Prince of Ruin

Chapter Nine: Coco

Two weeks. That was all the time I was going to get between the nightmare of my engagement party and the wedding to the man I wanted to murder. It meant that there was a lot of gossip- and people were looking at my dramatic drinking at the party in an entirely new and even less charitable light.

I had woken up the next morning feeling like death had stomped on my head, crawled down my throat and settled heavy in my bones, leaving me feeling pasted to the bed. I managed to peel myself off of the blanket- taking a look around the room, it wa a mess- more than my normal mess. It all flooded back, last night, Theodore and his stupid ring. I would get my revenge on the man. He thought I wasn't good enough for him? Fine.

I headed into my mother's room, walking right past her and directly into her bathroom, yanking open the medicine cabinet, looking for a hangover potion before I did something drastic, like give up drinking.

My mother looked fresh as a daisy which was shocking, as I figured she'd have indulged more than I had the night before. But she informed me that she hadn't had anything last night as she reached past me to grab the correct vial.

That was when she dropped the bomb that I had two weeks before the wedding would be happening- also that I was taking her last hangover potion, so I would need to run to the apothecary to get the stuff to make another batch of it.

That was no big deal, I actually really liked potion-making. I had hated doing it in school because Professor Snape was a sniveling shit show who preferred sneering at Potter and his friends over actually teaching us anything useful, but when I was home for vacations and during the summer I enjoyed making potions

After I downed the potion and gave it time to work so that I no longer felt like death, I headed out to the apothecary. There were two around Diagon Alley, there was the official one actually on the main street the one that students went to to get their first cauldrons as well as any supplies that the school required them to provide. Then there was the other apothecary, the fun apothecary. The one down Knockturn Alley that had the ingredients that the other wouldn't carry.

I think we all know which one I went to.

I quickly found everything I needed for the new batch of hangover potions and decided to have a little fun looking at the more nefarious ingredients. A plan forming in my mind.

"Excuse me, can I get just a couple of ounces of that one?" I pointed to the plant I wanted. I had to show ID to prove that I was of age and the apothecary worker put on gloves. A moment later I was handed a small vial with the correct amount in it.

"Perfect, thank you-"

"Calvin, I think the Honeysuckle Stigma is over here." My shoulders tensed at the name.

"No, nope no-" I muttered undermy breath, my heart rate ratcheting up.

"Coming, darling."

"Shit." I turned, I just needed to get to the checkout and then I could slip away without being seen. However, the checkout was on the other side of the store. I reached up and took my hair down from the clip that held it twisted up, letting the dark curtain fall on either side of my face and I adjusted the basket on my arm, hopefully hiding me a little more.

"Oops, sorry." My body was jarred while the woman who bumped into me laughed airily. "I'm pretty clumsy."

"It's fine-" I didn't look up.

"Oh! You're Genevieve's daughter, aren't you?" That got my attention, His too.

"What?"

"Genevieve Selwyn, such a lovely woman, she was friends with my sister, you know. Before..." The woman's comment trailed off, I glanced up at Calvin Danworth who had a thin layer of sweat shining on his forehead.