After I get home, I stock up to my room and turn to my potion. Anxiously, I turn to my journal and flip to my current trial.
With a breath to calm my nerves, I remove my shirt and hold out my forearm.
I can hear my heart pounding as I pick up the ladle. As I spread the bottom of the spoon against the dark mark, it feels like fire coursing through my veins.
It hurts too much to scream, and my heart pounds. As I frantically look over the materials, I understand what I have to do.
I missed a strain of jellyfish venom, with powdered lionfish, venomous tentacula, powdered griffin claw, and hemlock, along with other things. Venomous tentacula and lionfish, I realize now, are the main ingredients in potion No. 7. One of the most dangerous potions ever made.
"Fuck!" I sigh, before quickly unzipping my pants and wiping out my penis. I quickly stand over my empty cauldron and urinate over my arm.
The pain only intensifies and I know it'll only get worse before it gets better. As I take in deep breaths, I grab a bottle of alcohol and empty it over my blistered forearm.
I whine in agony, before tossing the empty alcohol bottle across the room. When I pour dittany extract over the blisters, nothing happens.
Anxiously, I down some, before turning back to my ingredients. Instantly, I grab cinnamon, ginger, mandrake leafs and unicorn hair.
As I sprinkle on the cinnamon and powdered ginger, my stomach knots. After layering on the mandrake leafs, I bind them down with unicorn hair.
As the pain subsides, I collapse to the side and let out an exhausted breath.
~
Later that night, there's a knock on my door. Hermione pokes her head in and tells me "Supper is ready."
I nod and wrap my arms around my jumper, before standing up.
As I walk downstairs, Molly looks to me with a smile, which drops within a second "You're looking a bit sickly, dear."
I glance into the window to find I'm extremely pale. I gulp, before telling her "Experimental potion." I shake my head, before telling her "Bad."
She looks me over in concern, before asking "Do you feel sick?" I nod, before tiredly reaching for my medicine.
After I swallow them, I straighten out and pop my back. When the kitchen clears out, Molly holds out a plate to me and insists "You first."
I step up to the stove to find bangers and mash. As I fill my plate, Molly asks "What do you want to drink, love?"
I take in a ghastly breath, before telling her "I'm going to get some water."
She rubs my back, softly, before declaring "I'll get it for you." As I smother my plate in gravy, she gets me a drink "What was the potions for?"
I furrow my brow and tell her "Regrets." She gives a confused look and I take the glass from her, before walking into the dining room.
~
The next morning, I unbind my wound to find it's gone, but the dark mark isn't. With a sigh, I start to get dressed.
As I walk into the kitchen, rolling up my sleeves, Molly smiles at me and whispers "How are you feeling, this morning?"
I smile as I take a chocolate muffin from one of the baskets "Better." I tell her, taking a bite from my muffin.
As I eat it, she places my medicine in front of me and asks "I'm going to make those leftover sausages and rolls into sandwiches for luch, if that's okay."
I nod, before downing my meds. I motion towards the desserts "I believe we have breakfast for the next week."
She scoffs, before declaring "We'll have to rush and eat them, or they'll go bad."
I sigh as I check the time "Speaking of rush. I've got to get to work." I give her a weak smile "See you in a bit?"
She nods and I start towards the door, only she calls after me "Take a couple muffins with you, dear!"
I pick up a banana nut and a blueberry, holding them high in the air to show her I've got them, before walking out the door.
~
After work, I sit on my stool, writing in my journal.
Observation: Intense burn and painful blisters on application. To reverse effects, first urinate on application sight. Pour over alcohol. Swallow dittany. Lay cinnamon, ginger, mandrake leafs. Bind will unicorn hair. Subject will feel sickly and slump for several hours.
Analysis: As expected, the experiment didn't work, just like the others.
Conclusion: I realise, now, that I'll never remove the dark mark. Maybe the medical system will help me discover why it won't leave my body.
With a sigh, I shut the journal and start to unbutton my shirt. When I get to my wardrobe, I release I haven't the foggiest what to wear.
I furrow my brow and walk downstairs to look for a girl or a gay. In Hermione's room, I find three.
Charlie looks to me and asks "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your date?"
I give a weak smile, before telling them "I don't know what to wear."
Ginny furrows her brow, before nodding "We can help you with that."
As they follow me up to my room, Hermione asks "Are you nervous?" I hum.
When I get up to my room, I sit on the trunk and they dig into my clothes. Charlie insists "Definitely the smallest skinny jeans."
He holds up a pair of black ones and nods, before handing them over his forearm.
Ginny holds up a pair of faded white shoes with a thick black strip running from the sole of the shoe, to the rim "Why haven't you worn these?"
I furrow my brow as Hermione asks "Jumper or short sleeve button down?"
I hold up my hands in surrender and Charlie decides "Jumper, with a shirt under."
He pulls out a plain black shirt, before Ginny declares "He needs some color."
Hermione pulls out my university letterman and asks "What's this?" I press my lips into a fine line and she asks "Is this from uni?"
I furrow my brow and tell them "When I was in my residency, the main doctor was American, and referred to me as quarterback, because I was the most hands on resident. It was a joke. D stands for doctor."
My Letterman is black, with white borders. A big letter D sits on it's left shoulder.
Charlie trades the black shirt for dark green and hands the clothes over "There. You're dressed."
I furrow my brow and Ginny asks "What?"
I take in a deep breath, before asking "How?" She shrugs and they leave me to get dressed.
After I dress, I look weird. With a sigh, I walk back downstairs and stand in Hermione's doorway "What now?"
Charlie drops to his knees and rolls up my pant legs. When he stands, Ginny takes my arm and pulls me into the bathroom.
As she reaches for my hair, I jolt away "Nobody touches my hair, but me."
She gives an amused look, before insisting "Just part it like you normally do."
I quickly part it and start to tuck, as much as I can, behind my ear, only she stops me "Leave it only."
I drop my hand and she fixes a few hairs, before Hermione places a pair of silver rimmed glasses on my face.
When they back away, they smile at their success. I glance into the mirror to find I look okay.
Hermione smiles and asks "What time do you need to leave?"
I check my watch and tell her "Now."
"Go then!" Charlie insists and I start out of the bathroom.
I stop when I get to the stairs "Don't let anyone in my room. I've got a dangerous potion I need to get rid of."
They nod and I patter down the stairs.