#mayhemhw1

[dorisbluecrockford-blog]

homework assignment #1

Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in existence today, able to induce an obsessive desire from the consumer to the potioneer that made it. It should be noted that there is a common misconception concerning the legitimacy of the ‘love’ this potion produces.

Amortentia does not create love, it creates a very strong, very hypnotising desire that is against the consumer’s will. In my own opinion, the witch or wizard that creates and uses Amortentia on a person should be confined within Azkaban, and this potion should only be used for research purposes, such as in this essay. In this essay, I will be exploring what I smell when exposed to Amortentia and what feelings it induces.

Firstly, I smell hot chocolate. Specifically, I smell the hot chocolate I would buy from the cafe down the road from my house in Chelmsford. My mum and I never had heating at our house, so whenever it got too cold, we would head down to this store, buy hot drinks, then sit right next to the radiator. When my mum started working over the holidays, I would bring all my friends here too. The smell of hot chocolate makes me feel warm inside.

Secondly, I smell sea water. The smell of sea water reminds me of Rivers Can and Chelmer. It reminds me of Central Park, meeting up with friends, and travelling to and from Ipswich when my best friend moved there. It makes me think of lazy weekends, busy places, my first smoke chocolate, and my first kiss. The smell of sea water is hard for me to explain, but it makes me feel nostalgic.

Finally, there is the smell of campfire. I have only ever been camping once and the experience was mostly horrible. It rained all day and night, there were bugs in my hair, and a bird crapped on my best friend’s head. When we went to try and wash it off, some kids ransacked our tent. Everything that could go wrong, did, but I smile whenever I think of it. The smell of campfire reminds me of friendship. It makes me think of how the best people should stay with you through anything.

In conclusion, Amortentia reminds me of times when I have been comfortable, which is ironic to me given the dangerous nature of this potion. To be specific, it reminds me of hot chocolate, sea water and campfire. These smells together make me feel very at ease, which I can only assume is close to feeling in love. I can understand how Amortentia can force a person to believe they love whoever gave it to them.

[prongism]

           ———— h o m e w o r k  a s s i  g n m e n t  o n e ————

                Amortentia is a well-known, albeit dangerously powerful love potion which mimics the effects of love without fully creating the sensation. Upon ingesting said mixture, the drinker will grow temporarily obsessed with the creator of the potion, most likely losing all forms of independent thought and faculties. It is an act of violation and could possibly end in defilement or other hazardous outcomes. That being said, I have grown fairly proficient in creating the mixture given practice and a strict understanding of the rules; the outcome came in the form of three distinct smells, one of which I could not accurately place. 

*I’d like to preface the remainder of this assignment by outwardly stating my hope that humor translates easily through text. While I take this assignment seriously, I consider this topic to be more freely explained with a personal voice emerging every few sentences or so.  

                The first scent is one I know very well: coconut. The first thing that comes to mind are, as to be expected, the key lime coconut coolers that my mother has a habit of making every other day. I grew up on baby formula and those beautifully delicious cookies. Naturally I felt fairly hungry in a mouth watering type of way and, not to insult the elves who work here, but they just don’t have that necessary pizzazz. I am a growing boy and I refuse to apologize for having food on the mind — granted, it’s more than any normal man should, but I digress.           

                The second scent is leather, no doubt due to my connection with a Quidditch quaffle as well as my intense love for leather shoes, vests, and fashionable chokers. Naturally, I imagined myself flying, enjoying, and dominating in a stadium packed game. There is a certain form of freedom that is not easily gained when stuck to the ground; however, when in the middle of an arena with the wind jutting from every direction, it’s instinctual to feel limitless. Additionally, it reminds me of my father’s old leather chair which he took solace in every night around six. The scent altogether brings forth a feeling of comfort and freedom.

                I will admit to having had trouble with the third and final scent. I was able to practice the creation prior to this year and, as a result, I received a few different smells. I guess it’s easy for certain things to change over time. My initial reaction to this odor was that of discomfort. That being said, this immediately changed as the scent itself shifted into something refreshing and beautifully soothing. I am fairly confident in the fact that it was some sort of flower or plant, one which inflicted a sense of summer aided by a light breeze. I have yet to place this particular plant, but understand that I am currently looking. 

[andieblxck-blog]

Andromeda Black’s Amortentia Essay

Amortentia is the greatest and most powerful love potion in the world, so it only makes sense that the smells that come from it would be just a great and just as powerful. It’s almost as if the potion knows the little things that make each person tick, showing them off through the scents that arise when each person is exposed to the potion. It’s amazing really. 

The first thing that I smell is what can only be described as fresh linens. I wish I could explain to you the joy that it brings me when I smell that, but it’s really hard to put into words. When I was a girl, my sisters and I would always run around in our backyard. We’d often play hide and seek my favorite place to hide would be between the sheets that were hung up to dry outside. It was always the best place for me to sit and just think as I waited for Bellatrix or Narcissa to find me. The scent of the clean soap was intoxicating and it had grown on me. Every time I smell clean linens or freshly washed robes, my heart always skips a beat as I remember the amazing times I had as a child where that smell was so present. Even now, when a certain boy that I’m friends with had just had his clothing washed, the smell makes me want to bury my face in his chest and never leave. Though I do refrain myself because that is never an appropriate thing to do to a friend.

Lavender is another prominent smell that comes to me. This one has never been as obvious as to why I smell, but I imagine it might have to do with the flowers my mother would always leave out around the house. She loved the way the purple accented our home so she’d always through in some Lavender stems into her florals. They weren’t always the easiest to smell whenever the vases were placed around the house, but whenever you were lucky enough to catch a whiff, it was brilliant. I guess I think of safety and home when I smell Lavender now. It’s such a pleasant smell and I can’t help but think of my mother as well whenever I catch the slightest hint of the flower. 

My last one is strawberries and this I feel is the most obvious because I absolutely love strawberries. They are my favorite fruit and they are the one thing I will go out of my way to eat. Even as a girl, that would be the only fruit I’d pick out of my breakfast because I loved how sweet and delicious they were. The smell itself is just something that I love, it’s so hard to explain what I smell when I smell strawberries, but it is so incredibly intoxicating. It’s like falling in love all over again, every time I smell it.