Brewing Solutions (Seren)

Time. What was that saying? That time healed all things. Hunter had really been hoping that it was true. But it wasn't. Because it had been two weeks since he'd ruined the best part of his life, and he wasn't any closer to speaking with Aoife again. Though to be fair, his mood had improved somewhat. Or at least, his mood had outwardly improved. Because there was no use in bringing everyone down with him being miserable. But he still missed his best friend. It was horrible, walking straight past her in the common room as though he didn't see her. And when he was alone, he sank easily into a miserable state, thinking about all the things he and Aoife would be doing together if they were still friends. Things he wouldn't ever do with her again.

That was part of the reason that Hunter was here, in the empty potions classroom, in his free time. Potions was one of the few subjects that Hunter really enjoyed - he was good at it, and he was slowly learning that there was an art behind it, rather than the simple mixing of ingredients. It was about knowing the properties of each ingredient, so that you could combine them to suit whatever need you had. And Hunter's need was to end this stupid depression. So, he'd grabbed the advanced potionmaking book from his room that he'd picked up in Diagon Alley and uncharacteristically taken off to work on a potion.

Hunter had been planning on making an Elixer to Enduce Euphoria. They'd practiced it in class, and it wasn't too hard.And it was supposed to make you happy. Of course, he could have used his schoolbook, but he figured he could flip through the advanced one while he was waiting for his potion to heat. But as he scanning the index for it, that one potion caught his eye again - the reason he'd bought the book in the first place. Felix Felices. Well, it couldn't hurt to look. Apparently, the potion was known as "Liquid Luck." Well, he could have used that a few weeks ago. Hunter let out a disappointed breath as he looked over the instructions - he'd never be able to make it. It was far too difficult. And it apparently took two weeks to make. But Hunter did have the ingredients. It couldn't hurt to try, at least the first part. He might be able to do that much, before it had to sit for six days. It would at least get his mind off of things, to work on something difficult. So he lit the fire beneath his cauldron, turned it on medium, and began.

The past two weeks had been possibly the best two weeks of Seren's life. And surprisingly, it wasn't because of Aoife had FINALLY shown how much of a psychopath she was to Hunter. Well, it WAS because of that, but that wasn't the REASON. Seren had enjoyed the last two weeks so much because for the first time in her life, she actually had FRIENDS. Since Hunter and Aoife weren't speaking, he and Blake had been spending time with Seren. In a way, Seren had BECOME Aoife in their group. Only she was better than Aoife of course. Seren hadn't realized how badly she had wanted friends (real friends) until she had them. Sure, she spoke with Blake and Hunter before, but they never did much together BECAUSE of Aoife. Now, she spent most of her time with them, instead of alone. And it was wonderful.

And just as Seren had taken Aoife's spot, it seemed that Aoife had gained Seren's. She was alone. And Seren was supposed to feel happy about it, because THE LITTLE BRAT deserved it for pulling her hair in first year. But for some reason, Seren wasn't as overjoyed as she thought she would be at Aoife's misfortune. It was strange, really. The day that Hunter had asked Aoife to go out with him, Aoife had looked so confused. And possibly even scared. And Seren almost pitied her for that. If they were friends, Seren would help her. Actually, Seren would even help her if they were ANYTHING other than WORST ENEMIES BECAUSE AOIFE WAS PSYCHOTIC. Because the girl needed help. ANY girl who said no to Hunter VanDerberg, who was BEAUTIFUL (in a guy way) DEFINITELY needed help.

Seren had to make a trip ALL THE WAY back down to the potions room because she'd left her book there, and she absolutely needed it so that she could study. Potions was quite frustrating though because no matter how much Seren studied for it, it seemed she didn't get any better at it. And that was bad because Seren was good at EVERYTHING. Why did the potions classroom have to be all the way in the Dungeons? Or why did Ravenclaw tower have to be at the very top of the school? Seren supposed you could ask the question either way. It just depended on if you were climbing or descending.

Seren was surprised to find somebody already in there. She was even more surprised that it was Hunter! He was sitting at a cauldron as though he was going to work on a potion, but that couldn't be because one thing she knew about Hunter was that he didn't study. Ever. But then again, he'd been a bit different since that day with Aoife. Seren was glad to have his company all the time, but she also felt as though she wasn't receiving ALL of him when they were together. His mind was elsewhere. Even now, when they weren't speaking, Aoife was keeping Hunter from Seren.

Seren hesitated at the door for a moment, watching him. He put on a good show, but Seren knew that he was sad. She'd seen him with Aoife in the past, and he was so carefree and happy. And now he was quiet. And most certainly not happy. And that DIDN'T make Seren happy. Letting out a small sigh, Seren let herself into the room and approached him. "Hi Hunter," she said softly, taking a seat next to him. She couldn't help but glance at the textbook. "Felix Felices?" she said in shock. "But that takes WEEKS to brew! I've read all about it, of course..." Seren suddenly wondered if her company was welcome. Maybe he wanted to be by himself. "Er, sorry..." she mumbled, standing up quickly and going to grab her book that she'd come for. "I didn't mean to bother you. Just... just forgot my book."

OOC: I'm sorry for the length. I suppose I got a little carried away. I hope you don't mind!

Hunter had actually gotten the potion started pretty easily. And it required a lot of attention, which was good, because he had to pay attention to what he was doing and not think about his problems. He'd  just gotten through with stirring it counter-clockwise one quarter turn once every ten seconds for two minutes - though he wasn't sure how precise his one quarter was - and now, he just had to lower the heat and let it simmer for a while before he could add the lacewing flies.

Unfortunately, that also meant that his thoughts could wander. And it was no surprise where they ended up. One thing time had done was give Hunter a slightly different perspective on the entire situation. Yes, he was depressed, and yes, his life was basically ruined. But rather than focusing only on his miserable thoughts, he'd also coming up with creative ways to get back at Aoife for publicly humiliating him in front of everyone. Maybe then, he'd feel better about the whole thing. And Hunter knew exactly how he wanted to start.

Hunter was going to cut his hair off. Because Aoife loved his hair, even if she hated him. It was basically the reason that they became friends in the first place. And it would crush her if he cut it. So, naturally, he would do just that. The only problem was that Hunter didn't know how to go about it. He didn't want to try and cut it himself, because if he messed it up and made himself look awful it would hardly be very effective. It would be great if he had a set of hair clippers like at home, but they wouldn't work in the castle anyway. So, it was a work in progress. But he would do it.

Hunter snapped out of his thoughts when he heard someone step into the room. Who would be there this late besides him? He wasn't exactly in the mood for company. Oh, it was Seren. Hunter smiled at her when she sat down next to him, instantly falling into his typical facade. He shrugged at her comment about the potion. "I probably won't be able to get it right. And I can't drink it unless it's exactly the right color, because it's supposedly fatal if you get it wrong. And I'd rather not test that out."

He frowned when she stood up and started to leave. Did he really give off that bad of a vibe? Maybe his efforts to appear fine weren't working very well. "You aren't bothering me," he told her, although he had originally intended to be alone. "And I have to wait a while before I can do any more, anyway." Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. Ignoring the fact that it would be completely off topic, he tossed out a question. "Are you any good at cutting hair?" he asked seriously. "I want mine short."

Though Hunter smiled at Seren, it didn't quite reach his eyes. And anger towards Aoife filled her as she noticed. Forget pity. That girl deserved to be miserable. For making Hunter miserable. For being a psychopath and pulling Seren's hair. AND FOR EVERY OTHER WEIRD OR ANNOYING THING THAT SHE DID. As a rule, Seren didn't ask about Aoife. If Hunter wanted to talk with her about it, he would bring it up himself.

Seren looked interestedly at the potion. "I didn't know you were so interested in potions," she said. Seren knew that Hunter was GOOD at potions, but she had no idea that he spent his OWN time on it. "Maybe you could teach me your secret sometime. I'm not very good at it at all. I've read through the text about three times, thinking that I'm missing something. But I'm not." But Seren wasn't missing anything. The potions just didn't turn out right even though she followed the recipes.

Seren was surprised that Hunter seemed to want her to stay. He'd never acted upset by her presence. But Seren felt as though he was only tolerating company for the past week or so. But since Hunter had said it was fine Seren rejoined him. And before she had the chance to say anything, he asked her a very strange question. Was she any good at cutting hair? Seren pursed her lips and looked at him for a moment before replying simply. "I'm good at magic."

Seren wasn't sure how she felt about the idea. His hair was quite nice the way it was. But she figured if anyone were to cut it, it should be her since she would know when it looked just right. Not to mention that it would kill Aoife to know that it was she who did so. "Are you sure? Well, all right then. If you don't like it, you can always make a potion to make it grow again." she said.

After deciding that diffindo would work best, Seren got to work. She'd have to be quite careful to avoid cutting his face. When she finished, she was happy to see that it had turned out well. of course it had. It was she who had done it. "Done. What do you think?" she asked him, digging in her purse for her mirror so that he could see it for himself. Though Seren had liked Hunter's hair before, she had to admit that he looked just as good without it long. Better, even. Because it made him look older. It suited him.

"Well, I'm not good at much else," Hunter said with a shrug. "And it's kind of cool, don't you think? I mean, liquid luck? Who would've ever guessed that you can make luck?" Really, Hunter was mostly interested in it because he wanted the resulting potions. Not because he really enjoyed making them. He raised an eyebrow at Seren when she said that she couldn't get the hang of it despite having studied the book.

"Remember when I told you there were some things that you can't learn from a book?" Hunter asked with an amused tone. "Potions is one of them." Apparently, Hunter was only good at things that couldn't be learned from books, because he was only mediocre in the rest of his classes. "But I don't mind helping you, if you want." It seemed backwards for Seren to be asking Hunter for help with schoolwork. She was far more intelligent than he was.

Hunter grinned a bit when Seren said that she was good at magic in a way that implied that she was as a result good at just about anything. Though, Hunter had a feeling that even if she wasn't good at it, she would never admit it. Either way, she had a point. He could always grow it back by magic if it didn't look right, so when she asked if he was sure, he replied, "Positive."

It didn't take Seren very long at all to finish, but it felt like an eternity to Hunter. It was as though with each piece of hair that was cut, he was also cutting Aoife a bit more completely out of his life. And while the idea of it was hard to accept, it was also freeing in a way. As though finally, he'd resolved to just move on without her. He didn't need her any more than he needed the hair that Seren was currently chopping from his head. And when it was all said and done, both his head and his mind felt a whole lot lighter.

Hunter took the mirror from Seren when she handed it to him, though in truth he didn't really care much what it looked like. Either way, it had served it's purpose. But when he saw his reflection, he was surprised at how it didn't look weird at all. It felt weird - he ran a hand over his head like he used to, to push his hair back, but there was hardly anything there, so he just ended up rubbing the top of his head awkwardly instead. But it didn't matter - a genuine grin quickly formed on his face. Aoife would hate it. She would find it appalling. And she would hate Hunter even more than she already did for cutting it. And whether she showed it or not, Hunter would know, because he knew Aoife. And finally, he would be the one causing her distress, not the other way around.

His mood greatly improved, Hunter turned to Seren and wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug, lifting her thin frame slightly off the ground in the process. "Thank you, it's great!" And suddenly, it hit him. What did Aoife hate even more than the idea of harm coming to his hair? The answer was right in front of him - right in his arms. So, spurred by a desire to come out on top in this battle, he released Seren, held her at arms length and asked her a very spontaneous question. "Can I take you to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

Tomorrow was Sunday, which meant that Aoife was working. And it wasn't a crime for Hunter to take Seren for ice cream, was it? Of course not. She definitely deserved it for cutting his hair for him, which was what had started this brand-new train of thought. This was a new start - and both his long hair and Aoife wouldn't play a part in it. But despite his euphoria, there was still a small voice in the back of his mind telling him that it wasn't that easy. As his hand skimmed his now-short hair by habit, he had to admit that part of him already missed how it used to be. And hair didn't stay short forever - you had to cut it off each time it pushed it's boundary. Forever. And Hunter couldn't help but wonder if, like his hair, Aoife would come back to him as well. Would he have to actively cut her out of his life each time she did? Did he want to? Hunter wasn't sure of the answer.

Liquid luck didn't seem the least bit unnatural to Seren. She had grown up in a world where it was possible to bottle just about anything. But Hunter hadn't. He may not even have believed in luck before. It was a strange thing. Very powerful,  but also very fickle.  And of course completely unreliable."Lots of wizard have put too much of their faith into Felix Felices," Seren said matter-of-factly. "Luck can never hurt,  but it's a horrible mistake to depend on it."

Seren pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "You can learn ANYTHING from a book. Otherwise why would there be books on EVERYTHING?" Hunter had tried to tell Seren this before.  But he was wrong if course.  There was just something that she wasn't understanding.  Still when Hunter offered to help her,  she wasn't about to say no. "Yes,  I'd like to see how you go about it. Then I can see what part I'm missing."

Hunter was particularly quiet while she was fixing his hair.  Seren sighed,  but didn't interrupt his silence.  She had to concentrate anyway. This happened often.  Seren noticed it all the time. Hunter made such an effort to appear normal.  But then he would lapse into these quiet moments where Seren had NO IDEA what he was thinking. She never bothered him,  because Seren wasn't very good at being sympathetic. She was quite surprised to find that once she's finished, he seemed much more normal.  Happy even.

Seren was taken aback slightly when Hunter hugged her with such enthusiasm. Actually, had he ever hugged her before?  She had seen him hug Aoife plenty, and also that younger blonde girl.  What was her name?  Oh,  of course!  Ariel. Like in that muggle  story about mermaids. Muggles  didn't know anything about mermaids. There was also that time that Seren had flown with Hunter,  and she had hung onto him for dear life.  But she had been too afraid to pay attention then.

Seren paid attention now. He lifted her up off the ground, and she squeaked in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. Though she was sure he hadn't intended to drop her. And then he surprised her again. A smile formed unbidden on her face,  and she didn't hesitate before replying.  "Yes,  Hunter, of course!" Seren didn't need to be asked twice. She wouldn't react like Aoife did. She'd been trying to det ahead of that girl for too long,  and finally she had succeeded!