The Collision Theory | Remus Lupin

12. A Common Occurrence of Rarities

The castle seems a little darker with every passing second, and when we come down for dinner, the hall isn't filled with the usual chatter. Dumbledore gives a speech but no-one listens in, and through it all I hold my sister close. Tonight is different, siblings sit with each other at house tables they're not in, and it feels a little more comforting. What is most haunting though, Rosalind Robinson, a fifth year Hufflepuff, who's stifled sobs through the speech will probably keep most of the students awake tonight.

I vaguely remember what happened after Dumbledore's speech. I parted with Miriam and remember snippets of climbing the stairs to the tower.
That's it.
Sleep is restless and I wake up quite a bit, but it's a haze of a moonlit room and burying myself deeper into the pillows before morning finally comes.

"Potions?" I hear Sirius ask the Marauders, who are a few seats away from us. They nod. I check my timetable quickly: Advanced potions with the Slytherins first. The news of yesterday is still fresh in everyone's minds, and we leave early for class.

*

Professor Slughorn opens the class door with his usually cheery face, "Come in!"

"What is that?" Avery, a Slytherin, points to a hastily drawn chart with surnames paired.

"This, young Avery," he beams, "is your arrangements for your first project."

Some people groan, others grin happily. I try to find my name in the chart.
Avery, Crabbe.
McKinnon, Longbottom.
Elling, Tanner.
Snape, Mulciber.
Black, Pettigrew.
Potter, Evans. Oh that's gonna be good.
Then, a few pairs down: Lupin, Novak.

"Shit." I mutter. A hand on my shoulder makes me jump.

"Hope that's not because of arrangements." Lupin stands eyeing me almost apprehensively, his arms crossed.

"No no! It's just I err..." I rack my brains for an excuse, "y'know, Potter and Evans."

He laughs, "But it'd be fun to watch right?"

Totally nailed it.

We sit at a desk near the other boys and of course a rather fuming Lily. Remus examines the ingredients in the cauldrons that have already been laid out on the desk.

"Normally it would only take one lesson, but you will be working with raw ingredients, so this will take at least up till Christmas." Slughorn twirls his wand between his fingers, charming the chalk to write the names of the ingredients, "Anyone guess what we're making?"

"Amortentia." Remus scrunches his nose in disgust, "This is potentially dangerous, and most definitely morally wrong."

"It is a hard potion to achieve," the professor treads carefully with his words, "and I assure you all that you'll only make it for the grades, after that," he waves his hands around, "straight down the sink."

"But we'll know how to make it." Lupin frowns. It feels good that someone other than me cares about these issues.

"A little twist," Slughorn smirks, as if waiting for someone to ask, "I changed one of the ingredients ever so slightly. You'll be able to smell the potion, but once consumed it cannot alter your thinking."

"Fair enough." Remus' mood lightens, and we begin to start. From the corner of my eye I can see Sev- I mean Snape- scribble on his copy of the potions book.

I turn the pages to my own, "Right, four drops of... flubberworm acid?"

"I think we try to get this thing," Lupin levitates the creature, I stand back, "to spit or bite?"