𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙦𝙪𝙖 ➪ 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑇𝑊𝑂

➪ CHESTNUT ➪

"DO YOU MIND?"

Loki smiled sheepishly at the girl beside her. The girl sighed and rolled her eyes, turning back to the potion that bubbled in her cauldron. Loki frowned, turning back to her own lilac concoction.

"Remember," Professor Slughorn spoke up from where he sat behind his desk, "when cutting the bean, be very careful. It can be a bit tricky."

As if on cue, a small black object flew across the room, landing right beside Loki's foot. All heads turned in the direction that it came from. Everyone locked their gaze on a flustered Peter Pettigrew as he scurried to retrieve his bean. Loki smiled sympathetically when he came up to her. She picked it up and held it out to him.

"It's better if you crush it," Loki winked, turning to her potion again. Peter paused before thanking her and scurrying away again.

She was glad that Slughorn had forgotten the Sleeping Draught was one lesson they'd done last year. At that time, Hufflepuffs had been with Slytherins, and possibly the best potions student in Hogwarts was a Slytherin. She'd watched him last year crush the bean instead of cut it.

"The book says to cut, though," the girl who'd just told her off pointed out. She was a Gryffindor with long blonde hair.

"I know," Loki smiled, "but crushing it is easier and quicker. Their shells are practically impenetrable."

The girl frowned before looking down at her seed. Loki watched with a grin as the girl used the side of her blade to crush the bean. Her sceptical expression turned to one of shock as she quickly let the juice drip into the cauldron. The blonde turned back to Loki.

"Thank you," she whispered. Loki nodded and turned to her book again.

Loki began to stir her potion. After many stirs, her even adding a few counter-clockwise ones, her potion turned a pale pink. She smiled proudly and continued to stir.

"That's time, ladies and gentlemen!" Slughorn grinned. "I'll come around and inspect, now."

Loki waited patiently for Slughorn to come over. He praised a girl with red hair who she vaguely recalled being Lily Evans, a muggle-born Gryffindor. After one more table, the one where Peter Pettigrew stood, he came over to Loki, the blonde girl and another Hufflepuff's table. He looked at the other Hufflepuff's then Loki's.

"Oh-ho!" He grinned. "You and Miss Evans! Congratulations, Miss Hawthorne."

"Thank you, sir," she flushed, looking away in embarrassment when the man praised her work.

Once Slughorn had finished, he instructed everyone to clean up their things. Everyone quickly did as they were told, knowing that that was the end of the lesson.

Loki gathered all her ingredients up and went to gently place them inside the now clean cauldron. A small vial slipped from her grasp and rolled off the table onto the floor. Her eyes widened as she dumped in the other things before swiftly chasing after it. It stopped next to someone's shoe. Loki's hand dived for it at the same time the person who owned the shoe did. Instead of them clutching the vial, they ended up clutching hands.

Loki's face flushed bright red, and she immediately pulled back. She hadn't retrieved her vial, but had gained another wave of embarrassment.

"I-I-I'm sorry," she stuttered out with a squeak.

The other person picked up her vial and handed it out to her. She looked up to thank them. Her mouth went dry at the sight of who it was.

"I believe this is yours," Remus Lupin, a Gryffindor, smiled kindly at Loki as she slowly took it from his hand. "You should be more careful with your stuff." He joked.

Loki nodded, swallowing the lump that had stuck in her throat. "Thank-thank you." She muttered, gazing up through her lashes at him.

Remus nodded again, his eyes still locked on the girl. Her heart did a flip. She thought his hazel eyes were so dazzling...

Loki mentally cursed herself at the realisation she was just standing in front of him. He hadn't said anything else but kept on a polite smile. She quick apologized once more before hurrying back to her table, her face redder than a tomato.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She muttered in agitation to herself. She picked up the cauldron in one hand, using the other to grab her bag.

Right as she went to exit the classroom, her eyes drifted back to the boy. He wasn't standing alone anymore and had another familiar boy by his side. The two were leaned over, staring at something in Remus's hand. Loki's heart flipped once more when a pair of dark eyes looked up, staring her way. That was when she noticed the other boy.

She turned suddenly on her heel, switching her gaze to the floor. Her mind raced. She knew her face had returned to its unnatural red state of embarrassment as the thought that Sirius Black was looking her way flickered through her mind.

"Oh Merlin," she muttered, shivering at the mental image.

Why had he looked at her?