Date: 30 July 2022

Hunter swiftly looked left and right in the small corner of the apothecary shop, on the lookout for anything, or anyone, rather odd. His grandmother had taken him to Diagon Alley to do a bit of shopping before summer camp had started despite Hunter's pleas against the idea of being brought along. The young boy hated bustling crowds and the sight of so many people just made him anxious. The fact the area was to be filled with adults rather than people his age made the situation worse. Eventually, the two of them got separated, and Hunter was left to do some of the shopping within the area on his own. His heart quivered as each passerby walked by him, and his ears perked up each time someone mentioned a child walking through the area alone. He wore a rather casual hoodie with a raven holding a potion. It was one he got back in April during Spring break to represent his passion and the house he was placed in. Recently this summer he got a new satchel that he carried the majority of his belongings within. A few potions were held inside, and Hunter kept a tight grip to make sure no one would have a chance of stealing the items within. As Hunter walked, he trusted his grandmother, and all he needed to do was gather a few ingredients in the apothecary shop.

He was currently in one of the corners, and he swiftly opened up one of the jars and tossed a small bitterroot flower in his mouth. A look of disgust came over Hunter, but he swallowed the flower whole to leave no evidence. Luckily it seemed an assistant was currently busy, and Hunter took it as an opportunity to learn a bit more about certain ingredients. He took out his journal once again and began to add "BitterRoot" to a list of already written and described ingredients he had tried. He wrote the description of the plant, its usage of having healing properties, and the fact that it certainly lived up to its name of being rather unpleasant to one's palate.

Suddenly, Hunter's ears perked as he heard sudden shouting of the feminine aspect. He turned around and moved towards the edge of one of the large shelves next to a jar of eel eyes. A woman was making a ruckus with one of the assistants, and Hunter listened in due to his nosey and curious personality. The conversation seemed concerned about forgetfulness potions and perhaps a sleeping draught. He was curious why someone would want either potion, but he swiftly jerked himself back behind the shelves as he saw the woman approaching his direction. She was on the other side, and as Hunter peeked through the myriad of jars, he noticed a small-statured girl with golden-brown eyes. She seemed familiar, but Hunter wasn't always the best at remembering faces. Voices or smells were sometimes a better way for him to remember certain people, due to his eyes always being locked inside books for studying. Yet, the girl seemed strongly familiar and Hunter had to give it some thought. His hand sat upon his satchel, curious to test a potion he brewed but hesitated. The potion was rather valuable and seemed like a large waste to use in particular. Perhaps for another time he thought. With a quick thought though, he at least knew the girl was a Ravenclaw possibly from seeing her in the common room before. The Ravenclaw common room always gave the largest opportunity to know who your housemates were, but Hunter didn't quite know the girl's name.

Curiosity overcame him a bit and knowing more about a student his age could be useful. Who knows when he'll encounter this girl again, and who knows if they'll be friends or enemies. The familiarity of potion ingredients and smells, with a lack of customers, allowed Hunter's anxiety to diminish and his courage to rise. He figured he should at least start the conversation. His accent had a hard Scottish taste to it, but also a small African mixture as well, "Sorry, but aren't you a Ravenclaw? What's all the ruckus about with that lady? Is she yer mum? Something about looking for a forgetfulness potion? Don't you know how dangerous that sort of potion can be?" Hunter spoke through the small cracks of jars, towards the small girl. His interest was slightly peaked, and a flurry of questions came to be.

@Beatrice Langstreth

"Fit do ye mean?" A bit of a doric dialect that Hunter was familiar with. The young boy hadn't quite practiced much Doric or Gaelic during his time at Hogwarts. He understood the two of them, but speaking to them was a bit of a different story. Even though Hunter had a Scottish accent, he didn't strongly embrace or speak the languages associated with it. He could speak Swahili and understand Swahili, but he could understand Doric (speak a little of it) and only understood some Gaelic. It made him recall a few of his first lessons at Hogwarts with Professor Tuesday and how Hunter could understand but not repeat the words the Professor spoke.

Hunter's mind drifted for only a split second, surprised the girl had a sort of similar accent but swiftly came back to reality. Hunter looked at the girl, she certainly had a look that described tired. Her speech was perhaps shy, or maybe perhaps too tired to even speak. Yet, that only explained a bit of things. Hunter was interested in the potion conflicts some people faced. The girl looked very tired, and of course, there could have been so many answers as to why. Yet, why a forgetfulness potion? Could such a potion help with nightmares? Did it allow one to forget the origins or the past nightmares and dreams? It seemed rather interesting since dreams were figments of the imagination and not real memories, yet if you can recall a dream then the dream is technically a memory. If you forget the nightmares, do you forget the source of them as well?

Hunter's interest was certainly caught now, and he could tell that he wasn't gonna get everything out of this young girl straight off the bat. Even if they were both Ravenclaws, that didn't guarantee a free pass into knowing everything secretive. Hunter reached into his bag and took out a glass vial with an orange liquid inside. He lifted it high enough to eye level for him and the young girl. He used his free hand to push aside some jars to make it clear in both of their views: "Ye’re a sicht fer sair een." You're a sight for sore eyes. The phrase was of course to perhaps ease the girl's mind a bit on the fact that Hunter and she weren't too different. Although, perhaps she didn't quite know the potion from just sight, "A forgetfulness potion like this one is a rather dangerous concoction. Are you sure you want to forget whatever it is that ails you, miss?" Hunter hoped he finally caught her attention, and with that, he placed the potion back in his satchel. "Hunter Argentum at your service, potion prodigy of house Ravenclaw." He caught her attention, gave a welcoming introduction, and hopefully eased the girl a bit. Hunter could only hope she was willing to stay to talk a little longer.

@Beatrice Langstreth

"Nice ta meet you too, miss?" Hunter responded back. He wasn't used to using a doric touch in his speaking, but he was glad he caught the girl's attention. He was of course still curious as to why she was willing to buy and drink a forgetfulness potion, did she not know the dangers and little guarantee that came with it? Hunter kept one hand on his satchel, as he reached slightly over to shake the girl's hand. Surprisingly small and meek, or easy to break based on what Hunter could tell. She almost seemed like a doll in appearance, and this only gave more confusion to Hunter's thoughts. "I have a range of potions, and I tend to give them out only to housemates I trust," it wasn't a complete lie nor the complete truth. Really Hunter only gave out potions as a trade for information or for other potions. He was trying to better himself and share more with his housemates at least, but that didn't always end in the best scenarios because he would always be looking for something more selfish in the end. This girl seemed like a helpful Ravenclaw, and Hunter presumed he could get good connections from her. Still, though, the back of his head was scratching a bit at why she wanted the potion, "I do apologize though, but the forgetfulness potion is a rather dangerous one. It doesn't always make you forget the targeted memory and the amount of memory you can lose is rather random. I can't offer such a potion unless I know why you want it. There's an easy way to increase the chances of forgetting a certain memory, but still no guarantee."

What Hunter had stated was true about the forgetfulness potion. It typically presented memory loss of an unknown degree, and there was always the risk of losing precious memories by accident. If this girl was willing to still try and test the potion after knowing that, then Hunter really wanted to know what it was she was trying to forget.

@Beatrice Langstreth

Hunter didn't lose face or interest, but the news that the girl's secret was the death of her dog was both a surprise and a slight disappointment. Hunter had expected something a bit more secretive or interesting to be the case that haunted the girl's mind. He himself had known of the cycle of death and had seen all sorts of patients pass away during the time he spent with his mother at hospitals. He had seen wild animals pass away as well, but he never really created a deep bond with any of them. Hunter never gave them names nor interacted with them long. He saw the wild beast every so often and knew to keep his distance. He never saw a dead animal cadaver, but he could only assume the worst when he never saw stray pets in the wild any longer.

Hunter's dream of becoming a healer did have a role to play in his feelings though, as he wanted to heal those that he felt close with. Since he never made strong bonds with animals, till the past year with his pet Fenrir, he didn't quite understand what the girl was going through. However, he could recognize the sorrow in her eyes and gave a bit of thought to the matter. He himself was already taught the circle of life at a young age, it was something that couldn't be interfered with. Well, besides unique records such as with Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher Stone as Hunter recalled. Yet, it was a necessary thing to know and understand. Knowing that Hunter knew the issue, did he really have a reason to push further and help the girl? He gave it thought, and her mention of favor did come to mind. The more favors you have, the better spot you are in. "That is certainly... a tragic tale. I apologize for your loss of Thanatos. It indeed would have looked suspicious if he was healed after muggles had seen his injury, but for your father to have done such a thing was cruel." Hunter's words were careful, and he did sympathize with the girl for a loss. Yet, he still was focused on his own selfish goals despite how selfless his act seemed. "I can help... but the cost would have to be a favor. Also... are you sure you wish to forget? It's possible you may lose all memories of Thanatos, and the cycle of life is a rather important thing to know." Hunter's words were concerned for the girl. He wouldn't force his potions on her, not when there were risks all around him. He felt his hand slip back into his satchel full of potions. He had two potions inside that he had his mind on. One was the forgetfulness potion, perhaps it would be best to just let the girl forget and for Hunter to earn his favor that he could call in later. The second one was a memory potion. Even if the girl was traumatized by nightmares, her fear and sadness could eventually develop into nostalgia and happiness for her friend passing peacefully. Hunter was really debating if this girl should forget such a past, he debated on which potion to give. He awaited her response, curious as to where this conversation will end: "Apologies, but what is yer name, miss? And, if you still want a forgetfulness potion, then I need to know how bad these nightmares have been."

@Beatrice Langstreth

Hunter gave it some thought, this girl was certainly a unique case. Her nightmares certainly sounded terrifying, but he still didn't completely agree with her way of thought. She risked losing the memory of her best friend, and there was still the chance the potion would just cause her to forget some other memories and completely leave behind the memory of her poor dog instead. "Well, Ms. Langstreth..." the boy sighed. He couldn't go back on the deal now, as he was the one who tempted her and she has essentially agreed. He could tell all this talk was becoming tiresome for him and her, and if anything Hunter wanted to avoid any confrontation with the store clerk or Beatrice's mother. The more time he took asking questions, the worse his situation would become. He looked at Beatrice's situation, and in his head, neither of them was going to benefit a lot from her being given a forgetfulness potion. Hunter would be down a useful potion, and she would forget an important life lesson.

He gave a second thought and realized that if neither of them could benefit then might as well just benefit himself. He had a potion he had brewed and had been curious to try it out. Yet, he didn't want to use it on himself as he never enjoyed testing his own potions. He reached into his satchel (as decided by Tatsu) and took out a vial with a more golden hue to its nature. The first vial was orange, and this one was more goldish in nature. Hunter was familiar with potions to the point he could distinguish the colors, but sometimes others would have trouble. Whether or not Beatrice could, she would have to have been a potion enthusiast like Hunter to most likely know what the potion he was about to hand over to her was. After all, this was a potion taught above their year. "Well, here you go then. It's a strong forgetfulness potion. Based on your nightmares, the event must have been very traumatic, you need a strong potion for that... sorry for having to ask for your description of the events." He sounded sympathetic, but deep down he wasn't. He handed over a memory potion to the girl. Some things were best not forgotten, was what Hunter thought. This girl was going to hate him, but he felt that perhaps she'd forgive him one day. Whether she did or didn't still didn't matter though, as this was a good way to know if the memory potion worked and whether or not it enhanced memories or dreams. If it could enahnce the memory of dreams, then perhaps Hunter could use it as a way to learn about himself upon arriving to bed. However, there was still an issue. He didn't want to be around if it did work, as he'd most likely be in a really bad situation with adults present in the area. As such, he handed the potion over to Beatrice and took out a stopwatch, "Apologies, but it looks like I'm running a bit late. I hope the potion doesn't make you forget our deal. I'll see you at Hogwarts and you can tell me how the potion worked," Hunter gave a fake smile and immediately left the building without grabbing any of the items his Grandmother had asked for. It looks like he had another student to be weary of once he returned to school.

@Beatrice Langstreth