poison ivy | remus lupin

chapter five

LUCK AND PASSAGES

TRACKLIST
ZIGGY STARDUST - DAVID BOWIE
I KNOW ITS OVER - THE SMITHS
FORTNIGHT - TAYLOR SWIFT

we had the 'exam' today, the felix felicis potion. i was nervous, for what would happen, if anyone would have a face of cauldron at the end of class

james voted sirius would but honestly with the way marlene is im scared shes gonna be way to over confident with it. sirius' has got this i think.

i dropped the 2-3 drops of salamander blood into the cauldron first, watching as it dissolved into the bubbling liquid with a soft hiss. next came the T' occamy shell, which shimmered like stardust as i sprinkled them in. finally, with utmost care, i uncorked the vial of squill bulb juice, letting a single drop fall into the mixture. the potion glowing with an ethereal light.

as the potion simmered, i felt a surge of pride. i had followed the steps perfectly, and the felix felicis was nearly complete. the room was filled with a sense of quiet concentration, broken only by the occasional clink of glass or the murmur of an incantation.

professor slughorn approached my cauldron, his expression unreadable. hid peered into the cauldron, then nodded approvingly. "well done, miss potter. your potion is exemplary. you have a natural talent for this craft."

my heart soared at the praise. i had worked hard to master the art of potion-making, and it felt incredible to have my efforts recognized. as i bottled the potion, i couldn't help but smile, knowing that i had successfully brewed the felix felicis.

the exam had been daunting for everyone sure, but i had risen to the challenge. i glanced around at my classmates, some of whom were still struggling with their potions, mary and lily looking stressed, remus still cutting stuff, peter had also finished, i felt a sense of camaraderie. we were all on this journey together, learning and growing with each step. it felt good to be in the year five potions with them. i felt more open to being able to excel and succeed.

but as i anticipated, marlene had ended up with her face full of luck.

as the class drew to a close, professor slughorn addressed us once more. "remember, my young witches and wizards, that true mastery comes from perseverance and dedication. continue to hone your skills, and you will achieve greatness."

i left the classroom with a renewed sense of purpose, ready to face whatever magical challenges lay ahead. the world of potions was vast and filled with endless possibilities, and i was eager to explore them all.

i hadn't had anymore classes today, i have more exams coming this following week as holidays were just two weeks away. i was thinking of staying at hogwarts over the holidays, i knew some people were and of course i love being home but being mostly alone that entire holiday sounds like hell, i was worried for sirius.

its never a good holiday for him or regulus, everyone's expectations high at the house of black, sirius had become more sloppy with his hair and posture, especially with the posh accents the brothers speak when they first come back

i knew the jist of what went on at that house, me and regulus have had many conversations late at the astronomy tower and of course james would fill me in on his concerns on sirius

i didnt believe either one of them were prepared to go back to that house.

whilst thinking about the two, im sitting on the couches in the common room and my head turns up just as barty, reg, evan and cas walked in. i smiled at the sight of my slytherins

"well hello stranger long time no see" evan said while sitting down, immediately i laid my head in the boys lap, me and evan have been physically affectionate since our first year when he helped me stand up to a boy in my charms class.

he was head over heels inlove with the one and only barty crouch whom was oblivious to this and honestly, i believe hes straight. but evan also thought he was until barty.

"yeah what ever have we done for cassandra potter to grace us with her presence?" dorcas asked, obviously joking. but she was right i havent been around alot recently, since that prank i helped with last week i was almost only around the common room when it was time to go to the dorms, i saw reg often in the library with barty sometimes but that had been it

"i know i know its been a while, but ill be around more this week with exams" i laughed,

"well cass your gonna be grateful to be here in a moment, because your never gonna guess what we found in the restricted section of the library last night" barty perked up, referring to him and reg as in we.

this seemed to also grab dorcas and rosier's attention along with mine. "well give it to us" the blonde said,

barty holding a old dusted off book in his hand, the big bold blue text read "THE SECRETS OF PASSAGES"  A SLYTHERIN GUIDE.

"this book has all the hidden passage ways of the dungeons, ones i bet the prefects don't know about, maybe not even filch. seriously i read a couple and we have walked by thousands of times and never thought twice about it" barty said, hes right there are alot of different places in this school no one knows about, remembering its literally ancient and students have created their own history in this school.

"no way! let me see that thing!" evan reached out for the book placing it on the arm of the couch flipping through the pages eagerly, regulus moved in closer "are there maps in there? ive always heard rumours about the tunnels under the dungeons but i didn't believe any until we found the book."

dorcas, curious and cautious as she is the wise out out of us, "are we sure these would be safe? what if theres some sort of enchantment or trap?" "thats what would make it exciting dorcas, and with bartys book we would totally have the upper hand, i say we see what mischief we could get into down there tonight" i added into the conversation,

barty grinning at me, "see i knew your brother would rub off on you sooner or later, according to the book theres a passage that leads right by the forbidden forest the exit is by the shrieking shack, imagine sneaking out with no one even knowing" evan was nodding in agreement with barty, "and according to this one theres one that goes right into the kitchen, midnight snacks anyone?"

"we should be careful about this, if we got caught, even just with this book. it could mean serious trouble" regulus thoughtfully added, determined dorcas disclosed "if we are getting food im down, but we will just have to be more than extra cautious. lets plan this thing."

"thats our girl, loosen up reg this will work wonders. its gonna be amazing" i beamed.