13 Days of All Hallows’ Eve: “A Fatal Attraction”
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“No one has ever managed to create the truly unbreakable, eternal, unconditional attachment that is love,” said Professor Slughorn.
Even though it was the last class before the weekend, everyone was alert. Love is a thing that eludes most people, and everyone was interested in how to conquer it.
“What about the Amortentia Potion?” asked Darius Gosforth, a Slytherin fifth year.
“Amortentia doesn’t create actual love. But it does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession,” responded Professor Slughorn.
“So you’re saying it can’t be done?”
“Not that I know of.”
Class left Darius feeling disappointed. He had been looking forward to this particular Potions lesson for weeks now. Just by looking at him, you wouldn’t think Darius ever had problems finding love. Tall, handsome, and captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Darius did not lack admirers.
But there was one person whose affection he couldn’t win over: Catriona Vane. A Ravenclaw fifth year, Catriona was beautiful in a nontraditional way, with long brown hair and eyes as dark as a starless night. Her shy and unassuming nature did not draw much attention, but Darius never could ignore her effortless elegance.
As he walked down the hall to his dormitory, Darius thought, There has to be a way to make Cat fall in love with me. Being in different houses and social circles made the obvious approach unfavorable. Plus, Darius needed to ensure that he didn’t get rejected; he wasn’t used to not getting his way.
During the weekend, a more relaxed air filled Hogwarts. You could almost feel the difference. There were also less people on the grounds. Many students left to visit Hogsmeade, and teachers kept mostly to themselves – a perfect time for Darius to execute his plan…
A Sweet Surprise
“Hey Cat, a couple of us are taking a trip to Hogsmeade. Do you want to come?” asked Eloise.
“I think I’m going to stay here and study,” replied Cat.
“Would you like me to bring you anything?”
“Some blowing gum from Honeydukes? Exams are coming up, and you know how it helps me focus.”
“Sure thing!” said Eloise as she waved and left the dormitory she shared with Cat.
Hogsmeade sounded like fun, but Catriona had a lot of school work to catch up on. Not to mention that OWLs loomed ahead like a dark stormcloud.
Just as the afternoon sun began to dim, Eloise and a couple of the other Ravenclaw girls returned from Hogsmeade.
“Here you go, Cat.” Eloise handed her the gum.
“Thanks, Eloise! I still have a couple more hours of studying after dinner, and this well be a lifesaver!”
Love Unfolding
Class again. This is going to be a long day, thought Darius. At least he could look forward to Quidditch practice later this afternoon. As he made his way through the stone hallways, Darius ran through some of the new Quidditch plays. He was so focused, in fact, that he didn’t see Cat as he rounded the next corner.
Books tumbled out of her hands as they bumped into each other.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. Here, let me help you with that,” said Darius as he bent down to pick up her fallen belongings.
“Darius, hi, um, fancy seeing you here. I, um, was just thinking about you. I mean, actually, nevermind. I’ll see you around!” exclaimed Cat as she snatched her things from his outstretched arms and almost broke into a sprint in the other direction.
That was odd, thought Darius. But wait! Could it be? Did his plan work?
His spirits soared as the thought of Cat finally in love with him filled his heart. He wasn’t sure if his Amortentia Potion would do the trick. It was his first time brewing it, and he was unsure whether a single piece of gum would be enough. But it seemed to have worked! Elated, he managed to sit through the rest of his classes with the hint of a smile permanently around his lips.
Disappearances
Quidditch practice finally came around. Darius waited as his teammates walked onto the field. All but one.
“Has anyone seen Penelope?” Darius asked the group.
“I saw her yesterday,” replied Tom, the team’s Keeper, “but I didn’t see her in any of my classes today.”
“All right, well, let’s get started, and we’ll catch her up when she gets here.”
But that’s the thing. She never did arrive. Penelope Inglebee never missed a practice. She was the best Seeker Slytherin had had in a long time. Darius made a mental note to ask some of her roommates later if she was all right.
The next day, thoughts of Cat occupied Darius’s mind as he made his way to the Great Hall for dinner. He had seen Cat a couple of times that day, and she always seemed to turn bright pink and run away from him before he got the chance to talk to her. The potion didn’t seem to be working the way he intended. Had he done something wrong?
As he sat down, he heard a small voice behind him. “Hi, Darius!”
He turned around to see Fleur Dawlish, a Ravenclaw first year, smiling and waving at him. Ever since Fleur started at Hogwarts, it was common knowledge that she had a huge crush on him. It was harmless puppy love, so Darius didn’t mind. To tell you the truth, he did enjoy the attention.
Darius smiled back. “Hi, Fleur. Nice to see you again.”
Fleur broke out into a toothy grin and quickly sat back down excitedly giggling with her friends.
Darius turned away from Fleur and began eating. But tonight he hardly tasted his food. Thoughts of Cat and how he was going to approach her occupied his mind until the end of dinner and all the way back into the Slytherin common room, where he finally resigned himself to finishing up some reading.
The next couple of days were busy; what with school and Quidditch practice, Darius had a lot on his mind. Penelope didn’t show up for the next practice either, and her roommates hadn’t seen her. Where was she? Darius was starting to get worried that they wouldn’t be ready for the upcoming match.
Come Friday, Darius was exhausted. Only one class stood between him and the weekend – Potions. He got to class a couple of minutes early and started setting up his things. He wanted to review a couple things, but he had lent Narcissa, his lab partner, his textbook. He would just wait until she arrived. But Narcissa never showed up. Darius was a bit peeved since he had to make all the Potions himself, and without a book. Needless to say, his attempt resulted in an explosion of green goo that landed all over his robes. He decided he was going to be more careful next time he lent his book out.
The Truth About Love
There was quite a commotion surrounding the Ravenclaw common room. Darius finally mustered up the courage to find Cat and confess his feelings. But as he pushed through the crowd he caught a glimpse of what was going on.
“I LOVE HIM, NOT YOU!” screamed Cat at the top of her lungs. “We’re meant to be together!”
Hagrid was restraining her, so she couldn’t attack Eloise, who was clearly in a frazzled and disheveled state.
“Cat, what are you talking about? I don’t love Darius! I never have. YOU never have! What is going on?” Eloise exclaimed in exasperation.
“All right everyone, clear out!” shouted Hagrid. “Not you, lad,” he said looking at Darius.
As students began to file away from the scene, Slughorn trotted in. “What happened?” he asked.
Eloise said, “I had just walked into our room when Cat jumped out from behind the bed with a crazed look in her eye and attacked me! She tried to force feed me some sort of potion and was talking about how she needed to put me somewhere where I couldn’t steal Darius from her. Honestly, professor, this is not like Cat at all! I don’t know what happened.”
“I think I have an idea,” Slughorn said. “Darius, might you know something about this?”
Darius broke down right then and there. “I just wanted her to notice me! I… I spiked her chewing gum with Amortentia. It was such a small dose per piece. I didn’t think anything like this would happen!”
“Small!?” exclaimed Eloise. “Gum helps Cat focus. With OWLs right around the corner, she finished that pack this week!”
“Well, that settles that, then,” replied Slughorn. “Hagrid, let’s take Cat back to my office to administer the antidote.”
Once Penelope emerged from the Forbidden Forest, confused and covered in scratches, it was evident where Cat was leaving her victims. A search party was sent to retrieve Narcissa and Fleur. Over the next couple weeks, Narcissa was found unconscious underneath a tree. But after months of searching, poor little Fleur was never found.
Cat eventually regained her composure and was kept under close watch for the remainder of the term. Darius was expelled from Hogwarts for misconduct and the murder of a student. Let it be a lesson that matters of the heart can not be forced.
For more, check out our other All Hallows’ Eve stories.
