Alluring pull || {Cassiopeia & Theo}
The acrid smell hanging in the Potions practice room made Theo react at the door, as if he had walked smack dab into a barrier charm that he hadn't known been cast. He brought the rough sleeve of his robe up to his nose and mouth as tears collected on the lower rim of his burning eyes.
"Merlin, whoever was in here last needs to give up...on everything," Theo muttered. Waving his wand he cast a momentary bubble head charm over his own head to give himself enough clean air so as not to choke on the nauseous fumes. Dry-heaving was not an experience he particularly enjoyed and it wasn't dignified.
Dropping his satchel on the table with a loud thud he took in a deep breath of his clean air and peered out of the bubble and around to the thick haze that surrounded the room. He tapped his chin, giving the scruff a satisfying scratch, and then used another spell to clear the air. He pressed his finger into the bubble by his head and heard a faint pop! as it popped. The muffled sound of a potion brewing jumped up a few volume levels. Thankfully the horrid smell had gone.
He dug into his bag and pulled out his own cauldron, setting it atop of the riser, carefully positioning it over the hole. He removed a small, excessively worn notebook and flipped through the pages until he reached a section that had been marked off with a single green ribbon. Letting his slender finger drag down the page he summoned all of the ingredients he needed, lined them up in order of importance, and then lit a flame underneath the cauldron.
The orange and red lame bent and danced beneath the copper cauldron as Theo shrugged out of his robes. He carefully laid it down on the table next to him, brushing his fingers over the serpent insignia on the lapel, and then rolled up the sleeves of his standard uniform shirt. He was running the risk of burning or marring the skin on his arms but he didn't care. It wouldn't be the first time he got injured while working and he was certain that it wouldn't be the last. His healing spells were pretty advanced, not mastered mind you, but living at his home and being an infinitely curious child has taught him how to handle matters on his own.
He had barely gotten his potion started when he heard the distinct creak of the door, much like his grandfather's knees as he tried to stand after being idle for too long. "Get out," he called out, his vice gruff. "Obviously you can't read or else the sign on the door would've deterred you."