The Assistant: Echoes of the Dark Arts

Mixing Potions, Mixing Emotions

The cold, damp air of the Potions classroom greeted Eleonora as she stepped inside. The room was dimly lit by the flickering light of the torches on the stone walls, casting long shadows that danced over shelves lined with jars of ingredients—both common and obscure. The scent of crushed roots, pickled eyes, and simmering brews lingered in the air, a familiar aroma that usually brought her comfort. But today, something felt off.

She had been so consumed with the preparations for their meeting that she had barely noticed the gnawing hunger in her stomach, dismissing it as a minor inconvenience. Now, as she waited for Severus to finish with his class, that same hunger had turned into a dull ache, making her feel slightly lightheaded.

Severus was wrapping up his lesson when she arrived, his back to the door as he instructed the students to bottle their potions and clean their workstations. His voice, low and precise, carried authority that commanded the attention of even the most inattentive students. They moved with practiced efficiency, clearly aware of their professor's reputation for sharp criticism.

Eleonora lingered near the entrance, her hand resting on the cool stone wall for support. Her gaze followed the students as they hurried to complete their tasks, feeling a wave of nostalgia for her own days as a student in such a classroom. But the nausea that had been simmering beneath the surface threatened to distract her.

As the last of the students filed out of the room, Severus finally turned his attention to her. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her appearance—pale, with a faint sheen of sweat on her brow. "You're early," he remarked, his voice as detached as ever.

"I didn't want to waste any time," Eleonora replied, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "We have much to discuss."

Severus nodded curtly, gesturing for her to join him at one of the long workbenches. "Indeed. The sooner we begin, the better."

Eleonora moved to the bench, her steps unsteady. She placed her hands on the cool surface, hoping it would steady her, but the room seemed to sway slightly as she tried to focus on Severus's words. "We need to consider the base of the potion carefully," Severus began, pulling out a roll of parchment filled with notes and diagrams. "The effects we're aiming for require a delicate balance of ingredients—nothing too potent or the mixture could become volatile."Eleonora nodded, though the words seemed to blur together in her mind. She tried to concentrate, her eyes scanning the parchment, but the letters swam before her, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Eleonora?" Severus's voice cut through the fog in her mind, sharper now, with an edge of concern.

She opened her mouth to respond, but the room spun violently, and she felt her knees buckle. The world tilted, and she would have collapsed had Severus not reacted with lightning speed, catching her by the arm and pulling her toward him. "Lay down, quick!" Severus commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Eleonora didn't resist as he guided her to a nearby bench, his grip firm but not harsh. She lay down, her legs lifted up from a small pillow, closing her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing, but the nausea clawed at her, refusing to subside. "I'm fine," she managed to say, though her voice was shaky and unconvincing. "You haven't been eating," he stated flatly, his voice a mixture of accusation and worry.

Eleonora tried to respond, but her throat was dry, her thoughts muddled. She could feel her heart racing, pounding in her chest with a force that made her wince. The familiar ache, the one she had learned to live with since childhood, returned with a vengeance, sharp and insistent.

Severus's expression darkened as he observed her struggle. "I had hoped you had grown out of this reckless habit of yours, hasn't that happened often enough, Nora?" he muttered sternly, more to himself than to her. He made his way to a shelf with various colored potions, standing neatly side by side, his hand darted to a dark blue small vial that seemed to hold some mysterious fog in it . "Drink this."