Far Apart, We Drift
The days creep by. Classes come and go. He stops fearing mealtimes and starts hanging around the library or staying in the dorms during them.
The world blurs. He hasn’t been sleeping enough. He hasn’t been sleeping at all. Hurting himself can only keep him awake for so long, and he still can’t quite work out healing spells.
He can hardly work out how to keep going. He rarely, if ever, turns in his schoolwork. His eyelids grow heavier. He would be terrified that he was ruining his future if he could feel anything at all.
Yet somehow, when his desperation spikes, he stumbles across a book in the library that catches his eye. Basic Potions for Beginners. He fumbles through it and finds something that sounds simple enough.
___
Girding Potion
This potion gives the consumer prolonged endurance.
1. Add one set of fairy wings.
2. Heat until the potion turns turquoise.
3. Add one measure of doxy eggs.
4. Heat until the potion turns pink.
5. Add the toasted dragonfly thoraxes until the potion turns orange.
6. Add one flying seahorse.
7. Heat the potion until it turns turquoise.
8. Add toasted dragonfly thoraxes until the potion turns purple.
9. Heat the potion until it turns red.
10. Add three measures of doxy eggs.
11. Add toasted dragonfly thoraxes until the potion turns blue.
12. Add three flying seahorses.
13. Heat until the potion turns green.
*Please note that the maximum dosage for this potion is TWO vials.
___
He’ll need to sneak into the Potions Storeroom. Surely, he can find the ingredients there. Draco slips the book into his schoolbag and takes out a quill. With shaky hands, he dips it into a bit of ink and scrawls onto the back of his left arm: 1 set of fairy wings, 4 measures of doxy eggs, toasted dragonfly thoraxes, & 4 flying seahorses.
He has thirteen minutes before classes begin again and is on the third floor. He might not have enough time. It’s plenty of time.
Draco walks briskly out of the library, but not quickly enough to catch the eye of Madam Pince.
As he runs down the stairs, Draco catches a glimpse of Potter and a head of bright red hair. His lips purse together. No, he doesn’t have time for this.
He feels as if his lungs could burst by the time he reaches the tapestry corridor. Crossing his fingers, he tests the door to the storeroom. It’s locked.
Draco grits his teeth and pulls out his hawthorn wand. “Alohomora.” The lock clicks and the door swings open as he breathes a sigh of relief.
Not even bothering to glance around, Draco steps into the dimly lit room and scours the shelves one by one. The labels are so small he can hardly make out what they say. He leans in.
The eye of a seahorse stares at him, unseeing, and Draco grabs the jar. Flying seahorses. He places four of them into his bag and screws the lid back on—only four more ingredients to go.
The fairy wings are easy enough to find, and the doxy eggs are straightforward, but he has no idea where the dragonfly thoraxes would be.
“Lumos,” he mutters, flicking his wandlight over each of the jar’s labels. Dragonfly? Nope. Dragonfly? No. Dragonfly?
It has to be around here. Just as he’s nearly done searching the row of containers, something catches his eye. Finally.
Draco hastily grabs what he needs, shoves the ingredients back where he found them and leaves in a hurry. He forgets to lock the door.
It’s fine; it can’t possibly be that big of a deal anyway.
___
Snape watches Draco run towards his next class and silently locks the door. His face is expressionless and unreadable, but as he turns to walk back towards his classroom, his eyes narrow.
Draco manages to finish the potion by the time the weekend rolls around and couldn’t be happier. He can get back on track now.