Harry Potter 06 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room – oh yes,’ he said, nodding gravely at Malfoy and Nott, both of whom were smirking sceptically. ‘When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love …
    ‘And now,’ said Slughorn, ‘it is time for us to start work.’
    ‘Sir, you haven’t told us what’s in this one,’ said Ernie Macmillan, pointing at a small black cauldron standing on Slughorn’s desk. The potion within was splashing about merrily; it was the colour of molten gold, and large drops were leaping like goldfish above the surface, though not a particle had spilled.
    ‘Oho,’ said Slughorn again. Harry was sure that Slughorn had not forgotten the potion at all, but had waited to be asked for dramatic effect. ‘Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it,’ he turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp, ‘that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?’
    ‘It’s liquid luck,’ said Hermione excitedly. ‘It makes you lucky!’
    The whole class seemed to sit up a little straighter. Now all Harry could see of Malfoy was the back of his sleek blond head, because he was at last giving Slughorn his full and undivided attention.
    ‘Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it’s a funny little potion, Felix Felicis,’ said Slughorn. ‘Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavours tend to succeed … at least until the effects wear off.’
    ‘Why don’t people drink it all the time, sir?’ said Terry Boot eagerly.
    ‘Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence,’ said Slughorn. ‘Too much of a good thing, you know … highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally …’
    ‘Have you ever taken it, sir?’ asked Michael Corner with great interest.
    ‘Twice in my life,’ said Slughorn. ‘Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days.’
    He gazed dreamily into the distance. Whether he was play-acting or not, thought Harry, the effect was good.
    ‘And that,’ said Slughorn, apparently coming back to earth, ‘is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson.’
    There was a silence in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.
    ‘One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis,’ said Slughorn, taking a minuscule glass bottle with a cork in it out of his pocket and showing it to them all. ‘Enough for twelve hours’ luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt.
    ‘Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organised competitions … sporting events, for instance, examinations or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only … and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!
    ‘So,’ said Slughorn, suddenly brisk, ‘how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion-Making . We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!’
    There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons towards them, and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke. The concentration within the room was almost tangible. Harry saw Malfoy riffling feverishly through his copy of Advanced Potion-Making . It could not have been clearer that Malfoy really wanted that lucky day. Harry bent swiftly over the tattered book Slughorn had lent him.
    To his annoyance he saw that the previous owner had scribbled all over the pages, so that the margins were as black as the printed portions. Bending low to decipher the ingredients (even here, the previous owner had made annotations and crossed things out) Harry hurried off towards the store cupboard to find what he needed. As he dashed back to his cauldron, he saw Malfoy cutting up valerian roots as fast as he could.
    Everyone kept glancing around at what the rest of the class was