Potions and Seers

What happened before:

"I think her name was the first to pop in my head, so I just said it." Ruby thought aloud.

Flitwick looked intrigued, but the bell rang before he could say anything else.

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Ruby hurried to her next class, potions.

"Hi, there!" Ruby called cheerfully when she turned the corner to see her friend at the end of the hall. "I'm Ruby Ravenwing, these are my friends Adrian Davis and Luna Lovegood. We're Ravenclaws."

"Hi, Ruby. I'm Joyce Blackburn, Hufflepuff."

"How's your day been so far?" Luna asked.

"Great. Nice job in charms, Luna." Joyce complemented.

"Thank you, Joyce." Luna absently replied.

"Call me Joy for short." Joyce grinned.

"Okay, Joy." Luna nodded.

"Everyone in." Professor Snape ordered, and in less than a minute had the whole class inside and seated.

He started the class by taking the register, swiftly moving through the names before launching into the lesson and explaining the basics of potions.

Professor Snape then wrote the instructions on the board, but Ruby pulled out her potions book as well.

Joyce and Ruby decided to be partners as soon as Luna announced Adrian as her 'potion buddy.'

"What's first?" Joyce asked. "The instructions have already confused me."

Ruby glanced over the page, memorizing the recipe so she could 'catalog' it in her brain to be called to memory whenever she needed.

That was the beauty of her eidetic memory, as it allowed her to save time by her uncanny memorization.

"Ruby, earth to Ruby, come in, Ruby!" Joyce waved her hand in front of Ruby's face.

"Yeah?"

"What happened? You fazed out for a sec."

"Sorry, Joy. I was memorizing the recipe. First, we use water, all potions use it as a base."

"You memorized the recipe?" Joyce asked incredulously.

"No need to yell it to the whole class." Ruby admonished when everyone's eyes snapped to them, including Professor Snape.

"Yes, I did." She continued softly. "I have an eidetic memory."

"Wow, that's rare." Joyce seemed surprised.

"It's a blessing and a curse." Ruby didn't explain why. "Step three, we add four mint leaves, stir it twice in a figure eight, and add a pinch moondust before letting it simmer for thirty seconds."

"Um, Ruby? It says two pinches in my book." Joyce hesitantly corrected, feeling like she was missing something but not knowing enough about potions to figure it out.

"Really?" Ruby frowned, consulting her book. "Hm. It does, but that doesn't make sense. You waste less time, money, and ingredients by reducing moonstone to a pinch and adding vinegar just after step five."

"Ruby, I have no idea what you're talking about," Joyce confessed.

"That's okay, not everyone is weird like me. We need the normal and sane people too." Ruby grinned.

Joyce snickered.

"Professor Snape, would this potion still produce the same results by reducing the moonstone and adding vinegar later?" Ruby asked. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Snape had, of course, heard the whole conversation. "Yes. Keep in mind the school rules strictly state that you may not experiment in class until after your fourth year starts, and only then if you have consulted your potions teacher first. If you are caught breaking this rule, you will suffer severe consequences, including expulsion."

"Hypothetically speaking, Professor, if a student is suspected of breaking the rules, but there is no evidence, would the student be punished?"

"Without evidence, the school can not legally take action."

Ruby smiled in understanding. "Hypothetically speaking, would a liter of vinegar after step three be the right amount to reduce the moonstone by a pinch?"

"Yes, one liter is enough. Of course, I am compelled to remind you that this is a hypothetical situation, and this would not count as me, the teacher, encouraging you to test it before your fourth year, as I will have to report you. I would say that if you want to experiment before your fourth year, you would benefit greatly by not brewing in public. If you are caught your punishment will be severe."

"So don't get caught." Ruby summarized to Joyce in a confidential whisper.

Snape turned around to avoid showing his amused smile.

Ruby finished the fourth step, moving through the potion with efficiency. The beginning of step five directed them to let their brew simmer for ten minutes, so Ruby pulled out a quill and began making neatly written notes in the margin.

"Ruby, you shouldn't write in books!" Adrian whispered, looking shocked like a true Ravenclaw.

"It's perfectly legal to write on your property." She cooly informed him. "Besides, this way I'll remember it."

"I thought you couldn't forget stuff?"

"Isabelle Brown, the prefect who led us to the dorms last night, told me wizards use memory charms to keep muggles from finding out about our world. What if it was used on me? Tis' a shame to forget my rare moment of genius." Ruby joked.

"Fair point." he conceded. "Hey, wanna make a prediction while we wait?"

Ruby considered it, then nodded. "Okay, but you know I'll just be guessing, right?"

At the answering nod, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Suddenly her body froze as it had that very morning, and her voice was deadly calm. "Four founders, four places, four familiars, four heirs. The fourth of the fourth is here. Be wary, oh darkness, for the fourth arises even now."

Ruby relaxed again, massaging her temples. "I've got nothing."

"Ruby, you just made another prophecy." Luna calmly and bluntly informed her, not seeming perturbed in the slightest.

"Oh, for gosh sake!" Ruby grumbled. "What'd I say now?"

Her friends took pity on her and recited it back to her.

Ruby promptly banged her head on the desk, only stopping when Joyce held her head still.

"Ow."

"Ya think?"

Ruby glared good-naturedly. "Let's go to lunch."