Chapter 7: Roses and Wolfsbane

Sitting up quickly, Emilia looked about her in a high-strung confused manner. Everything around her was white. She had been expecting the dark green almost black curtains of her four-poster bed. Finally coming fully awake she remembered she was in the infirmary and she relaxed against the pillows for a moment before popping back up. When she had fallen asleep it was getting dark outside but now it was quite bright.

She looked around and found a clock hanging on the wall that told her it was already 10 o'clock. "Gah!" she shouted throwing the covers off of her and then noticing her white clothed self paused. Her eye twitched not remembering when she'd changed into the gown from her uniform. She looked around in a panic. She was late for class and had already missed Transfiguration! Professor McGonagall would give her detention for sure.

Emilia heard the click of high heels on the clean floor of the infirmary and the curtain around her space was pulled back slightly by Madam Pomfrey. "Ah, it is you making all that racket, Miss Pendragon. Wait here, I'll go get your things," she said in a business like manner.

Madam Pomfrey's unhurried way of speaking and walking away to get her things relaxed the student as she sat back on the bed to wait more patiently.

As she waited she looked around her small space and her eyes caught onto something lying on the bed side table. It was a wild pink rose and a small card. The card was made of simple white paper but on the inside was a drawing of a small owl on a branch. Some charm had brought it to life and it blinked and hooted silently up at her. It looked suspiciously like Pip. There was a little writing on it as well in a very neat hand:

I hope that you slept well. See you in class.

It wasn't signed as Emilia even inspected the back. She looked at the rendering of Pip again admiring the delicacy of detail when Madam Pomfrey returned.

"A Gryffindor asked me to deliver that to you. For a Slytherin you sure make friends in interesting circles, Miss Pendragon," Madam Pomfrey said with a raised brow as she set Emilia's clothes on the bed beside her. "Also, Professor McGonagall has asked the teachers to excuse you for one more day. And seeing as it is such a beautiful sunny day told me to suggest you take yourself outside to sit by the lake. Revive yourself a little." She stroked Emilia's silvery blond hair with a gentle smile before walking briskly back to her office.

Emilia slowly got dressed pondering the rose and its sender. She would say it was Lily but the handwriting was wrong although no less neat and tidy. She raised her eyebrows with a shrug. 'Must have been Remus,' she thought to herself jumping to the most likely, in her mind, conclusion out of the few Gryffindors she associated with. She would have to remember to thank him for it later.

She slipped her tie lazily about her neck leaving it untied as she straightened the sheets on the bed though she knew they would be washed and replaced as soon as she left. Picking up the gift, she left the infirmary and headed toward Slytherin Commons to drop it off before she would go outside.

Everyone was in class again as she roamed the corridors thankful that once she got to the main hall it wasn't such a big deal to find her common room.

"Dragon droppings," she said pausing a moment before walking straight into the wall and knocking her head against solid stone. Falling back on her butt managing to save the rose she groaned, rubbing her head as she looked at the wall. She saw that the light sconce was indeed on the right side and not the left (any with it on the left being the wrong wall) and she sighed. The password must have changed since the day before it being a week since they were given the last one. She stood up rubbing the sore spot that was sure to become a bruise and pondered what she was going to do when she heard footsteps behind her. She grimaced before smoothing her face as she turned, praying that it wasn't a certain prefect she'd come to loathe.

It wasn't. But although he wore the Slytherin colors and patch she couldn't place his face meaning he was probably from the older Slytherins. He smiled in a rather dashing yet roguish way that caused a pretty blush to bloom on her cheeks and she thanked the dungeon lighting for any cover up it was giving her.

"Emilia Pendragon, isn't it?" She blushed even more when she could only respond with a shy nod. "My name is Elliot Mosley," he introduced himself stretching out his hand to her, "3rd year Slytherin."

She took his hand and he shook it once before pulling her by the hand to the wall again. "The new password is wolfsbane," he whispered unnecessarily, leaning closer to her, before pulling her through the wall along with him. He let go of her once they had reached the other side and saluted her casually. "Best if you leave a note for the house elves. I'm sure they could find a vase with some water for your rose," he said with a wolfish grin before disappearing into the boys' dormitories.

She watched the place where he had been swallowed by darkness for a moment continuing to blush at all his forwardness. They hadn't even been friends and he simply took hold of her hand!

'Sirius took hold of your hand yesterday…' the little voice in her head chirruped and she wondered why she hadn't felt the same indignation. They weren't friends either… were they? She shook her head finally going up into the girls' dormitories. Of course it wasn't the same. Sirius was her age but Elliot… and she had known Sirius for at least a week when with Elliot… her thoughts couldn't seem to form anything beyond "Elliot" and so she shoved the thought away altogether muttering something about boys and confusion.

However she did as Elliot suggested by putting a note beside her rose for the house elves. The note Remus (or so she assumed) had given her she put into the book she was currently reading. It was some novel by a Muggle author that had caught her attention and caused a source of intrigue to well up within her. She almost set the book back down but remembering she had the day off she shrugged out of her robes and, tucking the book under her arm, headed outside.

She didn't see Elliot, or anyone else for that matter, when she left the dormitory.

As Madam Pomfrey had said it was truly a beautiful day. Sunny but with just enough cloud cover to keep it from being overly bright. Looking up through the branches of the tree she sat under, Emilia could see a few cheery white clouds scudding across the blue sky. The ground was littered with leaves but a good handful still clung to the branches above. She was glad there was at least one more day of mild summer weather before the autumn settled in with its usual crispness.

Her book lay in the leaf strewn grass beside her as she twirled a leaf between her fingers. She had been startled at first when she saw the giant squid skimming along the surface of the lake but she was soon smiling at its lazy movements as it clearly enjoyed the sunshine. A soft breeze picked up over the lake and blew some loose strands of hair about her face the rest still intact in the braided bun.

She couldn't say how long she stayed in that position, serenely watching the lake but when her name was called her gaze caught the leaves that had landed on her skirt in the meantime. Looking to the left back toward the castle she saw Lily and Severus walking toward her, Lily in the act of waving. She smiled gently standing up and brushing the back of her skirt and picking up her book before meeting them on their way down the slope to the lake. Lily flung her arms about her neck and Emilia barely caught them from falling backwards, steadying Lily with an arm across her back.

"It's good to see you too, Lily," she laughed quietly before Lily put her at arms length and looked at her critically.

"McGonagall said you hadn't been sleeping well," Lily said sadly before Emilia interjected, guiding her away from asking why.

"But I did sleep well last night and I should be good as new tomorrow, so don't you worry. No good ever comes from worrying," Emilia continued hitting her forehead softly against her friend's hoping this would be enough like the normal her to console the green-eyed girl. It seemed to work as Lily beamed and turned back to the school linking arms with her and Severus going on about the day's lessons and how much Emilia would likely have to catch up on.

"Well it's a good thing I learn by watching then, isn't it?" she asked lightly casting Severus a look to see if he remembered the 'Accio' incident between her and Lucius. She thought she heard a scoff from him as he turned his face away but there was a distinct curl to his lip that made her grin.

"If we go to the Library, I can at least show you what we studied in class," Lily suggested as they climbed up the steps to the main doors which were left open seeing as the afternoon was still on. Emilia agreed and soon found their steps being led to the Library.

Upon entering the room, she breathed in deeply. The smell of parchment, books and polished wood filled her senses and her mood rose even higher. The three of them sat down at an empty table, Severus pulling out their book for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Lily pulling out the Transfiguration book. Emilia and Lily spoke quietly, Lily explaining as Emilia questioned and they spent a good hour or so in that state.

The Library started to empty and Emilia stood up as Severus and Lily put their books away. They made their way rather lazily to the Great Hall for dinner and bumped into Sirius, James, Remus and a mousy haired boy that Lily whispered the name of to Emilia. "That's Peter Pettigrew. He just sort of started hanging around them and they tolerate it, I suppose." Emilia just shook her head but Sirius caught her eyes and he was looking at her with quiet concern.

She mouthed the words "I'm fine" with a small smile which Lily caught and looked toward the boys but immediately after she'd moved her lips and before Lily looked, Sirius had engaged in a boisterous conversation with James. Lily looked a question at Emilia but the silvery-blond had turned her gaze toward the hall and her friend seemed to let it drop for the moment.

Emilia's attention was caught seeing the light glance off chestnut brown hair and she only needed to see his profile to know that Elliot Mosley was just entering the Great Hall. He seemed to be laughing but then turned his face a little further, looking over his shoulder, and he spotted Emilia to whom he cast a smile, only his lips curving as he saluted her as he had earlier that afternoon before disappearing among the masses.

Her heart skipped and she put her hand to it self-consciously wondering if it had been truly toward her and if anyone else had caught it.

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C.B.