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𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈 stood around the corner of the corridor where Ron and Lavender were. Christmas holidays were now over, and the two girls had finally agreed that this morning, they were going to call a truce on the their petty argument.

As Lavender arrived at the bench where Pavarti and Marina were standing, she stopped in her tracks.

"Hi Lavender." said Pavarti in a quiet tone.

"Pavarti. Marina, how was your Christmas holidays?" Lavender said softly.

Marina remembered the moment where Harry and her had almost kissed each other.

"Uneventful." Marina blurted, "I'm sorry Lavender. I should have understood that you were just having your first boyfriend, and I don't think it was fair of me to not even ask you to make time for us, but to just scream at you. I don't want lose to one of my best friends."

Pavarti looked up to Lavender. "I'm sorry too. Shadid told me I shouldn't have called you a...the b word, and he explained to me why your so upset with us, and then I realized, I wasn't being supportive of you and Ron's relationship. But to make it fair, I just want you to make an equal amount of time for your boyfriend and us."

"Oh I'm sure he explained to you very well." smirked Marina.

"I understand. I'm sorry as well. I'll make sure that we spend enough time together." Lavender said.

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𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎 far going well. The class had just finished the Draught of Death, which was best made by Harry, of course. And now Professor Slughorn had a little 'surprise' for the class as they had a few minutes left till the next period begun.

"Now this, ladies and gentleman," Slughorn said putting a large cauldron that was spitting out heart-shaped bubbles, "is one of the most powerful potions in the world, made by one of the most famous potioneers, Laverne De Montgomery."

"Can anyone tell me what this potion is and does?"

Even Marina didn't know. At a young age, Arthur used to take her to a potions shop in Diagon Alley and they would play a game of who came name the most potions. And Marina had never seen such a potion before.

Hermione's hand shot up in the air within seconds.

"It's Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. Like I said on the first day of term, you smell three things you find attractive." Hermione explained. "Sometimes, if one is absolutely clueless of who finds them attractive, they will have a flashback of the person who finds them attractive."

"Very good! Five points to Gryffindor for knowledge! Now everyone grab your books and quill, and write down the three things you smell in the Amortentia." Slughorn said.

Marina dipped the tip of her quill in her ink bottle as she started to write.

Date - February 28th, 1997

Today I'm suppose to write what I smell in the shitty pink potion, crap what's it called? Right! Amortentia, I think? Okay, I'm going to write what I smell now or Sluggy will see.

What I smell -
1- Aftershave...like vanilla slightly?
2- Treacle Tart
3- Broom Polish

Marina stopped writing. Who smelt like aftershave for gods sake? Suddenly, Marina remembered Toula's Christmas present to Harry.

Toula gave Harry an enchanted razor and aftershave for Christmas.

Harry's favorite dessert. Treacle Tart.

Marina and Harry were the assistant captains of Qudditch. (That explained the broom polish.)

Marina now only had one thought in her mind.

Marina Weasley fancied Harry Potter.

How would Ron react if he found out? Marina would choose Ron over Harry any day. But...Harry was handsome. But Ron and Harry's friendship would shatter if Marina told Harry her feelings.

Oh, if Marina only wasn't so clueless on Harry's manner of flirting with her for the past five years.

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𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓. Ron's birthday. Marina spent the entire day playing Quidditch with Ron and Harry.

After a few hours of playing Quidditch and celebrating Ron's birthday, Marina and Harry had just finished planning their Quidditch planning session, which was full of flirting and Quidditch diagrams.

"It's already ten o'clock," Marina said, "Can you believe it? We spent three hours just making play diagrams."

"Time ticks when your having fun doesn't it?" Harry smiled brightly.

Harry looked slightly stressed out.

"What's wrong with the Chosen One hm?" Marina said putting an arm around his shoulder playfully. "You've had that face since Potions ended."

"Just Slughorn. I asked him about a memory of his...and he freaked out a bit." Harry said. "Don't worrry about it though. Good night."

"Good night Harry." Marina whispered as she walked up the stairs.

After she had just put on her comfy tank top and pajama pants, she slipped into bed with a smile on her face.

"With Harry now were you?" mumbled Hermione with a sleepy smirk.

"Naughty Hermione, that was very sly of you." Pavarti said under her breath sleeping still.

"Shut up Granger." Marina mumbled.

"Someone wants to win their bet with Madam Pomfrey." Pavarti said.

"Why is everyone betting with Madam Pomfrey? First bloody Sirius and now Hermione —"

Suddenly, Benny was scribbling something on a piece of parchment and handed it to Marina.

Mr. Harry needs you Ms. Marini. Mr. Ronnie is in trouble.

"Thank you Benny!" Marina whispered.

Before Pavarti could ask where she's going, Marina then scrambled downstairs to see Ron. Who looked very drowsy, and Harry, who was holding his by the arm.

"What's happened?" Marina screeched.

"Love potion." Harry blurted, "Come on, help me carry him."

Harry and Marina carried Ron all the way to Slughorn's office. Marina knocked on the door. Slughorn looked through the door.

Harry, Marina," he mumbled. "This is very late for a call..."

"Professor, I'm really sorry to disturb you," said Harry as quietly as possible, while Ron stood on tiptoe, attempting to see past Slughorn into his room, "but my friend Ron's swallowed a love potion by mistake. You couldn't make him an antidote, could you? I'd take him to Madam Pomfrey, but we're not supposed to have anything from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and, you know . . . awkward questions . . ."

"I'd have thought you could have whipped him up a remedy, Harry, an expert potioneer like you?" asked Slughorn.

"Er," said Harry, somewhat distracted by the fact that Ron was now elbowing him in the ribs in an attempt to force his way into the room, "well, I've never mixed an antidote for a love potion, sir, and by the time I get it right, Ron might've done something serious —"

Helpfully, Ron chose this moment to groan, "I can't see her, Harry — is he hiding her?"

"Shut up Ron." Marina said smacking him slightly.

"Was this potion within date?" asked Slughorn, now eyeing Ron with professional interest. "They can strengthen, you know, the longer they're kept."

"Must be. The chocolates are probably a few months old." Marina said.

"That would explain a lot," panted Harry, now positively wrestling with Ron to keep him from knocking Slughorn over. "It's his birthday, Professor," he added imploringly.

"Oh, all right, come in, then, come in," said Slughorn, relenting. "I've got the necessary here in my bag, it's not a difficult antidote. . . ."

Ron burst through the door into Slughorn's overheated, crowded study, tripped over a tasseled footstool, regained his balance by seizing Harry around the neck, and muttered, "She didn't see that, did she?"

"She's not here yet," said Marina, watching Slughorn opening his potion kit and adding a few pinches of this and that to a small crystal bottle.

"That's good," said Ron fervently. "How do I look?"

"Very handsome," said Slughorn smoothly, handing Ron a glass of clear liquid. "Now drink that up, it's a tonic for the nerves, keep you calm when she arrives, you know."

"Brilliant," said Ron eagerly, and he gulped the antidote down noisily.

Harry, Marina, Slughorn watched him.

"We're sorry for disturbing Professor." Marina said.

Slughorn smiled kindly. "No problem, I've dealt with love potions quite a few times."

For a moment, Ron beamed at them. Then, very slowly, his grin sagged and vanished, to be re- placed by an expression of utmost horror.

"Back to normal, then?" said Harry, grinning. Slughorn chuckled. "Thanks a lot, Professor."

"Don't mention it, m'boy, don't mention it," said Slughorn, as Ron collapsed into a nearby armchair, looking devastated. "Pick me up, that's what he needs," Slughorn continued, now bustling over to a table loaded with drinks. "I've got butterbeer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead . . . hmm . . . meant to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas . . . ah, well . . ." He shrugged. "He can't miss what he's never had! Why don't we open it now and celebrate Mr. Weasley's birthday? Nothing like a fine spirit to chase away the pangs of disappointed love. . . ."

He chortled again, and Harry and Marjna joined in.

"There you are then," said Slughorn, handing Harry and Ron a glass of mead each before raising his own. "Well, a very happy birthday, Ralph —"

"Ron —" whispered Harry and Marina.

But Ron, who did not appear to be listening to the toast, had already thrown the mead into his mouth and swallowed it.

There was one second, hardly more than a heartbeat, in which Marina knew there was something terribly wrong and Harry and Slughorn, it seemed, did not.

"— and may you have many more —"

"Ron!"

Ron had dropped his glass; he half-rose from his chair and then crumpled, his extremities jerking uncontrollably. Foam was dribbling from his mouth, and his eyes were bulging from their sockets.

"Professor!" Harry bellowed. "Do something!"

But Slughorn seemed paralyzed by shock. Ron twitched and choked: His skin was turning blue. Marina kneeled down the floor and searched through the cabinets.

No bozoar...nothing...

"What — but —" spluttered Slughorn.

Harry then leapt over a low table and sprinted toward Slughorn's open potion kit, pulling out jars and pouches, while the terrible

"B..bozoar. Where the is it?" Marina said crying slightly.

The sound of Ron's gargling breath filled the room. Then Harry found it — the shriveled kidneylike stone Slughorn had taken from him in Potions.

"Give it quickly!" Marina shrieked.

He hurtled back to Ron's side, wrenched open his jaw, and thrust the bezoar into his mouth. Ron gave a great shudder, a rattling gasp, and his body became limp and still.

Marina hugged her brother's body, not letting go.