Distractions (Jessica)

Oliver had spent the day trying to figure out whether or not he should quit the Three Broomsticks. He only went to work once a week now, because school was taking most of his time. He also had spoken to the Head of the Mysteries Department, which had been quite a letdown considering the man was just as serious as Morgana. Oliver loved his name, Mordred, because it was a classic, but he also felt insanely uncomfortable around him. The man just couldn't seem to smile! Those thoughts were pushed to the back of mind as he reached the potions classroom. Dropping his book bag on the table across from him, to give himself more space, he walked over to one of the cauldrons and took out his potions textbook as well as his notebook. Glancing at the text he had written, Oliver marked down what he needed and carried the notebook over to the cabinets to gather the ingredients needed for the potion.

He had been trying to create a love potion that was milder than Amortentia but stronger than the ones the children toyed with for his final exam in Potions. Truthfully, though, he was having a terrible time getting it together as potion-making was hard enough. He looked around for the glacial water, which he had decided was a must in his potion. He measured exactly twelve ounces and then headed to gather the rest. He had started with about twenty ingredients but as he tried out the different combinations Oliver had learned that not everything works out in a love potion. His main goal was to create a potion that created chemistry between two people - whether that chemistry was romantic or not was to be held entirely in the intentions of the person brewing it. He aimed for the effects to last until the next new moon upon brewing it.

He had sent an owl to Victoria a few nights ago asking for advice, and the first thing she had asked was about the disposal method, which Oliver was more than happy to explain. This potion was entirely earth-friendly. If - let's pretend - the potion ended up turning magenta instead of faint pink it only meant that the liquid, when poured on the ground, would act as a natural fertilizer and therefore more plants and tree would grow out of screwing up the magic! Oliver had planned all of it, which is why he was excited to try out the new recipe. Of course, it meant that he would probably have to change the name because it wasn't REALLY a love potion. Still, he bounced on his feet for a second before he decided to start. He set the flame to low and added the glacial water tot he cauldron, letting it rest for 30 seconds, before slicing the vanilla beans and scrapping the pulp into different small containers, ready to pour them on the liquid every half minute.

As he did so, however, he noticed a small figure walking in to the classroom. Surely it couldn't be Professor Henley! Looking up, Oliver's blue eyes met Jessica's and his lips immediately curled into his trademark goofy grin. "Heyyy!" he greeted his friend, dropping the last pulp piece into the liquid and stirring. "Are you here for practice? Or does Henley have you on tutoring?" he asked, his eyes never leaving his cauldron but his tone as friendly as usual.

Oliver's notebook:

Jessica didn't feel like drawing or reading book today so she just went to walk around the castle. She had no plans for today at all. She barely had any friends with who to hang out and they all seemed to b busy with their own life and friends. So she eaa feeling lonely and that wasn't really something new for her. She is used to feeling like ever she was young girl. She sighed on that thought.

When was in Dungeons then she saw light in potions classroom what she founded bit of odd in this time of day. Also heard noices from that way. She walked close to the door and looked in from there. She saw Oliver there making some kind of potions. She found it even more odd. She smiled and thought what she should say back to Ollie. "Hey!"

"Neither of them really. I saw light here and decided to check it out. Also heard noices, she told to Ollie there with a weak smile. She tried to figure out what potion he makes but wasn't really sure by potions color. "what are you doing here exactly?" she asked with a smile again. She now noticed notebook on table and walkes over it and read it. The first line made her giggle a bit since he wasn't even anymore sure how to call that potion. She didn't really plan to help him out with it. She is quite good in potions but not that she could expierement in potions like Oliver.

Grinning, Oliver put his wand down and looked at his notes before addressing Jessica again. So she wasn't in tutoring and she wasn't here for personal choice, interesting. Grabbing the ashwinder eggs, he dropped them gently into the cauldron before increasing the flame. Returning Jessica's smile, Ollie's blue eyes filled with pride and joy when she asked him what he was doing. "I'm glad you asked!" he said, motioning to the cauldron, "I've been trying to make a love potion, though it really isn't a love potion because it's not like amortencia."

He glanced at his potion quickly before returning to Jessica. "Basically, I want it to smell like Amortencia but have different effects. For example, if I were to smell it it would be the same as if I were smelling the real potion." He cheeks felt a little warm when he said that, because he had been experimenting with the ingredients for a while and for some days Victoria had been there. Of course, Oliver always wire his heart on his sleeve but those days it was even more ridiculous as the potion had smelled of coffee, mint leaves, old books and Victoria's hair, which was really embarrassing to realize that all of those thing were smells he associated primarily with Victoria.

His mind bringing him back to Jessica, he smiled awkwardly. "Anyway, it's mostly designed to be a lesser version of amortencia. It would still create infatuation but the effects wouldn't be as strong. So if someone gave it to you, you wouldn't kill yourself if they rejected you." His explanation obviously sucked, because he wasn't very good with words. When Jessica giggled, he smiled. "I've been working on this since the summer, so don't judge my title." Checking his time, he still had a minute or two. "Anyway, how have you been? I haven't seen you around as much." He knew Jessica was shy, but he still had a hard time finding her when he needed her.

Speaking of her shyness, Oliver glanced at her and suddenly spoke up. "Hey, are you going with anyone to that Halloween dance?" Oliver wanted to go, but Victoria couldn't make it as her Healer training was getting more demanding as the colder weather brought in more people to St. Mungo's. Of course, Jessica would be a great friend to attend the ball with, so why not?

Well Jessica nodded her head there when Oliver did talk. "Oh I see," she said there now when he told her that he tried to make love potions and same time it really wasn't that either. So she was bit of confused and was about to ask what Ollie means but she soon heard him to explain it already before she could even ask anything.

She once again nodded her head. "Well that makes sense I guess. Never really expieremented with potions," she said there now honestly with a small smile. For making real and known potions wasn't sometimes even that super easy as she thought nowadays. She just didn't
t wanna blow the class up because of her mistake also too.

"Oh I see. Well that is good thing probably since sometimes people who use it on someone who they love but they reject the person. Isn't cool yeah I have heard," she said there now something. She have never used a potion on someone or it's never used on her also too. There have been no point. Anyone barely even knows that she exists here. She have been to shy to talk with people. Oliver is one of these who have made her feel safe and secure around him, so she didn't have to be afraid of him or real shy around him anymore. "Oh I see. You need a better title. Since this is funny," she said there and was so serious as she could but soon she giggled again there. "I'm doing good. Better than ever. Well yeah I don't go and be around school much. Mostly sit in common room. I really don't have much friends," she said there and sighed. She wished she had more friends sometimes.

When Oliver asked from her if she has partner for that ball dance she looked at Ollie and did shake her head. "No I don't have. There isn't really anyone who is interested asking me to go with him or her there. Like I said I don't have much friends and really random people don't ask shy kid to ball," she said there now a sighed. She wasn't really sure why Ollie even asked this question. "What about you?" she had to ask there back now even. Since she was bit of curious.

Ollie picked up the mortar, the belladona and the rose thorns as it was getting time to continue his potion. He ground then into a very fine powder before adding the rose oil, all the while listening to Jessica. It seemed she was only confused with his explanation but he was scared of explaining further, so he simply said, "I guess it's more like universal peace kind of potion." And truthfully that sounded more like something Oliver might make. He smiled when Jessica mentioned she didn't mess around with potions, because neither did Oliver. At least not all the time. "Well, I've applied for the Department of Mysteries," he informed, mixing the powder and oil until it was pasty. "And they require me to be able to mess around with this stuff."

As he looked into the cauldron, he saw it was starting to boil, so he quickly added the paste and stirred. "Yeah, Amortencia's pretty dangerous stuff." he admitted with a sigh. Many infatuated lovers had actually been subjects of the potion, and in a way it broke Oliver's heart. "I don't like it because people confuse it with love, and I can't bring myself to believe love is such a negative thing." Oliver had only been in love twice, and they were different types if love but they were love nonetheless. Victoria was no secret, but the one nobody at Hogwarts knew about was Martha-Louise. Pushing her away from his thoughts, he turned the flame to the lowest level and let it sit.

"Yeah, I do. Don't I?" Oliver laughed, momentarily taken back by Jessica's serious face but eventually her laughs got the best of him. "Want to name it for me? I'm sure you could do much better than what I had." Really, he was running out of ideas. He gave her a genuine grin when she said she had been doing better than ever, because it was always a pleasure to hear someone say that. Of course he knew she didn't have many friends, Oliver had tried so hard to get her to sit with him and his mates during their first years at Hogwarts. Eventually, though, she gave in, though she mostly sat with him if she was around the Great Hall when he was there. "I'm sure of you spoke to more people you'd have more friend than you could count. You're pretty rad." He grinned.

Oh, goodie. Jessica didn't have anyone to go with! He felt a little bad about the way she replied, but he was already thinking about asking her so he went ahead and answered her question. "Nope." Oliver tried to word his thoughts in his head. Without thinking, he would have something along the lines of 'my super amazing girlfriend, Victoria, is too smart and talented as a Healer in Training that they want to teach her the advanced stuff right now so she couldn't make it anyway'. But he didn't. Instead, "My girlfriend can't make it. She's training at St. Mungo's for a Healer career and they say she's really good with Healing magic, so they're keeping her pretty busy." He refrained from saying her name, however, because that would be too over the top. "We should go! I mean, we're both technically date-less, so we should be each other's Halloween dance partners." he finally suggested, doing a little awkward robot dance as he said the last words.

Jessica watched what he did and nodded her head. "Oh I see," she said there now. She really wasn't sure what to say on such information for real. She wasn't really the best person still to keep the topic up when she had no idea what to say. So she just did smile there now.

Jessica nodded once again her head. "It is dangerous," she agreed with it. "Same here. Even if i'm exactly not sure what even love is yet. Never really felt it to anyone before to be honest," she said there now and she didn't lie. She have never really fallen in love like kids say. She just doesn't know many boys and she knows for sure that she doesn't like girls. So many doesn't believe her when she says she has never been in love and she is already 16 years old girl.

Jessica did scratch her head like she was thinking a good name or something but at the end she failed at that. "I'm not sure what it should be called, I need ti think more than just few seconds. I might come up with something, I can't promise anything," she said. She just really wasn't person who would feel comfortable around people when there was many of them. That's why she really never went to balls or anything like that too but this year she wanted to go. Even if it was alone without partner or friend or something like that. "Maybe. Who knows. Erm okay, Thanks," she said there now. Even if she needed to remember what did rad exactly meant.

Jessica listened what Oliver said and she did think about it for few seconds. That's sad to hear that your girlfriend can't make it," she said there to Ollie, she really did felt bit of bad about it. "Em sure. If u want we can go together. I won't mind it. I planned to go alone but going there with someone you know is more fun for sure," she said there now something.

"I don't think any of us know, Jess." Oliver smiled, a bit of a bittersweet tone in his voice. Because really, what is love? Is it telling someone to take care? Is it listening to them and realizing their ideas are beyond beautiful? Is it hoping they have a great day even if you don't see them every morning? It is kissing your mom goodbye and wrapping your arms around her as if you've been gone for years? Or telling your brother a secret that you didn't even know until you said it outloud? Or maybe just listening to your girlfriend rant about how hard healing magic is? Maybe, love could be choosing what's best for yourself, even if it's not what you want.

Oliver frowned at himself, his mind already coming up with many questions about love that he was sure Jessica didn't want to hear. He laughed when she said she needed more time, "Take all the time you need. I'm not in a hurry." Oliver said, "I'll probably call it something like...Peace Potion." He wrinkled his nose at how ridiculous it was, but it was a start. After all, it wasn't exactly a love potion. He glanced at his watch and realized he had a good half an hour to write something for Victoria before he had to go to work at the Three Broomsticks, so he would have to hurry up his conversation with Jessica.

Oliver turned to her once again. "Yeah, but it's for her future. I can sacrifice myselfa little bit for her dreams." he smiled at her. If Victoria wanted to be a Healer, he would support her in any way he could. If she changed her mind and decided she wanted to be a Celtic dancer, he would still support her in any possible way. Grinning, Oliver was thrilled to have a friend go with him instead of going by himself. "Great!" he said, closing his notebook and sliding it into his book bag. "I do have to go now, I've gotta do something before work." he gave her a quick hug before walking towards the door. As he was walking out, Oliver turned around. "See you at the dance, Jess!" he smiled again.

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We will continue this with Matthew and Ariadne, HERE (Scarecrow)

"Well probably true," she agreed with it. She had no idea even what it really meant for sure. She has just got love from her mother since she never really had father figure in her life. Her mother was always single mother who never really didn't date with men. Her mother never had time for dating she was always too busy working and raising Jessica. So yeah her life have never really been the prefect one.

Jessica probably didn't want to hear about it for sure. "Okay good," she said there now with a week smile. "That's quite lame name actually," she had to say it out loud. She didn't really meant it very bad way but she couldn't not say it. She hoped that Oliver won't be very harmed by that. She didn't really wanna make friends sad or anything like that. She didn't really had many friends and she didn't really wanna lose them actually.

"Oh I see. That makes sense actually," she said there now with a small smile on her face. She smiled and nodded her head. "Oh okay," she said there now quietly when he said he had to go and also did hug her suddenly. She really wasn't really yet used to these hugs even she have recieved these for awhile already, she knows these are friendly hugs. She just isn't really the hug person since she never really have been hugged much when she was kid. "Yeah See you there," she said with a smile and did also leave the classroom after Oliver. She probably went back to common room after this.