You know how when you're really tired and everything suddenly becomes ridiculously hilarious? Like, Every. Single. Freaking. Thing.
"I'm really tired. This bed is comfy. Four post. Why do they call it a four post bed? Well it DOES have four post... I suppose that makes sense. Hey there's my sock monkey. Where did I get that again? Oh yeah, Paul. My brother Paul. He likes kiwi smoothies and indie music. He's getting married. His girlfriend has a big nose...hehe. Ohmygosh! New Roommate! There she is. Just chilling. Her hair is really red. Hm... The ceiling seems rather bland. I should decorate it"
And this is how I ended up climbing my bed post with my emergency box of crayons at 5:30 in the morning. Remind me never to wake up early again.
Just as I finished my elaborate crayon drawing of a purple giraffe, the red head in the bed beside me began to move. I literally leaped onto my bed at that point, ducking under the covers as fast as I could. Abigail and Lyla were both heavy sleepers, thank goodness, but apparently my new Roomate wasn't.
She turned around quickly and scanned the room. I watched her from under my covers, and this is the first glimpse I ever really got of her face.
The startled look she was wearing didn't compliment her much, but she seemed to have a fairly decent appearance. She had quite a lot of freckles and her eyes were blue and apparent, noticing everything. Except me. Thank God.
She DID see my giraffe though, and she looked rather confused. Not the best first impression.
Soon she shook it off, got up, gathered her things and walked towards the bathrooms. Why was she leaving so early? What was she hiding? Soon I couldn't control my curiosity; I was going to follow her.
Wait, no I wasn't. That would be ridiculous! She would think I was some kind of creep! She already thinks I'm mental because of my giraffe... And what happened the last time I snuck out? Snape happened! That's what!
"Miss Rossotto, would you care to explain what you're doing roaming the halls after hours?" he had hissed.
Unfortunately I was still in my delirious sleepy mode.
"Well, you see Mr. Snapedy-Snape, It's like, 5-something right? So I don't really see this as after hours, more like... before hours. There's no rule against that is there?"
I received quite a lot if detention for that.
And so, with that little episode in mind, I was sure not to actually go out the Hufflepuff portrait hole. That was okay right? Instead, I crept as stealthily as possible into the common room, sat on the couch, and waited.
I wasn't quite sure what I was waiting for. Did I just want my new Roomate to fall from the sky and introduce herself? Maybe I would tell her off for being so mysterious. Maybe I was just way too curious for my own good.
As I sat there, I properly examined the Hufflepuff common room for the first time since my first year. The yellow wallpaper, the fat arm chairs where we played truth or dare and pretended o do homework, the yellow hangings on the walls. The room was a bit claustrophobic for me, since it was in the basement, but it was my second home. It had little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which had perfectly round doors. I guess we really were badgers.
That's something I've always wondered about. Gryfindor's crest was a lion, which made sense because lions are all brave and junk. Then Slytherins are snakes, naturally. And Ravenclaws were ravens of course, which are supposedly a very intelligent bird.
Then why on earth were Hufflepuffs badgers? I mean, of all the animals in the world, badgers?
"Wendy?"
I jumped, turned around to meet my addresser and found my brother, all dressed and ready to go.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"What are YOU doing here?"
"I woke up early."
"Well so did I."
A fine awkward silence followed.
You know what he was probably doing? He was probably looking for a nice window to stare out of and sigh dramatically. I swear, that boy had been so... Agsty lately! He hadn't been talking much at all, and when he WAS he was snapping at people. He had nearly made Lyla cry the day before.
"Soo... Why are YOU up early?" I asked, trying to sound as un-irritated as possible.
"Couldn't sleep." he explained.
How vague, the jerk.
"Oh."
"How about you?"
"Stalking my new roommate, who for some reason refuses to introduce herself." I said truthfully.
"Ah. That's fun."
"You haven't seen a red head come in here have you? Short, real freckly?"
"Not that I remember, but I just got here." Of course you did.
"Oh."
"So why are you stalking her?"
"Well I just haven't met her yet and she's never in the room. She leaves super early and gets back super late. Its like she's avoiding us!"
"Maybe she's shy. I mean, no offense but you guys are pretty intimidating."
Um... Offended!
"We are not!"
"Not like, scary or anything. You guys just aren't the most inclusive group in the world."
"Well we would be if she TALKED to us."
"Well just go easy on her, she'll come out of her shell soon enough."
"I don't know it took Lyla about a year" I laughed. Dylan sighed and looked at the ceiling.
What was that boy's freaking problem?
"Well anyway...do you know when it's legal for us to leave?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"Like, when is it not after hours anymore."
"Oh, that's at 6:00"
I checked his muggle watch mom got him for his birthday.
"Well its past six, lets go."
And so we ended up walking to breakfast at 6:00 in the morning.
The sun was just rising, yawning and stretching its arms over Hogwarts for a new day. The halls were barley illuminated, and the sun painted defined shadows on the west side of the castle. And Dylan was still being stupid.
"I've never been up when the sun was rising like this." I said, trying to relieve any tension I had imagined. "Last time I was outside the common room at this time was in 3rd year when me, Abigail, and Lyla—"
And here comes the dramatic sigh. I stopped walking.
I'de had enough.
"Alright, enough of this nonsense! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I MEAN with how you've been acting lately! Your all breathe-y and zoned out, and, and every time I mention Lyla you act your about to throw up!"
"Well-"
"I don't know what kind of stupid teenage boy phase your going though but that gives you NO right to run around angsting the fun out of everything! And what is your deal with Lyla She's one of your best friends and your treating her like a blast ended skrewt!" By this point I was pacing in circles and running my fingers frantically through my blond-ish hair.
"Well I mean—"
"Could you just stop acting like such a—"
"Like a what?" he challenged, getting offended.
And I went into a rather detailed, profanity- laden description of what a douche-bag Dylan had proved to be lately. Not just at school, but all summer. He had been in a constant bad mood and it was getting annoying.
He just stood there and stared at me for a few seconds, then he laughed.
He laughed. He LAUGHED. He had the audacity to LAUGH when I was in mid-off-telling!
But I soon realized that it wasn't a happy laugh, more like a sardonic, bitterly sarcastic laugh.
"Your right. I knew I couldn't keep this from you forever."
What? This was new. Dylan was admitting he was wrong?
"Keep what?"
Cue the Dylan-sigh.
"It's about last year... When, you know..."
"Yeah know, last year when Voldemort went all crazy. Nice to know somebody remembers."
"I know right? Why hasn't anyone said anything?"
"I don't know it's like some kind of cursed topic! Wait... We're getting off track here..."
And there's the Rossotto ADD for you.
"Oh yeah, right."
"Continue." I said curiously.
"Well last year... Durning the battle...near the end...
"Yeah?"
"I just sort of... Realized some things."
"Dear God, Dylan. Skip the dramatics! You sound like Abigail."
"Fine. During the battle, I almost died." He then sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall of the corridor.
My breathing stopped for a moment. I stood there, imagining my brother, my best friend, Dylan. Dead, not breathing, unresponsive.
And it was horrible.
He seemed pretty torn up about this, so I decided to lay off on the lecturing for a bit. Instead I sat down in front of him, crossing my legs and staring at him intently.
"But I didn't. Because of Lyla" he sighed. He does an awful lot of that.
"Elaborate..."
"Okay, well you know how I hurt my leg really bad near the end. I was wobbling around, I didn't know what the heck I was doing. Then this death eater appeared out of nowhere and shot a curse at the wall behind me. It collapsed on top of me, and I was knocked out.
"When I woke up, I thought I was dead. But Lyla found me. She dragged me from under all the debree and wrapped up my leg with her sleeve. I... I wanted to die. I mean I regret thinking that now, but it hurt so bad... I was just ready to give up." he chuckled a little bit. "But Lyla wouldn't let me. She kept me talking, she even slapped me once. She's really the only reason I'm alive.
"But by the time I was even able to stand, another death eater showed up. And he was seriously jacked up. He was flinging killing curses left and right. And... Look, he was gonna kill us Wendy. It was only self defense."
"Oh God, what did you do?" I asked.
"Not me, Lyla. She... She killed him. She's never killed ANYBODY before... And she killed him...for me."
This did not compute. Lyla Underwood. Harming another human being? The first thing that came to mind was the train ride, where she hexed Rominger. But that was a one time thing. Lyla was always insisting we do what's right, not letting us curse, never participating in any of our pranks. It was the way she was raised. She must have felt horrible.
"So why are YOU flipping out about it?"
"Because... She shouldn't of had to! I just hate that all of this ever happened! The whole thing didn't really hit me until Lyla Underwood resorted to murder. She has always been so sweet and innocent and kind. The old Lyla probably would have just given him a hug or something!"
"The old Lyla?"
"She's changed! The battle changed everybody, and... I just want my Lyla back..."
"But you know it wasn't your fault right?"
"I know…it just hurts every time I look at her… cause I know she's never gonna really be the same again."
Okay, now it was hug time. The poor boy was so confused.
"You think too much." I stated as he clanged to me for dear life. "You need a break."
"Yeah... I guess."
And that's how we ended up shooting spit balls at students from the legendary rooftop until 7:00, aiming mostly at Slytheirns. A fine therapy treatment, if you ask me.
"I want MY Lyla back" he had said. He had said it so... I don't know, desperately. And I couldn't help but wonder... What was really going on with those two?
Well there it is! Haha this chapter starts to get a bit dark... Well not DARK. It just kinda shows what everybody has been through the previous year. And Dylan's story DEFINETLY isn't over yet ;)
Thanks so much again, and please let me know if it's getting too dramatic... I still want this to be a humorous friendship story! Haha. And BTW, Reviews would be lovely ;)