Chapter 16: A Potion of Chaos
It had been a week since the strange night in the library with Wardell. Joy hadn’t spoken a word about the incident to anyone—not about the bird-like creature they fought or the journal she had discovered. She had spent every spare moment reading the Journal of Barbara Moon, but the text was so faded and the pages so brittle that much of it was illegible. Still, Joy poured over it with an intense dedication. Her brain buzzed with theories. The journal had to mean something important, something bigger than the mundane entries it presented. Every now and then, a name or phrase seemed to echo in her mind—Liona. Who was Liona? Why did this name keep haunting her?
Even with the journal weighing on her mind, Joy couldn’t neglect her regular classes, especially Potions, which was one of her favorites. She was good at it—really good. But if she were being honest, Zephyr was better. The way Zephyr effortlessly mixed ingredients, making even the most complex potions seem easy, always left Joy slightly envious.
Today, they were partnered up to make a Love Pheromones potion. The timing couldn’t have been more fitting—it was spring, after all, and the air in the classroom seemed charged with excitement and budding romance. Their instructor, Professor Ryndel, a wiry woman with a sharp voice, paced in front of the class as she explained the delicate process of brewing the potion.
“Now remember,” Professor Ryndel said, her voice firm, “this is a subtle potion. Any misstep could turn it into a disaster. You must follow the steps exactly, or—”
"Boom!" one of the twins, Priya, whispered loudly, sending the class into a fit of giggles.
“Exactly,” Professor Ryndel continued, glaring in Priya’s direction. “Now, begin.”
Joy and Zephyr worked in tandem, their cauldron bubbling gently as they added each ingredient with care. Joy carefully measured the powdered rose petals, while Zephyr added a dash of moonlit lavender.
“I think we’re doing pretty well,” Joy said, her voice full of focus. She wasn’t perfect at Potions, but she knew she could handle this one. “Just a little more—”
But then, something unexpected happened. Zephyr, usually calm and precise, got distracted when Rea—Priya’s twin sister—decided to add a generous amount of glitter to her own project. The sparkles shimmered under the classroom lights, catching Zephyr’s eye. In that moment, Zephyr lost track of their movements, adding a few extra drops of night-blooming jasmine—too much for the delicate mixture.
Joy saw it too late.
"Zephyr!" she gasped.
The potion in their cauldron started to bubble violently. A bright pink cloud of smoke puffed up, and before either of them could react, the entire concoction exploded. Thick, pink fumes filled the air, coating the classroom with a sugary, perfumed mist.
“Run!” Professor Ryndel shouted, coughing. “Everyone, wash your eyes immediately and avoid inhaling the fumes!”
But it was too late. As the class scrambled toward the sinks, coughing and trying to clear their vision, Dani walked in, looking concerned.
“What happened here? I heard an explosi—” Dani’s words were cut short as the pink cloud hit him full force.
There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere. Zephyr, still rubbing their eyes, caught sight of Dani and froze. Something in their expression changed instantly—from confusion to infatuation.
“Dani!” Zephyr gasped, their voice filled with admiration. “Dani, you're... you're so perfect!”
And it wasn’t just Zephyr. As the pink fumes settled over the room, every student turned their gaze toward Dani with wide, adoring eyes. The entire class had fallen under the potion’s spell, and poor Dani stood in the middle, looking utterly terrified.
“What... what’s happening?” Dani stammered, backing away as the students started to swarm around him.
Zephyr, now completely smitten, tried to inch closer to him. “Dani, I’ve never realized how... how amazing you are!”
Joy, however, was one of the few not affected—luckily, she had kept her head down when the potion exploded and had avoided most of the fumes. She watched the chaos unfold with wide eyes, feeling a mix of disbelief and panic. The entire class was obsessed with Dani, and it was only getting worse.
“We need to fix this,” she muttered, her mind racing.
Dani, now surrounded by his adoring fans, managed to call out, “There’s an antidote! I can help, but I—” He was cut off as the crowd pushed him toward the door.
"Wait!" Joy called after him. But he was already gone, swept away by the tide of his new fan club.
Joy turned back to the cauldron, trying to remember the antidote recipe Dani had mentioned. Her hands shook as she frantically mixed what ingredients she could find, but she was missing something crucial. Think, Joy, think!
Just as she was about to give up, a small chirping sound caught her attention. A tiny bird appeared, fluttering through the open window and landing on the teacher’s desk. It tweeted once before pecking at a decaying rose leaf.
“The rose leaf!” Joy exclaimed. “That’s the final ingredient!”
She rushed over, grabbing the rose leaf and tossing it into the cauldron. The potion immediately changed color, turning from a violent pink to a calm, shimmering blue.
“I did it…” Joy whispered in disbelief.
But there was no time to celebrate. She needed to act fast. Raising her wand, she muttered the incantation Professor Ryndel had taught them for controlled weather spells. She had never done it on such a large scale before, but there was no other choice.
“Pluviam intra parietes!”
With a flick of her wand, the ceiling of the classroom darkened, and soft rain began to fall indoors. The potion droplets fell over the students, washing away the effects of the love fumes. One by one, the spell lifted, and the dazed students blinked as their senses returned.
Zephyr, soaked but now back to normal, looked horrified. “Joy, what happened?! I—why was I—”
Ash, standing nearby, couldn’t stop laughing. “You were practically drooling over Dani! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Zephyr groaned, their face turning bright red. “Please tell me I didn’t...”
“Oh, you did,” Ash teased. “I’m never letting you live this down.”
Despite the chaos, Joy, Zephyr, and Ash found themselves laughing as they left the classroom, soaked but relieved.
As they made their way down the hallway, a woman with fiery red hair and a dark cloak stood in the shadows, watching them closely. A small bird rested on her shoulder, chirping softly in approval.
Joy didn’t notice her, but the feeling of accomplishment warmed her heart. She had done it—her first real potion, her first real spell, all on her own. She didn’t know what the future held, but for now, she was content to laugh with her friends, ready for whatever came next.
