Chapter Text
The cold, damp air of the dungeons seemed to seep into Harry's robes, making him shiver slightly. Outside, a heavy rain pounded on the Hogwarts grounds, its rhythmic sound faintly audible, adding to the gloom of that afternoon's Potions lesson.
Professor Snape paced silently between the rows of desks, his black robes billowing like bat wings. His piercing gaze seemed to penetrate the cauldron and the minds of every student.
Harry tried hard to focus on the instructions written on the board: 'Mind-Sharpening Potion'. This was one of the potions they would be tested on for their O.W.L. exams, and Hermione had warned him repeatedly not to mess around.
Beside him, Ron was struggling to cut ginger roots into exact pieces, while Hermione on Harry's other side looked calm and efficient, her movements precise and measured.
"Cut it at an angle, Ron, not straight!" Hermione whispered without looking up from her own cauldron.
"You will ruin its potential."
Ron snorted in annoyance. "It's the same thing, isn't it? It'll be late anyway."
Harry smiled faintly, but it quickly faded as his sixth sense sensed a pair of cold gray eyes watching him from across the room. It was, of course, Draco Malfoy.
He sat with his lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, looking impeccably clean amidst the chaos of the classroom. His platinum blonde hair glistened even in the dim light, and the smirk that always hung on his face made Harry's stomach churn. Today, that grin seemed even wider than usual, as if he were harboring some great secret he was eager to show off.
Malfoy didn't just stare at Harry. His gaze occasionally flicked to Hermione, a strange glint in his eyes that Harry couldn't quite decipher.
"What's wrong with that Ferret?" Ron muttered, noticing Harry's gaze.
"He stared at Hermione as if he wanted to turn her into a statue."
Harry shrugged, trying to ignore it. "Maybe he's planning something new. Just ignore him."
But ignoring Malfoy was impossible. For the next hour, Harry could feel the stares like a small sting on the back of his neck. Every time he glanced over, Malfoy's eyes would meet his for a moment before the Slytherin looked away haughtily. Something was different. Malfoy seemed restless, his fingers tapping on the wooden surface of his desk in an irregular rhythm.
In his pocket, Draco felt a small, thumb-sized crystal bottle. The liquid was clear and odorless, the result of two weeks of hard work at night.
Amortentia
The world's most powerful love potion. Of course, this isn't pure Amortentia, which is far too dangerous and difficult to make. It's a weaker version, whose effects only last a few hours. Enough to make the target obsessed with you.
And the target is Hermione Granger.
His plan was perfect. Making the Mudblood fall in love with him in front of the Weasley would be sweet revenge. He would enjoy Ron's confused and heartbroken expression, and of course, the panic on Potter's face. He just needed to find an opportunity to put it in Granger's drink. Maybe in her pumpkin juice, which was always beside her cauldron.
The opportunity came when Snape ordered them to retrieve some scarab beetles from the supply cupboard in the corner of the room. The class became slightly noisy as the students rose from their seats.
Draco saw this as the perfect moment. With practiced movements, he walked toward the supply cupboard, taking a route past the Gryffindor table. He spotted Hermione's glass of pumpkin juice sitting unguarded on the edge of the table. Perfect.
However, as he was about to approach, Harry, who was also going to get the ingredients, blocked his way.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing. "Get away from our table."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, calm down, Potter. The world doesn't revolve around you and your pathetic friends. I'm just picking up some supplies."
"You can go another way," Harry replied, unmoved. His instincts told him something was wrong.
"Why? Are you afraid I'll mess up your potion that's doomed to fail?" Draco sneered, deliberately glancing at Harry's cauldron, which was a shade paler than it should have been.
Ron, who had just returned to the table, immediately intervened. "Listen to what he said, Malfoy! Get lost!"
The atmosphere between the three of them grew tense. Draco felt his plan might fail.
Annoyed, he tried to push past Harry. "Move aside, Potter!"
"Don't touch him!" Ron snapped, and pushed Draco's shoulder quite hard.
The push sent Draco stumbling backward. His hand, which had been clutching the small bottle in his pocket, reflexively shot up to keep his balance. The crystal bottle slipped from his pocket, hovering in the air for a moment before falling with a barely audible clack into Harry's glass of water on the table.
The liquid immediately mixes with water, leaving no color or odor.
The three boys froze for a moment. Snape's attention was diverted. "What's going on? Weasley, Potter, Malfoy! Get back to your places! Thirty points from Gryffindor for causing a disturbance!"
Ron and Harry snorted angrily, returning to their seats in annoyance.
Draco, on the other hand, suddenly went pale. His eyes were fixed on Harry's glass of water. "No. It can't be. Of all places... why did it have to be there?"
His heart pounded, and a cold panic began to creep over him. His plans had been completely ruined, turning into a disaster he never imagined.
The lesson ended a few minutes later. The students began packing up their equipment. Harry, feeling his throat dry from arguing and the heat from the cauldron's steam, reached for his water glass without thinking.
"Damn that Malfoy," he grumbled at Ron as he raised the glass to his lips.
"I swear he was about to do something."
"Of course," Ron chimed in. "He's a snake."
Draco watched from across the room, his eyes wide with horror. He wanted to scream, "Don't drink it!", but his voice caught in his throat.
What would he say? Admit he tried to poison Hermione?
It's to late.
Harry downed the entire contents of the glass in a few big gulps. He put the glass back on the table with a loud thud.
"Ah... what a relief," he said, completely oblivious to anything. The water tasted like regular water.
He then turned to grab his bag, and that was when his eyes accidentally met Draco Malfoy's again.
And suddenly, something strange happened.
His gaze was fixed on Draco. He saw how those pale blond eyelashes framed a pair of gray eyes that now looked so... beautiful. He noticed the curve of Draco's usually smirking lips, which were now slightly parted in surprise, and for some reason, Harry felt a strange urge to know what it felt like. The faint scent of Draco's body—something like mint, expensive parchment, and something cool like winter air—was suddenly the only thing his nose could smell, overpowering the pungent smell of potion ingredients.
Harry's heart beat a little faster. His mind went blank.
'Why... why does Malfoy look so... attractive?'
Across the room, Draco Malfoy could only stare back with pure horror on his face, realizing that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.
And the victim of his mistake was now staring at him with an expression Draco had never seen before on Harry Potter's face.