eight; love potions "and, just like that, everything falls into place."
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The good days had passed quite quickly, it seemed. Remus noticed as Hope began to isolate herself again, curling back up into her shell and locking the door. He observed as her temporary face of neutrality, almost happiness, was once again replaced by a frown. And it hurt him to watch. It was like a punch to the gut as he listened to her voice grow quiet, rarely talking at all. Every time he saw her drift away in her head, leaving him behind, he could feel his heart twisting in its place. He couldn't help but wish she would come to him, asking if they could talk. He wanted her to tell him what was wrong, or just simply let him try to cheer her up.
But it wasn't until a specific potions class in November that he suddenly became terrified at the thought of her. He was partners with Sirius and, by some miracle, the pair had managed to successfully brew their potion without any mishaps. Needless to say, they were both eager for it to be finished. Slughorn had spent far too long droning on about the dangers of amortentia when all anyone cared about was what it smelled like. As people began to finish making it, excited and surprised chatter erupted in the classroom. There were several people, Remus noted, who looked in shock while their friends smirked knowingly. He hadn't expected to be on of those people.
Sirius took a whiff of the potion first, smiling when he did. James leaned over to ask what he smelled before Remus could. Sirius rattled off a list of three scents and James nodded with a smile before asking if Lily still used that perfume that smelled of cherry blossoms. When Sirius and Remus both told him yes he went red as a dazed smile spread across his face. His friends exchanged a look reserved for any Lily Evans related matter, though this time more surprised and sincere. Being able to smell a specific person when sniffing amortentia was no small or trivial thing, nor did it apply to simple crushes.
When Remus bent down and inhaled the scent of the potion, the first smell he could distinguish was that of brand new books straight our of the store. It brought a soft grin to his face as he thought of the endless teasing he would get for that one. Next, came the smell of bread fresh out of the oven, a warm sort of smell. That one confused him slightly, but the mix of it with the books was almost familiar to him. Though he could not for the life of him grasp what it was it reminded him of. At least, not until he was hit with the last scent. Vanilla wafted up from the potion as he breathed in, consequently causing every part of him to stop functioning. Vanilla, new books, and freshly baked bread were not smells that all necessarily appealed to him in their usual sense, but together they made his brain go haywire and his heart beat out his chest.
Hope Artin had always, since the day he'd met her, smelled of vanilla, new books, and freshly baked bread.
