31st October, 1895 — Potion & Plant Poisoning Department, Hogsmeade Hospital

Just when it had started to feel as though his world was beginning to correct itself the rug had been pulled out not once, but twice, and where once they had been a family of twelve noisy people in one house, they were now nine solemn souls divided. Tomorrow they would have a funeral with empty caskets and sit shiva at his father’s house, but Konstantin doubted it would offer them any comfort. How could it when they had been there one minute and, quite literally, gone the next?

Ari was still a mess, the rest of them were not much better and there was a good chance this week would end up ranking as amongst the worst of his life. He had thought he knew plenty about grief when his mother died – that fallacy had been quickly destroyed when Amelia had died. And now he had lost Katia and Nemo and nothing could ever fill the gaps they had left.

He had tried walking the streets to take his mind off it and for the most part the fresh air had improved his mood, even if no amount of autumnal sunshine could clear the gloomy cloud that seemed to hover ever-present over his head. He considered calling for Leo or Julian, but they would see enough of each other in the coming week. Instead, he had cut through the back street behind the shops in Hogsmeade, hoping to avoid meeting anyone who might ask after his family – in hindsight it would have been the lesser inconvenience.

As he was passing the back door of the Apothecary he was hit in the face twice by a teenager experimentally spraying from a bottle containing a concerningly murky liquid. Profound apologies followed by they went unheard by Konstantin as he had fallen to the ground in a slump.

That had been four hours ago, by his fob-watch, and yet he was still here, still groggy and still convinced this would be the worst week of his life. But the bed was comfortable and no one had informed his family – at least he hoped they hadn’t, because otherwise they just couldn’t be bothered to come – so he had peace and quiet and a neighbour that had leant him the Prophet.

Admittedly he had passed out three more times, for reasons unknown, but that was quite small potatoes these days.

When the curtain was drawn back Kons was glad to be sitting down. Was it another symptom perhaps? Surely the lurch inside him could not be possible given the state of his life at the moment?

“Are you-” A vision? A goddess? An angel? “The healer?”

Tabitha Chevalier | Daffodil Grimstone

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   Barnabas Skeeter

Tabi had come on for her evening shift with a ward that was still mostly empty. She read through the charts of the current patients curiously, trying to see what exactly needed to be done. It wasn't rare for a an emergency case to make its way up to the ward. Poisonings and poor plant-induced incidents were more common than some other things, aside from Spell Damage and Artifacts. She was sure both of those had far more cases than she did, but it wasn't much of a competition. That's why the hospital was broken down into the different specialties after.

She currently held Mr. Fisk's chart in her hands, peering curiously at the presentation of symptoms. The description of what happened was especially perplexing; it sounded like he inhaled something more so than ingesting it, which was odd. The cause being in his lungs was possibly harder to treat, but she still couldn't get a good read just from the chart itself; she would have to gather more information from the patient. It was also noted that someone was trying to track down the supposed source, which would certainly make things easier. There was nothing more satisfying to Tabi than reverse-engineering a potion to find a suitable antidote.

With the chart in hand, she pulled back the curtain to Mr. Fisk's bed partially, gently, so as not to startle anyone. It was for naught of course, because she was startling herself, without even meaning to, even with a simple twist and healer's robes on. She always felt guilty, the surprise on his face something she'd seen countless times. "Yes, Mr. Fisk, I'll be taking over for the evening, Tabitha Chevalier." She introduced herself quietly, always feeling awkward about it. Tabs had always preferred the night shift, a little quieter, a little less hectic, fewer stares, but unfortunately never none. "It says here you were sprayed with something on the High Street this afternoon? Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions about what happened?" She was innately intrigued by the whole scenario and eager to see what she could figure out to help him feel better and more importantly, stop passing out.

It was with a start, that she wondered if this Mr. Fisk was related to her former superior and Tabitha felt an even high sense of determination to figure out what was wrong. She was well-aware that they had suffered losses in the mist. Mrs. Darrow had been only a year ahead of her in Hufflepuff, so she knew of the family on several levels. She was indeed sad to hear about Mr. Nemo Fisk, as he too, had always been kind to her at school.

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For a moment – a brief, blissful but nevertheless profound moment – Konstantin felt his troubles vanish from his mind. Two of his siblings were dead and their faces evaporated. He had lost the job he had coveted and been stabbed in the back by a friend – but it was nothing, it was mist, it was vapour, because the healer who had walked into his dull little hospital room was the most perfect young lady he had ever laid eyes upon. The fineness of her features suggested she had been sculpted by a master of the art rather than born and formed as mere mortals were; her hair and skin glowed to a degree that he briefly – very briefly – felt the need to check that the moon had not freed itself from the orbit of the earth and instead come to light her every step. Except he could not look away for anything, simply would not punish himself by robbing his weary heart from the vision before him for the merest of moments. She put him in mind of Pandora, that perfect first creation of Zeus who embodied all the wonders and mysteries of womanhood in one lovely form; of Artemis the untouchable, silver goddess and Aphrodite-

And then Konstantin blinked. And the moment passed.

He blinked a few more times, as though trying to dislodge something from his eye – possibly it was from his brain – and when he refocussed on the woman in front of him, he felt bamboozled once more. True, she was very beautiful, but where on earth had that come from? Perhaps he was spending too much time with Porphyria? (It was not the first time this thought had occurred to him, but his brain had never become quite so…Greek before and that he put down to her influence.

“Erm…” he coughed, practically spluttered as he pulled himself up a little, feeling suddenly that it was very necessary for him to be propped up against the pillows during this conversation rather than flat on his back like a fool. “Not at all, please do go ahead and ask me whatever you need. I’m afraid I might not be able to tell you any more than you already know, but if you think it would help.”

It could hardly make his situation worse. The shiva was looking and he didn’t fancy falling into unconsciousness at random intervals – sympathy would be at an all time high as it was, he didn’t need coddling to the list of things people thought he needed. Hopefully Miss Chevalier – a name, he noted with some amusement, that was almost as beautiful as she was – would be able to get to the root of the problem. Although if she absolutely insisted on him staying here to recover he might be able to bring himself to forego his duties if the compensation was her company and peace and quiet.

What on earth had come over him?!

  

Tabitha was busy reading through the limited information she had to notice the rest of Mr. Fisk's reaction, otherwise she might have felt a bit a bit more awkward about everything.

"Can you identify any scents from the spray?" It might be an unreliable place to start, but Tabitha had to assume that whatever he'd inhaled was still in his system and thought it would fade eventually without further exposure, she had no idea how long it would last without more information. This was different than ingesting anything where the aftereffects could be more serious, thank goodness, but she still worried that things seemed to be so inconsistent.

Her brain was already working through the possibilities, Tabi had landed on a few suspicions, she had a strong inkling that the culprit lay in the nightshade family, as those were often used for sleep draughts and other calming potions.

It was then that another thought struck her— "Are you still wearing the same clothes?" If he'd gotten sprayed and it lingered on his clothes that might explain the random fainting spells. If he was catching a potent enough sniff, it might still be affecting him. Tabitha very nearly leaned in to smell herself, but waited to see if he answered. It could still be in his hair, on his skin. This might explain the random fainting.

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With effort Konstantin was able to focus his mind. It helped that he had his general state of misery to focus on – nothing distracted you from a beautiful woman as much as two dead siblings, a dead fiancé and one’s jobs prospects evaporating in the face of institutional snobbery. Still, it was a close call; she was utterly exquisite. Why on earth had Ari never mentioned her before? Surely, they must work together?

“Erm, I’m not sure-” he began, racking his brains for the memory of a scent. He vaguely recalled something that might have been sawdust before her next question struck him. He glanced down, finding his suit still in place, if a little ruffled, and sure enough there was a residue clinging to his lapels that had certainly not been there when he left the house this morning.

“I am. And I can assure you they are usually in better condition so you will have to excuse me,” he sat up stiffly and eased his jacket off. His arms had an unnatural ache to them at the manoeuvre but he persevered and handed the garment to her. It occurred to him that it might do her harm to come too close and he paused, “Are you sure? It seems to be rather potent.”

  

Tabi put her hands out, hovering slightly as Mr. Fisk started moving. She nearly took the jacket as he extended it, but thought better of it. "I am concerned that whatever you were sprayed with is lingering on your clothes, perhaps your hair, and that is what is causing the fainting spells. If you are still inhaling enough of the fumes, it would explain the cause." Tabs moved away for a minute to collect a laundry bag and some forceps to handle the jacket with. The last thing they needed was for her to inhale something as well and then go down.

After circling back, she also grabbed a clean cloth to cover her nose and mouth with, in hopes to prevent taking anything in. "I hate to say it, and please do not take it the wrong way, but you might need a bath." Tabi said upon her return. If they could rid him of anything residual, it might get rid of the problem. It would require some further observation, but she thought it might be their best first option. "It will help rule out the residual effects of anything still on your person. Then we can go from there." Tabi felt her cheeks heating a little at the mere suggestion, but as long as he didn't pass out mid-bathing, they might get through it with minimal embarrassment.

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