Counting Sheep

[Artemisia Carrow]

Artemisia was having trouble sleeping. She had struggled to fall asleep since the second half of her seventh year at Hogwarts, really, but the situation had become unbearable since going to finishing school. Her suit overlooked the street, so the occasional carriage or stray would distract Artemisia from her attempt to sleep.

There was a girl at the school whom Artemisia knew to be skilled in potions. Miss Aurelia Vernon. They'd known each other since Hogwarts, seeing that they had only been a year apart and both in Slytherin. They only properly got to interact at finishing school, though.

They had taken a walk in the garden and Artemisia informed the other girl of her sleeping woes. "I don't suppose you can suggest something to me, Miss Vernon?" Artemisia asked. "I know there are sleeping draughts, but I only want something that would make falling asleep easier, rather than something that would completely knock me down!"

@'Aurelia Vernon'

  

[Aurelia Vernon]

With this being Aurelia's second year at the school for Young Roses, Aurelia had a bit of rhythm to her days. She still missed Hogwarts and Ellie terribly. She had not spoken to Ellie in about a year and that hurt deeply.

Sometimes she wondered if her parents had suspected just how deep her friendship with the muggleborn had run. She couldn't think of why they would suddenly stomp on that friendship when they had managed to tolerate it before. It was not something she ever intended to ask and so she figured that she would probably never know.

Instead, she focused on her independent potions studies, her PSYR studies and trying to bolster friendly acquaintances with the other girls.

Aurelia listened sympathetically to Miss Carrow's woes. She could hardly blame the girl for having trouble sleeping considering not only her untimely demise but the fact that people were actually of the believe that Miss Carrow had done so to her own brother!

"Hmm. I could try and make a potion that is like a cross between a sleeping potion and a sleeping draught. Something that will make you drowsy and calm enough to drift off to sleep but not knock you out completely, perhaps?" It had what she had been doing recently - experimenting with making her own potions.

  

[Artemisia Carrow]

"That would be excellent, Miss Vernon," Artemisia replied. It was perhaps a risk to trust the creation of someone so young, but Miss Vernon sounded like she knew what she was doing. Besides, it sounded like she'd simply combine attributes of already existing potions, rather than creating one from scratch.

"Have you made your own potions before, Miss Vernon?" she asked conversationally.