There is no Peace PV Bubba McGarry

Hunter stood in a completely frozen nature. Had he not been wearing his glasses, then he certainly would be blinded and even more upset with Bubba's actions. Hunter was frozen in both astonishment and anger. He couldn't believe that Bubba had the audacity and strength to finish the glass vial and puke a large sum of vomit on Hunter. The smell was putrid and horrific, a mixture of poison and stomach acid that just wouldn't sit right in anybody's nostrils. Perhaps because they were already in the abandoned toilets Hunter hadn't vomited as well. He could feel his stomach churning and the deep magma in his stomach beginning to rise. He moved his arms, and the ick-slime of disgust just really was a bit too much to feel, smell, and think about.

Hunter, although against it in his mind, turned his back from Sophia and Bubba who was on the ground. The scenery, the smell, and the idea of doxy eggs caused Hunter's mind to hit a brick wall and vividly remind him of his own suffering from eating doxy eggs. Same location and it all felt rather similar. Hunter threw up into the broken sink that he turned towards. Revolting, but not as painfully echoed as Bubba's. After a quick vomit, Hunter turned toward Sophia with a look of disgust and tiredness. Hunter didn't seem angry, but there was also a strong hint of annoyance like someone who had to deal with a crying toddler all day. Hunter lifted his wand, pointed it at his own ruined robes, and drew an 'S' shape in the air, "Scourgify!" His tone was a sort of mellow deep growl. The boy never yelled, never showed anger, but he certainly made a point to show that he was very fed up with the current situation. As the words left his mouth, the vomit began to magically be covered in squeaky clean bubbles. Chunks of coagulated doxy eggs and belladonna fell onto the ground, and the sickening black-brown sludged stains vanished upon being cleaned. Hunter continued casting the spell onto his pants and shoes in order to make sure not a single drop of vomit was left on him.

Eventually, Hunter drifted his eyes back towards Sophia, and Bubba who was on the ground. A line of vomit was now between them and Hunter began taking his steps at Bubba. After the first step, Hunter lifted his wand, "Wingardium Leviosa," and lifted the glass vial of the antidote. Hunter seemed calm in his movements, but it was a deadly kind of calm. The sort that just told you something was wrong. His voice was calm, his steps were cold and barely let out any sound or echo. Hunter then jerked his wand and forcefully had the glass vial fly directly at Sophia's face. It stopped mid-air... just a few inches away from her eyes. Hunter's face seemed unfazed, but his voice would send cold down a person's spine. After a few steps, he reached Bubba and looked down to see the boy was unconscious: "Note to self, increase concentration of belladonna in a potion to induce hallucinations faster." Hunter shifted his gaze from Bubba towards Sophia with the vial still floating in front of her, "This whole matter doesn't really involve you Ms.Nelson, but Mr.McGarry's actions have made me reconsider a lot within the current few seconds. Choose your words carefully, please," Hunter knew his paranoia was on the brink of snapping. He was calming himself little by little, and he wanted to take back a bit more of the control he lost from Bubba.

"Do you recall our mutual agreement? Care to make any more potion trades?" Hunter waved his wand a bit and the potion motioned with it. As if held by a single thread, it bounced and appeared as if it were going to fall at any moment: "Cause right now, I'm reconsidering giving Mr.McGarry the antidote. He won't die, but he's certainly in for a rude awakening when he regains consciousness. Good thing there are toilets nearby. Now, I really wouldn't want to harm our agreement Ms.Nelson, and we have a slight history in which I can reassure you, that you can trust my words. Mr. McGarry won't drink this antidote if I were to give him it, and I'm sure you can tell that this is in fact an Antidote to Common Poisons. So right now, what happens next is up to you Ms.Nelson."

Hunter took a few steps back, his shadow looming over the unfortunate Bubba. His paranoia refused to allow him to turn his back at Sophia, but his inner anger allowed him to shift his gaze at the young boy, "You know. I don't have a draught of peace, but I have another potion that I thought you would have enjoyed as a present for your cooperation Mr.McGarry." Hunter jerked his hand again, and the potion in front of Sophia flew up and into a wall... hard. The glass shards of the vial flew dangerously across the air and onto the ground. The teal antidote smeared against the wall like the blood of a gnat smashed by a hand: "I'm assuming you still have my Antidote that we traded the first time, don't you Ms.Nelson?" Hunter's gaze didn't shift off Bubba as he said this. The sound of the glass shattering perhaps calmed him a bit, but Hunter's voice was still stone cold and eerily creepy: "I've got a little data on what I need. My knowledge of dealing with poisons has improved a bit, but there are still a few questions I have." As if Hunter was warning Sophia that this won't be the last time he'll do such an act.

Hunter took a few steps towards Sophia, his eyes not averting: "Before I leave Ms. Nelson, are there any potions you would like to trade? I have a very interesting one that I was originally going to give Mr.McGarry, but perhaps you would like it more?"

@Bubba McGarry@Sophia Nelson

--- Date: 04/06/22 || Time: Morning ---

Outfit: School Robes, untied tie

"Belladonna. Mistletoe is too easy to cure, belladonna is stronger and worse. I need to understand these poisons better to make sure I can cure them the next time. Make sure my antidotes are strong enough for mixtures like these. Mr. McGarry here was helping as a volunteer, and everything is under control."

Sophia might have genuinely been convinced, since those words certainly made sense in the context of what she knew about Hunter, but the wand pointed at her suspended her belief, ever so slightly. The boy's command that she not take another step toward the other boy - Mr. McGarry? - didn't help either.

"I suggest you stay and study as well, it may help you identify what issues students may encounter in the future. Now then, I'm curious since were all Ravenclaws. What do you think your theories would be if a poisoned individual were to be hit with a curse? Would the curse be enhanced or could it potentially afflict and enhance the poison by magically overriding the body?"

The words from his mouth didn't sound even a little malicious to Sophia. No, she could heard the genuine curiosity and wonder within Hunter's voice. This boy wasn't evil. This was the boy whose eyes had lit up just like her own when they'd successfully brewed Gregory's Unctuous Unction together. This was a boy with a love and fascination for potions. Sure, he was taking it to the extreme, but he wasn't a bad guy. Sophia knew this.

Unfortunately, she couldn't try to reason with him with his wand still pointed at her. Still, this was ridiculous.

"Hunter, you can't seriously expect us to -" she stopped as she realized that, yes, he did expect them to theorycraft regarding poisons and their interactions with curses. She sighed, thinking briefly. "Look, I don't know what would happen. Unless you had an ingredient that specifically increases magical potency in the blood? Even then, it would depend on which curse you're using, and that's far beyond my expertise. Maybe -"

Her theory was interrupted - thankfully; spells were not her expertise - by Mr. McGarry standing up for himself - figuratively; literally, he seemed to barely be able to stand - and explaining the situation more clearly. As Sophia'd expected, the boy had been an unwitting contestant in Hunter's experiments, but that was no surprise. No one would willingly volunteer to test out poisons like this.

Then the boy did something Sophia didn't expect.

She had no idea what he was thinking. Maybe it was spite? Desperation to get out of this situation? Who knew. Regardless, the boy was now fighting his way to his feet and - to Sophia's astonishment - drinking more of the poison!

The wand wasn't pointed at her anymore, but she knew that could change before she'd ever reached Mr. McGarry, let alone given him the Antidote in her pockets.

She watched warily for whatever was going to happen, mentally preparing to reach for her antidote regardless of Hunter's opinion of that action. If things got much worse for Mr. McGarry she'd help him regardless of risks to herself.

Sophia then gaped in horror when the poison's effects intensified - some of them, anyway - and Mr. McGarry, well, vomited all over the floor and Hunter.

The scent hit her first, and it was one of the worst things she'd ever smelled in her life. She had to fight against her own body's attempts to induce vomiting as she shook in fear and disgust at the entire situation. She managed to hold back the nausea just enough that her body settled for a dry heave instead.

Then, however, she got a better look at Hunter and despite the fact that it was him and not her covered in the disgusting mess, she couldn't fight her own sickness any longer. Ignoring Hunter's wand and earlier threats toward her, she sprinted from the pair and deeper into the bathroom to one of the old, battered stalls, where she emptied the contents of her stomach into the vandalized toilet.

Reluctantly making her woozy way back to the other boys, she stopped abruptly when she saw that Hunter's wand was once again out. Clearly he'd used the Scouring Charm to clean himself, as his clothes were once again mercifully clean. That was a relief, but the look he was giving Sophia sent chills down her spine.

As Hunter stepped toward the unconscious Mr. McGarry, Sophia had to stop herself from jumping between them. It wouldn't help anything anyway, since he was already unconscious.

Hunter cast a Levitation Charm and the antidote he'd prepared was hovering just in front of her face.

"Note to self, increase concentration of belladonna in a potion to induce hallucinations faster," Hunter said to himself calmly as if a boy hadn't just drank his poison, thrown up all over him, and lost consciousness.

"Why not just use Lovage?" Sophia asked before she even realized she was speaking. Oof. It seemed to pull his attention to her once more.

"This whole matter doesn't really involve you Ms.Nelson, but Mr.McGarry's actions have made me reconsider a lot within the current few seconds. Choose your words carefully, please," he said. Sophia didn't hear it in his voice, but she could see the instability in his eyes through his glasses. He wasn't okay.

What words were supposed to be said? Hadn't they crossed a threshold here? There was nothing she could possibly say to end this now. Mr. McGarry was lying on the ground, unconscious in a pool of his own vomit and Hunter was dangling the antidote in front of her, teasing her. Did she dare reach for it? She wanted to, so badly, or at least the one in her own robes.

"Do you recall our mutual agreement? Care to make any more potion trades?"

Ah. So that was it. She was to trade a potion for the antidote to cure this boy she'd never even met. It wasn't even a hard choice. She'd trade it in a heartbeat, but what did Hunter want from her? She had a handful of potions, but nothing fancy. The potion dangled threateningly in front of her face, and she knew it was Hunters way of showing that he was in power here.

He must not have realized that she had an antidote of her own!

"Cause right now, I'm reconsidering giving Mr.McGarry the antidote. He won't die, but he's certainly in for a rude awakening when he regains consciousness. Good thing there are toilets nearby. Now, I really wouldn't want to harm our agreement Ms.Nelson, and we have a slight history in which I can reassure you, that you can trust my words. Mr. McGarry won't drink this antidote if I were to give him it, and I'm sure you can tell that this is in fact an Antidote to Common Poisons. So right now, what happens next is up to you Ms.Nelson."

The situation seemed to simple to her from the beginning. Just give the boy the antidote and let him go about on his merry way. Still, Hunter didn't seem very fond of that. Sophia could understand the importance of research, but to risk another person? There had to be some way to put a stop to this.

She watched the antidote helplessly as Hunter turned his attention to the unconscious boy.

"You know. I don't have a draught of peace, but I have another potion that I thought you would have enjoyed as a present for your cooperation Mr.McGarry," he said to the boy, despite the fact the he clearly couldn't hear Hunter.

Sophia wasn't concerned when the antidote in front of her was thrown to the wall, but she did jump a bit in surprise at the sudden movement and shattering of the glass.

She should have known Hunter would count on her still having the antidote he'd traded her.

"Before I leave Ms. Nelson, are there any potions you would like to trade? I have a very interesting one that I was originally going to give Mr.McGarry, but perhaps you would like it more?"

Sophia finally found the courage to speak.

"Actually, I have a better idea. I can give you a Forgetfulness Potion. I'll give this boy - whose first name I still don't know - the Antidote to Common Poisons and you can give him the Forgetfulness Potion. He'll forget all about this, and he won't tell anyone. We can work together to get all of this cleaned up and it'll be like it never happened."

She paused for a moment to catch her breath. The scent of vomit was still making her a bit nauseous.

"Then, you brew a real Draught of Peace and I'll give it to him. I'm not an idiot. I know I'm not half the potion master you are, but even I can recognize a Draught of Peace."

She paused one last time, trying to build the courage to say what she needed to say next. She knew it would be unpleasant, but it had to be done. She couldn't forgive herself otherwise.

"And last, while this has nothing to do with trading potions, I want to make a different kind of deal. You can't just keep poisoning students against their will, Hunter. It's not okay. If you promise to stop doing it to other students against their will, I'll let you use me as your test subject for all of our second year. I promise."

She had no idea where the bravery - or foolishness, perhaps - came from, but she couldn't just let Hunter keep poisoning students, and he clearly had no intention of stopping. She would accept the pain in their place.

After the echo of her words died in the room, she reached into her robes and grabbed the Forgetfulness Potion, holding it out in offering toward Hunter.

Notes:

Reducio

Darn you, Catholic masochism!

Interacting:
@Hunter Argentum || @Bubba McGarry
Mentioning:
@Kim Sato

The offer was tempting, but Hunter didn't quite see the strongest of benefits out of testing just Sophia for his testing of potions and perhaps even magical theories. Due to Hunter always studying and focusing on readings like a bookworm, he had begun to grow a bit more interested in transfiguration along with potion brewing. Both were very difficult concepts, but Hunter felt they were the most appropriate in allowing himself to gain the best control over his magical abilities. He sighed, a part of him was moved by Sophia's willingness to throw herself into the fire for another student. A student she didn't even know the name of, and here she was offering herself like self-sacrifice. Honorable, and perhaps it did cause a slight moment in Hunter's mind and heart to reconsider the offer being given. He let out a small "tch" sound, and gave out another exhausted sigh, "Unfortunately, I can't accept that offer. One subject doesn't bring enough variables into the equation. You may develop resistance, and just one subject isn't enough. Willingly or not, I am at least sharing the pain between students rather than focusing it on one. That honestly sounds like bullying at this rate."

Perhaps Sophia's words and selfless act moved Hunter more than he thought, or perhaps the small memory of drinking Gregory's unctuous unction with Sophia was stronger than he thought. He had very few friends, and the school year was coming to an end. Still a bit of a loner in the hallways and in the great hall, Hunter hadn't quite felt strong friendship except for a few occasions including the 'fake' feelings he had after drinking that forsaken potion. Perhaps the feelings of friendship weren't as fake, but Hunter still kept a distance and caution from almost everyone.

He thought for a moment, a slight headache was beginning to settle inside his head, " His name is Bubba McGarry, and if you ask me he doesn't need a draught of peace based on the amount of courage he just displayed from downing a potion just to get on my nerves," Hunter turned his head back at Bubba who was lying on the ground. He cast the scourgify spell once again, this time cleaning Bubba's clothing out of pity rather than politeness, "I'd be against giving him the forgetfulness potion too. If he forgets what has occurred today, then he'll forget to not always trust everyone. The snakes aren't the only deceitful ones at Hogwarts; a good lesson if you ask me. Also, it'll make sure he doesn't get too close to me again and call me the "potions guy, again."

Hunter gave out a slight yawn. He had been up all night attempting to make sure no extra variables were to be encountered today at this hour, but his luck had, unfortunately, ran out. He looked at Sophia, oddly mystified by who exactly she was and why she was willing to go to such lengths: "How about this Ms. Nelson. What you've overall said doesn't make much sense to me. Why would you go to such lengths for Mr.McGarry, you've stated you didn't even know his name." Hunter placed his hand under his chin as if a piece to the puzzle just wasn't making sense. He understood the feelings of affection and love for those that are close like friends and family, but why a stranger? He removed his hand, and reached out in search of a shake, "If you can answer that, I'll tell you the time and place of my next patient. I won't be giving you a name though; can't have you going and ruining things."

@Bubba McGarry@Sophia Nelson

--- Date: 04/06/22 || Time: Morning ---

Outfit: School Robes, untied tie

Sophia's limbs grew weak and her heart ached when Hunter refused her offer. He had good points about her value as a singular test subject being lesser than that of a wider range of subjects, but still. She was offering herself in the place of others and it wasn't enough. She couldn't help anyone.

She tried to find some argument in favor of her offer. Something to convince Hunter that what he was doing wasn't okay, but she couldn't find the words she would need to sway the boy. He saw things very clinically, whereas she was blinded by the lens of Catholic morality.

"Well, can you at least promise that if you develop anything with a... riskier potency, you'll come to me first? Stomachaches and hallucinations are awful, sure, but I don't want one of these 'subjects' dying by mistake. At least let me take that risk for them."

She watched Hunter with watery eyes and a pleading frown on her face.

It was pretty surprising to hear Hunter complimenting the boy on the floor - Bubba - after the trouble the boy had caused with his rebellious acts. If he'd only settled down and acted more meekly, perhaps they could have talked their way out of it. She'd have given him an antidote and all would have been dandy, but here they were, the boys previously covered in vomit and Bubba laying unconscious on the floor. Sophia sighed in relief when Hunter used the Scouring Spell to clean Bubba up too.

"Well that's fair on the Draught of Peace, but what about the Forgetfulness Potion? Aren't you afraid he'll tell a prefect or something? And besides, isn't being called 'the Potions guy' a compliment? You are very talented, even if I disagree with your methods..."

Then Hunter finally tossed the hopeless Sophia a bone. He offered the time and location of his next victim. All she had to do was to explain why she cared enough to try to save Bubba despite barely knowing him.

...it was a surprisingly hard question.

In Proverbs, it said: 'Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.'" Sophia recited from memory, thankful for all the years of Catholic Bible study. Then she grinned sheepishly. "I guess Spider-Man said it better, though, to be honest. With great power, comes great responsibility, you know? If I can help someone, and I don't, then whatever happens is my fault. I could never live with that."

She grabbed the Antidote from inside her robes and walked over to Hunter, kneeling and scooping her left arm under his - thankfully now clean - head, lifting his upper body enough that she could get the vial to his lips. She winced.

"This is gonna get worse before it gets better, Bubba," she whispered as she tilted the vial and allowed the teal contents to pour into the boy's mouth.

She stood and turned back to Hunter.

"You know I won't be able to stay away if you tell me where and when to find the next 'subject,' right? Why would you agree to tell me then?" she asked, feeling like it was only fair that she could get some answers out of the conversation too.

"I'll tell you what I think. I think you almost want me there, but I don't know why. I know there's no way you're going to tell me a time that gives me plenty of time to get there and stop you, so you're counting on me to bring an antidote and administer it, right? That way, you get your results, and I get to help them recover."

Sophia paused, watching Bubba for the slightest stir. She didn't think he'd take kindly to this conversation between her and Hunter.

"But why me? Why not just give them the antidote yourself and leave me out of it? I'm basically just a nuisance who could mess it all up for you."

She watched the boy intensely, hoping for some kind of an answer. It didn't make sense. He was humoring her, by giving her the chance to help the next victim, but why?

Notes:

Reducio

Poor Bubba finally gets his antidote

Interacting:
@Hunter Argentum || @Bubba McGarry
Mentioning:
@Kim Sato

Hunter tapped his foot with each passing second. His actions were beginning to feel a bit irrational and his heart was certainly starting to grow slowly. He was like this near the starting point of his time at Hogwarts, but he grew ever more distasteful with students as his interactions with them weren't the best. He looked Sophia in the eyes, taking notes of the tears growing slightly and reflecting in the very dim light that resonated through the bathroom. Hunter could feel a slight bit of water well up in his eyes as well, but if asked he wouldn't know how to explain. Still, despite his own emotions growing he kept a certain stern look and composure: "It's not a compliment," his voice was meek and quiet. A small crack in the voice of a whisper. He wanted to yell at Sophia that's all he was. He came to Hogwarts in hopes of playing and being around students his age. To be a part of activities outside of class, and yet he felt more lonely than he ever did. Hunter feared he wouldn't be called a friend, a companion, or something along those lines. No, students knew him as the potion guy and nothing else. They came for potions or they came looking for answers to the easiest of questions on the homework. It was frustrating and felt humiliating to Hunter. His father, who he grew to be more and more alike, was known for more than just his impressive potioneer skills. Hunter wanted to yell it, but he just didn't have it in him. The words choked on themselves, and he tried his best to hold back his tears. Besides Sophia, there were only two other students Hunter had really grown a connection towards.

Now all Hunter wanted to do was understand and learn. Find people's strengths and weaknesses, trust little no one, and don't show any compassion. Hunter's mother, a woman who taught him to love, never gave him such ideals. It was his father who he wanted to be that most likely planted such dark thoughts. His absence was making Hunter believe he wasn't good enough for the outlandish adventures in the world. As such, Hunter had an unhealthy mindset of wanting to learn and understand everything more and more. The more he knew, the more prepared he could become and perhaps surpass his dad one day. At first, he cared greatly, but now he felt almost nothing for the students who he wasn't already close with.

Still... Sophia's words pierced his heart and head like a pain-staking dart. Deep with a lot of pressure; almost annoying to listen to. Hunter saw little to no reason to act compassionate or do good if it didn't benefit his skills or learning. He wiped the tears with his arm and shook his head to reassure himself that nothing would go wrong. After regaining his posture, Hunter merely gave a slight look of confusion at the mention of "Spider-man" (Hunter has no clue who that is) and proceeded to walk towards the door as Sophia administered the potion to Bubba's lips. Once Bubba woke up, Hunter would be in a bad situation if he were to stay. However, he did place and leave a chocolate frog card on Bubba's chest. A way to help him replenish what little energy he had left.

As Hunter placed his hand on the door, he stopped and decided to listen to Sophia's words a bit more: "1 Week, Same time. Great Lake, follow the river till you reach a large bed of rocks. Turn away from the lake and continue for a bit longer." Those were all the words Hunter said as he opened the abandoned toilets doors. Hunter considered Sophia a friend, but her ideals were too similar to how Hunter used to be. Also, as for whether Hunter was worried about Bubba telling a prefect or professor, he knew/assumed based on today's actions that Bubba was one to take this more personally. He'd probably want to get revenge on Hunter on his own than have a prefect or professor take it away from him

Hunter has left the thread

Bubba gave a loud cough and gasp as he came too. How had he wound up on the floor? What was he doing on this grimy floor? Who was the girl in front of him? It slowly started to come back to him: the request for the potion, the meeting in these decrepit toilets, the draught of peace that wasn't a draught of peace. His memory stopped there. His mouth felt like he'd been sick, but he didn't remember throwing up just dry heaving. There was also a girl in the bathroom that he didn't know. When had she arrived?

He felt extremely weak. He forced himself to cough a couple of times before taking a couple of deep breaths before dragging himself across the floor and leaning against the wall. He was upright between two of the sinks. He had never been drunk before but he got the feeling that if he drank too much it'd feel something like this. He felt like he could barely move. As he surveyed the room there was no doubt, Hunter wasn't there. He wondered if he'd just left as the girl was facing the door. Bubba surveyed the room and saw the floor was coated with vomit in a line that started where he'd collapsed. That settled one question at least. He had definitely thrown up, not that he needed much confirmation given the taste in his mouth. He'd have loved nothing more than to wash his mouth out in the sink but it was too disgusting to even consider.

He lifted his right arm with great difficulty, as if he needed to be reminded of how weak he felt, and checked his watch. Two hours to get himself together for his exam. This would be fun indeed. Well, it was time to get off the mat and get into it. He summoned what little strength he had to stand up. "Where is that little shit?"

--- Date: 04/06/22 || Time: Morning ---

Outfit: School Robes, untied tie

Sophia didn't know how she'd done it, but somehow her words seemed to have gotten through to Hunter. She didn't know what that meant, exactly, but she could see that he was feeling something as a result.

Too many expressions flashed across the boy's face for the sheltered Sophia to even have a chance to recognize any of them, but she did see the universal sign of sadness: tears. The boy was crying, and she hated to see it. There was pain there, and she wanted to figure out some way to alleviate it.

As she fidgeted with the empty vial that once held an Antidote to Common Poisons, Hunter went out of his way to leave a chocolate frog on Bubba's chest. It was such a kind and thoughtful thing to do, but it just made the boy even more of an enigma in the redhead's eyes. He was cruel, yet kind. Clinical, yet emotional. It didn't make any sense to the girl, but she wanted it to.

Before she could try to broach the subject - not that she could do so smoothly anyway, given her poor social skills - Hunter was offering up the time and place of his next 'subject.' In a panicked rush, she reached into her robes for a muggle pen and scribbled the directions quickly onto her left palm. She could write it on parchment later.

Before she finished writing, the boy was gone. Sophia watched the door close with frustration. He was one of the most brilliant potion-brewers she'd met, even compared to many upperclassmen, but there was something about him that seemed just out of reach. Maybe if she kept playing his game, he'd open up over time? Maybe she could honestly help the boy.

Her musings were interrupted by a loud cough and a deep gasp behind her. Good. Thank God Bubba had woken up. He coughed a few more times before Sophia turned around and she cautiously kept her distance as he dragged himself to the wall. She couldn't rush into this without knowing his condition first.

She followed Bubba's gaze across the room and winced as she saw the remaining vomit and empty vial from the poison. She grabbed her wand and pointed it at the floor.

"Scourgify!" she called out, tracing an 'S' with her wand. The vomit was cleaned in a flurry of sudsy goodness and the smell thankfully cleared out a bit too.

Bubba, while she was doing this, was checking his watch. She frowned as his lack of priorities, and when he tried to stand up, she ran over to him, grabbing the boy's arm and helping to support his weight.

"You really shouldn't try to stand yet, you were-" she attempted, but the boy interrupted her.

"Where is that little shit?" he asked not-so-eloquently in his Bostonian accent.

Sophia ignored his language since there were more pressing matters to attend to. She grabbed the chocolate frog Hunter'd left the boy from the floor and handed it to him.

"Eat this. It'll help with the weakness," she said, before remembering that the poor boy had just been through a horrible ordeal and probably wasn't keen on eating something given to him by others. "It's just a normal chocolate frog, I promise. I gave you an antidote, but you should still take it easy for at least a few minutes. Maybe drink some water, if we can get you to the Great Hall."

She frowned at the poor boy, feeling such pity for him. If only she'd been able to suffer in his place. He didn't deserve this.

"I'm Sophia, by the way. Sophia Nelson. I'm not sure we've met, but I'm American too, so I'm surprised I haven't picked up your accent yet in the Common Room. Are you feeling up for the walk, or do you need to sit down for a bit? I'm here to help either way," she promised.

Notes:

Reducio

Interacting:
@Hunter Argentum || @Bubba McGarry
Mentioning:
@Kim Sato

Now that she was talking to him Bubba had a vague recollection of the girl, who he now knew was Sophia, getting there just before whatever caused him to pass out happened. As she handed him the frog he looked down at it. He didn't much fancy it, he could still taste the sick and also had the taste of the antidote in his mouth. "Thanks, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. My mouth is... not the nicest place in the world right now." He looked down at the chocolate frog and carefully considered it. The worst-case scenario was him throwing up, which had already happened, what was another hit? He finally decided to give it a shot. "Well, here goes nothing." He said and he took a small bite and let it work over his palate. By some miracle, it overpowered the taste of the vomit and everything else. He swallowed it and actually did feel a bit better. He put the rest of the frog in his mouth and finished it. He didn't feel great but he certainly felt stronger. He also desperately needed water.

He cleared his throat a couple of times to try to make it easier to talk. It was very irritated from throwing up. His voice came through but was a little weak, "Thanks Sophia, I appreciate you giving me the antidote and the frog." He paused for a moment before he continued, trying to gather his thoughts. "To be honest I'm not surprised you haven't heard me in the common room. I've... really kept to myself this year, I've just been trying to get through my classes, haven't made many friends."

He ran his hand through his hair. He was disheveled and a mess. He could only imagine what he looked like, he didn't think he wanted to know. All he wanted to do now was try to get his strength back and be ready for the exam. He decided what he really needed to do was go to the great hall and force himself to eat. He didn't want to but he knew he needed to so he could get through it. But before he did anything else he needed to know how he wound up on the floor. "Listen, my memory has... holes. I remember being poisoned, I remember him telling me he did it on purpose, and I vaguely remember you entering the room." He paused for a moment before asking the obvious question, "How did I wind up passed out on the floor? I thought I was fighting the worst of it off."

@Sophia Nelson

--- Date: 04/06/22 || Time: Morning ---

Outfit: School Robes, untied tie

Sophia sighed in relief when Bubba finally gave in and ate the chocolate frog. She knew it wouldn't be appealing. After all, who wanted to eat after throwing up and passing out? No one, as far as she could figure. Still, the chocolate would help him, and he needed something in his stomach, whether he liked it or not.

"Yeah, the classes are hard," she agreed as watched him for further signs of weakness. If he faltered, she'd be there to catch him. Poor boy. In the meantime, she carried on with the chat. "I think I'm failing Defense, and I'm almost certainly failing Flying. Potions is kind of my only strength, you know?"

Sophia watched nervously as the boy seemed to give himself a quick check. Yeah, he was kind of a mess, but at least he was a vomit-free mess. Still, her heart ached for the boy.

"I, uh, I sort of missed the first half of the whole thing," she admitted. "Eventually - while I was trying to negotiate with Hunter so I could give you the antidote - you kind of decided to spite him, I guess? You drank the whole bottle of poison. Thankfully the key ingredient was doxy eggs. They're still poisonous, but not quite as bad as an actual doxy bite, so they fell in the range of the classification covered by the Antidote to Common Poisons."

She blushed, realizing she was rambling.

"S-sorry, that's not important right now. You ended up throwing up - a side effect of the belladonna - and passing out. You're lucky the hallucinations didn't kick in," Sophia mused with a hand on her chin.

She put a hand to Bubba's head, feeling for a fever. He still looked a bit pale, but she would too in his shoes.

"I still recommend a bit of water, at least, but you look a lot better than before. So what's the plan now?" she asked, hoping the boy wasn't going to push himself too terribly much.

Notes:

Reducio

Interacting:
@Bubba McGarry
Mentioning:
@Hunter Argentum || @Kim Sato

[/color]Bubba gave Sophia the first genuine smile he'd flashed since this whole ordeal had begun. "Well, lucky for me you're good at potions, I don't know if I said thank you already but even if I did, thank you." He turned around and looked in the cracked mirror, trying to maneuver his hair into a state that was at least somewhat dignified. "I'm not bad at potions but I figure if there's someone good at it willing to make it I should ask them. I mean he could've said no he didn't have to... hell he didn't have to poison me!" His voice involuntarily raised itself for the last part as he threw his hands up in frustration.

When she told the story of him drinking more of the poison of pure spite he let out a hollow laugh, "Ok, ok I know it's not funny but... please tell me I threw up on him at least." It wasn't really funny but he needed some sort of win out of this situation and if that's what he was going to get, he'd take it. He could just imagine telling the story in the future: 'Well yeah he poisoned me but I got the last laugh when I puked on him.' Totally worth it... ooooor not. "Still... that definitely sounds like something I could do." He said with a blush, "I uh, yeah I get a little stupid when I get made and I was, well at least hope, understandably mad about that."

"As for the hallucinations, I don't think I did but that doesn't mean I didn't if that makes sense." He ran it back in his head, it made absolutely no sense but that was the best he could do at this point. He'd never run a marathon but he would assume this is how you would've felt if you had just run four back to back to back to back. He felt weak, he was starving, thirsty, and overall just felt disgusting. She reached up to his head to take his temperature, "Hey easy buy me dinner first," he said with a smirk.

He checked his watch again, "Well, we've got an hour before Transfiguration, so I guess the plan is to try to eat something and then turn things into other things while keeping the things I ate from churning out of my stomach." He turned towards the door to head out. "Care to join me?"

@Sophia Nelson @Hunter Argentum @Kim Sato