TRAINING WHEELS--
VERITASERUM.

036

Amora felt like her head was spinning and as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs. Cedric's hand reached out to steady her, a concerned expression on his face as Amora's gaze flickered back up to him, horrified. Perhaps the worst part was that she couldn't accuse Cedric of lying or being ridiculous, because it actually made so much sense.

Leon had been pleading for information out of her for what felt like ages now and Kathy had even warned her when she told her about Draco that he had been looking for her when she snuck out some nights.

Her next thought was that there was no way Leon would be able to brew Veritaserum until she recalled watching him sneak out of Snape's office a couple of weeks ago. That must have been when he stole it.

Even last night, she'd been drunk and he'd taken advantage of that, still trying to pry information out of her about her whereabouts and whether or not she was dating Blaise Zabini.

"What are you talking about?" Amora frowned, brown eyes practically pleading at Cedric to tell her he miscalculated or something.

"Truth serum, Amora," Cedric said as if she didn't know what it was. "I think Leon put some in the honey you always have with your porridge."

"Wha-- Why--"

"I heard your argument last night, 'Mora, the one about Malfoy being the only one to care about you after you were hit by the Whomping Willow, and how Leon said he couldn't trust you because you never told the truth anymore. Your fight kept replaying in my head all night, because all I could think about was that you had probably snuck out to meet up with Malfoy for comfort, and I couldn't even be angry because... well, after what I heard you and Leon say, I knew Malfoy would make you feel better than Leon..."

"Okay, okay." Amora grabbed his arm and shook him. "As much as I'm happy that you're finally starting to lighten up to the idea of me and Draco, I need you to tell me why you think Leon put Veritaserum in the honey pot!"

"I was first down this morning," Cedric continued quickly, "I wanted to find you and apologise, but you came down later than usual. Leon was there first and he was fiddling with the honey. I thought I saw him put something inside it, but then I told myself I was just sleep-deprived from staying up all night thinking of you, but when Hannah Abbott reached for the honey when she came down, Leon literally snatched it away from her and gave her a different pot. I was curious, and then you came down and he practically forced the honey into your hands. And I thought-- I thought why, and-- truth serum, Amora! Truth serum! I didn't imagine him putting something in the honey, and he was fighting with you for the truth yesterday--"

"Oh, Merlin," Amora muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"Do you feel anything?" Cedric asked, taking a step forward and holding her arm to get her to look up at him, his eyes scanning her face as if he would find visible symptoms of the serum taking its effects on her body.

Amora shook her head quickly. "Cedric, he could get into trouble for this!" She panicked, "The Ministry takes the misuse of Veritaserum extremely seriously--"

"That's what you're worried about?" Her cousin cried incredulously, "Amora, we'll worry about Leon's consequences later, but for now, don't you have a sort of major secret you're trying to hide from everybody?"

Amora swallowed nervously, looking up at Cedric. "How long does it last for?"

"It depends where he got it from. If he brewed it himself, it's probably not that great, in which case about half an hour," Cedric explained, recalling his previous Potions lessons.

"I think he stole it from Snape," the brunette replied hastily.

"Professor Snape..." Cedric breathed, holding his hand on his forehead. "It could be up to six hours, 'Mora."

"Why would he do this to me!?" Amora questioned desperately, her eyes beginning to fill with unwelcomed tears. "Why-"

"Because he's scared of losing you, but the idiot's going about it in all the wrong ways," her older cousin cut her off, clenching his jaw at the idea of Leon. "And I think it's best you stay out of the way of everybody today, okay? It's Saturday, so you should be fine if you go to the bottom of the fields--"

"I was supposed to meet up with Draco today," Amora frowned, "Cedric, please could you tell him--"

"I am not talking to that--"

"Kids!"

Both cousins' eyes snapped over to Professor Buckley who was moving towards them with a grin on her face and her arms outstretched. Amora and Cedric exchanged a panicked glance as they were taking into a small hug that was more like a squeeze. Amora escaped her mother's grasp pretty quickly.

"Look at you two! Hanging out at school like best friends," she teased, pinching Cedric's cheek so he laughed politely, shaking his head. "Have you two had breakfast yet today? It's quite early on a weekend for you to already be out."

"Yeah, we have," Cedric answered for them both quickly, knowing Amora wouldn't be able to lie. "We were just about to go, actually. Meet some friends and hang out outside for once."

Professor Buckley pouted, her hand absentmindedly touching Amora's plaits. "You haven't had these in since last year."

"Zena did them for me," Amora spoke, growing more nervous as the seconds passed, worrying her mother would ask the wrong thing at any moment.

"How sweet of Zena," Professor Buckley said before noticing the look on Cedric's face and sighing. "Fine, I suppose I'll let you two get off, then. I suppose it's not very cool to be seen around with your mother, is it? Or your Auntie Elle?"

"Don't be silly, Auntie Elle--"

"Yeah, kind of," Amora blurted, her hand then smacking over her mouth, eyes wide.

Cedric looked at her, eyes wide as his mouth opened, only a croaking sound coming out. Professor Buckley looked slightly horrified, nearly as much as Amora felt. She went to tell her mother that she was just joking, but the words wouldn't come out, because they weren't true. Tears of frustration nearly welled again.

"She's joking," Cedric said quickly. "See you later, Auntie Elle."

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh," Amora repeated in a panic as Cedric led her further and further away from her mother. "I meant it! No wait, I meant to say that I meant it!"

Cedric figured she was attempting to say "I didn't mean it", but was having great difficulty battling off the truth serum infiltrating her system. They moved towards the bottom of the fields, knowing people would be all about considering it was a hot day.

"Okay, maybe we should keep you here for the next six hours... just until it wears off," Cedric said awkwardly as the teenage girl continued to feel guilty over the crestfallen expression her mother had worn.

"I want to be alone," Amora said, "Just... come back with books or something."

"You don't want me to stay?"

"Under any other circumstance where I'm not drugged on Veritaserum, sure, I would love for you to stay, Cedric, but as of right now, I'm confessing to things I didn't even know I properly meant, so no!" Amora rambled.

"Okay..." Cedric said, "I'll try and find out if there's a counter potion or spell or something..."

Amora nodded quickly, expressing her gratitude with a look, watching as her cousin began to move back towards Hogwarts. The brunette released a stressed sigh, dropping down beside the large roots of the tree she was underneath and placing her head in her hands. The sun was rising, getting warmer and warmer as the minutes passed, and Amora couldn't help but feel rage when she thought of Leon.

Cedric was right, he was just trying to figure her out and, in a desperate attempt, had made all the wrong choices. That didn't mean she would let him off though.

All she could think about was what would have happened if her cousin hadn't come and saved her. Most likely, Amora would have blurted all of her secrets to Leon and the rest of the Hufflepuff table.

Not only would she suffer the consequences of that, but so would Draco. Certain members of the Slytherin house who hated her for who her mother was would shun him, especially the older years. Then, his parents would find out... The thought made Amora queasy. Her parents would find out. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would find out...

Leon didn't realise how he could have quite literally just ruined her life.

She felt like she was there for hours when in reality, only thirty minutes had gone by. She plucked blades of grass from the dried ground beneath her and fiddled with the ends of her hair which were tied back into plaits. She refrained from bringing back past habits and making knots out of them like she used to do when she was stressed.

This time last year, a truth serum wouldn't phase her. Amora never lied. She didn't keep secrets from her mother or her friends, but her life had changed dramatically. One of the biggest parts of her life was a lie. She loved Draco Malfoy, and they'd been seeing each other for months now.

"Hey," Cedric breathed, dropping down next to her. "Sorry I took a while."

He handed her some books. They were all his own, she realised. Textbooks and study guides for the sixth year, including an autobiography for some Quidditch player that Amora had never heard of.

"I can't just waltz into the girls' dormitories," Cedric reminded her when he saw the look on her face. "Especially the fifteen-year-olds' one. I thought you might find it interesting, anyway. Get a head start on things."

It wasn't like she had much of a choice now that he had dropped off the only books he apparently owned. Amora decided it wasn't too bad. Maybe she could learn some stuff that would come in use in the future. Cedric began to babble on about how he didn't know how to reverse the Veritaserum, and then his voice faded.

"What?" Amora questioned him. "What is it, Cedric?"

"Leon," he hissed, pointing over to where Leon was walking down the hill, his head craning left and right. "He must be looking for you."

"Shit!" Amora exclaimed, earning an unimpressed look from the older boy. "Ced--"

"Come on." He scooped his books back up with one arm and grabbed her hand in the other, the pair of them taking off in the opposite direction of Leon. "That... Urgh. I will be having words with that friend of yours!"

They paused outside the grounds of Hogwarts, both heaving and panting for air in their lungs. Amora shook her head, unsure if she would even call him her friend after this. She had a constant panic in her head that all of her deepest confessions would spill, and people would look at her just like Cedric did when he found out. Only, she couldn't imagine all of the cruel things people would call her.

A liar. A fraud. A traitor to her friends and mother.

Amora wondered if she really was all of those things.

"This is ridiculous..." She muttered.

"We should test how strong it is," Cedric said, "I mean, obviously you've already offended your mother, but we should see if you can resist it, maybe."

"I think I've already proved I can't. I would never have said that to her. I didn't even really... I didn't think I actually meant it," Amora admitted bashfully.

"Amora, are you in Hufflepuff?"

"Yes," Amora said, although she hadn't even planned on answering him. "Well, that was a stupid question, wasn't it? Because why would I lie about what house I'm in?"

"Well, try and lie to me. Try and tell me you're in Ravenclaw," Cedric said, "Amora, are you in Hufflepuff?"

No, I'm in Ravenclaw.

"Yes, I'm in Hufflepuff," she said instead, facepalming immediately afterwards. "Yep, I am royally screwed. Maybe I could hide in your dorm all day?"

"Leon could come in any moment," Cedric disclaimed, "I would suggest your own dorm since boys aren't allowed in, but I suppose all it takes is one of your roommates to ask why you're hiding from Leon and you'd blurt it all."

Amora groaned. "Why couldn't I like somebody like Harry or Neville? Then I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Hate to say it, 'Mora, but you can't blame your taste in boyfriends on this one..." Cedric disclaimed, "We can only blame your taste in best friends... Speaking of friends, I suppose you can't hide with the Gryffindors, either, hm?"

"No, they would ask too..." Amora grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Maybe you should just put him under a curse... make him fall asleep for the day so I can just relax down the bottom of the field again."

"Yeah, I'm not getting suspended for that," Cedric huffed, grabbing her shoulder. "Who knows about you and Malfoy? Other than me?"

"Kathy, Pansy, Blaise, and Theo Nott," Amora replied, brows furrowed.

"So, minus Crabbe and Goyle, all the fourth year Slytherin boys know about your... relationship?" Cedric cringed at the thought, not wanting to think of his younger cousin with any boy, especially Malfoy. "Well, we know what that means, don't we?"

"Cedric, they would never sneak me into Slytherin dorms!" Amora gasped, grabbing his arm before he could go and find someone. "Nobody outside of Slytherin has gone in there for hundreds of years! Only Harry and Ron when they snuck in in the second year using Polyjuice Potion..." She clamped her hands over her mouth for the last part, muffling the words that were supposed to be kept on the down-low.

Cedric gave her a small smirk. "If Malfoy really cares about you like he says he does, then he should bend a rule or two for you."

"Why are you helping me?" Amora tugged him back before he could head towards the school. "You've been ignoring me for over a month now and shooting me mean looks. Wouldn't this be a good thing for you? If I just admitted that I'm dating Draco to everybody? Then I would learn my lesson and you would be able to say 'I told you so.'"

Cedric turned back and grabbed her upper arm. "Amora, I need you to understand something, okay? No matter how furious I ever am with you, I will always be there for you. Always, okay? Seeing you hurt or embarrassed wouldn't please me at all. You're my cousin, my first ever friend and I will always be on your side. Even if I don't necessarily agree with some parts."

Amora stared at him for a few moments, a frenzy of feelings and thoughts infiltrating her brain, but only one really stuck out to her-- how much she truly did love her cousin. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him hold her back.

"I'll always be there for you as well," she murmured.

"Okay, okay, now is not the time to get sappy." Cedric patted her back as he pulled away. "We have to find Malfoy."

Amora swallowed nervously and nodded. Part of her worried Draco wouldn't help and that Cedric would only hate her boyfriend more, but Amora was nearly positive that the Draco she knew was better than that. She could only hope that everything worked out.

D.M + A.B

"There he is," Amora whispered, the two of them hovering by the door of the Great Hall as they looked over at the Slytherin table.

His platinum blond locks stuck out like a sore thumb from where he was surrounded by his friends, plates discarded in front of them from where they had finished breakfast recently. Draco was listening to something that Blaise was saying before he shook his head and began to talk.

"Okay," Cedric huffed, cracking his neck and straightening his back. "Wish me luck."

"You won't need it, you big baby," Amora hissed, shoving him forward into the large hall.

It was pretty sparse now, most people off to spend their Saturday elsewhere, so barely anybody noticed one of Hogwarts' Triwizard Champions making their way over to the Slytherin table.

Pansy glanced up when she realised Cedric was a few feet away, scowling at him and whacking Draco's arm. The blond glared at her before he saw where she was pointing, or rather who she was pointing at.

Cedric sent a small nod of acknowledgement to all of the Slytherins as they stared up at him. He kept his usual easy smile on his face, acting as if walking over to the green table was nothing out of the usual.

"Can we help you, Diggory?" Draco spoke up, gaze hard as he took a few sips of the tea in front of him.

"Yeah, you can, actually," Cedric said, looking around and realising that Crabbe and Goyle were also there, so he couldn't just come out of it. "Professor Sprout wants you, Malfoy."

"Me?" Draco scoffed, "What on earth could Professor Sprout want me for?"

"Dunno," Cedric shrugged, although his eyes said differently and Draco seemed to pick up on it. "I'm just her prefect, delivering messages..."

"Very well." Draco stood, sending a look to his friends. "Don't wait around for me. Might be a while, depending on what the old hag wants."

"Charming," Cedric snapped, wondering what the hell his cousin saw in him.

Draco followed after the Hufflepuff, concern starting to fill his stomach. As soon as they stepped foot out of the Great Hall, a hand yanked Cedric's shirt and pulled him to the side. Draco wasn't surprised to see Amora standing there, but his brows furrowed, wondering what the hell the two cousins were up to that involved him, and why the hell it had been Cedric to come and get him and not his actual girlfriend.

"What's--"

"Follow us," Cedric cut him off.

Draco sent Amora a look, but the brunette girl pursed her lips at him in response, a wary expression written over her face like she was worried about something. The Slytherin wondered if they were both about to be lectured by Cedric about their relationship and Draco wasn't sure he could deal with that after waking up from a hangover.

"What's going on?" He snapped, looking between them both once they all halted down a desolate hallway.

"This is going to sound really weird, but--"

"We need your help," Cedric interrupted Amora roughly, "And if you actually like my cousin, then you'll--"

"Cedric!" Amora cried, her face going red with embarrassment. "Shut up!" She looked to Draco. "Look, I've been slipped some Veritaserum, and--"

"What?" Draco demanded, his face contorting into an expression of anger straight away. "Veritaserum? By who?"

I don't know.

"Leon," Amora blurted before she could stop herself, making her groan. "Wait, wait, before you do anything stupid, we need to wait until it wears off! And Cedric said that it could be up till six hours until that happens!"

Draco looked furious. "You're going to tell me everything," he said, jaw clenched, before he looked to Cedric. "How do you need me to help? I don't know any antidotes, I could perhaps bribe Snape into giving me one, though."

Cedric's eyes brightened in delight but Amora shook her head quickly. "No! I don't want to get Leon in trouble."

"That's what you're worried about?" Draco scoffed, mirroring Cedric's exact words from a while ago. "How else could I help?"

"He's looking for me," Amora said nervously, "To get the truth out of me, I guess. But there's nowhere I can hide without people asking questions or Leon finding me. Cedric had this stupid idea--"

"You need to sneak her into your dorm," Cedric huffed, cutting off Amora's bashful words. "She said most of your roommates already know, yes? There's probably about five hours left before the serum wears out of her, but until then, unless the two of you want your relationship exposed, I suggest you don't let anybody that doesn't already know talk to Amora."

"I would go to Harry or Hermione or Ron, but they'd ask why I'm avoiding Leon, or he'd ask if they'd seen me and then I'd get caught either way."

Amora had him at 'I would go to Harry.' Draco's face had scrunched up and, despite knowing that he would be breaking centuries of Slytherin tradition, he nodded with a heavy breath.

Even Theo had never snuck his Ravenclaw girlfriend into the Slytherin dungeons. In this case, though, Draco wasn't sure where else Amora could hide either without somebody finding out something.

"I'm going to get you into my dorm room and then you're going to tell me exactly what happened, okay?" Draco said sternly to Amora, who nodded quickly, a small smile on her face.

Cedric appeared surprised as if he didn't think Draco would really go out of his way to help Amora, especially when he could get in trouble for doing so. Amora handed Cedric back the books he had brought out for her and sent him a small beam.

"And... No funny business, alright?" He pointed between the two of them.

"Yes, sir," Draco hissed sarcastically before he grabbed Amora's arm and started to lead her down the corridor towards the Slytherin dungeons, his jaw still clenched.

When a group of Slytherins in the year above walked around the corner, Draco released her arm and even gave her a small shove, not enough to hurt her. He feigned a glare at her and Amora played along with a sneering look of her own.

"Piss off, Buckley," he hissed, storming ahead as she followed. "You're annoying as fuck."

"Yeah?" Amora spat, "Well you're handsome as fuck."

Her hand smacked over her mouth in an instant, her heart stopping in her chest as embarrassment painted itself over her cheeks and down her chest and ears, shining the colour of blood. Draco nearly froze too, his expression faltering in panicked confusion, but he recovered pretty quickly, rolling his eyes.

"Tell Potter you won your stupid dare and leave me alone," he sneered.

The Slytherins had only chuckled at Amora's words, seemingly not too interested in the drama going on in younger years, not stopping to stare as they carried on down the corridor. As soon as they were gone, Amora shot him a desperate look.

"Draco, I'm so sorry, I meant to insult you--"

"I know, it's the Veritaserum," he hissed in a whisper before a cocky look crossed his pale features. "Good to know that you think I'm handsome, though."

Amora silently panicked, hoping other things didn't come popping out of her mouth, such as the stupid 'L' word her brain had been associating with Draco since yesterday. She was nowhere near ready to tell him, and she was sure that he wasn't ready to hear it yet, either.

It was going to be a long day and Amora was sure that, either way, between herself, Draco, and Cedric, Leon was not going to come out of it well.

...

the lack of draco in the past two chapters is going to be made up in the next one bc amora's gonna have to spend her time in his dorm ;))))) im excited

thanks for reading! <333

dyiansobrien.