Dancing with Danger

six

"Alright you lot," Snape began, his cold voice speaking in three word busts. "Today we will be making a tricky little potion, Amortentia. Go on, get busy—and don't push your luck today, Mr. Finnigan, I'm in no mood for explosions."

After a good period of time, Snape began to circle the room like a hawk, critiquing left and right. Things like "The color is absurd," and "The smell is horribly off," he would throw around.

"Mr. Malfoy," he began while peering over Goyle's bulky arms to get a glimpse of his potion. "Care to tell us what yours smells like?"

"It smells like," Draco sighed, looking around at all the intrigued faces. "It smells of, what is that, coconut?"

"Miss Williams," Snape said, dragging out his words.

"Campfires and....and some sort of pine," Kate said confusedly.

"Miss Rogers, you're up,"

"It— it's mint," I paused to lean in to get a better understanding of what it actually was. "Some sort of woodsy type of smell...and is that cologne?"

I slumped back into my chair and exchanged a few glances with Kate, who the hell smells "woodsy"? Is that even a word?

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"Amortentia, spill it," Andrew, who's Amortentia smelled like something "warm and summery", confronted me as soon as I stepped foot into the hall.

"Do you think I know? Cologne and woods. Ask Kate about hers! Who always smells like fire," I scoffed while pushing through the crowds of people.

"That's what I thought, too," she said genuinely.

"It can't be the explosion boy, can it?" I assumed.

"Never," assured Kate.

later that night...

"Got everything?" I asked Kate and Andrew in a hushed voice.

"Money, map, alibi, what more is there to need?" Andrew mumbled in attempt to keep everything as low key as we could.

We began to make our way through the many halls and up to the third floor, checking the map every now and then for teachers. I took out my wand and muttered Dissendium to reveal the dark, cramped passageway that would lead us into the cellar of Honeydukes.

"D'you hear that?" Kate whispered, leaning down the hallway as if to hear better.

"Laughing," I whispered.

"What do we have here? Taking a little trip are we?" Peeves the Poltergeist, who enjoyed a little too much mayhem, cackled at the three of us as we gave up our attempts at being inconspicuous.

"Peeves, hush!" I whisper shouted.

"THEY'RE SNEAKING OUT!!! PROFESSOR, PROFESSOR, THREE—" he floated down to look at the color of our ties. "THREE SLYTHERINS ARE SNEAKING AROUND!!"

A set of approaching footsteps were heard on the staircases below and the caretaker's cat emerged from a classroom.

"We're screwed!" exclaimed Kate as we all bolted down opposite ends of the hall; Kate going left, Andrew going right, and myself taking refuge in a deserted classroom.

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"Well—that—was an—adventure," I panted after the footsteps had faded and we had all made it back towards our common room.

"I just want to punt that stupid cat sometimes, you know?" gasped Andrew.

"Good evening, Professor," chirped a sixth year.

"Evening," replied Snape.

Kate, Andrew, and I exchanged worrisome looks and began to quietly, but quickly, make our way to our dormitories. We weren't entirely sure he was after us, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been a possibility.

"You wouldn't believe—" I managed to choke out while throwing myself against the back my dormitory door, making it shut with a good amount of force.

"Are you serious?!" Pansy growled at me, her face turning a dark shade of red.

"Maybe?" I said uncertainly.

"You think I didn't see what happened in Potions? I know damn well what Draco smelled is the scent that wafts through this room every evening after you take a shower. What am I doing wrong? He shouldn't have ever had a thing for someone like you—I'll get it!" Pansy rushed over to our door, quickly fixed her hair, and opened the door with a phony smile.

"Sorry to interrupt," Draco snarled while looking over Pansy's head into our room.

"Where'd you get this?" I whispered in shock as he handed me a ring I had barely noticed was missing.

"You left it in Potions," he said as an awkward silence followed. "I'd better get going."

"Bye, Draco," Pansy cooed while shutting the door. "How sweet of him, really a gentleman, isn't he?"

"I guess so," I said, still confused on how he noticed it was gone and I didn't.

"You two deserve each other," she said with an unconvincing smile. "Maybe not deserve, you'll never win him over, no matter how much he leads you on."

"I don't see you losing jewelry and getting it returned by Prince Charming, now do I?" I teased while holding up my hand to show the tiny gold ring, splattered with old potions and covered in burn marks.