The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

The Advice of the Potions Master

The Advice of the Potions Master

"Oops! I've spilled an entire cup of frog spawn," said Sirius Black in a voice just loud enough that it carried across the Potions classroom. "I wouldn't want to be the person who has to clean that up, would you?" He grinned wickedly at James Potter.

Severus gritted his teeth. He was already on edge because of the way Lily was giggling shyly at the Lupin boy, and now here was Sirius purposely making a horrible mess at his workstation with James Potter, who was snickering glancing over to see if Severus had heard. And of course he'd heard. He'd heard them thinking of doing it before they ever took hold on the cup of frog spawn to begin with.

Slughorn rumbled by, "What's happened here?" he asked, looking at the spilled green muck that had splattered on the floor, "You've got to be a bit more careful, Master Black," he said, "Luckily there's plenty of frog spawn in the student storeroom, and it isn't very hard to come by, but a rarer ingredient might be less easy to replace if it should be spilled!" He chuckled as he walked on, carefully stepping over the mess.

"Yes, sir," said Sirius, "I'll be more careful from now on. I wouldn't want to make too much of a mess. I feel right bad for Filch or whoever has to clean the floor in here when we've finished." He grinned in Severus's direction after Slughorn's back was turned.

It was the memory of that grin - all teeth and smugness - that ground at Severus that night as he knelt on the flagstones with a brush and a bucket of bubbles. He scraped at the mess, bitterly angry with Slughorn for having said there would be no magic used to clean up as part of Severus's punishment. He hated Sirius Black for getting him into this mess and McGonagall for catching him and Slughorn for assigning him this horrible task and James Potter for laughing and Remus Lupin for holding Lily's attention... and even Lily herself, for not paying him the attention he wanted from her. For not being a Slytherin. He hated himself, too, he realized, for not being a Gryffindor with her.

"Severus."

He looked up from the spilled frog spawn to see Slughorn at the front of the classroom, by his teacher's workstation, a book open across the desk and a monocle in his eye. He was stirring the cauldron carefully - counting one, two, three clockwise turns and one counter-clockwise. "Would you care to help me for a moment? I'm working on a potion and I've forgotten to chop the barley-nuts and I can't chop and stir at the same time. I thought you might be able to lend a hand and keep up the stirring."

"Yes, sir," Severus replied, dropping his spawn-covered brush into the bucket of sudsy water and joining Slughorn at the front of the classroom. Slughorn pulled a stool closer with his foot for Severus to climb up on so he could reach the spoon with ease and carefully handed over the stirring duties.

"Three clockwise, one counter-clockwise; keep it up... there you are." Slughorn released the spoon entirely to Severus and turned to pour out a handful of barley-nuts to the table, getting a silver knife out of a drawer. "Here we are." He set himself to focusing on the chopping of the barley-nuts. "I appreciate your help, my dear boy," he said.

Severus nodded, "It's not a problem, sir."

"Do you know what sort of potion this is, my boy?" Slughorn asked as he worked.

"Nope," Severus answered, not caring at all about the ruddy potion or anything else that the fat old man had to say.

"It's an elixir to cure acne," Slughorn said. "I'm mixing it for Madam Pomfrey. She's running low on her store - it seems we have some particularly pimple prone sixth years this term and the store is running low, so she's asked me to brew up some fresh for her zitty little charges." He smiled in amusement. "The barley-nut's juice isn't the main ingredient, of course, just one of many. The main ingredient is amaranth."