There aren't too many things that can ruin Five's favorite class of the day — there's just something so soothing about the usual late afternoon Potions lesson, with the light clinking of the cauldrons, the gentle hissing of steam and vapor, the soft bubbling of all the various liquids as they boil and simmer on their burners, and the precision of the work, the exact measurements and repetitive movements inherent in potionmaking — but finding out he has to pair up with Prue Starling, the golden girl of Gryffindor House, to make a childishly simple draught that really only requires one person anyway, is almost enough to make him turn around and walk right back out of the dungeons.
Okay, so maybe Five has never actually had a full conversation with Prue Starling before, and he's making an unfair judgment of her based on her reputation. Sue him. He's never actually had a full conversation with any of the other students at Hogwarts before, not even his own housemates, so it's not like it's anything personal. It's just that he's not here to make friends.
But he is here to get full marks in all of his classes, so he doesn't turn around and walk right back out of the dungeons like he very much wants to. He just gets to work, gathering the ingredients and settling in the seat beside his partner without complaint, or even any outward expressions of hostility. Maybe he should just count himself lucky it was only Starling, because there are far worse Gryffindors he could have easily ended up with.
Right on cue, his gaze drifts over to Dolores Ramirez, two desks down, infuriating as always in her bright red robes. Even when she's nowhere near him, she manages to be a distraction, joking around with her own partner so loud the whole room can hear it.
Five pointedly turns back to his own seatmate, refocusing his attention on their potion instead. The cauldron must have already reached a boil, because his face is burning all of a sudden. Even so, the liquid inside their shared pot is distinctly greener than it should be at this stage...
"Did you already add the first round of moonstone?"
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