The Potion of Life

Chapter 6: Garrotting Gas

Garreth

"Nurse Blainey, I need help!" I yelled as I barged into the Hospital Wing with Tessa's limp body gathered in my arms. 
   Without waiting for the matron to come out of her office, I quickly headed over to the nearest bed and laid her down on it before fumbling in my pockets for the bezoar I had managed to buy from J. Pippins today. Thank Merlin for that.

"Come on Tess!" I wasted no time in prying open her mouth and pushed the little ball inside, praying to anything and everything that it was not too late. 
   From the commotion and gasp I heard behind me, I gathered that Nurse Blainey was here and aware of the dire situation. 
   "What happened!?" She screeched, hurrying towards her patient's other side. 
I didn't care to answer her, too focused on Tessa. The bezoar had been in her mouth for enough time now for the antidote to kick in. Unless she was... 

Right at that moment Tessa breathed in deeply, swallowing the thing in her mouth whole and coughing afterwards.
   I was quick to help her sit up and felt dizzy with the relief that washed over me. If I hadn't decided to go over for a little chat... if I hadn't bought that bezoar... 
"Garreth?" 
   Tessa's voice croaking my name brought me out of the spiraling thoughts and I tried to give her a smile, but it was a shaky grimace at best. "You're alive. You're safe." I assured her. 

"What happened?" She sat back against the pillows that the nurse propped up for her. 
   "That's what I would like to know too." Nurse Blainey looked at me. "Mr. Weasley, please explain."
   I exhaled slowly, trying to gather my thoughts. "Tessa was standing next to a Floo Flame when a vial smashed in front of her. I recognized the fumes to be Garrotting Gas." I made sure to make eye contact with the matron as I told her that. Her eyes widened in shock. 
   "She inhaled it before I could get to her." 
"Good heavens!" The nurse looked at Tessa. "You are most lucky to still be alive Miss Cole. I certainly hope you weren't carrying that around yourself?"

Tessa shook her head. "I never even heard of it before. But now I remember that the door to my right opened and the vial was thrown at me."
   "I will get the Headmistress immediately! This has just turned into attempted murder." She practically ran to the exit of the Hospital Wing, but looked back one more time. "I trust you to explain the dangers of that potion to Miss Cole, Mr. Weasley." And with that, she was gone. 

I fetched a chair and let myself fall into it, the adrenaline leaving my body gradually.
   Tessa stayed quiet while I leaned over to put my arms on the bed and let my head rest on them, sighing in relief. 
   It took me some minutes before I was able to calm my beating heart and felt okay enough to start talking. By then her hand had found my hair, her fingers dragging over my scalp in a soothing manner. It felt so good that all I wanted to do was stay like this for the rest of the night.
   But Tessa deserved to know exactly what was almost done to her. 

When I sat up, her hand slipped from my head and I silently mourned the loss. Her brown eyes were focused on me and while she was doing her best to conceal her impatience, I could see she was burning with questions. 
   "Garrotting Gas," I started, "is a highly dangerous potion that instantly chokes everyone who inhales the fumes."
   To my surprise she didn't seem too shocked by that revelation and she only shrugged when I voiced that to her. 
"I mean, don't get me wrong, I am shocked," she admitted, "but Nurse Blainey was talking about an attempted murder and I remember not being able to breathe before I passed out. It's not hard to put two and two together."

She made a valid point. 
   "That doesn't mean I am not taking this seriously though and I do have questions." Tessa shifted to make herself more comfortable.
"The first being; how come it is a potion, but you talk about fumes? Do you bottle the fumes?" 
I shook my head. "Not exactly. It is said to be the fumes of a potion Merlin himself once tried to make. Only he failed to make it and instead it turned out to be a colorless potion that in itself didn't do anything, but for some reason the green fumes that came off of it made anyone who inhaled it, choke to death."
   "Wait, is that how Merlin died?" She looked surprised, which made me involuntarily chuckle despite the whole situation.