Potions Exam

[HeadmasterFelix]

This is just a short, quick little thing I wrote a while back that I would like to share. It's by no means my best work, but I like it. It's Harry Potter fan fiction about Luna and Snape. 100% G-rated, not so much as a curse word in here. Comments and feedback are welcome.



Luna too-frequently spent her class periods exploring rather than following the lesson plans of her professors. It worked out for her most of the time, but that was not the case in potions, where her experimentation ended in disaster more often than not.

He didn’t want to fail her. In ways, he admired her creativity and her determination to learn things her way. Regardless, the fact that she hadn’t reliably demonstrated her ability to create the potions she was assigned meant that her grade was seriously on the line. Severus offered her an opportunity he would not offer anyone else. If she could follow directions, just once, during an exam and produce the potion he tasked her with creating, he would give her a passing grade.

Luna met with him on an afternoon just before winter break.

“All the tools and ingredients you will need are in front of you. Based on what you see, can you tell me what you’ll be making today?”

“That’s an odd question, professor. Can anyone say with certainty what the future will bring?” her voice had a lilt to it that irritated Severus.

He sighed but refused to let his frustration show. “What potion do you predict I will assign you to make with the ingredients I’ve given you?”

“Oh, is that what you meant? You should have just said so,” she took a moment to survey what was in front of her. Ashwinder egg, a squill bulb, rue… “You’ll be asking me to make a Felix Felicis.”

“That is correct. I am aware that this recipe has not been fully covered in class, so I will walk you through the steps. It is up to you to execute them accurately using the skills you have been taught this semester. Do you think you can handle that?”

She nodded. “I’m as sure that I can as I can be sure about anything, given the nature of surety.”

Severus narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to sort out what she was saying before remembering that he didn’t care. He instructed her on each step – add this much of that, turn your burner to this temperature. Luna followed his instructions to the letter and, at times, moved steps ahead of him. Although he was impressed with her and pleased that she had clearly been learning in his classroom, he was becoming more irritated by her previous inability to sit still, pay attention, and do her work.

When the brewing was complete and she had finished bottling the potion for the necessary storage period, Severus composed himself so that his voice came out calm and flat.

“You’ve performed well today, Miss Lovegood. I’m going to give you an acceptable grade for this semester. This is the last opportunity like this I will give you – if your behavior does not improve next semester you will fail my class.”

Luna was silent, watching his face and subtly swaying to some inaudible beat.

Severus gave her a moment, still nothing. “Do you understand?”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“I will store the potion for now, you can take it with you when you go home for the summer. It will be consumable at the end of June.”

Luna smiled a dreamy smile and looked at Severus with a familiar spark in her eye. He still didn’t know if she was an oracle, but true or not, that look always came with a prediction.

“No thank you, professor. I think it will serve you better. Something with a party and some aurors and a woman in a red dress. Or a woman with red hair? Or maybe a woman with red hair in a red dress. I’m not sure. Her, in the dress, not her hair. That would be a sight.”

Severus briefly covered his whole face with his hand and stifled a groan. “Thank you, Luna, that will be all for today. Please leave.”

[Mardeep]

I really liked this story. It's cute, sweet and you've done a great job capturing Snapes personality. My only criticism would be that Luna seems a little one note, but it is only a single scene and not from her perspective so that's not unrealistic.

[tangela]

I really enjoyed reading this. Interested to read more, if you intend on continuing.