in blackwater woods | evan rosier

four

┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓ ┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛

     Elspeth had calmed herself enough to go to the apothecary later in the afternoon. The sun was shining, and a walk might have done her good, but the cottage was too far from Hogsmeade to walk and not be late. The floo in Elspeth's cottage was the only indication a witch lived in the small home— aside from the applewood wand, long discarded and locked away in the far cabinet in the kitchen. She kept nothing else in there.

Pandora had insisted on a floo, and she installed it in Elspeth's fireplace herself— even bothering herself with the hassle of having it registered and connected in the ministry. Elspeth didn't know why it mattered.

"Because" Pan had said, "You need to be somewhat connected to the world— to me"

The apothecary was off of Hogsmeade's main street filled with shops, only a short walk from the Three Broomsticks, an inn and pub that Elspeth regularly flood into. Elspeth used to frequent the inn on Hogsmeade weekends, sometimes with Pan and— wait. No, she'd rather not think about them.

But Regulus was dead. Had been, for how long again? What harm could co—no, Elspeth. No no no. She bit at her cheek. Regulus was a bad friend, then he died. Was he always so bad? Then his brother— no. Elspeth clenched her fists as she walked, digging her fingernails into her palms. She let the thought die where it was, if it wasn't with her friends then it was with he— enough.

Elspeth took a deep breath as she approached the apothecary.

"Oh!" Ms. Adderly acknowledged, "Is it three o'clock already dear? I haven't even checked the time"

The small shop was calming, the wafting scents of whatever the elder woman was brewing helped to keep the memories away. It was grounding, and today— seemed to be a calming draught. Elspeth could smell the lavender and peppermint. Ms. Adderly was in the front room, dusting the display cabinets.

"Good afternoon Ms. Adderly" Elspeth said softly, removing her small cloak and hanging it behind the register. That was Elspeth's job.

On good days she sometimes helped Ms. Adderly with her brewing; but only the simple parts. Elspeth stirred— or helped to cut and crush plants. But only on good days, and when the apothecary wasn't very busy, it took so much longer to do the small steps manually and without a wand. Though Ms. Adderly said she didn't mind.

Minding the register, tidying, and bringing out stock— those were Elspeth's tasks. She had only been working for the elder woman for just under half a year, though had been visiting the apothecary since she first bought the cottage outside of Rothes.

"I'm glad that you've found yourself a positive environment Elspeth" Healer Jessop had said, their first meeting after she had moved in, "Lovely area— very quaint, the outdoors will hopefully do you some good"

And he had handed her a new script, the list of her potions, pastilles and the like seemed so long, Elspeth had never seen it when she was still residing in the hospital, to submit to the apothecary closest to her new address.

The address of Ms. Adderly's shop in Hogsmeade was scrawled across the top in Healer Jessop's curvy handwriting.

"I'll have your new vials of calming draught finished and bottled by the time you leave, but I'm afraid the essence of Dittany and the Dreamless Sleep will have to wait until Thursday" the woman tutted, clipping a leaf from the dittany bush in the front window, "Will you fare until then deary?"