Here Right Now | Charlie Weasley

Chapter 10 : Potions

IT was the first Potions class of the year and Charlie was already dreading it. He was still surprised he made O in his O.W.L year. He could have opted out of the class, especially in his sixth year, but under pressure from his mother and his professor's, he felt obligated to continue.

Potions wasn't his best subject but he still worked hard.

He sat down at an empty bench in the cold dungeon classroom, as the rest of the small N.E.W.T class walked in. It was mostly Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's with a few Hufflepuff and Gryffindor's mixed in. Jayden and Kane were sitting together, laughing quietly and causing the girls from the other houses to glance at them and giggle. The two had similar personalities and had fast become as thick as thieves.

The classroom was cold and dark, with shelves lining the top of the walls. The shelves contained pickled animals that floated up and down in the mixtures. It was a fairly large room, but felt enormous with the small amount of students in the room. The blackboard at the front of the class had the remnants of a first year lesson on, on the different types of Cauldrons. Snape strolled in, leaving a wave of silence behind him. Usually by then, the few students in the class were seated and waiting for their professor.

Charlie felt relieved knowing that Charlotte wasn't in the class. He had already spent too much time with her in their Care of Magical Creatures class. He wasn't so sure he could handle much more of her.

Charlotte strolled into the room, a few minutes late for class. Charlie couldn't suppress his audible groan, earning a few surprised looks from the Ravenclaw's next to his desk. He smiled charmingly at the two girls and they looked away, giggling nervously.

He felt relieved when their scrutiny was off of him. He wasn't always comfortable with the romantic looks girls bestowed on him.

"Miss Jet, next to Mr Weasley." Snape's cold voice made Charlotte stop in her tracks.

Charlie felt adrenaline flash through his body briefly, making it white hot. Nerves struck him, as he tried to not look too perturbed by the professor's order.

Hunter gave Charlotte an apologetic look, the seat he had saved for her left empty. She sighed and pouted as she walked to the boy. She sat her bag down next to the bench and sat next to Charlie, her cauldron magically appearing next to his.

Charlotte glanced to the stocky boy next to her. He was staring straight ahead, a look of pained concentration on his face. A flash of annoyance went through her. Why is she always finding herself next to him or partnered with him? It was as if all the professors were playing a joke on her. She really hoped that this was their last class together.

"The person you are sitting next to is your partner for the year. When required, you will be doing potions together. Being in this class will take hard work, time and determination. This you all know from last year. Do not disappoint me, I expect 'Outstanding' from all of you at the end of this year." Snape's black eyes were cold as he swept his gaze across the room.

"Today, we will work on the Volubilis Potion. At the end of the lesson I want the potion to be yellow and my voice unrecognizable." His gaze swept across the room. He swept around from his stone dais and sat down at his desk, the implication to start the potion clear.

"Is there any stewed mandrake?" Charlie looked up from the recipe, at Charlotte's voice icy. 

He shrugged, his voice failing him for a second. He couldn't talk because he was concentrated on not reacting to her presence. 

"I reckon ignoring me isn't going to finish this faster. I will go look in the pantry." 

The disgust in her voice made him cringe a little. He continued reading over the potion, anger slowly filtering into his body. She was the only person who has ever made him so self-aware and it irked him.

Charlotte was frustrated. She had already done this potion in Uagadou but knew from Snape's reputation not to say anything, since he would cause unnecessary work for her. She was glad she was almost done with school.

She glanced around her, looking for the pantry. She went to the little pantry room, finding one of Jayden and Charlie's Gryffindor friends.

He had light brown hair, blue eyes and always seemed to be joking around her brother and his group of friends. He always talked about Quidditch quiet loudly, creating big debates around him. He was passionate about it, something she could see from a mile away. He was in her Alchemy class and was highly intelligent, something that surprised her. He had a girlfriend but when she saw the two together, it just seemed like they were friends. 

Not that she knew the difference.

His eyes were on her as she turned her back to him, her shyness a little debilitating.

"Hey, you're Charlotte Jet, right?"

"Yes." 

She glanced at him, then started grabbing the ingredients for the potion. Kane eyed her for a second and then grinned to himself, amused at her reaction. She could feel his gaze on her and felt the amusement radiating from him. She found him annoying, just like the rest of Jaydens friends.

"What do you want?" She hissed out, as she reached for high up ingredient. 

She wasn't in the mood for irritating boys. He leaned against the door frame and watched her struggle.

"Just wondering how you and Jayden are related, much less twins." 

She stopped what she was doing and faced him, with fire in her eyes.

"I'm sorry and that concerns you how?" His grin grew with her words.

"You two don't act like twins. Unlike the Weasley twins." She rolled her eyes.

"We don't have to be alike, to be twins. We are not the Weasley twins."

The disgust at the comparison amused him.

"You're definitely the better version of the Weasley twins." She found herself going red, his implied innuendo glaringly obvious. 

She recovered her composure rapidly and smirked at him.

"I know. Don't let Charlie or your girlfriend, hear you say that." She said, a little surprised at her quick wit.

Her quip made him laugh, although his eyes flashed dangerously at the word girlfriend.

"Believe me, they agree with me." He winked and then left the pantry.

She looked out after him, shook her and was slightly confused but amused at their short conversation.