Amirah Moody

Potion Assignment

Harper stared at the page of her potion textbook, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She tapped the wooden spoon against the palm of her other hand. The more she stared at this recipe, the more frustrated and bewildered she became. Why couldn't she make this potion right? She had done what it had said, so why was it coming out as a disaster? The first time resulted in a rancid-smelling substance with a gross color to match. The second attempt ended with the mixture becoming burnt. Thankfully, she managed to get the blackened crust out of her mini-cauldron, but the situation was still frustrating. Of all her classes, Potions was the one she struggled with the most. A low growl came out of Harper's teeth-clenched mouth. She had to get this potion right; her mom would kill her if she failed this assignment. She was barely keeping a passing grade in Potions as it was. "Still stuck on that potion?" A voice snapped Harper out of her concentration, and she turned to see who it was. Her familiar, Ray, stared at her with a neutral, drowsy expression, as if he had just woken up from a nap. Harper sighed, "Yes," she said, despondent. "I cannot fail this assignment, Ray. I've added and done everything this recipe told me, so why did it come out wrong the first two times?" The cream-colored cat hopped up on the storage chest, his peridot green eyes looking at her critically. "Are you sure you're actually following the recipe?" he asked. The young witch turned to him, her brows knitted, irritated. "What kind of question is that?" Ray quirked up a brow. "Harper, I think we both know that when it comes to potions, you have a habit of viewing the recipe instructions as 'suggestions.' Not to mention, you get impatient and try to speed up the process." "I don't do that!" The young witch denied indignantly. The familiar gave her a deadpan look the way only a cat could. "Harp, you once turned the heat on a flicker stand up to high so the potion would finish faster. Which ended up boiling over when you weren't paying attention and ended up ruining the potion." "W-well, I-" "Then there was the time," Ray interrupted. "You substituted Spring Moss for Cavern Lichen because 'it's basically the same thing.' Remember how that ended?" Harper winced at the memory. She had to clean lichen off places in the Potions classroom for three weeks. Harper shook her head out of the memory and adopted a defensive expression. "Excuse me for trying to get potions done quickly." "And that's your problem." "Huh?" "Trying to get them done quickly." Ray clarified, "Potion-making isn't something to take lightly, you know?" Harper huffed "I know." "Do you?" questioned the feline familiar. "Because it never seems to stick." The young witch looked downcast. Ray sighed. He had to be blunt with his master. Better to get the lesson in now than have her never learn, that's how people make huge mistakes later in life. "Look, I'm only telling you this because I know you can improve," Ray said empathically. "Potion brewing is pretty easy once you're patient with the process. You don't want to have to rely on potion shops for the rest of your life, do you?" Harper sighed. "No." She admitted. The feline familiar nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, you're going to complete that potion and really follow the instructions. I'll be supervising you the whole time. Any straying from the recipe and I will halt you, no if, ands, or buts. Understood?" Harper fidgeted with the wooden spoon, thoughtfully. Any other time, she would've stubbornly said she could figure it out on her own, but she really needed to get this potion done. She couldn't afford to be hard-headed. Taking a breath, she swallowed her pride and nodded. "Understood." The feline familiar nodded approvingly. "Great. Now, let's get started." Quickly lighting a fire underneath her mini-cauldron, Harper got to work. Ray watched over as she measured and added the correct ingredients. Whenever the brunette would try to add more of what was needed or try to turn the flame hotter, Ray stuck to his work and reprimanded her. Finally, after twenty-five minutes, the potion was completed. Harper felt a warm sense of pride and satisfaction as she smiled widely at the finished product. "I can't believe it...I did it!" Ray smiled warmly. "Good job." Harper carefully poured the potion into a vial, corked it, and tied a tag around it, labeling it as her homework. The young girl turned to Ray. "Thanks for helping me with this." "Of course, what would you do without me?" Ray inquired, jokingly. Harper rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Now, let's hope you can have another success without me watching over you. Give your potions teacher some peace for a change!" Leave it to Ray to make a smart comment when she's feeling on top.