Love Potion #?

Spinner groaned as he repacked his bag to go join Hermione at her table. He could feel his Slytherin girlfriend, Paige's angry eyes boring into the back of his head. As if he didn't have enough problems already, why did Snape have to pair him with the one person Paige hated more than anyone else in the school?

*Spinner flumped down into the seat by Hermione and gave her a weak smile. Even though they were in the same house, he didn't really know her that well. She was always in the company of Harry and Ron. Ron, he didn't have a problem with, but Harry.... Alright, the kid freaks me out, I admit it, he thought to himself. Anyone who can walk away from Yoy-Know-Who how many times now, and live to tell the tale? Who wouldn't be nervous around him?

*"Hello, Gavin," Hermione said shyly.

*"Er..." he meant to say hello, but it didn't quite work.

*"Alright," Snape said, sweeping around to the front of his desk. "You may be wondering why I have paired boys with girls for this class--"

*Immediately, Hermione's hand shot up into the air and Spinner flinched at her sudden movement.

*"Miss Granger, would you be so kind as to let me teach this class?" the Professor asked, scowling at the girl.

*"Oh! Sorry Professor," Hermione said, putting her hand down and blushing.

*"Right. As I was about to say, I have paired you up as such because the potion we are making requires both a male and female to mix it."

*Spinner look sideways at his partner. She was practically squirming with excitement.

*"It is very complex, and seeing as how it will most likely come up on your N.E.W.T.s next year, I thought it best to give you some practice... as you will undoubtedly need it..." he sneered to the class at large.

*The Slytherins and Gryffindors looked equally bewildered. Only Hermione seemed to know what was coming. Maybe it's a good thing I got partnered with her for this one, Spinner thought. That is, if her head doesn't explode from excitement before we can actually make the bloody potion.

*"Now, we will not be testing this one," Snape continued. "I'll only check it for color and consistency."

*He then started moving in between the desks, handing out ingredient lists, his black robes billowing behind him. "This potion, when used, will tell you who you are best suited with, relationship wise. It takes into account looks, personality, intelligence...humor," he said, scowling at the last word.

*Hermione let out a small, happy squeal. Spinner shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

*"You may be wondering," continued Snape, "why this potion has to be concocted by both male and female. The reason is thus: While men and women have equally strong magical powers, they are nonetheless different, their powers being drawn from different internal sources that reside either gender. For this concoction to work properly, it must have equal parts of both." He fixed each student with a malevolent glare. "If you do not follow the instructions to the absolute letter, the consequences could be disastrous if the potion were to be taken. But as I said earlier, we will not be testing this, so feel free to butcher it, as I'm sure you all will. You have one hour. Begin!"

*Hermione let out a quiet sort of cheer and began reading the list. "Oh my! He wasn't exaggerating. This really is complex!"

*"Have you ever heard Snape exaggerate when it comes to potions?" Spinner asked, trying to make up for his rather rude greeting.

*Hermione smiled at him. "That is true. He might be... mean --"

*"To say the least," Spinner snorted.

*"-- but he really knows his job. C'mon, we have to got the ingredients. I'm not allowed to even touch these," she said, pointing to the left hand column, "and same for you with these," she said, gesturing to the right.

*They spent a grueling class period adding different herbs and liquids, stirring the exact number of times, careful not to do something the other was meant to accomplish. After what seemed like an eternity, Hermione said, "O.K.! Now all we have to do is say this incantation at the exact same time, wait for it to turn clear, then we're done!"

*"Thank Merlin!" Spinner exclaimed. "If the rest of my classes today are this hard, I'll snap my wand and go live as a Muggle!"

*Hermione giggled. Spinner started to smile, but stopped as he saw Jimmy looking at them from across the room. He knew Jimmy had a thing for Hermione, but like most guys, was afraid to approach her because of her friends. I can't believe he's still mad that I was going to sell his Chudley Cannons Quidditch robes, Spinner thought. It's not like I went through with it. I apologized! What more does he want?

*"Gavin? Are you ready to say the incantation?" Hermione asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

*"Yeah, sure. And call me Spinner."

*They murmured the spell and waited with baited breath. After almost a full minute, the potion turned a pure crystal clear.

*"Yes! We did it!" Hermione squealed. In a fit of academic giddiness, she flung her arms around Spinner and pulled him into a crushing hug. "Oops! Sorry! I just get really excited."

*"No problem," Spinner replied, grinning, unaware of one very jealous Slytherin and one very pissed of Gryffindor.

*"Now, we'll just put it in a vial, and we'll get full marks for sure!" Hermione said happily as she pulled a small bottle from underneath the table and began to label it with their names.

*Spinner smiled down at their potion, sure that not even Snape could find fault with it, when someone slammed roughly into his shoulder. He pitched forward, knocking the cauldron of the burner and straight into Hermione. He caught himself and the table and spun around to see who had hit him.

*"What the fuck's your problem, man?" He yelled, seeing Jimmy standing behind him.

*"Sorry. Didn't see where I was going," the other boy smirked and walked to the front of the class, handing Snape the sample of the potion he and Terry had made. Spinner was comforted by the fact that Jimmy's potion had a noticeably yellow tint to it.

*He turned around and found Hermione on the floor, covered from head to toe in their potion, unconscious.