The Assistant: Echoes of the Dark Arts

A Confluence of Minds

The familiar scent of crushed herbs and simmering brews filled the potions classroom as Eleonora stepped inside, pulling her long jade green robe behind herself, the door closing behind her with a soft creak. The room was dimly lit, the flickering light from the cauldrons casting elongated shadows across the stone walls. She had always found comfort in the precise, controlled environment of a potion's lab, where everything was measured and deliberate, smells growing thick around her. Here, at least, she could maintain control, a sharp contrast to the chaos of the world outside.

Severus was already there, his back turned as he arranged a series of vials on the workbench. He moved with a practiced ease, his long fingers deftly handling each container as if they were an extension of his own hands. For a moment, Eleonora allowed herself to observe him, the memories of their shared past pushing unbidden to the forefront of her mind. But she quickly buried them, steeling herself for the task at hand.

"Severus," she greeted, her voice level and professional as she approached the workbench.

"Miss Vale," he replied coolly, not bothering to look up as he continued his work. His tone was distant, formal— as if they were nothing more than colleagues meeting for the first time. 

She took her place beside him, laying out her worn leathered book and own set of ingredients with a measured precision. The room was quiet save for the soft clinking of glass and the occasional crackle of a flame. Eleonora could feel Severus's presence next to her, an unspoken awareness of the space they shared, but he kept his attention firmly on the task at hand.

"We need something that will bypass his defenses," Severus suddenly began, his tone clinical. "He has layers of protection—magical and otherwise. Any potion we create must be potent enough to penetrate these, yet subtle enough not to draw immediate attention."

Eleonora stared at the table and nodded slowly, her mind already turning over possible ingredients and combinations. "A poison that acts slowly, perhaps, something that takes root in the body over time. It could weaken him gradually, affecting his ability to perform magic at its fullest strength."

Severus glanced at her, a brief flicker of interest crossing his features before his mask of indifference returned. "A slow-acting poison would indeed be effective. However, it would also require a delivery method that ensures exposure over a prolonged period. We would need something stable, that could go undetected for weeks—possibly months."

"We don't have the time for months, have we?" Eleonora asked as her gaze flickered over to the Potions Master. She cursed her for the unnecessary comment and waved the thought away quickly, of course he knew about the urgency. 

"Something that can be administered through multiple vectors," Eleonora added thoughtfully. "Ingested, inhaled, even absorbed through the skin. It would need to be complex, layered. Perhaps a base of aconite, for its versatility, combined with belladonna for its effects on the nervous system. And to bypass detection..."

"...a chameleon-like quality," Severus finished, his eyes meeting hers briefly. "The potion would need to adapt to its surroundings, becoming nearly impossible to trace. It shall only affect him, only him" Severus repeated quietly.

There was a pause, the only sound the soft bubbling of a cauldron in the background. It was a moment of understanding, a shared recognition of the brilliance and danger in what they were proposing. For an instant, it was like old times—two sharp minds working in perfect tandem, their intellectual synergy as potent as ever. But just as quickly, the moment passed. Severus turned away, his expression hardening once more. 

"We'll need to test various compounds," he said curtly, returning to his workbench. "The potion must be flawless. Any misstep could be fatal." Eleonora watched him for a moment, her own expression carefully neutral. She was keenly aware of the distance between them—one they both maintained with rigid control. 

"Of course," she replied evenly, suppressing the flicker of old emotions that threatened to rise. "I'll begin drafting ideas for the  initial formula tonight. We can compare notes tomorrow." Severus nodded curtly. "Very well. We'll reconvene then."

She gathered her notes, her mind already cataloging the ingredients she would need, the experiments she would run. As she moved toward the door, she hesitated for a fraction of a second, feeling Severus's eyes on her back. 

"There's no room for error, Eleonora," he said quietly, his voice devoid of warmth, but not entirely of familiarity. It was a small slip, the use of her first name—an acknowledgment of the past, buried quickly but not forgotten.

She paused, her hand on the door handle, before turning her head slightly. "I never make errors, Severus," she replied, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips, though her eyes remained serious. "You should know that by now."

Without waiting for a response, she exited the room, leaving Severus alone in the flickering light of the dungeon. The door clicked shut behind her, and she felt a strange mix of resolve and uncertainty settle in her chest. As she walked away, her thoughts lingered on the task ahead, but also on the man she had once known so well. The distance between them might be vast, but in that cold, dark classroom, she couldn't help but feel that something was beginning to stir and with that she definitely didn't mean the potion.