Emilla Potter

Anxiety Cold

Even after the spring break Evelynn was constantly sleepy. It was not a surprise, almost everyone felt this way after the break, but she started it a bit earlier then the others. It started a few day before the five days break. She tried to rest more in these five days, but it didn't help much. She slept in on charms, then on herbology, and even on transfiguration. She even started to forget about homeworks.
-Miss Prince, maybe you should rest a bit more - professor McGonagall suggested after lesson - You are doing really good in your studies, you can have a bit of a break before the exams - the professor encouraged her kindly. As she did Evelynn tried to tell her teacher that she wasn't even practicing that much, but as she tried she started to cough and sneezed. The professor smiled and quickly spoke up.
- Now, you can go to the hospital wing, and ask Madam Pomfrey for a big mug of pepper-up potion. Tell her I sent you. And then go back to your dorm room and sleep.
The girl nodded and went to get the potion. It didn't taste good, but she knew this would come. She was hoping she wouldn't have side-effects. Snape gave her this potion every time she caught a cold. Once her ears were puffing smoke for 3 hours long. This time, as she wished, it was only five minutes. She got back to the dormitory and went to sleep.
Days went by, she slept in on study sessions, even after two days of just eating and sleeping. On potion class Snape started his terrifying monologue about the exams, and how unprepared the class is. Then they started to brew strengtening solution again, cause it was a usual task for a first year exam. Usually she would have easily brew the potion, but her mind blocked. Evelynn didn't remember the steps, couldn't name any ingredients. One moment, she felt cold, in the other she was burning up. After a very hard 30 minutes a drop of blood fell next to the cauldron. She got confused. "Where did this come from?" she asked herself as another drop fell. And then another two. She touched her nose, and found the source of the blood. She quickly pulled out a tissue and covered her nose, then put up her left hand. Her hands were shaking, and she even felt a bit light-headed.
The potion master looked up from his desk and didn't even look who was the one with a question.
- What is so hard? Don't you understand one of the easiest tasks?
- I understand it professor, I'm sorry for interrupting the lesson - she spluttered the sentence in one breath - I feel sick and I've got a nose-bleed, professor. Can I go to the bathroom? - Lynn asked in a tired voice. As soon as Snape realized which student was talking his annoyed face changed for a second, then he got back his usuall expression. He gave Evelynn a short nod. He followed her with his eyes when she walked out of the classroom.
- Miss Laeva, go after Miss Prince and take her to the hospital wing! - the professor looked at the girl next to Emilla's cauldron. The ravenclaw nodded and walked out of the classroom.
After his potion class with the first years he went up to the hospital wing.
- Poppy!
- Severus!
- What is it with Miss Prince? - Snape looked at the last bed on the right - I heard almost all of the teachers talking about her a lot recently.
- Yes, she was sent here a few times this week - Madam Pomfrey started - I don't really know what's the matter with her. It cannot be a common cold. I mean - she picked up a notebook from a nightstand - look at this professor. Tuesday, sneezing, caughing. I gave her pepper-up and it worked. She was fine after twenty minutes. - the healer was pointig at her notes one after another - The next day she came here shaking from a light fever. She drank another Pepper-up. The fever was gone in ten minutes. Now she's back with fever, caughing and even with a nose-bleed! - Pomfrey put down the notebook and shaked her head. - I think this is anxiety-cold. Which is... quiet unusuall. - she thought to herself, starting to walk around, mumbling. Snape got worried. Then he had an idea.
- Poppy! Give her another pepper-up but after heating it up put 3 lavender pedals in it - he said.
The healer looked at him and her eyes widened.
- That's a good suggestion - she walked towards a cupboard - Will do it! Thank you, Severus.
                                         ***
Finally!
Evelynn felt nothing of the sickness of the last weeks. She was energetic, and collected again! 3 days in a row, she was practicing, eating, practicing, eating...et cetera, et cetera. She was the only first year to cast any duelling spells thanks to her adoptive father and his lessons. The last two weeks she couldn't go to the lesson, and now it was just before the exams. The professor said clearly, that right before the exams they can have only a thirty minutes long practice, then she'll have to go to sleep. Evelynn was very happy with this deal. On Saturday at eight o'clock in the evening she walked into the classroom.
- Very well then - Snape gave her a nod as a greeting - lets start. - he closed the door with a non-verbal spell and held up his wand.
Emilla, finally looking like herself held up her wand and waited. She knew a few spells but it isn't that much. Snape almost wasn't moving. She was waiting. And waiting. A white spell came out of the professors wand and...
- "Protegro" - the shield blasted the dancing curse back to it's caster, who stepped away of it's way.
- "Stupefy" - Mila said. Snape used the shield charm and sent back another spell. She bent out of it's way. - "Expelliarmus" - Snape's wand fell onto the floor. She picked it up and clearly said - "Petrificus Totalus"
Snape was on the floor, without his wand and couldn't move. The tiny red-headed witch still held her wand up. Her brown eyes mirrored her concetration. She walked closer.
"Locomotor mortis" - she said. The professor was able to move again. He got his wand back. He didn't say a thing. The girl walked back to the other side of  the classroom. The two held up their wands again.
Twenty minutes later with three bruises from different spells Snape was prouder then ever but he didn't say a thing. She has to learn a lot more....

Monday:
Transfiguration exam. 8.00 AM.
Every first year in alphabetic order. All the students were scared a bit. Rachel was the first one to go in. After around ten minutes she came out relieved. She said good luck to Gordon Baker, another Hufflepuff, then ran towards her two best friend.
- It was easy! - she said, then pointed at Evelynn - Your thought of practicing the untransfiguration spells was really helpful!
- Oh, nooo! - Katie frowned - I still need more then two minutes to complete those tranfigurations!
The two Hufflepuff encouraged her with their memories of those practice sessions together.
- .... and she'll ask definitions! - Rae said - You are really good at those! - she calmed her down with details of the exam. After a few more encouraging words Gordon came out and McGonagall said the next name.
- Bell, Katie!
The girls face went white. She gulped and slowly walked up to the classroom. The door closed.
Evelynn turned to Gordon.
- Hey! How was the exam? - she asked the boy.
- It was a bit hard for me - he looked a bit dissapointed - I still can't transfigure bigger objects. But the professor is really kind!
Katie came out much more relaxed. She smiled at the next student and their friend, Emily (Burn) and showed her fingers crossed, but the slytherin girl was so scared, she didn't even see it.
Katie was hyped up to tell them everything.
- It was easier then I thought! - she was almost jumping around. - I knew everything! I am soo happy that we reviewed the object to living creature's topic!
The girls laughed, and after a bit more talk, the two already done girl said goodbye to Evelynn. From eleven o'clock Charms exam started and they were in the first ten students. Evelynn waved to them. As she was without her best friends, she started to feel nervous. In the last two weeks she was so forgetfull, what is it comes back? What if she forgets how to do anything she learnt this year? As she was imagining her nightmares someone tapped her shoulder.
- Evelynn Prince? - a girl asked. She had shorter brown hair with a little curl in it. She was shorter then Evelynn, which was surprising. Almost everybody was taller then her.
- Yes, and you are? - she asked back. They met a few times, but they have never had a chat.
- Eva. Pavenzie - she held out her right and shook Evelynn's. - Do you want to come talk to us? Suzy and I are before and after you on the list.
She nodded. It was kind of them to call her. They talked about everything except transfiguration. It felt good to all of them. After a lot of talking and joking finally Eva had to go in. McGonagall told them to be more quiet (for the fifth time). After Eva came out, Evelynn approached the door, and the professor let her in. The desks were on the side of the classroom instead of the usuall three lines. Only McGonagall's desk and one in front of it were in the middle of the room. The sun lit up the room through the windows. Outside a friendly quidditch match was played. As the young witch looked at them, they were from the third and fourth years.
- Now, Miss Prince - the transfiguration professor started the exam - Could you turn this grape into a grapefruit?
The teacher put one grape in front of her. She looked at it and started to think.
"The color changes. Blueish purple to red. "
"Difference in size"
As she thought of these she pulled her wand out of her pocket. Inside she repeated the two sentence again and again. She pointed at the fruit. It first became pink, then turned a bit more red. Then it slowly started to grow. Then it changed it's shape.
Evelynn put down her wand and looked back at the professor. She smiled at her.
- I'm very happy to see you as your usual self again, Miss Prince - she referred to her sickness before the exam. - Well, what can you tell me about the difference in transfiguration of a grape to grapefruit, versus a grape to rubberball?
- The first one is easier, cause it isn't between fruit and object. - she started it slowly - Fruit to fruit and object to object is easier then between object and fruit -in front of her eyes she almost saw the page from the book, like it got copied on professor McGonagall's face - But grape to rubberball has a bit easier part in color and size difference. The size is almost the same and the color doesn't have to change.
The professor nodded. It was so subtle, from further away nobody could have seen it. Then she gestured to the grapefruit on the desk.
- Show it, please!
Evelynn took a deep breath. She thought and she understood that she had to turn it back to a grape, then turn it into a rubberball. But she felt bored. So she opened up the fruit. McGonagall's eyes showed terror. Evelynn took out two seeds. Then pointed at one of them, and turned it into a grape. She ate the other one. After that, she turned the grape into a purple rubberball. As the professor opened her mouth to say something she pointed her wand at the opened grapefruit. It slowly turned into a pink rubberball. The transfiguration teacher got surprised. She looked at the toys, one after another, then picked them up. She tried them. The balls snapped away of the tabletop. The professor took them back with a non-verbal spell.
- Well done, Miss Prince. You can go now.