Disclaimer: All for one and one for a Dollar! –quoth' Mytsie-Sama
Author's Notes: Hmm. I wonder if I've made Snape too mild… Oh well, it will balance out when I have Lucius show up- Cue Maniacal Laughter.
Chapter 10: Who is Mordred?
"I don't know what happened. Professor Snape brought her in last night and after about an hour of rambling she just passed out." Judy could hear Madam Pomfrey talking with someone just by her bed.
"Do you think she'll be better in time for the game?" Judy could make out Gwaine's voice. He sounded farther away; he must have been over by the door.
"I sincerely doubt that Mr. Laike." Judy was beginning to wonder how many people were in the room—that last one sounded like McGonagall.
"Well, I wouldn't be too sure Professor." Judy groaned and sat up clutching her head. Judy opened her eyes a bit and looked around. There were only two people in the room that Judy hadn't recognized by their voice. The Headmaster and Professor Snape. Judy rubbed her eyes and could feel the faded ache that her migraine had left her.
"I think I'll skip asking the obvious—I'm in the infirmary. How'd I get here?" Judy asked and blinked trying to get her eyes to focus on the teachers.
"Professor Snape brought you in last night, he found you…roaming the halls." Madam Pomfrey had to pause halfway through her sentence and think of a properly sugarcoated response, after all one couldn't just tell a student that they'd lost their mind and screeched on about some invisible villain for an hour. Well, most people couldn't just tell someone that.
"Alright…" Judy cocked an eyebrow at Madam Pomfrey. "Obviously that can't be all because you're looking at me with a combination of pity and something else that I'm too tired to identify." Judy was in no mood to be polite, but still she kept her voice calm. "I also doubt that Professor Snape would have simply snatched me up while I was walking the halls and bash me on the back of the head." Judy was referring to the pounding in her head and Gwaine who was still standing by the door tried not to laugh at the imagery.
"Mr. Laike!" Madam Pomfrey hissed at the door and silenced the Ravenclaw Quidditch team captain.
"Ow." Judy said and rubbed her head as Madam Pomfrey hissed. She had something akin to a killer hangover. "Could you not make sharp noises like that Madam Pomfrey?" Judy murmured and was quite surprised when she didn't receive a detention—something was definitely seriously wrong.
"Miss Bacilli." Thankfully McGonagall had spoken up first this time rather than Professor Snape, however Judy's joy wasn't quite what it should have been. McGonagall had a rather sharp sounding voice that didn't cope well with hangover type headaches. "Have you been feeling well as of late?" Judy had dealt with enough psychiatrists in her time to know when someone was hinting at something, and the best answer always seemed to be a lie in these situations.
"Actually no Professor. I've had terrible headaches and felt dizzy. I've had no appetite and haven't been getting much sleep." Judy began, she wasn't going to lie this early in the morning, knowing the way her mind worked her conscience would probably take over all her motor skills while she flew during the match today. "I do believe I'm coming down with something rather nasty." That still wasn't a lie, she was going down and Mordred was definitely a thing to be considered nasty.
"I see." Professor McGonagall added and looked at the Headmaster in a most unnerving way. The headmaster was about to speak when Snape cut him off. Judy sighed; she could almost feel the detentions piling up.
"Headmaster, might I have a word alone with Miss Bacilli." Snape said coldly and the Headmaster looked him in the eyes.
"Certainly Severus." He answered after a moments pause and both he and McGonagall left.
"Madam Pomfrey, if you would." Snape looked at Madam Pomfrey for a moment and she left the infirmary taking Gwaine with her and shutting the door.
"Let me guess. Detention?" Judy grumbled and swung her feet over the edge of the bed.
"Not quite Miss Bacilli." Snape said calmly and drew his wand. He quickly cast some sort of charm on the door—Judy supposed it was a silence spell. After all, eavesdropping wasn't uncommon at Hogwarts.
"Well then what? Suspension? Expulsion?" Judy tried to stand up but as she did all the blood rushed to her pounding head and she was forced to sit back on the bed. "Look, Snape," Judy was in a good deal of pain and had lost her skills with words, "You were the one who found me last night. Tell me what happened and why Pomfrey thinks I'm terminal." Judy's voice implied something between a demand and a request. Snape ignored it.
"I will tell you, but then you must answer one of my questions." Snape said and stepped up to the end of the bed, his robes dragging along the stones behind him.
"Oh crap, you've become a psychoanalyst." Judy grumbled and was beginning to push Snape's limit on things he could ignore. "Fine, I agree."
"Last night I found you wandering down in the dungeons like a confused first year." Snape began and Judy supposed that wasn't too strange. "You stopped in front of my class and proceeded to talk to yourself, referring to yourself in third person."
Judy looked over at him, none of this shocked her in the least but it did slightly shock Snape that she didn't have any form of reaction to being told this. Not that he showed any emotion on his face.
"When I came upon you, you referred to me by quite a strange name—." Snape continued but Judy interrupted.
"Just what did I call you? I'd like to be able to estimate how many weeks of detention I earned."
"Medusa." Snape cocked an eyebrow as he saw Judy visibly straighten. "Then you digressed into a whimpering state and firmly latched yourself onto my right arm."
"Thank you…Professor." Judy stared at her hands with wide eyes. She pushed her mind to recall what had happened but it was no use. The voice had apparently taken over control of her body—but that only happened when her mind was incapacitated.
"Indeed. Now, I believe, you are obliged to answer my question." He stated firmly. "Miss Bacilli." Judy looked up at him and wondered what he could possibly want to ask her. In the pit of her stomach she could feel a sense of dread but she'd agreed and he'd know if she was lying. "Who or what is Mordred?" Snape finished and Judy took in a sharp breath.
"Surely you know who Mordred is, Professor." Judy glanced down at the floor and her eyes took on a distant sort of look. "With a society that has Merlin as one of its most prized celebrities..." Judy said quietly and looked up at him with her far-away expression. "He's the one who overthrew Arthur. The one who led the forces against Camelot. Son of Morgan Le Faye and Arthur himself." Judy was reluctant to ever speak his name aloud, much like the fear of all wizards towards the name of Voldemort.
"Or have you not read the tales?" Judy looked at the unchanging expression on his face. "I'll provide you with a copy." She said flatly and looked back down at the floor. "Why do you ask about that name?"
"When you clung to me in fear you spoke as if Mordred was going to get you." Snape was mildly interested when Judy started laughing. It was a dark laugh, one devoid of humor or glee.
"Professor Snape." She looked up at him with a blank and frankly eerie expression. "I would but explain my relationship with him but I believe that you would understand it far better should you read up on him first."
"Very well." Snape looked down at her curiously. "You will deliver me the copy then after your Quidditch match."
"Yes sir." Judy answered and seemed to vaguely come back to herself. She had no idea what had happened to knock her mind out but whatever it had been it had woken the other and forced the other to take control of Judy's body. Judy stood and managed to stay upright this time. She walked towards the door to leave but she heard Snape's voice behind her.
"Do not think that this little conversation of ours is by any means over." He started and Judy could almost picture the expression on his face. "Merely postponed."
"Yes sir." Judy answered thankful that, for once, it had been Snape interrogating her and not McGonagall. Snape tended to investigate and acquire the absolute story while McGonagall shared information with the Headmaster as she procured it.
"So he really didn't threaten to expel you?" Gwaine asked as he followed Judy down the stairs from the girls' rooms of the Ravenclaw House. He'd been following her asking her a million questions ever since she'd left the infirmary and headed back to change. He'd even followed her up into the girls' rooms (luckily for him there were no other girls present at the time) and stood outside the bathroom questioning her, as she got dressed.
"Nope." Judy began and adjusted the strap on one of her black wrist guards as she walked swiftly down the spiral stairs. "Unless either of the words 'Miss' or 'Bacilli' have taken on a new meaning that I'm unaware of." She turned back to him and stared at his plain black school robes. "Aren't you going to get changed?" She eyed him as she stepped off the stairs and onto the rug covered floor.
"Oh blast." Gwaine looked down at his outfit and very nearly sprinted up to the boys' rooms to get changed. Judy snickered and very nearly took a whole step before she heard him shout down to her. "You wait right there! I've got more questions!" Judy groaned and watched the top of the stairs absentmindedly until she saw Bruce walk down in his Quidditch uniform.
The Quidditch uniforms were just that, uniform, if it weren't for the difference in house color it would be impossible to tell them apart. Gryffindor house was yellow, brown, and somewhat orangy-red. Slytherin were green and black, what else? Hufflepuff were yellow and if only for darker tints their uniforms were the same as Gryffindor. Ravenclaw had the best colors, in Judy's opinion. They were black, dark blue, and dark purple making them quite sinister looking—but it's hard to be a brightly colored raven, really it is.
"Remind me again why I waited." Judy said flatly as Gwaine walked down the stairs.
"Because you love me so much?" Gwaine smiled and Judy scoffed.
"Try again."
"Because I'd bench you for the game if you didn't." Gwaine stated plainly as he stepped off the ladder and both he and Judy made their way to the door.
"Ah yes, that was it!" Judy said happily and threw her arm around his shoulders like the 'buddy' she was.
"See I knew you loved me." Gwaine opened the door and playfully shoved Judy through first.
"Yeah, but if you keep using me as the boot I might have to reconsider." Judy called back to him as she stumbled over the rough stone floor of the entry hall and stepped up to the metal stairs.
"The boot?" Gwaine looked thoroughly confused.
"Yeah, always throw a boot into a room first to check for traps." Judy said and walked up the stairs to go to the match.
"You mean like Snape does to Jerimiah, I get it." Gwaine laughed and followed her up. The two continued talking, and walking towards the Quidditch Pitch.