Part 15

For the past month, Noah decided to set aside ancient magic for now. He had completed all his OWL subjects, and Professor Weasley happily lifted the ban on leaving Hogwarts for Noah. To celebrate, he planned to go to Hogsmeade and sell poisonous tentacles and Chinese chewing cabbage. Fortunately, Professor Garlick had taken the mandrakes off his hands, which had been a big help for Noah. Sebastian and Ominis had developed a habit of following him almost everywhere. They met at the fountain in the central hall after breakfast and set off together.

"Finally, classes are over. We need to have a good rest today!" Sebastian couldn't contain his excitement for the weekend.

"I barely woke you up," Ominis complained about Sebastian's morning grumbles.

"Actually, I was thinking of going there and back quickly myself," Noah occasionally grew tired of their constant bickering.

As the trio left the castle, they ran into Garrett.

"Noah!" Garrett was the first to approach them. "You have no idea what I cooked up yesterday! I'm catching up on the training course for a year ahead!" He couldn't help but smile.

"Let me guess, are you looking for test subjects again, Weasley?" Sebastian deliberately emphasized Garrett's last name.

"Sebastian, our second-best duelist! Well, I mean, second to Noah," Garrett didn't back down from their banter.

"Shall we leave them behind and move on?" Ominis suggested.

"Great idea, let's go," Noah walked past them, but Garrett grabbed his elbow and moved away from Sebastian by ten meters.

"I don't understand, are they your bodyguards? They follow you everywhere," Garrett began rummaging in his bottomless bag.

"No, they're just friends," Noah gestured to Sebastian that he could approach.

"Look!" Garrett pulled out a small vial, sealed with a pearl-colored mist inside.

"What is it?" Noah took the bottle and examined it closely. Sebastian, seeing what Noah held in his hands, quickly closed the distance between them in two steps.

"Amortentia, Garrett? Seriously?" Sebastian tried to grab the bottle from Noah, but he dodged.

"A love potion?" Ominis joined them.

"Yes, calm down. I didn't add anything unnecessary," Garrett shielded Noah with his body to prevent Sebastian from getting to his carefully brewed potion.

"So I won't fall in love with anyone?" Noah had read about this potion and was genuinely interested in what scents he would smell. Without any hesitation, he uncorked the bottle and took a small sniff.

Sebastian gasped at the sight of Noah willingly testing the love potion on himself. Garrett turned around, and the first thing he asked was, "Well? What do you feel?"

"Sea air, lemon tartlets, and..." everyone froze in anticipation, especially Sebastian, who memorized every word Noah said. "I can't quite make it out."

"You can't make it out? Everything was fine! Give it here," Garrett took the bottle for himself. "I can smell the potions class, fried chicken, and a new cauldron!"

"Garrett's fried chicken?" Noah laughed along with him. Sebastian began to puzzle over what scent Noah couldn't identify.

"Sebastian, take a sniff," Noah thrust the bottle under his friend's nose. Sebastian smelled a bouquet of forget-me-nots, which his sister Anna used to collect, along with blueberry pie and the citrus soap that Noah liked to use.

"What does it smell like?" Noah kept his gaze fixed on Sebastian.

"It's personal," Sebastian carefully took the bottle from Noah's hands. "Ominis, do you want to try?"

"Keep that stuff away from me," Ominis wrinkled his face and took cover behind Noah. Sebastian corked the bottle and handed it back to Garrett.

"A genuine amortentia. Don't lose it, it's a very powerful potion," Sebastian began to lecture.

"I know that without you, nerd!" Garrett, pleased with the result, bid them farewell and went to show off to others.

"Oh, and he'll get it from Professor Weasley later," Sebastian almost felt sorry for Garrett.

"Come on, it's Garrett. He gets scolded by his own aunt all the time," Noah said.

Ominis added thoughtfully, "And Sharpe."

The three of them wished Garrett good luck and continued on their way.

"So, what did you smell?" Ominis moved closer to Sebastian.

"Do you remember the forget-me-nots that used to grow in our yard during the summer? Anna loved collecting them," Sebastian fondly recalled pleasant days from the past.

"I remember, of course. Those flowers had a pleasant aroma," Ominis smiled.

"And what scent couldn't you identify?" Sebastian turned to Noah.

"Well, actually..." Noah paused, a look of bewilderment appearing on his face as he looked at Sebastian.

"Is something wrong?" Ominis approached him.

"Actually, it's personal," Noah repeated Sebastian's words. Noah remembered that fragrance—it was "the scent of sunshine."