Potions Classroom

[Draco Malfoy]

Potions classes are held in a dungeon classroom, large enough to hold at last twenty students, their cauldrons, and their work tables. The classroom is quite cold, especially in the winter, when students can see their breath. There are pickled animals in glass jars along the walls (PS8). There is a basin in the corner of the classroom into which icy cold water pours from a gargoyle's mouth. A student supply cupboard is in the room, along with a blackboard on which the instructor can write directions for student work (OP12).

[Ginny Weasley]

Ginny moved silently into the room, the marauders map shoved into her pocket to allow her to open the door. She'd been monitoring the dungeons for some time, waiting her chance (not for the first time she was grateful Harry had seen fit to leave her and Neville his map to help them this year). At last she'd managed to hit it when the coast was clear, allowing her to make it to the dungeon stores without being seen or questioned.

They needed the supplies. The Carrows had not waisted any time in starting their regime of cruelty, the first year Gryffindors getting the brunt of it, and Pomfrey banned from treating them for any of the effects. That left it to the older years to do what they could. And that meant brewing healing potions - a number of whom required ingredients not typically kept in a student's supplies. Neville had already managed to get necessary herbology parts from sprout thankfully, cutting down the number of things they needed to steal outright, but not eliminating the need altogether. Ginny had volunteered to be the one to go and get it - she was fast, used to sneaking around thanks to her brothers, and honestly, part of her still felt the need to prove herself to the rest of the house.

Padding over to the store cupboard, the witch carefully flicked her wand briefly to search for any wards before sliding the door open, confident that Slughorne was to lazy for anything fancy to catch them out. Slipping in she closed the door behind her, lighting her wand to help her see as she carefully started searching for the ingredients she had memories, shrinking and carefully placing any she found into the deep inner pockets of her robes that she had fashioned for this purpose. She doubted after all this excusion would be her last.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco entered the Potions classroom, this too- like many others, was currently empty. He was hoping to brew a few potions on his own, mainly though sleeping potion and dreamless drought. He'd been plagued by the most horrible nightmares since Dumbledore' death and they'd only gotten worse since the death of Charity Burbrage, his former Muggle Studies teacher right in his own ruddy dining room.

The blond made his way over to the stores, he was being discrete but not sneaking. He'd learned that the best way to avoid questions about why you were somewhere was to act like you belonged there to begin with. Besides, he couldn't see Slughorn questioning him even if he *did* show up.

Heading over to the stores, his steps silent on the stone (something he learned to do a long time ago in a Manor with stone floors and a perceptive Father) Draco finally reached his destination and pulled open the door the the stores, freezing as his eyes fell on a startled looking She Weasel.

"Weasley? What the hell are you doing?" he asked almost automatically.

[Ginny Weasley]

Stretching up, Ginny just was closing her hand around a jar of pickled bats hearts when she was startled by the sound of the door opening. Jerking around, the girl instinctively dropped the hand holding the jar to fall behind her back, wide innocent eyes turning to land on... Malfoy...?

"What are you doing?" she countered, the innocent act melting away at the sight of the blonde, knowing he wouldn't buy it anyway, brows instead tugging down in a frown, as she covered her racing thoughts, forcing herself to appear calm and confident.

[Draco Malfoy]

His gaze flicked to the hand shoved hasitly behind her back "Well... I'm not currently stealing like others..." he offered sweetly. "So... She Weasel, are you going to tell me what you're up to? Or should I inquire with staff as to if you should be here or not?"

[Ginny Weasley]

Ginny arched an eyebrow back at him.

"And I suppose you had no intention of stealing yourself, thats why your here when you know the classroom would be empty and without Slughorne to give you whatever it is your looking for himself," she accused back dryly, unwilling to simply cave and give him all the power. He'd like that far to much. Though how she *was* going to get out of here without some kind of altercation with Malfoy she had no idea. Damn her luck - she should have been checking the map constantly, instead of trying to hurry though the ingredient collection so she could get out.

[Draco Malfoy]

"Well... tell you what? To avoid confusion why don't we just contact Headmaster Snape and let *him* decide who is in the wrong and who is in the right?" he offered pleasantly, knowing she'd hate that idea more than anything.

Yes. He was here to steal, but that wasn't her ruddy business. However, because he had caught her, then what she was doing became his business. Malfoy Logic.

[Ginny Weasley]

A look of frustration passed over Ginny's face at the threat, having no doubt the tosser would make good on it. Snape, the slimy murdering backstabber... Her heart ached a little at the mere thought of him, recalling all to well the amount of times she had seen him in Grimmuld place, coming and going like he belonged there, like he was one of them... If he found out she'd be tossed to the Carrows without thought and she wouldn't get away with ANY of this stuff.

"Do you always have to be such a complete prat?" she snapped back at him irritably, reluctantly letting her hand slide from behind her back to reveal the jar of hearts, glad the rest of her gathering was hidden in her robes. "I need the ingredient, and somehow I don't see me getting leave to waltz off down to Hogsmede to buy my own."

[Draco Malfoy]

The blond quirked a brown, unmoved by her fit of temper "Really? ... So you hid in the cupboard to get *one* ingreediant? As opposed to opening it, reaching in, taking it and making a run for it?... Come now Weasley- even YOU aren't *that* stupid..."

[Ginny Weasley]

Letting out a long suffering sigh, Ginny folded her arms, jar still dangling from one hand.

"Fine," she returned dryly. "I needed a few ingredients and I needed time to find them. Happy?"

[Draco Malfoy]

"Ingredients for what?" he asked, looking more curious than harassed. Silently wondering if the chit was suffering from the same things as he was (not that he would ever ask her that).

[Ginny Weasley]

"Why do you care?" the redheaded witch threw back, face unimpressed. "I'm not asking what you wanted from here after all. So are you going to rat me out or not?"

[Draco Malfoy]

"Depends... what do you want them for?" He said simply, rephrasing his question as he crossed his arms over his chest with a bored air. After all he could always lie about being here to make poison or some other rubbish, he wouldn't be suspect- she would.

[Ginny Weasley]

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she glared at him, warring with herself between telling him and seeing if somehow she could convince him to be reasonable about this, or saving herself the humiliation and just getting on with the inevitable punishment that she was going to wind up getting when he dobbed her in anyway.

"Its for a healing potion," she ground out at last, the need to at least *try* for the sake of the first years finally countering her own stubborn nature.

[Draco Malfoy]

The blond tilted his head studying her as if deciding if she was telling the truth. His gaze flicked to the bottle in her hand... that WAS a key ingredient. After several long tense moments the boy stepped aside and motioned her to get out of the potions stores area.

[Ginny Weasley]

Surprise flickered over Ginny's face as seemingly without warning, the blonde simply stepped aside to let her leave.

"That's it?" she asked with a slightly confused frown, wary that this wasn't all part of some game. "No more interrogation? You're letting me go?"

[Draco Malfoy]

He shot her a vaguely annoyed look "Did you *want* more interrogation?" He demanded a bit annoyed she'd looked past his niceties to demand he be more of a prat.

He wasn't stupid, he'd seen more than one first year get hexed in the hallways. And regardless of what she may think of him, he wasn't a total monster. Besides he'd come here for a reason himself and he didn't plan on getting caught while bantering with her, it would defeat the whole purpose of this little trip.

[Ginny Weasley]

Her eyes continued to flick over him a moment, brow pulling down a bit farther, though she ignored his tone more focused on why he would want to do that in the first place... Still, she wasn't an idiot, as much as her curiosity wanted to remain behind to find out, she was on a ticking clock here and she didn't exactly want to change his mind either.

Slowly she moved forward, pausing to lift up the last ingredient she needed - some diced pixie wings, before using her wand to quickly resize both and slip them into her pocket, gaze flicking to the blonde one last time as she passed him to exit the store.

"...Thank you," she murmured softly, slightly awkwardly before slipping out altogether and leaving him to close himself in as she made her escape from the class, waiting until she was out of his line of vision to risk a peek at the map.

[Draco Malfoy]

Once he was sure she was gone, Draco turned to the stores himself. He began to gather everything he needed for his own Dreamless draught, also- after a bit of consideration, he too grabbed the makings of a pain potion. Having everything he needed the blond closed the doors, resecured them with a very basic lock like Slughorn was known to use and made his way out of the classroom.

[Draco Malfoy]

**APPROVED DOUBLE POST REBOOT**


Draco slipped into the potions room, he'd given Weasley the last of his pain potion without realizing it. That meant he'd need some. Though he hadn't been hexed yet, you never knew and it was best to be prepared. Looking around the empty room he made his way to the potions stores, opening the cupboard.

[Amycus Carrow]

"Lookin for something, precious thing?" crooned a familiar voice from behind him, Amycus leaning idly against the door to the classroom, arms folded over his chest and a large, catlike smirk on his features as his cold black eyes ran over the blonde. He had thought the boy looked suspicious when he had caught sight of him dissaprearing down the corridor, how right he was.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco froze for a moment before turning and looking at him "Yes..."

He looked at the man, his expression neutral. "What about you? Did you need something while I'm in here?"

[Amycus Carrow]

The Death Eater pretended to consider it a moment, eyes lifted to the ceiling as he let out a hum, lazily pushing off of the jam and stepping into the room, foot absently kicking the door closed behind him.

"How about... an explanation?" he decided at last, tone entirely to pleasant, hands sliding into pockets casually as he wandered over.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco watched his movements but was careful not to do much, luckily Carrow had interrupted when he'd only gathered the sea root. That was used in lots of potions. He just had to pick one.

"There's nothing much to explain... I wanted to make a potion, I came here for the supplies..." the blond boy continued to watch him as he gave his response, even giving a slight hitch of his shoulders.

[Amycus Carrow]

"Hmmm," he mused as he prowled closer. "Not bad..."

Ariving before he boy, Amycus leaned in, arms bracing the wall either side of Draco as he lowered his face to the boy's glittering dark eyes meeting with Draco's silver, barely more than a few inches between them.

"Now try that again with less Gryffin dung," he murmured, tone dropping down to something more intimate. "You're stealing potion parts -why? And I suggest you don't insult my intelligence again - if it were as innocent as you claim, why sneak in here like a guilty man?"

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco rose a brow, quite use to crazy between his Aunt and the Dark Lord. Not use to it where he was cocky, he wasn't stupid. Use to it where he was conscious and careful.

"I never said the potion was legal," Draco remarked raising a brow. "I just wanted to try making a potion, but I doubted Slughorn would agree, so..."

[Amycus Carrow]

Amycus tilted his head, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as a small smirk tugged on his lips. He had to give the kid points for retaining a cool head, there was no denying.

Idly lifting a hand he began to toy with the blonde's hair, gently brushing a lock off his forehead to absently wind around his fingers, body shifing nearer as he did so, the one arm still proping him up falling to lean on his elbow, bringing their bodies into close proximity, face now tilted so that it was slightly to the side of Draco's, enough the other could still look at him, but not allowing him to turn his head to do so squarely without makign them touch - something he knew the boy would desperately wish to avoid.

"Well saved," he crooned, mouth curving up higher. "So tell me about this ilegal potion of yours."

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco's breathing slowed slightly as he got closer but he was able to top the shudder as the man ran his fingers through his hair and his warm breath tickled his skin. This one screamed a lot of things. He idly wondered if he and Aunt Bella got on or not, he could honestly see it going either way as they were startlingly similar to one another.

However, he was happy about that. His crazy, unhinged eccentric Aunt had put him into similar situations enough (seriously she had no concept of personal space) that this wasn't as unnerving as it could have been.

The blond looked over at him, turning his head slightly but not fully and giving him a sideways look "Truth serum... I know that Professor Snape has made it before. It takes time and patience but considering that Slughorn isn't teaching anything of value I thought it would be a good chance to try to test my own level."

It had been fast thinking that brought truth serum. It was very much illegal and it took months to brew. It was also not dangerous (he knew if he'd picked an liquifying potion or something like that the man would insist he try it out on someone, twisted bastard). Even if he was forced to brew it, it would take a long time and could easily go awry. All in all it was the safest bet out of all of the illegal potions that came to mind.

[Amycus Carrow]

A plausable answer... entirely to plausable. Had it been someone else Amycus might have let it slide and accepted the answer, but there was something about this kid that was a little to smooth. Then again, he was Lucius's son so perhaps his gut instinct wasn't to irrational. Not that being irrational had ever stopped him before mind you.

"That's a very safe illegal potion," he mused, finger combing fully through the boy's hair now a few times before his hand slid lower, gliding down over his cheek and thumb pad trailing over his lips before it reached the white expanse of his throat, lingering there to lightly caress the skin. "There are pleanty other much more interesting ones you could have chosen to test your skill, aren't there?"

"But then," he continued, letting out a low chuckle, lips moving closer to his ear. "You like to play it safe, don't you precious thing?"

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco scoffed lightly and turned his head the opposite way shaking it slightly to banish the feeling of this creepers finger on his lips, before glancing back over at the man "It's a safe *useful* illegal potion. Not to mention damn effective..." the boy rose a brow. "I find that if I'm going to go through the effort it should be for something that benefits me. I don't think that's too crazy a notion..."