Dialogue of the Muses
Hannah Abbott made her way down to the dungeons with the rest of her classmates. It was another boring day of potions with Ravenclaw. She rejoiced inside that it wasn't with the Slytherins. She took her seat, taking out a quill and some blank parchment. The students around her shouted across the room until the door opened and closed with a loud and painful 'bang'.
"Enough!" came the booming voice of none other than Severus Snape.
Snape moved to the front of the classroom and picked up his attendance book. He seemed to be in an extra foul mood this morning. He began his lecture with a bang, literally. He banged the chalkboard with his wand in order to arouse the students' attention. Hannah was doing her best to pay attention and take notes but it was just uninteresting.
"Hello there," a squeaky voice said from somewhere to Hannah's right.
Hannah looked up to see a pixie sized creature sitting on the edge of her book. The creature had bright orange hair and extremely light blue eyes. She wore a pale blue dress.
"Excuse me?" Hannah whispered.
"I said hello Hannah," the creature said again in her squeaky voice.
"Who…or what are you?" the Hufflepuff asked.
"I'm your muse silly!" it piped.
"My…muse?"
"My name is Lael. You and I need to have a little chat," Lael informed the girl.
"Can it wait…I'm in class," Hannah whispered.
"Miss Abbott. Please refrain from talking to yourself in my class. Ten points from Hufflepuff," Professor Snape barked from the front of the classroom.
Hannah blushed but turned her attention back to her notes. Lael continued to perch on the edge of her potions book until the diminutive creature grew bored. She got up and began to walk around in front of Hannah.
"Stop that," Hannah hissed under her breath.
"Oh come on now! Let's talk," Lael urged.
"No."
"I had this great idea just yesterday. You'll love it. A tale of true yet forbidden love," Lael gushed, holding her tiny hands to her equally tiny chest.
"Sod off."
"Not in a romantic mood huh?" Lael remarked, sitting right in the spot where Hannah was about to write.
"Do you mind?" the girl clad in yellow snapped.
"How about this idea instead. So we scratch the forbidden love plot. A heroine who has to save a hidden village of runaway children. And she has to fight dragons and trolls and..." the muse rambled on.
"And you," Hannah muttered.
"What was that Miss Abbott?" Snape hissed from two desks away.
"Nothing Professor," Hannah murmured, turning her gaze away from his.
"Can you move please?" Hannah begged under her breath.
"Oh forgot him. He's just grumpy because he doesn't talk to his muse," Lael squeaked.
With that Hannah turned her quill sideways and pushed Lael off of her parchment. The muse went tumbling, finally colliding with an ink well. Hannah began scribbling furiously; trying to catch up on the notes she'd missed. Lael sat where she was, huffing. She looked up just as a drop of ink was about to fall on her. Scurrying out of the way she stood and smoothed her dress.
"There's no need to be so mean. I'm just trying to inspire you," she whined.
"Go bother someone else," Hannah spat through gritted teeth.
"But I'm your muse. No one else's," Lael said, climbing up Hannah's arm and sitting on her shoulder.
"Please go away," the Hufflepuff begged.
"I don't want to be inspired. I just want to finish class without getting a detention," she whispered.
"But why not? Being inspired is what makes everyone happy," Lael commented.
"Not everyone," the girl muttered.
"Miss Abbott for the last time. Stop interrupting my class!" Severus bellowed, standing right next to her. Hannah jumped in her seat.
"I'm sorry Sir…but my muse…she won't shut up," Hannah stated.
"You're what?" he snapped.
"My muse Sir…she's right here," Hannah explained, picking Lael up.
"Put me down!" Lael protested.
"I see nothing Miss Abbott," Snape remarked, arms folded over his chest.
"He can't see me! Only you can!" the muse piped.
"But she's right here," Hannah protested, ignoring Lael's assertion that Hannah was the only one who could see the muse.
"Miss Abbott please leave this classroom and go straight to the Hospital Wing," Snape ordered.
"But…yes Sir," Hannah mumbled, grabbing her things and leaving, Lael hanging onto her bracelet for dear life.
Hannah slowly walked towards the Hufflepuff Common Room. Lael had managed to shimmy up the girl's arm and was again on her shoulder.
"Look just go away. You made me look like I'd lost my mind," Hannah sniffed.
"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help," Lael apologized.
"Well you didn't," Hannah snapped.
"Do you have any sweets? I love sweets," Lael asked hopefully.
"If it gets you to shut up then I'll get you sweets," Hannah muttered, turning back around and heading for the kitchens.
The Hufflepuff found a house elf and asked her for a tray of sweets. The house happily obliged. Hannah made hr way back to her dorm, grateful to find it empty.
"Here," she muttered, setting the tray down on her side table.
Lael dove off of Hannah's shoulder and onto the platter. She ate one sweet after another, surprising Hannah. The sweets at least twice the size of the tiny creature. After Lael had eaten half the tray, she yawned.
"I'm tired," she proclaimed.
"Oh," Hannah responded, trying to mask her excitement.
The muse stretched and stood on shaky legs. She looked extremely bloated. She teetered over to the edge of the tray and climbed down.
"Can you open this?" Lael asked, pointing to the drawer.
"Yeah," Hannah muttered, pulling open the drawer.
Lael jumped down, landing with a soft squeak. She rummaged around her, making a makeshift bed. Looking up at Hannah she yawned again.
"Close it please," she said sleepily.
Without responding, Hannah shut the drawer. She smiled to herself. She would have to keep sweets on her at all times if Lael was not going to leave her alone. But for now she had some peace.