Potions Partners PV Natasha Choi

Natasha's speech: Green
@Amelia Faye

It started to get colder and colder outside; winter was slowly approaching, much to Natasha's disdain. She never like the freezing season; like the snakes in her home, she preferred the warmth of the summer over the snowy winter days. But despite the change of the weather during the last couple of days, it has been a pleasant day so far. She managed to avoid getting bothered by muggle-borns, ate her fill in peace during the morning, and didn't forget her large scarf in her dormitory. Going to potions without that particular clothing was like self-destruction; the dungeons were cold beyond belief. Even though the Slytherin common room was always warm due to the fireplace, the same thing couldn't be said about the potions classroom.

The young witch draped her green and silver scarf over her shoulders, and tried her best to pay attention to the professor's instructions. She sat at in the back, which made it harder to concentrate, but she didn't mind. Luckily, today they were learning about a potion she was already familiar with. In theory, she knew how the Cure for boils should be brewed. She saw her mother make it countless times, but she never tried to do it herself. She wasn't allowed to.

So it goes without saying that, when the girl heard about today's assignment, she was the definition of excitement; even though she didn't show it. It all evaporated however, when she heard that they were paired up for today's class. She looked around, grimacing involuntary. She wasn't exactly known for her friendly behavior, so she didn't expect anyone to approach her and ask to be partners.

It came as a surprise when a Hufflepuff approached her. She was eager, full of undisguised excitement; it made Natasha frown in annoyance. She was about to deny this girl's, Amelia's, offer, but at the last moment she changed her mind. The witch looked around, everyone was already in pairs, and getting ready to brew.

Natasha sighed.

"It's not like I have another choice," she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, all the while glaring at the other girl's extended hand, as if even the thought of touching it disgusted her. Then, she tore her eyes away from Amelia, making space for her to sit down. She added curtly: "I'm Natasha."

Word count: 390

Amelia was taken back by the girl's unpleasant tone. She noticed the girl look at her hand with a sort of disgust on her face. She slowly lowered her hand, which was still extended awkwardly in front of her. The Slytherin girl didn't seem to be very friendly. Amelia really needed to work on her ability to analyze people before she approached them - there was probably a very good reason as to why no one had went over to the girl to pair up in the first place. "It's nice to meet you," she lied, much less enthusiastic than the last time she spoke. She sat down next to the girl and flicked through her Potion's textbook before opening it at the page the Cure for Boils potion was listed on.

She skimmed over the list of ingredients needed for the potion before saying, "I can go get the ingredients, and you can get the equipment ready?" she suggests, before quickly adding, "I mean, if you want you can go get the ingredients and I could get the equipment ready." she stopped herself before she rambled on for too long, noting that Natasha is probably already annoyed with her - if Amelia was judging by the fact that she wasn't the most welcoming person ever when she had approached her.

"Have you brewed this potion before?" she asked the Slytherin. She had heard somewhere that most Slytherin's were oddly good at brewing potions, the Hufflepuff wasn't one to make assumptions on anyone but she figured it'd be nice to know if Natasha had any experience in potion brewing, because she does not have much experience. "I've read about it before, but I've never brewed it."

Word count: 281

Interacting with: @Amelia Faye

Natasha kept staring at the other witch from the corner of her eyes. She tried to decipher who she was. What she was. And most importantly, if the girl would be useful for her in the future. She talked a lot, a trait she noticed right away; she wasn't too fond of such behavior, but she could put up with it for the duration of their assignment. This, however, didn't mean that she would mask her irritation.

With a sigh, she turned to the other girl; eyes cold as ice.

"I'm gonna go get the ingredients. You can set up the equipment. If you know how to, that is."

There was a momentarily pause in her speech. Natasha was trying to figure out their current situation. Since she didn't know who this girls was, she didn't want to upset her. Much. If Amelia was a pure-blood, then she should apologize as soon as possible. If she was a muggle-born, then Natasha would stop talking to her altogether, but not before reminding the girl of her inferiority. If the other witch was a half-blood... Well then, she'd have to ask her parents what to do. She couldn't possibly get on the bad side of someone who is related to a powerful clan, even if the said person is a mix between magical and non-magical.

Natasha flinched involuntary as she remembered the letter she got from her parents not too long ago. The girl has made a lot of enemies during her short time at Hogwarts, and they weren't pleased. When they discovered that she openly insulted another pure-blood student, her father threatened to send a Howler. Natasha did NOT want to experience such shame.

In the end she stood up, tightening her scarf around her body. She should answer Amelia's question, she should try to be civil at least once.

"I know how to brew it. Well, theoretically. My mother made it countless times at home, but she never let me try to brew it. I could only watch." Another sigh left the girl's lips. "I'm gonna be back in a bit."

Natasha straightened her back, and left the table to look for the ingredients they needed. There was no way she'd let Amelia do this. This potion needed snake fangs too, and choosing the right ones was her field of expertise.

Word count: 385

Amelia isn't too keen on Natasha. She seems like one of them stuck-up purebloods her mother had warned her about, the type of people who think they're better than someone just because their blood is pure. She usually doesn't get angry or annoyed with someone very often, always giving someone the benefit of the doubt, but something about Natasha just rubs her the wrong way. "I do know how to set up the equipment, thank you very much." she mutters, mostly to herself than to Natasha.

The Hufflepuff noticed the girl flinch out of the corner of her eye, she looked like she was deep in thought, she shrugged it off, the Slytherin was probably disgusted about the fact she was talking to Amelia. Once Natasha had left to go and get the ingredients, Amelia let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. "Note to self, don't talk to Slytherin's. Like, ever." she said to herself whilst setting up the equipment. A sudden draft of cold air filled the classroom, shivering, Amelia pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and rubbed her hands together in an attempt to keep them from freezing off. Once she had finished setting up the equipment, she read over the Cure for Boils brewing instructions while she waited for Natasha to return from collecting the ingredients.

She decided that it'd be best to write the instructions of a piece of parchment so she could remember them easier. Grabbing a piece of parchment from her bag, she dipped her quill into her ink bottle and began to write.

Word count: 266

Interacting with @Amelia Faye

Natasha gathered the ingredients for the potion with the utmost care. Even though her mother wasn't there to see her actually brew, she couldn't allow herself to disappoint the older witch by performing poorly in the class her mother excelled at. She almost had everything they needed; she left the snake fangs last. The girl took one in her small hand, turning it around, inspecting every inch of it. The Cure for Boils required fangs that were collected from non-poisonous snakes. Of course, she knew that most likely there weren't poisonous fangs stored in the classroom (they needed to keep the student safe, and mixing the two up was not the way to go), but one could never be sure enough. She continued the process five more times, taking her time.

The whole time she walked towards their table, Natasha held the fangs in her small palm like her life depended on it. Upon arriving, she inspected the equipment that Amelia set up. She was actually impressed, but of course, she wouldn't say it out loud.

"Good job. You actually managed to set it up. Of course, there's always room for improvement," she said with a sharp, cold edge to her words. She remembered how her mother's working desk looked like at home. This was far from it, but it'll have to do.

Natasha gently set the ingredients on the table, and sat down in her chair. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed what the other witch has been doing while she was gone. "You... have to write that down? You couldn't memorize it earlier while the professor was talking?"

Word count: 275

Interacting with @Natasha Choi
Natasha's Speech: Green
Amelia's Speech: Yellow

Upon hearing footsteps approaching the desk, Amelia quickly scribbled down the rest of the instructions and glanced up at the Slytherin approaching her. She noticed the girl inspect the equipment that she had set up minutes prior before saying in a cold tone, "Good job. You actually managed to set it up. Of course, there's always room for improvement."Amelia rolled her eyes, of course she thinks she's better than everyone in this class.

Natasha had set the ingredients down on the desk, Amelia busied herself with double-checking the equipment, she knew that she had set it up right, but she wanted to seem busy so she could spend less time talking to the Slytherin witch, her plan was going great until the Slytherin decided to speak up, "You... have to write that down? You couldn't memorize it earlier while the professor was talking?"

Amelia stopped her current movement, her hands hovering beside the cauldron before she placed them down on the desk and turned to the Slytherin, "Alright, listen," Amelia glared at Natasha, "I don't know what's got you thinking that you're all high and mighty, but trust me, you ain't," she pointed her index finger at the Slytherin witch and with the same finger she motioned around the classroom, "we're all in the same boat here, we're all first years, it doesn't bloody well matter if you're a pureblood or a muggleborn. You ain't all this and that, so stop giving me that attitude because I was kind enough to go over to you when no one else would, and now I know why." Amelia stopped for a second to let herself catch her breath before continuing, "So shut up and stop acting superior to me and let's just get this bloody potion done and we never have to speak to each other again." she finished her rant, letting a furious breath out of her nose and pushing a strand of her behind her ear. She turned back to the cauldron that was still being heated and grabbed the piece of parchment with the instructions on it she had wrote out a couple minutes prior.

The Hufflepuff was never usually the type to lose her temper so easily and quickly, but Natasha was doing her absolute head in and Amelia wasn't going to be the type of girl to be bossed around. Grabbing the mortar and pestle, she grabbed the snake fangs and began crushing them, she suspected she was crushing them way too hard than she needed to, but she was still incredibly annoyed.

I didn't change anything you wrote, I just thought it'd be easier if I put what you wrote in my post. Hope that's okay.

Word count: 426

Interacting with @Amelia Faye

Natasha stared at the other witch with her mouth hanging open. Her shock however lasted only a moment. She snapped her mouth shut, and her bewildered stare turned into a glare which burned with the irritation she was trying to get under control. What was it with every Hufflepuff she met so far, that caused them to act like she was the antagonist!? She learned from her past interactions with such students and her parents' letters; and yet nothing changed. Everyone was acting like she was the number one public enemy.

The girl gritted her teeth, and let out a shaky sigh before slamming her hand on the table. That was it, she just couldn't get her anger under control nowadays. At that moment she couldn't even decide if her parents would be proud of her for standing up for herself against an unfair person, or be disappointed by her harsh actions and words.

"Now listen here, Hufflepuff..." she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "I really don't know what got you so mad right now. I barely said five sentences, and you are already turning me into the bad guy! I didn't intend to cause a scene during class or make enemies with you, but now you're just asking for it. Did I offend you by asking if you actually knew how to set up the equipment? It's only natural that some of you don't know considering that not everyone's mother is as passionate about potions as mine is. Did I hurt you by saying that there's always room for improvement? That's a fact, and you can't deny it! From what I see, you are the one who has some issues, because you can't accept it when people criticize you!"

Natasha ran a hand through her thick black hair, a sneer slowly spreading across her lips. "And aren't you a little prejudiced too? I haven't said a single word about blood status this whole time, and yet, you are rubbing my beliefs in my face. And since we are on the subject, we aren't in the same boat, dear. We don't know each other, we don't know about the other's hardships and joys in life. This means that everybody is at a different level, so everybody has their own boat in accordance with their capabilities. It just happens that some of those boats are stronger by nature and are moving faster, and that I'm in one of them while you aren't. This is the harsh truth of life. You'll have to accept it sooner or later that not everybody is gonna be swooned by your kindness, and become your friend instantly when you walk up to them.

Natasha glanced at the snake fangs Amelia was abusing with the mortar and pestle, and she couldn't surpass the grimace that was about to show. She was crushing them way too hard.

"But sure, whatever. Let's just get this bloody potion done and we never have to speak to each other again," she repeated Amelia's words in a mocking tone, and turned to slice the pungous onions.

Don't worry about it! Since you didn't change anything, it's perfectly fine.

Word count: 516

Amelia jumped out of her seat slightly when the girl slammed her hand on the desk, but she quickly regained her composure, she didn't want Natasha to know that she had successfully frightened the Hufflepuff, even if it was only momentarily. She continued to crush the fangs while listening to the girl sound like she was seconds away from ripping Amelia's head off her neck, and to be honest, Natasha probably was. Once Natasha had finished talking, Amelia sighed and replied to the girl with a very clear sound of annoyance in her voice, "You've been acting rude ever since I came over here, so don't try and make me seem like the bloody villain here for not putting up with your attitude, and don't mock me." she glared at the girl, because she most definitely didn't sound like the way Natasha imitated her. "Plus, you can just tell that you're one of them stuck-up Pure-blood Slytherins that think they're better than everyone else just because their parents are both magical. Tell me I'm wrong, because I'm not." Amelia focused her eyes on the mortar and pestle on the desk in front of her before adding sarcastically, "Oh, and by the way, I'm a Half-blood. So you don't have to hate me too much." she snickered to herself before lifting up the mortar and dumping the contents of it into the cauldron.

She didn't feel the need to continue on the conversation anymore, figuring that it would be best if she focused on brewing the potion rather than fighting with the witch beside her, because fighting definitely was not going to get her a passing grade and would most likely end both of them up in detention. She stirred the crushed fangs in the cauldron, stopping momentarily to take off her robes and scarf, the heat from the cauldrons around the classroom making the room a much more bearable temperature than it had been at the start of the lesson. She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and stirred for a few more seconds before stopping.

The witch flickered her eyes over to Natasha, who was now slicing the Pungous Onions. Amelia tore her eyes away, not wanting to be caught staring at the girl. She looked down at her piece of parchment and read the next steps of the instructions, 'Slice your Pungous Onions finely and place in cauldron, then heat the mixture.', was scrawled on the page in her neat handwriting, she took a guess that Natasha was going to do that step, so she looked at the step after that. 'Add dried nettles.' Amelia picked up the dried nettles from the desk and placed them onto the palm of her hand, lifting them up between her thumb and index finger and inspecting them out of boredom while waiting for the Slytherin witch to put the sliced onions into the cauldron so she could add the dried nettles.

Word count: 491

Interacting with @Amelia Faye

Natasha continued to slice the Pungous Onions in silence, but she was raging inside. It has been barely three weeks since she came to Hogwarts and it seemed like every other person she met hated her guts. Even though the feeling was mutual more often than not, and normally she would just act nonchalantly about it, some people still managed to piss her off beyond belief. And 90% of the time, it was a Hufflepuff. There was just something unexplainable about them that she found fundamentally repulsive, and she couldn't do anything about it, even if she tried to.

The young witch's grip tightened on the knife. These yellow clowns dared to look down on her, even though they were clearly inferior. It seems like this time and age was full of fools who knew nothing about respect, and for the life of them, couldn't stay in their line. This country was so different from South Korea. Everybody knew their place and role in society there, and even though it was too late now, she wished she would've gone to an East Asian school instead of Hogwarts.

The girl finished slicing the Pungous Onions, and placed them in the cauldron. She looked at the other witch from the corner of her eyes; Amelia was observing the dried nettles boredly. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"It's not like I'm thrilled to work with you, you know? But even if you didn't came over, the professor would've assigned me a partner anyway. So just think of it as a good deed, you saved someone else from spending time with a stuck-up pure-blood Slytherin. I know that charities like this please you Hufflepuffs."

The girl curled her lips in a sarcastic manner, and turned back to the knife she was working with earlier. She meant to clean it up with a cloth, but she just couldn't concentrate; her thoughts were all over the place. One second, she was thinking about all the hexes she will learn and try out on Amelia, and in the next moment she felt a sharp pain in her palm. She hissed in pain as she dropped the knife on the table. The blade has sliced her palm, it wasn't a deep cut, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Natasha pulled her hand closer to her chest, putting pressure on the cut. She even doubled over as she continued to hiss under her breath.

Word count: 404