Aurora had started out her research in unfamiliar territory.. the LIBRARY. It wasn’t that she disliked the room for no reason but having an area entirely dedicated to reading which in her opinion was a bit of a chore. Yes she lived in a fantasy land in her head and would likely enjoy engaging in one in the literary world but why would she when there were far more exciting things she could be participating in. Besides, reading was a rather lonely activity.

Anyway, all of that was an explanation as to why she WASN’T in the library for her continued study session but had instead levitated a thick stack of textbooks all the way from the library, down two flights of moving stairs and towards the map of Argyllshire where she settled cross-legged on her cardigan on the stone floor. Why the map you may ask? Well Aurora had already visited it several times and had committed much of it to memory to the extent that it wouldn’t be so much of a distraction.

She opened her copy of the Ingredient Encyclopedia and searched through to find a creature whose properties might have aligned with those of the potion she was trying to develop, settling on the funny little rats with tentacles otherwise known as Murtlap.



With her research going alarmingly well, the Ravenclaw was starting to question whether she should be researching the source of the infliction in the first place. She knew that Kneazle Whiskers could be used as cores in wands but she hadn’t heard much about potions using Kneazle hairs. Although how that would help in curing scratches she didn’t know but she supposed she didn’t HAVE to use it if it didn’t work and let’s be honest it was all going to be one giant trial and error.

Honestly, Ve was pretty proud of herself so far for the term. At least… she had been. She was doing well on keeping up with her studies so far, and even had been fairly responsible with scheduling studio sessions with her fellow seventh years. And she was being even extra responsible in not trying to do any NEWT studying in smaller groups, like one on ones, because she always managed to distract herself and the other person by striking up a conversation.

But today? Try as she had, she’d been having difficulty in focusing in their group study in the library. Her mind just kept flitting to the letter currently crumped up in her pocket. One that she was both excited about, and dreaded because it reminded her she was really at a crossroads in her life when she had to start making decisions. And… well, those were really scary because every choice she had in front of her seemed like there was a consequence. So she’d given up on the studying, excusing herself before she distracted anyone else. Or worse they tried to ask her about it.

Reaching into her pocket, she shoved the parchment further down - like the physical act could also do the same for her thoughts.

Maybe what she really needed was a distraction. And luckily for her, as she turned a corridor corner, eyes fell on a familiar blond and Vera grinned at the sight. “Aurora Borealis!” She realized too late after she’d called out, that Rora actually seemed engrossed in doing something and that Ve was probably interrupting. Moving closer, she paused when she could see the open book. “Oh! Are you working on your potion?”

Researching was not her forte, it gave her too much independence and too much information and too much to go horrifically wrong should she not choose the right thing. The biggest problem being that Aurora didn’t really understand how certain ingredients would interact with each other and she slightly feared the potion causing her to grow extra limbs or turn her skin purple or (although not necessarily a negative because it would be actually quite cool) turn into a Kneazle.

She might’ve been hard at work but that didn’t mean that she didn’t appreciate the company. Yes, distractions were probably the worst possible thing for her when it came to concentration but the energy she gained from others far outweighed the importance of academic achievement in her mind. Besides, she was pretty much finished anyway.

“Hi Captain Vera” she beamed up at the seventh year, closing the potions ingredients book and clearing a space beside her so that if the Gryffindor wanted to join her she could. “Yes but I think I’m done now. I’ve researched so many ingredients that they’re all becoming kinda muddled in my head.” What was that saying? Less is more? “How is your potion going?” She imagined the seventh year was much further ahead than she was.

That was something Vera certainly could have commiserated on. She was playing it rather safe with her potion, going by things that had already been used together in some potion or another and only trading out minimally. She’d just about nearly poisoned someone once with her poor potioneer skills, she wasn’t looking to write a recipe to encourage others to do so as well. Though…. Extra limbs, purple skin or time as a kneazle ALL sounded like pros to her. She also had the utmost faith in Professor Feirgrund that he could undo any mischief they accidentally caused. Or even Professor Adara!

Grinning back at the blond, Vera immediately took the newly opened seat beside her friend and slid down the wall to rest into it. She took a peek at what she could still see from Aurora’s notes, but didn’t dive too deep in case the Ravenclaw wasn’t interested in others seeing her work so far. “It’s crazy how many ingredients there are that sound like they would do the same thing and yet… they can react with other ingredients that the first one wouldn’t and just entirely muck things up.” Crazy. And insanely intimidating. “My potion is…. Okay? I’m not really certain I’m following the assignment closely enough for my potion to get a good grade but… I’m playing with something I would have a personal practical use for so, it seemed worth a shot! Have you already determined what you want yours to do?”

Aurora wasn’t secretive with her work or her notes and would often let friends copy them if they wanted to, a mistake on their part probably but her intentions were good. Vera taking a peek at her notebook received no retaliation from the fifth year. In fact she tilted the knee that her book was resting on towards her so that she could see better if she wanted to.

It was all a bit scientific for the Ravenclaw. It reminded her of chemistry, a subject her Ma had excelled in at her muggle school and for which Aurora did not have the brain capacity nor the natural affinity for. Combine that with a touch of magic and it was a recipe for disaster. One that she was really really trying hard with though seeing as it was likely to be important for her future career. “I don’t understand how we are supposed to just know when something is right or wrong if we’ve never made it before?” she admitted. She got that she could trial it but what if she had made something dangerous? “Like when I make a potion wrong in class and it turns green instead of purple then I know that I’ve made a mistake. But there’s no guidelines here, or steps to follow..” It was almost TOO much pressure for a usually chilled out Rora.

Not one to dwell on the negatives, the blonde stopped her fretting and stacked the textbooks in a pile so she could temporarily forget about them whilst she listened intently to her favourite seventh year. “I’m hoping to make a lotion that heals Kneazle scratches. I want to be a creature healer and I know that Kneazles can get a little feisty, especially when they are in pain. I thought if I brewed my own potion to heal it faster it might be beneficial to me in the future.” Provided the process went well of course. “What are you hoping to do?” She was sure that Vera would’ve come up with something far more complex than she did.. or not. The quiz team she had formed with Vera and Anna hadn’t exactly gone well for the trio so perhaps all three weren’t the brightest sparks?