Chapter 4
"Niya it's time for lunch" Professor Snape's voice cut into her minds concentration and she glanced up from the blood replenisher she had been working on for the last four hours, along with the calming draught and Bruise Salve. The last two were waiting to be bottled, the third needed another twenty minutes of attention.
"I'll go up when I finish this, Sir." She nodded, while mentally running through what she had already made. Sleeping draughts, headache cures, Bruise Salve, calming draughts, burn balm, Pain free draught and the blood replenisher, which meant she still had nine more to make. "I should be done in twenty minutes."
"Molly mentioned something for the brats to do if they misbehave." He said casually as he cleaned up his work space. "They get to come down here and clean cauldrons for a few hours."
"Well that is one way to make them behave." She chuckled slightly. "Knowing them we should have the twins and Ron down here by tomorrow."
"Not Potter?" Snape raised an eyebrow at her.
"He doesn't have the energy to make trouble at the moment, though by the end of the week he will and he has other things to keep him occupied." She shrugged, turning her attention from the simmering thing orange potion to the other waiting cauldrons and steadily poured them out into their containers and labelling them before pulling the burn balm off the heat and letting it cool on it's own, she could bottle it when she returned from lunch and set the dirty cauldrons next to the sink and rinsed them out.
She wrinkled her nose as she finally noticed the smell in the room. "What are you making…" She frowned a little as the smell seemed familiar. "I know that smell…Aconite…your making Wolfsbane?"
"Yes, making one for consumption and tinkering with the other." He nodded as they washed their hands and faces thoroughly. "I'm trying to find away to add a more potent pain reducer to the mix with out upsetting the balance of the other ingredients and that will work." He explained.
"Hmm…" She pulled her note book out of her pocket and flicked through the pages to the notes she had taken on the Wolfsbane potion. "I would be able to make a better judgement if I could study a werewolf before, during and after the transformation. I read everything that my Professor gave me and then some on it. I know that it's incredibly delicate, even one fleck too much of an ingredient would make it unstable." She frowned reading through her notes as they exited the lab.
"Well you can have your chance to study one before the transformation." He smirked at her. "Lupin is one."
"Hmm that explains the dull pain and discomfort I've been sensing from him…" She muttered to herself. "When is the full moon?"
"Five days away, I just finished the drinkable batch for Lupin to take yesterday, so he has had his first dose." He replied before the entered the kitchen where everyone was already eating and she took a seat next to him setting her note book to one side. "I'm sure that I can arrange for you to observe if you need to if you think there is a chance that you can supply so input."
"Well I won't know until I try." She shrugged. "If I remember correctly because of the wolfsbane instability the drinker can take no other potion while taking it as it disrupts the results of a human mind in the wolf…" She said thoughtfully, both were speaking in low tones that the others couldn't hear. "I wonder if instead of adapting the potion I can adapt one of my others so it can be taken at the same time, to compliment it…it would have to be something that lasted for hours at a time…wasn't addictive…" She trailed off pulling a quill out of her hair, adding a few notes and ideas on a new page, absently eating as she wrote, paying absolutely no attention to what was going on around her.
"What is she up to Severus?" Molly asked quietly from the his other side.
"I'm not exactly sure. We were discussing the wolfsbane potion and how to add a pain reducer to it and then mid debate she went off on a tangent and spaced out." He shrugged not concerned, as he had done the same thing on occasion when working on a new potion.
"She also does her best sensing when she is distracted by research." Dray spoke up just as quietly. "Her readings are very accurate, as her mind doesn't interfere with her healing gift and instinct."
Haz made a face as Niya absently pulled a phial from her pocket and handed it to him. "Drink it" She said curtly. "Next time don't ignore the pain, say something." She snapped, her eyes and quill never leaving the pages she was working on.
"Is it just me or has some of the tension and restlessness left the room?" Remus added from Niya's side.
"It's Niya. Once she is immersed in her work she left instinct take over completely. Her empathy sooths and calms while her healing, energises, refreshes, and reads people. She knows with in minutes of what a person needs, what they can take for it or if there is anything she can do." Haz informed them with a small shrug. "It's not something she could stop if she wanted to, but as it comes in hand for when she is making potions she doesn't try that hard. It's automatic, just like her healing refreshing her when she is tired, and packing everything she needs to recover in to four hours sleep."
"And how do you know all this?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Niya made sure that we know all the details of what to do or not to do when she is work and sleeping." Dray replied refilling his pumpkin juice. "So if anything happened while we were with her we would know what we could do. But once she is off on a research tangent there is nothing to be done until she is finished, some one needs her whole attention for healing or she and others are in danger."
"Hmm none of that was in her records, and would have been handy to know before hand." Albus murmured. "How long do these tangents last?"
"Hours, days…" Dray shrugged. "She'll stop when either she has the potion made to her like and knows that it works, or she reaches a dead end."
"Hmm we are definitely going to have to install some sort of alarm system in the lab to get her attention for meals." Molly rolled her eyes.
"Oh she'll eat, especially if it's only research." Haz chuckled. "You just put food with in reach and she'll eat it down with out even noticing."
"Good to know that she won't starve then." Molly chuckled.
"She told us that it took her potion's professor and the Mediwitch two years to train it into her to do automatically." Dray chuckled.
"Does she normally shift as she works?" Charlie asked watching Niya closely, it almost seemed as if she was sitting on something uncomfortable.
"It means her healing gift is working at trying to decipher something, or found something that it didn't expect." Haz nodded.
"Sounds as if we are going to spend the next few hours learning about her habits at different stages." Molly said as she collected up the plates and set them down in the sink to wash themselves. "Oh that reminds me, Severus you have the dubious joy of have the twins scrubbing cauldrons tonight." She glared at the boys as they groaned. "It's your own fault for scaring Harry when you knew that was injured. You can have them for the next week, I don't care if you two are adults. If you want to be treated like adults then act like it."
"It wasn't that bad Molly…" Haz murmured and then flushed as Niya snorted.
"Is she actually paying attention?" Charlie asked with an amused look.
"No, well not really, she hears everything but she doesn't. Her reactions are instinct and natural." Dray shook his head. "And can be brutally honest."
"Not that bad Harry?" Molly scolded him. "You fell down the stairs…What did she give you?" her frown deepened.
"Pain reducer" Dray answered for him as he looked down at the table. "He sprained his ankle and has a few more bruises to add to his collection."
"Dray!" Haz protested.
"Sprain my ass…" Niya muttered as she turned a page and continued writing. "Fractured ankle, sprained knee joint and two broken fingers."
"Three weeks in the lab." Molly ordered looking more then a little angry. "You two need to be more careful when you pull your bloody pranks." She blinked as a phial was placed in her hands and was told curtly to drink it.
"Getting emotional around Niya when she is on a tangent gets her annoyed and agitated." Dray shrugged. "If she is around people when she is working she tried to keep them all calm and happy, it makes it easier on her." He explained.
"Where exactly is she pulling them from?" Ron asked looking at Niya's robe.
"She has a pouch around her waist, filled with potions that she thinks that she needs on a regular basis, mainly Pain reducers, Headache cures, Calming draughts, bruise balm and sleeping draughts." Dray replied, rolling his eyes. "Most of them are the first three."
"When she is fully stocked she'll have another strapped to her thigh full of Blood replenisher, Skele-gro, Skin heal, Pepperup, Energy Replenisher and dreamless sleep." Haz added as Molly served up pudding.
"I'm heading to Diagon Alley tomorrow if anyone needs or wants anything." Remus spoke up as the conversation died down a little. "Have a list drawn up with money to go before you head to bed." He chuckled slightly as there was the sound of tearing paper and a quick list from Niya was thrust in to his hand with a small pouch of money.
"Too bad it's too early to have our book lists." Hermione sighed. "It would give me something to do."
"You could go through the library Hermione." Remus suggested with a smile. "All the…undesirable book have been removed."
"Early book lists might be arranged, if any of you wish to get studying early." Albus spoke up. "You'll have to wait for your results though, which makes it a little hard to buy the books you need." He admitted. "Though I am sure you all got into the classes you wanted and you could always do some independent study on a subject even if you don't get in to a class that you wanted."
"No that's not right…" Niya muttered scribbling out something and continued on writing going silent once more.
"I'm sure I can have a list done up…but none of us has money." Hermione pointed out.
"I think for this once I can place it on the account the school has at the shops." Albus chuckled. "Do not use that as an excuse to go over board on your selections, check the library first and make sure that we don't already have it." He warned gently.
"Yes sir." Hermione nodded before excusing herself and hurrying out of the room.
"Parchment for any one who wants to make a list of their own." Molly said as she dropped a pile of parchment on the table with self inking quills. "Draco, I forgot to ask do you have your trunk?" Molly asked looking concerned.
"Yes, Mrs Weasley." He nodded, picking up a sheet and writing a few things down with his name on the top and placed a small pouch of coins on the table. "My mother smuggled it out for me with everything I would need for the year."
"Good, at least we won't need to get you a new wardrobe then…Niya dear do you need clothes?" Molly asked her, as if the woman wasn't muttering to herself and writing furiously.
The list was pulled out of Remus's hands a few more things added and handed back, not seemingly noticing that her hand was still resting on the mans arm.
"Don't move or she'll get annoyed." Haz warned Remus as he went to move the hand. "She's reading you, so she'll know how you'll react to certain things. Eventually she'll do that with everybody, it make it easier for her to treat some one if she has had prior contact."
"Being Sunday and the shop is closed you two can spend the rest of the day in the lab doing what ever Professor Snape and Niya need you to do, until they release you for the night." Molly told the twins as they tried to sneak out of the room unnoticed.
"No offence to Niya or anything but how long is she going to be attached to me?" Remus asked with a chuckle.
"Until she releases you." Haz shrugged as he finished his own list and added his money before he stood up and sighed as a small tub the thrust at him. "Yes Niya, thank you Niya." He said with a roll of his eyes and looked at the label. "Oh good, bruise balm." He opened the jar and walked out of the room with Dray on his heels as he lifted his shirt rubbing it on his ribs.
"Well at least we know that he won't be hiding injuries on us any time soon." Molly sighed picking up the empty pudding bowls and added them to the sink.
"No one will be able to hide injuries Molly, it is one down side to living with a healer." Severus commented sounding a little wary himself and gave a sigh as a phial was thrust at him and glared at her.
"Problem Severus?" Albus asked in a tone that said that it was a good idea not to lie.
"Just a headache, I must admit that the Headache Cure she has come up with is quite good and actually has good side effects." He said as he downed the contents.
"Such as?"
"It make you clear headed and energised and with a need to do something with you hands. For students they head off to study, and teachers find it easier to read through essays and teach classes for the next four hours." He replied slipping the phial in his pocket to be sterilised back in the lab. He frowned as he heard a snap and glanced to his left side at Niya and then to Remus who had a look of shocked painful relief on his face.
"Ow." Remus said after the fact but sounding very relieved.
"What was that?" Molly sounded horrified.
"Rib and two vertebrae, slightly out of place." Niya muttered with a slight shake of her head, making more notes. "Needs more Iron in diet…" She slid a sheet of parchment over to Severus who picked it up to read and he began muttering to himself, picking up a quill adding his own notes to what she had written.
"Severus perhaps it is best if you move to the lab where you won't be disturbed." Albus suggested kindly as he glared at Molly as she dropped a pot.
He nodded curtly and stood and tapped Niya's shoulder and she scooped up her note book and dragged Remus with her who followed with a chuckle walking beside her, so she wouldn't lose her grip on him. Her note book floated in front of her as she continued to write.
"Well it seems she can use wandless magic when in need." He commented.
"I have a feeling that she can do quite a bit when she needs to, whether she should be able to or not…" He gave a little snort. "Much like Potter I suspect." His eyes narrowed as he spotted the twins waiting outside the lab door, holding dragon hide gloves. "I believe there are a number of cauldrons down there with your names on them." He commented dryly and opened the door and followed them down.
"Something tell me that this month is going to be spent learning a lot about Niya and what she can do, with conscious of it or not." Remus murmured quietly as he took the seat next to the girl as she dropped her notebook on the desk and continued writing. "Though I do hope that she'll let me go soon, or it could get embarrassing."
"I'm certain that her instincts will save your dignity Lupin." Severus sneered. "Or you could do it yourself after all you know the spell."
"True." He nodded.
"Because something tells me you aren't going to be going any where for the next few hours." He smirked.
"I should have brought my book." Remus sighed, and blinked as a book appeared beside his arm.
"Like I said just like Potter." Severus sneered.
"Tell me Severus, how are your aches that you normally have?" Remus asked quietly so the twins wouldn't hear as they moaned over the dirty cauldrons as they began their work. He watched as the Potions Master paused in writing before looking up, his face blank but his eyes showed his surprise. "I noticed through dinner that she was seat quite close to you, her elbow was always in contact with your arm, and the little crease she had in her forehead slowly faded as the meal continued." He nodded as he saw that Severus was listening and knew what he was talking about. "You also seemed a lot calmer and not nearly as scathing as you usually are, you missed several opportunities to make cutting remarks."
"The little minx" Severus breathed. "I didn't even notice, she's been soothing me since yesterday."
"I am going to guess that the headache started yesterday?"
"Yes." He nodded as he went back to adding his own notes.
"It's probably your body's way of dealing with the healing she's been doing, and the release of tension as your body relaxes." Remus mused, feeling his own body relaxing. "I noticed that Harry isn't nearly as angry as he normally is and much more relaxed around people."
"What are you feeling at the moment?" Severus asked just as quietly.
"Well I've noticed my wolf hasn't been this calm and happy in years, not since Harry was born. This is the first time so close to the full moon that I haven't been in constant pain and discomfort…actually this is the first time with out a pain reducer that I have so relaxed and pain free…" he paused thinking and a smile tugged at his lips. "I actually feel completely normal."
"Well if what I am reading is right, just from this piece of parchment she is making a complementary potion to work in concert with the wolfsbane, as it is nearly impossible to make in the potion it's self." Severus gestured to the parchment in front of him. "That's a part of why she is scanning you, she is testing to see how your body would react to different potions, added to the fact you already have Wolfsbane in your system helps her to judge how you would react."
"She can do that with out the actual tests?" Remus raised an eyebrow.
"And with out the side effects." Severus nodded. "With her empathy and Healing she is a genius when it comes to potions and the effects it would have on some one."
"She must have impressed you Severus, you gave her a compliment." Remus chuckled.
"Truth be told I am a little jealous, she can do things with potions that I can only dream of and know the reactions with out the trails and errors. Though she admits that on occasion she has been proven wrong in the way she thinks a potion will react…" He looked down at Niya's note book and raised an eyebrow. "I believe she is writing out a recipe for said potion…I had no idea that she could do it so fast."
"It will probably have to be adjusted a few times before it is completely effective but it should do for now." Niya replied looking up from her work as she set the quill down and released Remus's arm and blinked as she looked around the lab. "When did lunch finish?"
"Nearly three hours ago." Remus chuckled. "You've been working on that for nearly four hours."
"Oh dear how many people did I scold and rat out for having injuries?" She asked blinking and a faint flush covered her cheeks.
"Just Harry after a prank went wrong and the Twins are serving detention for the next three weeks." Remus nodded in the direction of the twins sitting in front of the dozen dirty cauldrons. "Molly for getting angry at the twins and Severus for have a headache…and popped a few of my joints back into place."
"Hmm, not bad for one tangent." She chuckled as she stretched out her entire body, easing a few cramps.
"What would you call a good tangent?" Severus asked archly.
"Where I don't have to heal any one or dish out calming draughts." She shrugged. "The only time that happens is when I am on my own, basically that tells me that everything as it should be when that happens."
"I'm going to take a guess and say that is also the only time that you truly relax as well." Remus nodded.
"That's why my rooms have to heavily warded so I don't continue my soothings in my sleep." She shrugged.
"I might remind Albus about that, I'm not sure if he has remembered to add warding to your room." Remus frowned. "Do you need me for anything else?" He asked, shaking off his musing.
"No I'm done with you for now." Niya chuckled shaking her head. "Is there anyone going to Diagon anytime soon? There are a few things I need." She asked and then frowned. "Now why does that seem familiar?"
"We were discussing it at lunch Niya." Severus chuckled faintly. "You wrote out a list and then shoved it at Remus."
"Well then, I guess I don't have to worry about that then." She shook her head and moved of picking up ingredients and a rather large cauldron and set them up on a spare desk muttering to herself about being rude.
Remus shook his head in amusement and left the lab.
Niya stretched her limbs as she left the potions lab as her stomach wouldn't stop rumbling from the lack of food. She was on her own and she wasn't sure when Professor Snape had left the lab, but she had a feeling that it had been hours and should be close to dinner time. She winced a little as a few joints popped loudly as she walked into the kitchen and Remus made a face.
"Does that happen often?" He inquired sipping at a mug of what smelt like coffee.
"Sometimes." She nodded and made herself a mug of tea, frowning a little when she sensed that every one was sleeping. "Did I work through dinner?"
"You worked through an entire day, Niya." Remus sighed. "No one could get your attention from the potions you were working on. The supplies you wanted from Diagon Alley are in your room and wards have been put in place to let you sleep in peace."
"Oh…" She blinked a little in surprise. "That has not happened in nearly two years, I guess it's because I am not used to everyone here yet to be conscious of them when I really get into my work." She sighed as she sat down. "Who tried?"
"Myself, Severus, Albus, Charlie and Dray. Haz refused to go anywhere near you saying the last time he interrupted you, he got the scolding of his life and dosed with potions."
"Hmm I remember that." She shook her head. "He had a few injuries which is what probably pulled me out of the trance I was in." She sipped her tea quietly for awhile in silence. "So what time is it?"
"Close to lunch, most of the others are either in the library, at work or off doing their own thing." Remus shrugged. "I wouldn't go back to the lab until Molly has had a chance to feed you though."
"Hmm that's what finally pulled me out of my trance, besides finishing up the potion I was working on." She nodded and was about to go rummaging through the cupboards for some food when Molly walked in and ordered her to sit before quickly whipping up some lunch for her. "I think if my stomach rumbled any louder every one would have heard it." She chuckled lightly as she dug into her meal.
"Well the only thing that you have eaten lately was a few lemon drops from Albus and a few sugar quills that Dray managed to get you to eat." Molly scolded as she began serving up lunch for every one else as they began trooping in.
"I think I am going to have to put that alarm in after lunch." Niya murmured to her self shaking her head.
"How is your restock going Niya?" Haz asked as he sat down across from her.
"Nearly completed, all I have to do is restock my belts and sort out my Healer's trunk, last time I looked in there is was a bit of a mess." She shrugged and then frowned slightly. "Did some one say something about hospital potions to me?" She asked in general looking about the table.
"Yes that would have been me" Albus answered as he walked into the room. "I asked if you would be willing to do up the hospital potions for the school as Severus is willing to turn them over to you so he can have some time for research, you just asked me to gather a list of everything that was need and in what quantities." He informed her as he handed over a roll of parchment. "If you need extra supplies then do ask."
"Sure that won't be a problem." She nodded unrolling the list and looking it over before pulling a book out of a pocket and looking it over and frowned when she saw a few items were flashing to get her attention. She pulled out another small book and began writing out a list of things that she needed. "I didn't think that I had gone through so much of my stock already…" Her frown deepened. "Have I been dosing people again? A large quantity of my calming potion and relaxing balm is missing."
"Ah that would have been last night." Albus nodded. "There was quite a large argument going on up here and a large pile of Calming draughts found their way into every one's drinks." His eyes twinkled brightly as he chuckled.
"And the balm?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You thrust three jars of it on me." Remus gave her a gentle smile. "I must admit that it has done wonders for my joints."
"Hmm if this keeps up I am going to have to do up an automated book connected to my potions so I know where they are going and to who…" She shook her head and continued with her list. "I wonder if I could do up an automated shopping list with the Apothecary, connected to by account so it is automatically paid for and items are sent out as I need them…" She tapped her lips thinking.
"It can be arranged." Albus assured her.
"It would be a great help." She nodded as she absently finished off her lunch and pulled another book from a pocket and wrote out from memory the potions she had already made. "Could some one charm this to interact with my stock of potions to keep track of where to whom they go to?" She asked sliding the book up the table, before making a copy of her potions equipment and ingredients connecting it to her original and wrote out a letter to both Gringotts and the Apothecary asking for an automated system.
Once she was done she handed it to Albus and in return she got her Potions Tracer back, she looked it over before nodding.
"Niya I would also like to talk to you before you disappear again." Albus caught her attention as she stood.
"Yes sir" She nodded and waited as every body suddenly evacuated the kitchen leaving only Remus, Albus, Molly and her self.
"As you have declined going to Hogwarts you will be staying here with Molly and her family and Remus. If you need anything ask them and they will make sure you get as soon as possible." Albus told her with a smile. "You can also set up your room and your half of the lab as you need it, though again any spell work will have to come through an adult." He waited until she nodded with understanding. "I was also hoping that you would be available for emergency healings both to the people that come here and at the school?"
"I would be most annoyed if you tried to keep me away at those times, Sir." She nodded. "I doubt I would need to be called if some one was injured here, I would feel it as soon as they walked in the house…" She frowned and sighed, pulling out a small brown vial and held it out slightly to her left, and smirked as Severus stormed into the room sneering at all present, scowled at her before snatching the vial and storming back out of the room. "I'll have to make sure he has a batch of that at the school." She murmured and made a quick not of it on a note pad in her breast pocket.
"When did he arrive?" Remus asked with a small frown.
"Twenty minutes into lunch, he's been in the lab looking for my headache cure." She shrugged. "That was my last vial."
"Hmm see that you do make a batch or two available to the school, add it to the potions list for Poppy please." Albus requested.
"I will sir." She nodded.
"Please Niya, call me Albus." He twinkled at her. "I'll see that this list is done as soon as Severus is available."
"Thank you Sir." She nodded and then headed up to her room, ignoring the smothered chuckles and the waves of amusement coming off the adults. She carefully resorted her Healers Trunk and then carried it down to the lab to store her potions carefully away.
"Niya…" Severus started as he came into the room and did a quick glance around the room. "Do you have any more vials of the headache cure?" He asked.
"No you had the last one, I'll be doing up a few batches tonight, I'll make sure you get a supply by tomorrow morning." She shook her head as she continued transferring vials, jars and tubs into her trunk, leaving a few on the shelf as she went.
She looked up suddenly and frowned and then hurried up as a faint crash was heard, the sounds lead her to one of the lounge rooms on the first floor to find Ron and Haz in a screaming match while Ginny helped Dray off the floor.
She knelt down next to Dray and applied some bruise balm to his darkening eye, a quick bone mending potion and then wrenched his nose back into place and gave him a swelling reducer.
"What is going on in here?" Molly yelling over the yelling boys and then scowled at them both as she caught sight of Niya tending Draco. "I expected better from both of you, you Ronald Weasley will spend the next week in the lab cleaning cauldrons, you Harry will spend in the kitchen with me helping with the meals." She glared at all of them. "And Draco will help with the dishes. I have had enough of your childish spats, grow up. Every one of you are confined to your rooms. Now march!" She pointed in the direction of the stairs and watched the three boys scamper up the stairs. "Thank heavens we moved them all to separate rooms a few days ago." She muttered before returning to the kitchen with Ginny and Hermione right behind her, telling her what exactly had happened.
"What did you sense?" Severus asked as she returned to the lab and continued sorting out her stores.
"A fear spike from Draco, anger and Jealousy from Ron and annoyance, frustration and anger from Harry." She sighed. "Ron thinks he is loosing Harry to Draco, and he won't let go of the childish things that they all did when they were younger."
"How long have Potter and Draco been friends?" He asked with a slight sneer, that had no feeling to it.
"Since fourth year, Harry introduced me to Draco that summer, we've been friends ever since." She shrugged. "All the fighting that has been going on at school since then have been acts to keep Draco's father unaware and to keep his 'friends' in line." She finished filling her trunk and closed the lid.
"They managed to hide their friendship from every one at the school for any amount of time is quiet an feat." He shook his head. "Then again those two have always been very good at hiding their true emotions and just showing a mask to the world…"
"Very much like yourself." She murmured as she lifted the trunk and carried it up stairs and stored it in an empty study that she had found earlier in the week, and gave it a much closer look over.
"What are you doing in here Niya?" Remus asked sticking his head in the door.
"I was thinking about turning a few unused rooms in to a little infirmary." She replied absently as she studied the room.
"That may very be a good idea my dear." Albus commented as he slipped in past Remus. "You can never be too prepared after all." He glanced around the room. "I'll get a few people on it…would you prefer having a room down here on the first floor near the lab?"
"Only if it is thoroughly warded, if wounded were brought here the wards on my bedroom would have to be strengthened so I don't feel echoes of the pain." She nodded.
"It would be much easier to do that on a ground floor room as it is closer to the ground and we can tie the wards to the earth it's self." He stroked his beard. "Yes that maybe a nice solution." He nodded. "We'll work on it my dear."
"Thank you sir." She smiled as she seemed to come out of her trance and left her trunk near the wall. "Make sure no one moves that, or they'll end up with a nasty little shock."
"I'll make sure of it." Albus nodded. "Severus just left to restock your supplies again."
"Good, then I can start brewing the headache cure tonight and have it ready for shipment tomorrow dinner time."
"It needs that long?" Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"It needs to stew for three hours before it can be bottled." She nodded. "The brewing alone takes two and each batch makes only twenty vials."
"Why don't you wait until after dinner before you start?" Albus suggested with a small chuckle. "I have no need to hear Molly scolding us for letting start long brewing potions before a meal, it is only two hours."
"Hmm." She nodded before she left the room and headed up stairs to check on Dray and Haz and was not at all surprised to see that Dray and snuck into Haz's room. She didn't say anything but joined the huddle of comfort and safety on the bed, and soon found herself in the middle with both of them holding on to her and settled down to relax a little as she felt them drift of into sleep.