Chapter 11: Under the Door…
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the plot!
A/N: Hopefully you all will think this Chapter will be better than Chapter 10… Hope you like it! By the way I DO own the poems in the next to Chapters! Hope you like them!
Within a few minutes, Lily's dorm mates were out cold. It had been a very long day for all of them, especially Lily. Every few minutes sleep would invite her in. She almost went in but refused. She begged herself to stay awake. 'It's just 2 more letters,' Lily told herself, 'He will reveal himself and this will all be worth it!' But for the life of her, Lily just couldn't stay awake. She couldn't take it any longer.
Just then she remembered that she kept a whole card board box full of bottles of 5 Hour Energy somewhere near her bed. She usually kept it there in case she needed to pull an all nighter or something, but this was way more important.
Lily finally hopped up out of her warm comfy bed to find the energy drinks. As her bare feet hit the creaky floor boards, however, the dark oak wood beneath her started moaning and groaning every time she shifted. "Shoot!" Lily whispered as she started shifting more and more. She had to make a quick getaway, and soon!
That's when Lily's body did all the thinking for her. Before she knew it, she had grabbed the entire box of 5 Hour Energy's and sped off toward the bathroom. As soon as she locked the door behind her, she realized something.
Arabella's bed was still empty. 'That's funny,' Lily thought, 'I swear I heard her come in. Oh well.' Lily looked at the Gryffindor clock that hung on the bathroom wall. It was exactly 11:15. 'Bella never stays out past 10:30.' Lily thought. 'Something is really wrong.' Lily knew she couldn't go looking for Bella. It was past curfew. 'Maybe she's in the common room finishing some homework or something.' Lily kept telling herself.
Lily spent a few minutes sitting on the counter top, downing the drinks one after the other. She supposed that she might have had about 7. She had lost count after 3. After finishing the drinks, Lily felt good, possibly even great. 'Great,' Lily thought to herself as she read the bottom label that she hardly ever paid any attention to. It read: Do NOT drink over 2 bottles if you are planning to go to bed within 10 hours.
'Just great,' Lily thought, 'Now I can't go to bed at all.' She sighed as she put the 500 other bottles she had kept in emergencies under the sink. 'I won't need those anytime soon.' She thought as she shut the cabinet door leading to them. Suddenly, Lily heard a rustling noise coming from the hallway outside of the dorms. It sounded strangely like shuffling footsteps.
Slowly, Lily opened the bathroom door and looked around the dormitory for any of the girls stirring. Mary was still curled up like she had been when she first laid down. Alice, on the other hand was sprawled out over the entire bed with her neck craned on her pillow. Marlene, who was on the other side of the room, was lying on her stomach, snoring softly, with her butt a little ways in the air. It took all of the strength Lily had to not laugh at the sight before her.
Then Lily heard it again, the soft shuffling noise was coming from outside the door to the dormitory. A shadow suddenly appeared from under the door. Lily stayed very still and quiet as the shadow slid two things under the door.
Lily could hear the shuffling traveling away as she walked slowly toward the door. As she bent down to retrieve it, however, she noticed that it was another rose and the eleventh letter. Lily knew the drill by heart now. She took the rose to the vase and placed it in the cool water with the others. Lily turned on a dim lamp so she could read the letter without waking her roommates.
She slipped her forefinger into the crevice of the envelope and pulled the flap free so she could retrieve the letter inside. 'Hopefully this letter can give me some clues on what to expect within the next hour.' Lily thought as she unfolded the letter that answered her request for clues.
You may not like what you see,
But darling wont you please,
See me for who I really am,
'It's the inside that counts',
That's what you used to tell your friends.
So darling, take your own advice and see,
The real me.
Your last letter shall not come to you.
I will only give you one clue.
The common room couch is where you sat last.
Go back there and live your past.
~Anonymous
'That's it!' Lily thought, 'The last letter is on the couch!' Lily took off out of the room and down the stairs in a speed walk. When her foot hit the last stair, however, Lily stopped and glanced around the room to see if anyone was there. She was disappointed to find no one there. The only noise that could be heard in the entire common room was the majestic fire that was crackling in the fireplace. 'So much for Arabella being in here.' Lily thought to herself as she cautiously made her way to the red velvet couch by the orange glowing fire.
Lily searched and searched the couch over and over, but she still couldn't find the last letter. She was very disappointed. 'Maybe it was just a joke.' Lily thought to herself. She was about to head back upstairs, when the clock on the mantle chimed 12:00.
Suddenly, something grew out of the couch. Lily turned her head to make sure she wasn't hallucinating just in time to see the twelfth rose come out from between the couch cushions. Lily walked back over to the couch quickly, grabbed the rose, and sat it down on the wooden coffee table in front of the couch. She turned back quickly and put her hand down in between the couch cushions where the rose was previously. Finally, her fingertips came in contact with the twelfth and final letter.
