"I still haven't decided if I like this or not!" I grumbled, fixing my bowtie the hundredth time, making Qunicy chuckle, grabbing my arm, and pulling me out of the Common Room.

"You look fine, don't worry about it! You are not coming to awe the girls!"

"Yeah? What about you? You look magnificent in your silver and green dress, but... are you here to make all the boys jealous or something?"

"I do! Because I'm yours~!" She grinned, holding my hand even tighter, and I had to give it to her... she did shut me up; that was a marvelous answer.

We were dressed up like the elite students we were supposed to be, heading to the Hallowe'en party hosted by Professor Slughorn. When we arrived at the repurposed classroom, now turned into a ballroom, our rivals were already present. Krum was surrounded by other guests, primarily senior girls from our school, while his 'buddy,' the guy with the name Poliakoff, looked at him enviously. Watching the flicker in his eyes, I felt that their group was bound to have conflicts later on... they may be working together now, but Poliakoff's jealousy was something we could exploit. It would be the perfect weapon to weaken an enemy.

"You looked evil for a moment there!" Quincy whispered into my ear, making me smile while we held hands, walking in.

"I did have some evil thoughts... I'll tell you about it when we are alone."

"The Anguines."

"Hmph..."

Quincy's cold response was an indication of who addressed us. From a sea of love-stricken males emerged the figure of Fleur Delacour, wearing a white dress, making her look like a bride looking for her groom.

"I thought you were not coming." She continued in her weird but somewhat cute accent, ignoring Quincy and looking at me. "That would have been... shame."

"On second thought, we shouldn't have come... alas," Quincy stepped forward as if she was shielding me from her, "We wouldn't want to hurt Professor Slughorn's feelings or reputation."

"I heard he good alchemist."

"The best." Quincy countered without thinking, yet even I knew that was not a good idea. Not to mention seeing Fleur's smile grow wider.

"Really? I knew one too. He is our Master."

By then, Quincy realized it too. It was futile to argue alchemy with them as their Headmaster was the world's one and only master alchemist. The only person who ever managed to create a philosopher's stone.

"..."

"Hmmm?" Fleur hummed after seeing Quincy become silent, "Was my... English bad? Hard of understanding?"

"No, I heard you well. I was simply thinking about the reasons why I should care about it... yet... I came up with nothing." With a shrug, Quincy simply walked away, dragging me along, murmuring under her breath. "I hate that French wench..."

"Maybe a half-veela's effect manifests itself as jealousy in girls?" I tried to joke, but she just looked at me with a sharp snap of her head. "Well, you are cute when angry, but don't go too far with it!"

"Yes, yes, it is best to make friends and not enemies!"

It was Professor Slughorn who said that, leaving his guests and welcoming us warmly. It didn't take long to mention that we should mingle and try to... impress the students from the other schools. As with what? I had no idea. Should I go around telling everyone what we did in our first year? Probably not a good idea. As to what happened last year? Everyone saw it. I think the others knew it too; I mean, our guests... the way they were looking at me. Or at Quincy. It was clear that our reputation was not the best... or friendly.

I don't know how it happened, but around an hour later, someone, by the owner of the voice, most likely Fleur, suggested that we should have an impromptu contest between alchemists. Was she here to cause trouble? I couldn't think about anything else as she said that it should be the teachers who compete...

Surprisingly, I saw some excitement in Professor Slughorn's eyes, glancing at the famous Headmaster of the Beauxbatons. In the end, everyone agreed that it would be ridiculous, but then again, Fleur had another suggestion... let the champions brew up something. She was aiming for this from the get-go; I knew it. The way she looked at us told everything that had to be seen.

What was worse was that Quincy agreed to it, and before I had anything to say, three cauldrons were put forth, and I was standing next to her, feeling I was being played like a fiddle. And it didn't even feel good. Looking around, my eyes met with Viktor Krum's, and he looked just as baffled as me. So... alchemy was not his forte, huh?

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"What should we brew?" Quincy asked as this became nothing more than a competition between her and Fleur.

"Let's make interesting." She answered, flicking her hair, smiling serenely. "A great alchemist can do many. Let's see who can make best from what we have!" She finished with a chuckle, smiling like an old friend of ours.

"Well, the ingredients..." Professor Slughorn started, and I almost laughed out loud. I could see that he was nervous because this was going toward the point where he would have to supply us with his private stash. To any alchemist... that was like a merciless bloodletting.

"Let me be a proper guest!" Nicolas Flamel cut in, smiling amicably at everyone present and with a wave of his hand, a dozen different ingredients appeared at all of our tables. Half of it, I didn't recognize; the other half looked barely familiar. Even with my better memory, I just never read about or seen any of them before.

"This is up to you... You say what to do, I follow!" I whispered to Quincy, who was already in the process of determining them all and devising a recipe in her mind.

"Make it simple!" The master alchemist continued, looking at us, "This is just for fun, don't go for something complicated as we don't have all the time, ahaha!"

"Yes, yes! It is best to create something fun but unique!" Professor Slughorn chimed in, and somehow, it felt like he was trying to give us a tip.

"Let's start before some over-eager adult ruins the fun~!" Flamel countered him with a friendly grin and clapped, signaling the start of the little exercise.

Watching the French girls, they were already working. Somehow, I doubted this was a coincidence... They provoked us until it was a proper contest. Do they really think we can't see it? I bet it was already pre-planned, and they had a recipe in mind.

"Don't stare at them!" Qunicy whispered, stepping on my toe and with her high heels, it hurt so much, I wanted to cry. "Grab two stalks of Thornspike-weed and cut them up diagonally into 1.5 millimeter pieces!"

"The what?" I asked, but she just pointed at the bluish-green, thin, bamboo-like things. I knew she was not in the mood to explain while starting to handle another ingredient.

I was not foolish enough to ask more, and instead, I began working. At least I could do my part without issues. Whenever Quincy gave an instruction, I followed it to the letter, and about fifteen minutes later, she was putting them into the cauldron, stirring them with great focus.

"Four, five... six... One... two... three..." I could read her lips quiver as she counted the stirs, changing from clockwise to counter-clockwise multiple times while doing it.

As seemingly my part of being her little helper was over, I allowed myself to look around. The Durmstrang people were hopeless. They didn't even start the fire, so... we could count them out. The Beauxbatons, on the other hand? They were in the same phase as us, working like a team. I don't know what they were doing, but their cauldron gently released some colorful sparks here and there. Ours? Looked like a caramel soup. Although, I have to admit... it smelled wonderful. I was already thinking about some Christmas snacks, yet it was the night when November was just arriving.

I wanted to see what the teachers thought, but it was even more surprising. Not just Professor Slughorn but also Nicolas Flamel was looking at our cauldron, furrowing their brows. Whatever was being cooked up by Quincy was not standard nor part of our curriculum... it made me think that she borrowed a recipe from Salazar's book. I just hoped it wouldn't be some kind of poison that turns the victim into goo or something.

It didn't take long to finish, and Quincy raised her hand almost in perfect sync with Fleur, signaling that we were done. I couldn't help but smile, seeing the mild shock and surprise on her face and the proud, competitive glint in Quincy's eyes.

"Very good!" Professor Slughorn clapped, and before anybody could say something else, two Headmasters stepped forward, Severus Snape and Nicolas Flamel.

"What do you say?" Snape asked the old alchemist in a calm, even voice as if he was not talking to a legend, "I judge your students; you judge ours?"

"Fine by me, Headmaster." He agreed with a smile, and soon, he was standing before us.

To say I was not nervous would be a lie... yet Quincy didn't even flinch. She just smiled with confidence, letting him lean in and smell the concoction inside the cauldron. Looking to the side, I saw Snape doing the same thing, taking a sample and putting something into it, but then my vision was obstructed by Quincy, who nudged me to pay attention.

"Very interesting..." Flamel murmured before finally taking a spoonful out and spreading it on a piece of bread. Now it looked like a peanut butter sandwich or something... Hell... I even had the urge to take a bite. It looked and smelled delicious! "This is an insidious yet creative way to apply poison, young girl!"

To his assessment, the smile from Quincy's face slowly receded, and she just nodded in reply. Was it poison? Huh... really now... Glancing at the others, they also looked on curiously, not knowing what to make of it. The Durmstrang champions and their Headmaster? They were already forgotten, no matter their dark faces. They wouldn't mention it anyway, as it would just draw more eyes to their failures.

"What is this poison's name?" Flamel asked, but Quincy just shrugged.

"I didn't name it yet."

"Oh, so it is your invention?" He asked loudly, and this time, even the Beauxbatons champions' heads turned toward us. "You are a perilous woman, young Quincy Anguine... Just like a snake..."

"Thank you." She replied with a proud smirk while Snape walked to our table, looking at it with furrowed brows.

"Your assessment?" Flamel asked, straightening his back.

"It is the most potent Thought Eraser I have seen any student make. One sip and the victim would have to relearn how to speak and walk from the start." Snape exclaimed slowly and coldly, without any surprise in his voice, giving his rating of the Beauxbatons' concoction.

"They are talented girls, yes... but your students won this round." Nicolas Flamel chuckled, shocking everybody, including me... and Fleur, who I heard snort in anger. "Young Quincy here created a poison that could kill instantly. Not to mention, it camouflages itself as a desirable snack, something that wants you to eat it. With one whiff, it could ensnare a muggle's mind to take a bite. I never saw this thing before, yet my memory is still perfect... So... I believe the claim that it is her own creation. Her husband should be careful who he flirts with, ahaha~!"

"Hmph..."

It was not just Quincy who snorted at the comment but me too... but... I couldn't help but feel proud. This impromptu round was our victory! Now... we only had to win the first official round, too!