reason she smelt the toe-rag's cologne was because she smelt him in the Amortentia. That's impossible, she hates James. Maybe James is lying and he did put on cologne.
As Professor Slughorn continued to explain the intricacies of brewing Amortentia, Lily's mind raced with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Could it really be possible that she was drawn to James Potter, despite her protests to the contrary?
Glancing surreptitiously at Madelyn, Lily tried to gauge her friend's reaction. But Madelyn's expression revealed nothing, her attention seemingly focused on the potion ingredients laid out before her.
Meanwhile, James and Remus exchanged amused glances, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil brewing in Lily's mind. James leaned over to whisper something to Remus, causing the latter to chuckle softly under his breath.
Lost in her thoughts, Lily barely noticed as Madelyn nudged her gently, drawing her attention back to the task at hand. With a determined shake of her head, Lily pushed aside her doubts and focused on completing the potion.
As the lesson progressed and the potion began to take shape, Lily found herself stealing glances at James when he wasn't looking, her curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't deny the undeniable chemistry between them, even if she was reluctant to acknowledge it.
Madelyn however had no idea what she was smelling. It was super familiar but who it was she had no idea.
As Madelyn stirred the potion in her cauldron, her mind was consumed with the mystery of the unfamiliar yet strangely familiar scent that had enveloped her. She wracked her brain, trying to place where she had encountered it before, but no matter how hard she tried, the memory eluded her.
