◤ ❝Oh, sweetheart. You have the kind of sadness nothing in this world could repair.❞ ― Eleanor Radnor ◢

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN:       DOLOS

November 18, 1996

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THE DAILY PROPHET

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INNOCENT! MINISTRY'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT: WEEK-LONG TRIAL IN THE CASE OF ALASTIARE EREBUS

The fourth trial for the late Alastiare Erebus was conducted by the Ministry of Magic's recently-appointed, Rufus Scrimgeour, in hopes to uncover more information about his involvement with He Who Must Not Be Named. Senior Undersecretary to the Minister himself, Dolores Umbridge, led the trial by calling forth different accounts of witnesses from Alastiare Erebus' life. A witness from the Battle at the Department of Mysteries (who has chosen to remain anonymous) came forward to reveal new information that was undisclosed until recently. 

"Alastiare Erebus was an innocent man, and these trials are only proving that further. He was a friend to the Ministry, an ally to them when they needed help with foreign affairs for several years. What happened in the Department of Mysteries showed that the man had been living under the Imperius Curse for nearly eighteen years...he is innocent. Would a Death Eater protect the very people he is meant to harm? Of course not. Alastiare Erebus fought the Imperius Curse to save his friend. We should be giving him a medal of honor for his sacrifices," says the witness.

Other witnesses have come to say similar statements about Alastiare Erebus, explaining that he led a life that was not controlled by He Who Must Not Be Named's return. Arthur Weasley, head of the Office for Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects, also confirms that the Erebus family manor was clear of any Dark objects or evidence of He Who Must Not Be Named's influence. With the information that was received, the Minister of Magic has chosen to renounce any and all allegations about Alastiare Erebus, explaining that he was "an innocent man chosen to be a Dark face in this war." 

The Minister continues to seek out other leads to Death Eaters, pushing forth with great success in this war. See yesterday's Evening Prophet for Minister Scrimgeour's statement about their actions against He Who Must Not Be Named and the movement that the Ministry of Magic is taking in defense of his attacks.

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November 19, 1996

"Welcome! Welcome! Come in!"

Andromeda gave a fake smile to Professor Slughorn as he ushered a group of them in, Blaise only a few centimeters to her right with his hand gently on her back to push her further into the office. Over the coming months, the more meetings that Slughorn had, the closer that she and Blaise had become. Maybe it was the shared suffering, or that the conversations in the Slug Club produced such physical responses that she and him exchanged looks the entire time. By now, it was almost a game to see who could figure out what the other was thinking first. They were rarely a topic of conversation anyway during the Club meetings―Slughorn had a habit of focusing on the past, and rarely did he bring up present members unless one of them recently did something extraordinary. 

This meeting would not be one of those days. An unsettling feeling had started to rise throughout the evening when she realized that Slughorn had been giving her side glances any time he saw her. It wasn't difficult to figure out why after Tracey silently handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet that morning. Strung across the front page was her father's name, along with the word 'INNOCENT' written in bold, dark lettering. Mia got as far as the second paragraph before she felt the urge to throw up, throwing the paper to her left and ignoring Daphne's exclaim in surprise. 

Her father was declared innocent twice, in two accounts by two separate Ministers. She was not the only one who had an ill reaction when she saw the paper's title, Draco shot his head up quicker than ever when he noticed it, as well. Everyone around them was ecstatic for her father's innocence, but they did not know the truth―the Dark Lord would only be more eager to deem her father a traitor, and all of the other Death Eaters would be just as quick to place that title over her own head simply by association. Bellatrix already had, by the memory she had stolen from Draco's mind. While so many rejoiced in her dead father being a good man, Mia wanted to curse him and wish away his compassion for the sake of saving her own head. 

Potter had kept a close eye on her all day, no doubt struggling to accept it himself, but also wanting to see her reaction to it. That may explain why Hermione Granger kept a suitable distance between them as they all took their places in the bright room, moving toward the round table where all of their meetings were held. Mia's eyes inspected the room as she walked, and she caught a glimpse of the same black notebook from a while ago stuck between two Potions textbooks on his shelf. 

"Sit, sit, everyone! I hope all of you have had a great week! I know that it has been a fun month of house festivities―oh, I hated to hear about Slytherin's loss, Blaise, but congratulations, Miss Weasley! You must tell Harry he did incredible out there, as well. All of you put forth your best efforts..." he paused to sit down, still grinning from ear-to-ear as the goblets in front of them all filled with pumpkin juice. She had a feeling his was something different. "Miss Erebus! I sent my regards to Andrew Vaisey when I heard what happened to him. A terrible, terrible thing...how is he, my dear?"

Mia gave a tight-lipped smile, biting down on her tongue before speaking. "He appreciated it, professor, and told me to send you his thanks. He is doing well. Madam Pomfrey was able to fix the fracture, and he is healthy as ever now."

"Wonderful! I am looking forward to seeing him at the Christmas party next month!" He gave her smile before turning to the others. "As all of you already know, I will be holding a Christmas party here. Many former members will be present, as well as other associates of mine that I believe may provide interesting conversations for some of you―now, the official day has been set to December twentieth, and each of you are more than willing to bring a date with you! I believe right now, we need to..."

Mia droned off, much like she usually did, to look around the office of Horace Slughorn. Most importantly, the shelf of books that were calling out her name. The Christmas party would be the perfect opportunity for her to grab the book and figure out what was inside―so many people present would mean that anyone could have taken it, avoiding all suspicions. Her eyes accidentally caught Ginny Weasley, who looked just as bored with the meeting as her, and the redhead was frowning at her already. Apparently, she was familiar with Mia's reputation. 

The youngest of the Weasels had never actually been a problem for Mia. Her brothers and father, however, were becoming the bane of her existence. It was the twins that broke the Cabinet in the first place, Ron who constantly berated her very existence because he thought that he could, and Arthur Weasley who conducted the search at her manor, disrupting her mother's time of grief. Ginny must have realized the same because she turned away a moment after, catching the eye of Granger as she did so. 

Now Granger was someone that Mia did have a problem with. Ever since they were eleven, the muggleborn had been set on proving that she knew everything. As someone who was just as knowledgable, Mia grew up constantly rolling her eyes at the way Granger threw herself out for an answer when she could just stay quiet like Mia did. She may think she was the most intelligent of their year, but the truth was that Granger feared Andromeda because she was the closest competition out there. She intimated Granger, and it was a different kind of satisfaction to know that it was her intelligence, not the darkness, that made others fear her.

"...think it was incredibly informative information. I am so relieved to hear that the Ministry has finally put your father's name to rest, Andromeda." 

Blaise was nudging her with his elbow, and she glanced up from her inspection of the room to look at Slughorn. She only caught the end of what he was saying, but it was enough for her to know the topic. Just as she expected and just as he had been eagerly waiting to know about, Alastiare Erebus was mentioned. The others looked a bit uncomfortable, their heads ducking when they realized that they weren't relevant to the conversation. Only Granger and Weasley kept their heads up, both of them having been there for the battle itself that took her father's life. Mia forgot that too often. 

"As am I, professor," she said, but even she could feel the falseness in her voice. "The last few months have been difficult, but it's a relief to see that my father is finally free of any false allegations that may have been put against our family name." 

Weasley shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Slughorn nodded animatedly. "And your mother? Is she doing well?" 

"As well as can be expected." 

"Of course...well I agree with the Prophet. I don't see why there had to be so many trials..."

"I do," Mia disagreed, casually. That made almost everyone raise their heads in surprise. Weasley and Granger both shared similar shocked expression. She ignored Blaise's stare and continued. "Whether or not my father had any control in the matter, his mind was still left in the hands of He Who Must Not Be Named. The Ministry having so many trials only shows that they are dedicated to stopping him, and it's a relief to see that they are as determined as they claim to be...what happened that day," she glanced over at the Gryffindors, "is something that no one will ever completely understand. I've known that my father was an innocent man, but if it takes fifty trials for the world to see that as well, then so be it. So long as You-Know-Who is stopped." 

Andromeda felt like Potter, a vile taste in her mouth as she spoke so badly of her lord. It had hit its mark, though, because everyone in the room let out mumbled agreements and nods of understanding after she spoke. Not even Weasley or Granger dared to speak up, each of them noticing that there was a darker tone to this meeting than there had been previously. Slughorn's reaction was most important because he shared a look of pride as he stared at Mia; it made her sick. He was a fool, she'd easily learned. If someone was so quickly swayed by a few words and fake smiles, they deserved whatever fate they receive because of it. Slughorn was blind to anything but hand-outs and recognition by the famous, and that would be his downfall.

"Do you think the other Death Eaters will escape?" McLaggen asked out of the blue, making everyone's head turn towards him in surprise. "Sirius Black escaped and made it all the way to Hogwarts, and even then, he was never caught...that was on his own."

Slughorn waved away his words. "Now, that is not something to worry about...they are all being tried of their crimes in Azbakan. The dementors, I assure you, will not let anything escape those walls again." 

"And the others?" Flora Carrow asked. 

Her sister, Hestia, finished for her. "The ones that are still out there?"

Andromeda did her best not to let her shoulders tense at the young twins' questions. The two Slytherin girls were quiet, but more observant than anyone gave them credit for as first-years. She knew not to doubt them when she discovered that they were the cousins of Alecto and Amycus Carrow, the Death Eater siblings that were more than happy to share their distaste at Mia's allegiance to the Dark Lord with scowls and snarls her way. Now that the girls were bringing up questions regarding their family and Mia herself, it made her wonder just how much they knew about what was going on with the Death Eaters. 

"They will be caught, surely," Slughorn said, his face no longer full of glee as he shifted uncomfortably. "There is no need to discuss these matters right before dinner―"

"But there is, isn't there?" Blaise said, speaking up for the first time. Mia glanced over at him, his face stoic as he raised a brow at Slughorn. He didn't need to impress the man; he was wealthy enough on his own. "There is every reason to ask these questions."

"Says you, Zabini," Weasley interjected, rolling her eyes. "You're best friends with the sons of them. Why don't you ask them?"

Andromeda's hands gripped tightly onto the sides of the chair that she was sitting on, resisting every urge and nerve in her body that begged to speak up for Theodore and Draco. The blood went straight to her head, boiling as she glared daggers at the redhead. It was not right, sitting there and allowing the blood-traitor to place that heavy crown on their heads when it was their fathers that were bad people. Not them. Not her family. Mia had to dig her fingernails into the wood and bite down hard on her tongue to keep from cursing the Weasley, a million different jinxes and spells already lining up in her mind. Blaise was no kinder of a reaction, and he scoffed at the girl as he sat straighter in his seat. 

"Now, now!" Slughorn said, clearing his throat. "Why don't we talk about something else. Miss Granger, I noticed in Potions class that you made a remarkable Love potion antidote!"

"Oh, thank you, professor," Granger blushed, picking at her napkin. 

"Well, to my sixth years in my NEWT class, you will be excited to know that we will be learning even more about the Love potion this coming fortnight! We will be recording the aromas that we smell from Amortentia and discuss the differences and similarities in these aromas with our classmates for a particular task at hand―but no more hints!"

Wonderful, Mia thought, and leaned her head back against the chair as she dulled out the conversation happening around her. At her side, she noticed that Blaise had done similarly. They shared one of their famous looks with each other, sharing in their exasperation for this month's meeting, before sinking into their own skin and allowing another hours worth of conversation to happen. Had Mia glanced down, she would have realized that the sides of her chair were now showing splinters, and the palms of her hands were coated in an unkindly sinister layer of blood that would have been Ginny Weasley's in an alternative world.

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December 3, 1996

"I'll be throwing myself off the Astronomy tower later if anyone wants to join me."

Her housemates barely glanced up as she announced herself, Tracey letting out a small chant of agreement as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Daphne was sitting on the right of Theodore, but her hand raised in acceptance as she lazily ate her oatmeal in a daze. Tuesday mornings were rough for them, especially because they had to start their day to early and it lasted so long―with a majority of the houses, no less. Blaise and Draco still hadn't arrived, probably still asleep, but Crabbe and Goyle were already groveling their breakfast down like a pack of wolves hidden in the bodies of teenage boys. She was surprised one of them hadn't ate their hand off yet.

She took her seat between Theodore and Andrew, who had become surprisingly good friends in the past month. He had taken to sitting closer to them instead of Urquhart and his other seventh-year friends, claiming that the conversations were better with the sixth-years anyway. She laid a hand on Andrew's back as she sat down, and he sent her a smile in return. Things were better between them since his injury. They were different. Something had shifted; they were taking more risks and flirting back and forth more than they had before. The need to touch him, to just be around him, was growing stronger, and it was terrifyingly invigorating.

A scoff was heard from further now. "It isn't nice to tease with your death, Mia." 

Mia leaned forward, looking over Theodore in confusion. Parkinson was sitting a bit down, close to Daphne, with a bright expression on her face. She looked far too happy, given her constant state of heartbreak since Draco broke up with her a while ago. "What gives, Parkinson? Your face is doing something oddly similar to smiling. Does the thought of my death make you that happy?"

"Her and Draco got back together," Tracey sneered, rolling her eyes and giving Mia a pointed stare from across the table. "Lovely, isn't it? I got to walk in on them in the common room last night. Nearly threw up my dinner all over our nice, green rug―you know, the one that's been there since Salazar himself." 

Andromeda raised her brows in surprise, unconsciously letting her body fall back straight. She hadn't known that he was going to get back together with Parkinson. Nor did she think that Pansy would actually get back together with him after all that he put her through. She shouldn't have been shocked, though. Draco always fell back to her whenever he was bored. Maybe it would be good for them; him having Pansy, and her having Andrew. It would keep away any rumors about themselves being involved. Still, she was surprised he hadn't mentioned it last night while they were working.

She nodded slowly, trying to roll out the feeling in her chest. "Are any of us surprised, really?" 

"Guess we see the world the same," Pansy commented, and although Mia could no longer see her face, she could practically feel the smirk in her words. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was referring back to the conversation they had about Draco. Now, she was spitting her own consolations back in her face. 

Before Mia could say anything in response, Theo was sending her a look of warning before his eyes raised above her head, and then back down to her. She knew what he was trying to say. Just like Parkinson, he was remembering their previous conversation and reminding her of it―Vaisey wasn't an idiot, and he would ask questions if she got into an argument with Pansy over Draco. Giving up, she huffed out and turned to look at Vaisey. He wasn't paying attention, thankfully, scribbling down notes for his Transfiguation class.

"You know," Mia began, "if you need help with Transfiguration, Theo is the best at it in our house." 

Andrew stopped writing, grinning as he looked up from his paper to her. "I recall. Your house pride showed very proudly that day you sported green hair." 

"'Least it was only twenty-four hours," Tracey pipped in. 

"I liked it, actually. Though I have a feeling any hair color would suit you," Andrew said, his eyes shining with mischief as he watched her. "In fact...hey, Theodore, think you could turn her hair back green?"

Mia lit with blaze, glaring at Vaisey before turning to her cousin. "You better not even think―"

Before she even had a moment to explain all of the various and horrible things she would do to Theodore if he listened to Andrew, her cousin had already whipped his wand out and quickly rushed through the spell. Mia's reaction was simple: she did the same thing. She was grabbing her wand from her cloak pocket, hissing out "Crinus Muto!" before Theodore even had the chance to deflect the incantation. The transfiguration spells must have worked, because no sooner did she realize the ends of her hair were an ugly shade of emerald and her cousin's was, as well. 

"Theodore!" 

"Andromeda!"

They were glaring at each other, unaware that they had caught the attention of a majority of their House, as well as a few students that were walking by the table. From the corner of her eye, she could see Tracey burst out laughing, holding her hand to her mouth as she tried to keep her snorts in. Mia scowled at Theodore, and her cousin showed less mercy, before he finally lowered his wand and a smile cracked over the side of his face. He glanced up at her hair with a chuckle, and that only made her angrier. 

Then, she realized who had been the one to make the suggestion in the first place and whirled her head around to Andrew. The older boy had been laughing alongside Tracey, but the moment that she turned to him, his humor died into a cheerful grin as his gaze went from her hair to her eyes. He was not intimidated in the slightest by her, and she wanted nothing more than to smack him across the head with her hand. No need for magic. Then, he dropped his quill to grab a piece of her hair, and he gently put the green strand behind her ear. The thudding in her heart made any anger disappear, and Andrew smiled that knowing smile of his.

She glowered. "This is why I loathe you." 

"Lying isn't nice, Mia," Andrew scolded, his thumb grazing her cheek before he dropped his hand again. He looked between her and her cousin with amusement. "Although, I do believe your cousin may look better than you with green hair..."

"In time for the holidays." Tracey choked out another laugh. "At least you finally got the incantation down. McGonagall will be impressed when she sees you today." 

Mia rolled her eyes at all of them, grabbing a hold of her thick hair to quickly put it into a messy knot of green before anyone noticed the difference in the color. Thankfully, it was just dark enough for them to hide it. Well, she could. Theodore's color was a brighter shade of green that went horribly with his blue eyes, but it was well worth it. She gave her cousin a side eye as he inspected his hair in the reflection of Daphne's mirror, mumbling a small groan at all the attention he would gain throughout the day. 

"Really, it doesn't look that bad, Theodore," Daphne consoled, her hand on his shoulder as she tried to push a few loose, green strands back in place. 

Mia's lip turned as she watched them, looking at Tracey as she gestured between herself and Andrew. "Tell me we aren't that revolting to watch." 

"Of course not," Tracey denied, "you two are much worse. Actually, I take that back. Malfoy and Parkinson take the grand prize for that one." 

The pugface in question shot a dirty scowl at the half-blood. "Hey!"

Mia smiled, and she couldn't help but feel like she was doing an unnatural amount of it―so much of it that it felt wrong, fake even, to be so happy when there were so many worries plaguing her mind and so many death threats hanging off her shoulders. Then, she realized that she was allowing herself that moment to be distracted because the person who grounded her to reality was missing. Draco always had put things into perspective. Although she was content with Vaisey's hand a few inches from hers and her atrocious, green hair matching Theodore's, she knew it could never be more than a moment. If she got too stuck in it, then everyone that gave her a reason to smile would be killed. 

Her own thoughts provided her the reminder that Draco usually would have, and her smile dripped off her face like acid had been thrown. She curled her shoulders into herself, shifting around uncomfortably. Andrew noticed immediately. His green eyes caught hers, his own grin disappearing when he noticed her discomfort. Reaching for her hand, he subtly pulled it from the table and in the space between them so no one else could see. All he had to was squeeze it before she was intertwining their fingers, thankful for the stability of him in that moment. It meant more than he knew.

"Hey, Vaisey," Tracey called out, turning to him. "You'll be all right for the game against Ravenclaw in February, right?" 

Andrew nodded. "Should be. I've got Theodore out practicing every week for it too. First time our team actually has some skill―save for Malfoy and Urquhart. Those dimwits over there barely know how to play. Clearly. We'll be all right." 

While he gestured to Crabbe and Goyle too far away to hear, Daphne peeked her head over Theo's shoulder. "Is Draco even playing anymore? I'd have thought you would keep Harper regularly...he hasn't spoken much about it recently."

"Malfoy hasn't spoken much about anything recently," Tracey added with an eye roll. "Too busy stuck up on his own self to pay any mind to the likes of others."

"He was sick," Pansy huffed out, glaring at the two girls. Always so quick in defense of him. Mia felt the urge to sneer. As if she knew anything about his sickness. "My poor Draco spent all weekend in bedrest! He carried the team for five years, maybe he deserves a rest..."

Mia actually did roll her eyes that time. Vaisey's hand tightened in hers, and she thought for a moment that it was because of her reaction, but it was because he was getting annoyed himself. He narrowed his eyes at Parkinson down the way. "And I got a bludger to the head―didn't stop me from trying to crawl out of the cot, bloody and all, just to help my teammates. Malfoy clearly doesn't care much for us anymore if he hasn't shown up to any practice since then...he really carried the team, all right. Urquhart is planning on replacing him permanently with Harper, anyway." 

Defend him, her mind screamed at her for staying silent when she should be defending Draco. But what could she have said? That he could not play Quidditch because he had larger priorities? That his sickness was caused by a Dark Mark placed upon them from the Dark Lord? Vaisey couldn't know the truth, and Mia was not willing to expose anything, so she kept her mouth shut and suffered with the guilt of not coming to her friend's defense. The conversation was making him out to be worse than he was―but as quickly as Mia had that thought, she dismissed it. Being an unreliable narcissist was better than a Death Eater. She supposed it was easier to pretend in a different reality than accept the truth. Mia saw the good in Draco because she had to believe there was still some in herself.

"Urquhart is planning on replacing him," Tracey asked, "or you?"

Vaisey shrugged at her. "Doesn't matter much, does it?"

If Tracey was planning on saying anything, she was interrupted when Theodore leaned forward to nudge his cousin's shoulder with his arm. "Come on. Got to head to Potions." 

Andromeda sighed and went to release her hand from Vaisey's to stand up. He let go reluctantly, giving her a smile as he watched her get up alongside her cousin. They looked like quite a pair, their green hair reflecting in the Great Hall's lights as they stood. Theodore waited patiently for Mia to collect her things, and only when they were finally walking down the small aisle way towards the doors did Mia shove her cousin. 

"What in the bloody hell was that for, you demon?" 

Mia sent him a dirty glare. "Look at your reflection and you'll know why, Salazar spawn. Daphne was lying, by the way. You look horrible."

"Your boyfriend didn't think so." 

"I am going to obliterate you, you little―"

―――――――――――――

"Am I meant to be surprised?" 

"He started it." 

Andromeda jerked an accusing finger in Theodore's direction as they got to their seats next to one another. The entire way to the dungeons was sent throwing insults back and forth at one another. Blaise was looking at their hair with amusement, shaking his head in disapproval. Directly in front of her, she noticed that Draco hadn't even bothered on emotion as he glanced, bored, between her and her cousin's hair change. His hormonal self made her want to send her foot out just to kick him in the kneecap. Just as she knew it would, the sight of him drained her of any humor or lightheartedness that she'd had from before. It wasn't his fault. Simply looking at the constant state of exhaustion and hopelessness in his eyes reminded her of what they were fighting. Why they were actually at Hogwarts.

Blaise gave Mia raised eyebrows, expectantly. "Remember what today is?" 

"How could I forget," she scoffed. "He talked about it for an hour."

Theodore looked between them. "Who?" 

"Slughorn mentioned using Amortentia in today's lesson when we had our last Club meeting. Apparently, we're meant to 'see the difference in aromas and how those characteristics are concocted from the potion itself'...he droned on and on about it throughout the entirety of dinner. Granger was the only one who listened. Really, I think he just wants to know who fancies who so he can use it to his advantage."

Blaise chimed in. "Thought about asking Mia to take her knife to my jugular a few times, too." 

"Nice to know your precious Club has been worthwhile," Draco sneered.

Mia turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Why are you in such a foul mood today? I'd have thought you would be ecstatic, being back with Parkinson and all. True love really does prevail in the end, doesn't it?" 

"You'd know," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I prefer it much more when you two aren't bickering," Blaise commented, looking between the two of them. "This class is already bad enough, at least pity me enough to kill one another outside of my range of hearing." 

"Hilarious," she deadpanned. 

Andromeda gave a final dark stare at Draco before she turned around to face the rest of class, doing her best to ignore how Theodore was looking curiously between her and Draco. She hated when he did that. It always made her feel like he was uncovering all of her secrets, and he knew something that she didn't. Her cousin's lips pulled down in distaste at his findings before looking over his shoulder. Apparently, he hadn't wanted to think any more on whatever it was he saw in Draco and Mia.

Slughorn was at the front of the class, a variety of smaller cauldrons set out in front of him. She assumed they were meant for each table, and it didn't take much longer for her to be proven right when they began to levitate over to them. 

"Good morning, everyone! Exciting new lesson today! As most of you know, we have been working on the antidote for the Love potion...well, today we will be getting into groups at our tables to speak about the different ingredients in Amortentia that contribute to the quality of its physical distinctions!" Slughorn said, introducing their lesson for today. "For example...is it the Cinnamon that creates the aroma of attraction or perhaps the Haliwinkles? The silverweed, of course, may play a considerable part...but that is up to you and your classmates to figure out! Discerning your personal sensations from that of another student is the first step. Discovering the five key, major ingredients is the next."

Andromeda turned around to give Blaise a knowing look. "I was right. He's out for gossip."

"Probably wants to make sure you actually fancy Vaisey so he'll still get in with him at the Christmas party," Blaise said, grinning. "He brings up your boyfriend a considerable amount for him not to be asked in the Club himself. Moving on from Potter, then."

"Not dating him," Mia corrected, "and I can't say I would be surprised. No one has minded Potter much recently...won't be long 'til he cracks over the lack of attention."

Draco's face twisted in annoyance from the corner of her eye, watching as the Amortentia cauldron was placed in front of them. "Let's just get on with this before he comes over to speak to us."

All of them made a sound at that, pulling out their parchments so that they could begin writing. The sheen resting at the top the potion was strong, so much that it was difficult to look at it and not be irritated when it glinted the wrong way. Something inside of Mia wanted to recoil from it, the very idea of her unconscious connecting with a potion seeming wrong. Even without being near it, Mia could immediately catch all of the various scents that were circling around. She wasn't necessarily worried. Maybe when he introduced it back in September, and she was not developing strong feelings for Andrew, but now she was simply expecting for the aromas to point in his direction. 

The familiar scent of books was the first thing that caught her attention, and she was quickly writing it down on her parchment. That didn't surprise her. Once the rustic aroma disappeared, she smelled grass. Her brows furrowed in confusion, pausing in her writing―grass? The smell was growing stronger, compelling her to listen to it. Finally, she recognized it wasn't just any grass. Quidditch pitch. The field's grass. She scribbled it down, ignoring the way that the sensation felt like it was swallowing her whole. Inhaling with more willingness, the final scent was more difficult to figure out; it was rich, almost bitter to her nose and she couldn't help but think that she had smelled it before in the common room. It was recognizable, but she didn't know from where. 

Reluctantly, she pulled her head back from the potion, trying to breathe through her mouth instead of her nose so that she didn't get sucked into the aromas. They were too warm, too safe, and that was terrifying to her. Bitterly, she also recognized Butterscotch and Bouncing Spider Juice. Simple ingredients―she wrote those down, too. Glancing down at her parchment, she pursed her lips when she realized that she had been right―the books would explain when Andrew let her borrow his book, The Furies, (she still hadn't finished it), the Quidditch pitch was obvious enough, and the final scent must have been a cologne he wore. She shrugged, expecting it, and turned to her cousin to see that he had finally stopped writing and was glancing down at his own parchment. 

"Bet I can guess what you smelled," Mia muttered, raising her eyebrows with a smile at her cousin. "Glitter and sunshine?" 

"Shut up," he said, rolling his eyes. He knew she was referencing to Daphne. 

Blaise sat up himself, looking mildly interested at his parchment. "Well, apparently the lucky girl I fancy smells of vanilla, firewhiskey, and the sea. I thought I smelled Cinnamon―" 

"I smelled it too," Theodore added. "I think that's one of the ingredients." 

"Or we fancy the same girl." 

"Greengrass hates water," Mia said nonchalantly, "so I rather doubt it." 

Theodore sent a scowl her way but said nothing in disagreement. She noticed that he made no effort to speak on any of the other aromas that he smelled, either. It was probably because he didn't want any more fingers pointed towards his obvious crush on Daphne. Blaise turned to look at Draco, who was glancing down at his parchment with an odd look on his face. Almost like he was trying to will away what he had written down, or even burn it on the spot. Andromeda wanted to snort, wondering why he was having such a disconcerted reaction―actually, anyone would if it was Parkinson they fancied.

Blaise looked expectantly. "Come on, then, Malfoy. Tell us all about your obsession with Parkinson." 

"This is a stupid assignment," Draco glowered. "What is this meant to teach us?" 

"Who knows, you may end up marrying the poor girl from the potion."

He sighed, his shoulders tensing. "Books, aged wood, and some other scent. Not sure what it was." 

Andromeda tilted her head, curiously. That made absolutely no sense. Wood? What in the bloody hell did that have to do with Parkinson? Unless she gnawed on it when she was child, which explained so many things. No less, books. At first, she wondered if that was a scent that was actually an ingredient in the potion, but before she could comment that she smelled the same thing, the question was already being asked. 

"Books?" Zabini asked, baffled. "Didn't know Parkinson knew how to read." 

"The library has a lot of dark places Pince forgets to look in." 

Mia's lip curled up in disgust when Draco smirked. "Gross. Those books deserve better than that." 

"Then what did you smell?" he looked at her, raising his eyebrows expectantly. "Vaisey's desperation? I can imagine it's potent." 

"The pitch's grass and cologne, I think. And..." Mia hesitated, glancing down at her paper quickly as she realized she would have the exact same aroma as Draco. That would only cause questioning looks from Zabini, who wouldn't shut up about it for years. "...parchment. I caught Butterscotch and Spider Juice, as well. I'd reckon that four of the five ingredients are Cinnamon, Spider Juice, Butterscotch, and Ashwinder Egg―those are used in most all Love potions. Slughorn mentioned it when we were making the antidote."

If anyone was going to say anything about what smells came to her from the Amortentia, no one did. She had been smart to continue the conversation onto their work, watching as two of the three boys glance down at their parchment with a frown to see if they picked up on anything else that could be the fifth ingredient. In the meantime, Draco was once again looking down at his parchment and then back up at her with a questioning stare. Her brows raised when they made eye contact, asking him a world of questions. 

Maybe it was a foolish idea, but the eye contact allowed her the opportunity to push a single thought from her mind to his unguarded one. Why are you being so bitter? Did I do something?

Immediately, Draco's shoulders tensed and he straightened up in his seat. The contact between them disappeared just as quickly as any opportunity to access his mind. He shut her out, as if he was worried she would look deeper into his thoughts to find the answer herself. Andromeda would never. If there was one thing she promised herself, it was that she would never use Legilimency in such a foul way to anyone she cared about. It was only meant to be a weapon for the enemy, and a protection of her own kind. 

His grey eyes were staring again eventually. Draco's lips pulled into a heavyset frown, and Mia recognized the loss of bitterness in them that time. Unlike earlier, he was staring at her like he usually did. Then, he shook his head slightly to answer her previous question. Mia's heart skipped a beat in relief, glad that he wasn't upset with her. However, that silent answer didn't answer her first question. She was still intent on finding out why he was in such a callous mood today with everyone, especially when his girlfriend was beaming off the walls that morning.

"Belladonna maybe?" Zabini asked after a moment. "Would explain the hallucinating love thing."

Theodore's face twisted in disagreement. "Maybe, but that would mean Cinnamon is incorrect. They would counteract. Snape always warned us vehemently against it, remember? Putting too much of either together would―"

"Kill someone instantly." 

Mia was cutting her cousin off and speaking before he could finish, her mind setting her off on an entirely different path of thoughts than the class curriculum. Although she didn't glance Draco's way, she knew that he was thinking along the same exact lines as her. Belladonna and Cinnamon, when in extremely high doses, caused near instantaneous death. One entirely lethal, and one seemingly harmless. An easy mistake that anyone could make, and no one would blink an eye at its accident. She picked herself up from the plan steaming in her mind, glancing between her cousin and Blaise instead.

"Cinnamon is definitely an ingredient if both of you could smell it, which means that Belladonna isn't," Mia reasoned, glancing over at the Amortentia. "I'd say Beetle Eye, but the others are common ingredients as well, so I'd assume the fifth is something expensive and hard to get. Something that takes long to procure." 

"Fairy Wing?" Draco asked, finally including himself in the conversation. She glanced at him but his eyes were still elsewhere. "They're difficult to come by...it could explain the aroma of attraction." 

She pursed her lips. "Doesn't hurt to assume. So long as we have more ingredients than the Chosen One and his Charity Cases." 

They got four out of five. They had been incorrect about the Fairy Wing. Slughorn had been pleasantly surprised, though, by their alternative explanation of ingredients. (This, of course, was after he tried to ignore the green hair she and her cousin sported). He had been particularly shocked to find that Draco was the one who suggested Fairy Wing as an explanation, and that Theodore had deduced the complications with Belladonna and Cinnamon. Mia made sure they received their credit, seeing as Slughorn tried to act like they didn't exist between her and Blaise. 

The only thing that really mattered was finding out that the Gryffindor table only got two of the five ingredients because Granger insisted that there was Erumpent Tail, given that she'd apparently read that it was used in Amortentia. That ingredient, however, was imbalanced with both Butterscotch and Cinnamon, therefore producing a vile smell opposite of the Love potion. Mia was beaming if only for the dejected look that Granger got for being wrong. Disappointment was always fun when it was others receiving it, especially when Potter sent a sharp glare her way as he noticed her amusement.

They were packing up to leave at the end of class, Blaise and Draco already disappearing after realizing they hadn't completed the Transfiguration homework for class, when a hand grabbed Mia's wrist. She paused, her hand stopping itself from picking up the parchment from earlier with her scents on it. Theodore was already looking at it when she glanced up at him in confusion, his sharp jaw set in a way that didn't match his kind face.

"Books?" was all he asked. 

"Don't, Theo." 

Andromeda did not give herself the opportunity to consider that all of the aromas coming from the Amortentia could have led her in a different direction towards someone else. She understood all too well what her cousin was insinuating. Because, yes, she had caught that last scent in the Slytherin common room, but she realized as she left the Potions classroom one thing: she also smelled it that summer. 

And Andrew had been entirely too far from her those dark, summer nights for it to have come from him. Andrew Vaisey was not the only person lingering on a Quidditch pitch, and The Furies was certainly not the most significant book she had ever held recently. No, because it was not Andrew that the potion had directed her toward, but someone else. 

Someone that Theodore had a sneaking suspicion did not smell books because of Pansy Parkinson either.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ 

I ship Vaisey and Theo. Andrew definitely likes the Radnor cousins.

DOLOS: CUNNING DECEPTION AND TREACHERY