Ron stood over his cauldron adding ingredients for today’s potion. He was concentrating hard and anyone that looked at him could tell. He couldn’t fail another potion. If he did Snape would contact his mother and that would mean a howler. He would never forget what it was like last time he got one.

The last howler he got he still hadn’t lived down. He had been ostracized for months afterwards and people still mentioned it every now and then. If he got another one that would be it. He didn’t want that again. So now he was working extra hard to make sure that he didn’t screw up.

He carefully added the correct amount of flobberworm mucus to his sleeping draught and turned up the heat. Now he just had to wait for it to boil. The redhead turned to Harry, who was on his right. “How’s your coming?” He asked.

“I think I put in too much asphodel,” the brunette replied, frowning.

“Add some dragon’s blood, that should fix it,” Hermione whispered from across the table.

Ron looked at Hermione’s potion, which was the correct shade of light purple and bubbling away happily. He then looked at his own cauldron. The dark water boiled, and there was a hideous stench. The freckled teen frowned. He had done everything right, but still he’d fucked up. He couldn’t do anything right.

“Ugh, what’s that smell?” a Slytherin from across the room asked.

“I think it’s the weasel’s potion,” another answered.

Ron frowned even more as Snape made his way towards the trio’s table. Snape looked at Hermione’s potion, “Good job, Granger.” Hermione beamed. Next Snape looked at Harry’s potion, and frowned. He didn’t even bother to look at Ron’s potion. With a wave of his wand Snape cleaned all three cauldrons, and before walking away Snape looked at Ron and said, “Ten points from Gryffindor for extreme incompetence.”