Amortentia · Y/n story by @gaunt

The Potions classroom at Hogwarts was a long, low-ceilinged dungeon, lit by flickering torches that cast dancing shadows across stone walls lined with shelves of pickled creatures and bottled ingredients. The air smelled of damp earth, burnt sugar, and something metallic.

Astoria Greengrass

fiddling with her empty robe pocket, pretending to check her notes okay, so today in potions class, we brew it. amortentia. when class is dismissed, i’ll ‘accidentally’ bump into him, drop the vial… poof. he breathes it in.

Aurelia Greengrass

staring at her perfectly manicured nails and you’re certain it’ll be enough? one drop aerosolized—enough for fixation, not full-blown mania. we want obsession, not scandal.

Astoria Greengrass

it’ll be perfect. i measured it myself. merlin, relax. you’re so tense. it’s just draco.

Before Aurelia could reply, the dungeon door groaned open. Professor Slughorn bustled in, his walrus mustache quivering as he beamed at the assembled Slytherin and Ravenclaw sixth-years.

Professor Slughorn

Gather round, gather round! Today, we tackle one of the most complex and delicate brews in the NEWT curriculum—Amortentia! The most powerful love potion in existence. It is identifiable by its mother-of-pearl sheen and its characteristic spiraling steam, which smells differently to each person, according to what attracts them.

His eyes twinkled as he gestured to the blackboard, where the instructions began to write themselves in shimmering silver script.

Professor Slughorn

Now, who can tell me the primary risk of improper brewing? Miss Greengrass? The elder one.

Aurelia Greengrass

smoothly, without looking up from her nails obsession bordering on psychosis, professor. the subject fixates, but without the potion’s inherent euphoric component, the fixation can manifest as paranoia, aggression, or debilitating melancholy.

Professor Slughorn

Precisely! Ten points to Slytherin. It is a tool of subtle influence, not blunt force. You will work in pairs. Begin.

The scrape of cauldrons and clink of glass vials filled the room. Astoria and Aurelia shared a table near the back, their ingredients laid out with surgical precision. A few tables over, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, and Mattheo Riddle worked in quiet, efficient synchronicity, their movements sharp and unspoken.

Astoria Greengrass

whispering, not looking away from her crushed pearl dust he’s at table four. watch his timing. he always finishes early.