Chapter Text
*0*0*
‘Come to the dungeons, potions room four. Tell no one.’
The note was sitting on top of Clarke’s herbology essay, which she’d abandoned when she needed to put back various books that were cluttering the table she was sitting at. She’d been studying in the library, seeking refuge amongst the stacks, rather than study in the crowded common room where no peace could be achieved. It wasn’t her typical Friday night, but this was due Monday morning first thing, and if she didn’t at least attempt to get it started, she’d never do it.
The note, however, was a welcomed distraction, even if it seemed to come from nowhere. She hadn’t witnessed anyone leave it there, and aside from a few Gryffindors studying at a nearby table, the library was pretty empty.
Normally, Clarke wouldn’t dare follow some ominous note, but she’d been flirting with this Hufflepuff recently, and this seemed right up her street, so...
Abandoning her stuff in the Slytherin common room, Clarke continued on to the potions room that wasn’t too far from it. Only, instead of the stunning Hufflepuff looking for a hook up, it was just Raven.
“What’s with all the cloak and dagger?” Clarke asked, closing the door behind her.
“You’ll see; come on in.”
“Hi Clarke,” Monty greeted, coming out the potions cupboard.
“What are you two doing? And does the professor know your raiding their ingredients?”
“Professor Nyko is busy, and unless someone opens their big mouth, he’ll never know,” Raven replied, working away at the desk near the front.
Stepping closer, because seriously, what were they up to?, Clarke noted Monty preparing more ingredients, and Raven continuing to stir the cauldron in front of her.
“So what’s this?”
“Monty and I are about to revolutionise the love potion market,” Raven sang, focusing on counting the number of counter clockwise stirs, waiting for the potion to change colour.
“You’re not serious? You’re making a love potion?” Clarke shot them both a dubious look, as if this really required their time and effort, only to be met with frown from Raven.
“I’ll have you know that our potion could very well be the game changer the market needs. It’ll be the love potion everyone is after.” Or so they hoped.
“Love potions don’t work, you know that,” Clarke added, taking a seat and leaning against the desk.
“I think I can get this one to work,” Raven replied.
“You would.” Her brain and ego knew no bounds.
“Hey! I’m serious, I was speaking with Monty-”
“The expert on love.”
“I’m going to ignore that,” Monty called out, continuing to chop ingredients, then bringing them over for Raven to use.
“Anyway, the problem with love potions, as they stand now, is that they cause obsession, and they need to be constantly used to keep that ‘love’ in place.”
“And you’ve found a way around that?” Clarke asked, watching Raven work.
“I think so,” Raven grinned, looking down at the cauldron before her, seeing the colour change she was waiting on. “It relies on feelings that already exist, though. The body produces certain chemicals when specific emotions are felt, this just enhances that slightly.”
“You mean to say, if I flirt with someone, and they like it, this could have them liking me more?”
“In theory, yes,” Monty answered, nodding. Right...“It sort of speeds up romance.
“It creates love,” Raven interjected, wanting to make that point clear. It was a love potion after all.
“How does it stop?”
“What?”
“I drink your potion, you flirt with me, teasingly so, and I start to ‘fall in love’ with you. Then, Monty flirts with me, do I fall in love with him, too?” Clarke explained, waiting to hear more.
If her friends were making the claims they were, Raven, then surely they had thought about every eventuality.
“From what we’ve calculated, that first dose of flirtation starts the process, using the potion to magnify those feelings until it’s run its course.”
“I thought you solved the problem of continuous use?” Like they mentioned, current love potions were reliant on constant use. Even missing one dose could ruin all efforts made up until that point, only, because the person regained their mind back, they’d realise they’d been dosed. It really meant messy times.
“We have. Every time you see that person again, your body remembers and fires off the same chemicals, and from the way we’ve worked this, your own body will start to produce the love potion.”
“You’re shitting me,” Clarke murmured, in disbelief, because that just didn’t sound possible.
“In theory, it should work,” Monty added again, sounding more cautious than Raven was. No surprise there.
“Now we need to test it,” Raven grinned, and suddenly Clarke understood her presence there.
“No.” It was a bold, flat out, rejection, and rightly so. She wasn’t. She just wasn't.
“Come on, Griffin! You can do this.” Oh, Clarke knew she could, she just didn’t want to.
“Why can’t either of you do it? It’s your potion!”
“Exactly, we need to be on hand in case it goes tits up!”
“Filling me with confidence, here, Raven,” Clarke deadpanned, and Raven was quick to backtrack.
“Shit, okay, look, it shouldn’t go tits up. Worst case scenario, you end up feeling really happy to be around everyone. That’s it. We do have a potion that should counteract it, if need be.”
That was sort of reassuring...
“And how do you know that potion works?”
“It breaks down the components. If we mix them together and then test what’s left, the love potion ceases to exist,” Monty said, staying on the outside of these negotiations.
“It’s foolproof!” Raven cried, then shrugged. “Sort of.”
“If I start declaring my love for people you-”
“We’ll lock you away and never speak of it again.” Clarke paused, thinking it over. That seemed like a reasonable result if she did start developing feelings for everyone, but...
“And if this works, I want a cut.”
“Done,” Monty said, while Raven protested.
“Wait, no. Not done,” she argued, waving her hands.
“It’s only fair, she is our guinea-pig.” Thank you, Monty, for being the voice of reason.
“How much of a cut are we talking?”
“Twenty percent,” Clarke said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Pft. I can get Jasper to do this for three.” Please, as if.
“Fifteen. Jasper takes all sorts of potions anyway, it might screw your results.” Good point, Griffin.
“Ten, and that’s it. Final offer.” Mulling it over for a second, Clarke took in Raven’s matching stature, and settled.
“Done,” she grinned, and then moved closer to the bench. “Let’s get this started.”
With that, Raven finalised the potion and poured it into a mug for Clarke to drink. The potion was hot, warming the mug in Clarke’s hands as she took a closer look. It was a milky colour, and smelt of mint, despite Clarke knowing there definitely wasn’t mint in the mix.
“Do I need to drink it slowly or like a shot?”
“Either or,” Monty commented, bottling up leftover ingredients and moving to clean up.
Deciding not to over think it, Clarke tested the potion with her lips to see how hot it was, and when satisfied that no, it wasn’t going to burn her throat, she threw it back like firewhiskey. There definitely was no mint. It did taste creamy, and in contrast to the heat of the mug, it was cool and slick running down her throat.
All in all, she’d swallowed worse.
“So, how do you feel?” Raven was quick to ask, staring, much like Monty was.
Letting the potion settle for a moment, Clarke mentally went over how she was actually feeling and then found herself shrugging.
“I feel fine.”
“Any different, at all?” There was so much hope in Raven’s voice, it was a shame to diminish it, but there really was no difference.
“No. No change at all. Is this meant to be instantaneous?” If it was, it didn’t work.
“I don’t know..we didn’t…” Raven was frowning, and Monty stepped in to reassure their only test subject.
“We’ll keep an eye on you, but the second you start to feel different, let us know. Yeah?” Clarke nodded, and let out a sigh, feeling this was all very anticlimactic.
“Okay, if you’re done testing me with illicit potions, I’m going to go back to studying.” She did have a herbology essay that needed her attention, after all.
“Thanks for volunteering!” Raven sang, earning a laugh.
“I don’t think I did!” Clarke called back, shutting the door behind her.
Taking another moment, just to be sure, Clarke was sad to admit that no, she felt no different whatsoever. She may as well have drunk water, because nothing had happened.
Shame, ten percent of an epically successful love potion would line her Gringotts bank vault. Now she actually had to earn a living.
*0*0*
Over the weekend, Clarke felt Monty and Raven’s eyes on her. They frequently checked in, coming over to sit at the Slytherin table just to see how she was during meal times. They were basically stuck to her like glue; and she wasn’t the only ones that noticed.
“Why are they being weird?” Bellamy asked, tucking into his Sunday lunch.
“I’m helping them out with something; guess they’re paranoid,” Clarke replied, omitting all the important details. Last thing she wanted, another test subject to take some of her percentage. Plus, she knew Bellamy wouldn’t approve.
“You got suckered into one of their schemes? Thought you were smarter than that.”
“Maybe, or I’m smart enough to know an investment when I see one.” That made Bellamy smile, and he nodded.
“Fair point. Just, tell them to tone it down a bit. They’re drawing attention.” He nodded towards the professors table, and right enough, a few too many eyes were on Clarke. Her mother’s gaze the strongest.
It wasn’t a secret that Monty and Raven concocted various schemes and spells, relying on other students to try them out. It also wasn’t a secret that typically, something went amiss somewhere, and accidents happened. So her mother’s worried look meant she knew something was going on.
No doubt Clarke would be in her office later, having to lie through her teeth, to prevent her dragging in both Monty and Raven herself.
Raven would love that.
Therefore, another reason to tell them to back off.
*0*0*
Clarke wasn’t so lucky; on Monday evening, her mother, Professor Griffin, Head of Ravenclaw, called her to her office. That meant climbing from the dungeons, all the way up to the Ravenclaw tower. It wasn’t somewhere Clarke spent time, even though Abby stayed there, but she did know her way around well enough.
She used to come round every weekend, spending time with her mum, catching up, and actually enjoying their time together. But that had dwindled as her years went on, and now, Clarke tried to avoid being alone with Abby.
Some wounds were still healing, and it seemed the more they spent time together, the more likely those wounds were to become infected, making everyone worse off.
Sadly, this was one time she couldn’t escape, though. If she fobbed Abby off, she’d drag her out of class tomorrow morning, or worse, speak to her in the Great Hall, within earshot of everyone. No thank you.
So, instead, she wandered into Abby’s private quarters, and made herself at home.
“You called,” Clarke said, dropping into a seat, and wondering what lecture she was going to get. There definitely was going to be one.
“I’m glad you could come,” Abby smiled, ignoring her daughter’s attitude, and moving to sit closer. “I wanted to find out how you are, how you’ve been keeping. You haven’t stopped by recently.” There was good reason, but they both knew that, and they both knew exactly what Abby wanted to know.
“I’m doing good, as you know. Classes are going well, everything’s fine.” Abby probably knew better than Clarke did on how she was doing in her classes.
“And Raven and Monty?” Good, she was getting to the point, that meant Clarke could leave soon enough.
“We’re friends, you know this.” She wasn’t going to help Abby accuse her friends of something if she didn’t have to.
“They’ve been very attentive.”
“They care about me.”
“Is there reason they need to care about you every two hours of the day?” Huh, so she really had been watching.
“No, no reason at all.” Liar.
“Clarke, I know Miss Reyes’ and Mr. Green’s reputations. I’d hate to see you get mixed up in anything-” Right, of course.
“Mum, I’m not mixed up in anything. I’m hanging out with my friends. That’s it. You don’t need to worry.” Especially since nothing had happened yet. It had been day three, and Clarke hadn’t noticed anything different about herself.
“I’ll worry anyway,” Abby said, looking on in a fashion only mothers could.
“Well, that’s on you. Can I go now? I have homework to do.” Abby pursed her lips for a moment, before looking over at the clock on the wall.
“Yes, you may be excused. I’m expecting a student, anyway.” And that was the dismissal Clarke needed.
Bidding a quick goodbye, Clarke left the private quarters, and began making her way down the spiral staircase, back to the main section of Ravenclaw tower. She was taking the steps as fast as possible, not risking getting called back for one last thing, and really, it should have been obvious she was going to end up on her ass if she wasn’t careful.
Only, instead of falling down the stairs and landing in a heap at the bottom, Clarke’s body collided with another. An elbow to the ribs, a shoulder to the forehead, and ow, ow, ow, that fucking hurt.
Two sets of groans reverberated off the walls as Clarke moved to steady herself, and the person she collided with did the same. Her injuries weren’t bad; they didn’t require aid from nurse Jackson, but there were definitely going to be bruises.
“Shit, I’m sorry, are you okay?” Clarke asked, rubbing her forehead, and looking down to see just who she’d ran into. The tie said Ravenclaw, with it’s blue and silver, and the body indicated it was another girl. Only when Clarke caught sight of their face, behind that unmistakeable set of curls, did she realise exactly who was walking up the stairs when she was coming down.
“Woods,” she muttered, shaking her head, and then immediately regretting that action. “You okay?” she asked again, as she watched Lexa compose herself and nod, once.
“I’m fine, no thanks to you.” And there was the Lexa Clarke knew through and through.
It would be nice to say they hadn’t always been like this, but that wasn’t true. While Lexa was wildly popular in her circles, she tended to be nothing but a pain in the backside to Clarke. It didn’t help that Lexa was on Ravenclaw’s quidditch team, and thoroughly thrashed Slytherin last year.
House pride ran deep; as did her intolerance to Lexa Woods.
“It was an accident,” Clarke shot back, not in the mood for her attitude.
“Regardless, you should have been more careful.” Uh huh.
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” she murmured, sighing. “So, since you still are able to bitch at me, I can assume you’re injury free? Not going to die on the stairs when I leave?”
“You’ll be sad to hear that no, I do not require any medical attention, and that no, I’m not going to die.”
“Thank Merlin, because where would we be without you?” Clarke said, throwing in a pissed off grin for good measure.
“Indeed,” Lexa answered, staring back at Clarke, not phased by her words. “Now, if you don’t mind, can you please move? I need to see Professor Griffin.”
Right, the student her mother was expecting.
As Clarke was still standing on the step above Lexa, it wasn’t possible for her to get passed without pushing her out the way, and that obviously wasn’t going to happen. Lexa needed Clarke to move, but it really didn’t look as though that was going to happen.
Instead, Clarke was staring at Lexa. Not in a creepy way. She was just taking in her features, from the smoothness of her skin, unblemished, to the softness of her cheeks. Her eyes were calm, unlike the fiery gaze she held previously, and it allowed Clarke to take in the different shade of green, the wisps of brown, the specks of gold, and even though she’d never thought about it much before, Lexa was rather stunning.
“Clarke, I’m going to be late,” Lexa said, reminding her that she still hadn’t moved.
Right.
“Sorry,” she replied, shaking her head, looking away as best she could.
That was her second apology in two minutes. What was wrong with her?
Not wanting to think it over any more than she had, she moved to the side, and let Lexa pass. Once her path was clear, Clarke dashed down the stairs and high tailed it to the dungeons. She didn’t stop in the common room when Bellamy and Lincoln called her over, she didn’t stop when a set of girls were standing at the bottom of the stairs, but barrelled through them, and went straight to her dorm room.
Collapsing back on her bed, ignoring the curious looks of Echo, Clarke took a deep breath.
What happened with Lexa was weird. Just plain weird.
If this was that damn love potion kicking in after so many days of being dormant, she was going to kill Raven and Monty!
*0*0*