Anything Else?
‘Anything else?’ The Headmistress was about to conclude the staff meeting when Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. ‘Yes, Poppy?’
‘I need more Pepper-Up and Invigoration Draught. I don’t know what’s the matter this term, but the students come flocking to me in droves, complaining about fatigue and headaches.’
Flitwick nodded. ‘I’ve noticed that, too. The lack of concentration in class is astounding. The wand-work of some students is truly atrocious.’
Hermione was not the only one to glance at the Potions master, expecting Severus to join the discussion with a scathing comment about dunderheads and dunces. Instead he just rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. ‘My apprentice will brew a new batch of potions for the infirmary at the earliest convenience.’
‘Very good.’ Minerva gave a thin smile. She looked tired and worn out. The worry lines around her eyes had deepened considerably since Halloween. ‘You know how students are at this time of the year—they can’t wait for the Christmas holidays. And do you really blame them? I have to admit that this grey and dreary weather does nothing to bolster my spirits, either. So why should the students fare any better?
‘Please remember that we’ll have a visitor here for the weekend. Madame Dubois may require your assistance. Therefore I would appreciate it if any shopping trips to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade could be delayed.’
oooOooo
‘Hermione? A word, if you please.’
‘Yes, Severus?’ He really looked very tired. About as tired as she was herself. I hate November, Hermione thought grumpily. It makes me feel grey inside.
‘Flitwick reminded me of something. It’s time that you continue your wand-lessons. You should see Filius about that. Additionally, I will practice with you twice a week. You have the power and the discipline to learn how to wield two wands well. But you lack the practice. You are about to enter the second half of your apprenticeship, and I want you to start Charmed potions soon.’
‘Charmed potions!’ Hermione almost squealed. ‘But that’s—’
‘Master-level potions making, yes.’ He smirked at her.
oooOooo
Ignoring the looks of less enlightened members of their various Houses, the second-years among the Little Knights gathered at the top of Gryffindor table to do their homework. Experience had taught them that this was the best solution for working together. They did lose more house-points for chatting and giggling if they remained within easy view of the teacher on duty in the Great Hall. But if they sat down at the end of one of the long tables, they had to stay constantly on guard, watching out for hexes and jinxes thrown at them for ‘fraternizing with the enemy’. Alina sighed. Not even the infamous House Cup incident on the last day of the previous term had ended the inter-house prejudices and rivalry.
Alina and Barret were finishing up an essay about bezoars, while Jo, Alyah, Cato and Prue were practicing Charms for Flitwick, using plain Muggle drumsticks to perfect their movements.
‘There, that’s it.’ Alina rolled up her parchment. ‘I can’t believe he really asked for three feet. He’s crazy.’
‘I’m not going to argue with you on that point.’ Crudass grinned at her. She stuck out her tongue, but couldn’t summon the energy to go over the reasons of why her Head of House was her favourite teacher and one of her favourite persons for the thousandth time.
‘Okay,’ she muttered instead and pulled out her notebook. ‘Next project. If I was a Necromantic bell and I was hidden away at Hogwarts, where would I be?’
Barret shrugged and yawned. Alina wrinkled her nose at her friend. ‘Some help you are, Cruddie.’
She toyed with her notebook. ‘Where are bells at Hogwarts?’ she asked no one in particular.
Cato looked up. ‘In the bell-tower. At the doors.’
‘The music room,’ Alyah suggested.
‘Probably in the kitchens,’ Jo said. ‘My uncle told me that in earlier times wizards used enchanted bells to summon house-elves.’
Alina blinked, astonished. ‘Why didn’t I ask y’all right away??’
oooOooo
‘Fuck, Harry, Auror training can’t be that demanding!’ Ginny cursed into the darkness of their bedroom at Grimmauld Place Number 12.
But her boyfriend didn’t reply. Accompanied by a soft snore, his limp appendage slid from her body, and he curled up against her side, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d fallen asleep before finishing what had promised to be a highly enjoyable evening for his girlfriend.
oooOooo
‘Is it possible that this constant fatigue has something to do with what happened on Halloween?’ Hermione asked. ‘No matter how long we sleep, we don’t seem to be getting our energy-levels up. You gave your colleagues quite a start yesterday at the staff meeting when you failed to insult the students for being so distracted.
‘Look, I have realised by now that you don’t want to talk about what occurred on Halloween . But I think we need to talk about it.’
Still there was no reply.
‘Severus. Talking about things is what makes relationships work.’
‘Oh?’ An elegant eyebrow quirked up. ‘Really?’ Black fire flared up in his eyes, and his gaze slid slowly from her face downwards.
She rolled her eyes at him but couldn’t suppress a sense of satisfaction at the ease with which their intimate relationship was progressing. If they weren’t too tired for anything. Which was far too often lately. Another reason to talk.
‘Severus. Both of us still suffer from nightmares. And this fatigue is not normal.’
He sighed, abandoning any pretence at grading. ‘You are right. This fatigue may very well be connected with what happened at Halloween.
‘We entered the River of Death. The very touch of its water drains life-energy from a living body.’ A vein pulsed at his temple. ‘I don’t think I truly realised how hard it is to bring someone back all the way.
‘And you had not even passed the First Gate yet,’ he whispered.
Suddenly Hermione felt quite nauseated. ‘You tried to bring Lily back, didn’t you?’
“Binder. Someone who can banish and bind demons, zombies, and spectres easier than others.”
Why am i not surprised that he is some kind of exorcist of the magical underworld?
“My personal theory is that it is shaped by centuries of mythology and shared beliefs.”
How do you do it? Really, how do things in your “worlds” make perfect sense?
*hypnotized*
“For a moment she felt a stinging stab of jealousy deep in her chest because she was not the first. Followed quickly by a pang of pain at the knowledge that—while she had not been the first he had ever loved—she was the first to truly love him.”
That’s beautiful.
“obviously Charmed Manolo Blahnik stilettos.” and that made me laugh, ehe
Mona?? Don’t tell me! Did i miss something ? Da Vinci? *huh*
And something Severus didn’t know! Did he at least know that “the art of painting wizarding portraits was actually a kind of Necromantic magic?”
Intriguing,indeed!
I wonder where Alina will fit in all this!
So sad, a portrait to fade away, because there is no one left to remember them!
And what is happening with Hermione’s magic? hmmm
What could mess with her magic like that? *hmm*
Now that really surprised me!
Someone…we-know-who…is draining peoples magic through the tattoo?
Muggle-borns and half-bloods will lose their magic?
EVIL!
That’s even worse than what the Dark Lord did.
But how did we-know-who manage to move around the Other World ?
No, not alone, she is not alone, there is someone else doing all this with her.
And the Veil…
I must make another list…
I knew these tattoos were bad news. So, someone is siphoning magic off the muggle-witches/wizards through the tattoos. Presumably so that person has more magic at his/her disposal. An evil trick and even worse plan. So, what to do against it? First they have to find out who is doing that. And Alina better find the rest of the bells soon. I think they will need every one of them.
Yes, of course the tattoos were a really, really bad idea. *grins*
Finally! I’ve been antsy since Madam Pomfrey mentioned the unusually high need for pepper-up, etc, confirming my theory. I really needed somebody to put two and two together. Whew!
On another note, poor Alina when she discovers her head of house is proficient in Latin – the man creates his own spells among other things.
And about those Jarveys — it was the resurrection stone Ron and Lois saw them playing with wasn’t it? and that’s why nine Jarveys were killed that one night? and there’s a connection between their propensity for chattering insults and the Colin inferius isn’t there?
Hah! I knew those tattoos were siphoning energy back when Harry was feeling tired more than ten chapters ago! Finally someone else knows!!!
Also, I love your name for the library in the Middle East. I’ve always been devastated by the idea of all that knowledge being lost, and I love the idea that someone can still benefit from the books and scrolls at Alexandria!