The werewolf frowned in thought.
"Maybe an enchanter" he shrugged. "I can work for myself and you can make a good bit of gold" he elaborated.
Harry agreed that the boy would suit that profession, he was certainly gifted enough to do it. He just hoped that it would work out for him this time around as his life had not been so kind to him when Harry had met him as a Defense professor.
"Come on" James sighed. "Potions".
The group made their way down to the dungeons where Harry would get to experience his first Hogwarts class without it being taught by Snape, something he was very much looking forward to. Croaker himself had tutored Harry in the subject, and though it was not his favourite subject by any means, he still found it much more enjoyable than he ever had under the direction of his former instructor.
They entered the room and Harry was pleased to see that they were sharing the class with the Hufflepuff students.
The very rotund Professor Slughorn was waiting for them, his overly large mustache and belly quivering in excitement as he stood at the front of the room with several cauldrons bubbling merrily around him.
"Come now, gather round" he instructed. "We are going to look at various potions today and brew one of the more simple concoctions we will be studying this year to get settled in" he announced jovially.
The class gathered around the man and Harry got his first glimpse into the cauldrons. He immediately recognised the contents of each having had their properties drilled into him by Croaker, who had insisted he learn how to recognise potions that could potentially compromise him in some way.
"Now, who can identify this?" Slughorn asked, pointing to a completely transparent liquid.
Lily raised her hand immediately.
"Ahh, Miss Evans, I should have known" Slughorn said with a nod, causing his overly pronounced jowls to flap comically.
"Veritaserum sir" Lily answered knowledgably.
"Very good, five points to Gryffindor" the man praised. "And this?" he inquired, pointing to the mud-like substance in the next cauldron. "Mr. Pettigrew?".
"Polyjuice Potion" Peter replied confidently. "Indeed it is, take five points young man" Slughorn offered. "And what about this?" he questioned, gesturing to a pink translucent concoction with a shimmering sheen resting on the top. "Mr. Potter" the man implored, looking at Harry.
"Amortentia" Harry answered knowingly.
Slughorn smiled.
"The most powerful love potion known to man" he stated simply. "The smell of the potion is dependent on what it is that attracts us" he explained. "I myself smell pineapple, suede and mint" he informed them. "What is it you smell Mr. Potter?" he inquired.
Harry smirked.
The truth was he didn't really recognise anything of what he was smelling. He was sure there was some kind of berry but it was not one that was particularly sweet, it had a more musky aroma about it. "That is rather personal don't you think sir?" he asked with a chuckle. "Almost as personal as asking about another's wand" he pointed out.
"Oho, touché young man" Slughorn responded good naturedly. "Take five points for yourself" he finished with a smile.
"What about that one sir?" Marlene asked, pointing to the smallest of the cauldrons that contained a gold liquid swirling within.
"Oho, indeed Miss McKinnon" he exclaimed. "Can anyone explain this one?" he asked curiously.
Seeing that no one else was going to raise their hand Harry did and was immediately prompted by Slughorn to continue.
"It's Felix Felicis, liquid luck" he informed them. "One of the most difficult potions to brew and highly toxic" he explained. "Well put Mr. Potter, take another ten points" Slughorn praised again with another smile. "Now usually I would offer a vial of this as a prize for the best brewed potion of the lesson, but it has recently been placed on the restricted list so I am no longer able to" he sighed. "However, we will be brewing the Draught of the Living Dead and do be very careful, it is a very volatile mixture" he warned.
Harry set to work on his potion and brewed it the way that Croaker had taught him, using the instructions the man had provided him with personally and achieving the best potion he had ever brewed in class.
By the end of the session himself, Lily and Peter had all been giving an Outstanding for their efforts, though Harry could see that the other two's potions were certainly better than his own. He was simply pleased that he could do as well in a subject that he had previously been rather abysmal at, even if the reason for it was the constant criticism by Snape and interference by the Slytherin students from his time.
After potions had finished, the Marauder's all had other lessons to attend to so Harry opted to get the rest of his training completed while he had the time. He decided that he would work more on controlling the power of his spells using the book that Flitwick had given him. He knew that he was wasting power at times and although he never really tired, it could become a factor if he found himself in a drawn out fight. Which was certainly going to happen in all likelihood with what the future held for him and who he knew that he would be fighting.
(BREAK)
Charlus Potter exited the training room after an exhaustive workout, something he had been dedicated to ever since he could remember. It was something that he liked to focus more on when James was at all school more so and was a little more negligent towards during the holidays when he would much rather be spending time with his son as this quality time was severely limited for most of the year.
He sighed as he became lost in thoughts about the other boy that had recently came into their lives.
Harry was different; there was no other way to put it. The boy had experienced nothing short of an awful upbringing and it pained the man to know that a member of his family had had to endure this in any way. What did surprise him was the resilience the young man had demonstrated throughout his life. But this did not stop the older Potter worrying about the boy.
.
.
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