I didn't even put to guess the reference in the last chapter, and some of you still got it. Nice work!
"You rockstar Emily Fields!" Hanna in 2x03. Congrats to Ava B and Bagilia!
WideOpenSpaces045: Yep, she is quite the bitch. But I still kinda love her, haha. She makes things interesting! I guess you can say we have a hate-love relationship. I love Hannily, too, they're almost as fun to write for as Sparia, haha. Thanks for the lovely review!
Sarah: Emily is just too trusting! And oh man, if Rita Skeeter and Vanderjesus were related... the world would explode, but everything everywhere would make so much sense. Oh my god... can't wait for you to read this next chapter! I think you might like it ;)
Guest: Oh, but they talked to her ;)
Titanium Wolf: Love to hate basically describes Rita. I'm a big fan of her, though. She's just so GOSSIPY! My favorite had to be when she and Harry teamed up to take down Umbridge with that one article, and she got so giddy and excited. It was hilarious. And well, you just painted quite a picture there. Whether it's ACCURATE or not, you'll have to see!
Ava B: It was pretty fun coming up with Emily's story, I have to admit. She's a true competitor deep down ;) and Hanna's morals are slightly dubious, but her heart is in the right place, which is what really matters :)
Forever Courage: Wow, thank you so much! Glad to see you back here reading another one of my stories :) and well, here's the next chapter coming your way!
Silver-Infinite: She really should, shouldn't she? Oh Rita.
Goldenheart11: I think it's safe to say that the girls will never, EVER learn from their mistakes. EVER.
Bagilia: Absolutely not, they're too entertaining! And oh, Rita is as Slytherin as they come. I LOVE IT! And haha, I do know how much you love your Haleb babies, that was made perfectly clear ;) thanks for the review!
PrettyWitchyVamp: Indeed, you are improving. And you're right, Hannily doesn't stand a chance against the wonder that IS Rita Skeeter. NO ONE STANDS A CHANCE! Wait until you see the article she writes later on. Ohhh man. Thank you once again for your fabulous reviews!
TotalCowGirl: In a later chapter, you'll get to see the article she publishes, and it's pretty chalk full of shit, I'll say that. Thanks so much for the review!
Sgdp1261: YAY! I feel special. Congrats again on your new account. And haha, that's so true! She basically is another Mona (except she hasn't reached the godlike levels that Mona has. Hell, NO ONE has!) and you'll see the article she publishes later! You're semi-accurate with that title, haha, but you'll see! I'm trying really hard to add in as many characters as possible, but it's really hard! Thank you once again for reading my story. You're fabulous XD
Alright, next chapter. I have a feeling I might get some hate for this chapter because a certain someone enters the scene (although I have a feeling ShadowsOnTheMoon is gonna jump through the computer screen to envelope me in a hug... that was a huge hint). But things are gonna get interesting starting here, so I have a feeling you'll like it! So please read, review, and all that jazz. Love you all!
"Someone actually stole my books!" Spencer huffed as she stormed down the corridor. Aria strided next to her as she calmed her down, but it was harder when Spencer was so piped up on nervous energy; it was also harder to keep up when Aria's legs were so much shorter.
"It looks like someone really doesn't want us knowing about the Chamber," Aria said.
At this, Spencer just let out a sound that was a mix between a scoff and a laugh. "Well, I'm going to find out about the Chamber," she said casually. "I don't care if someone steals my books. That just means we need to do some more active investigating."
Aria stopped in her tracks. "I don't like the sound of that."
Spencer groaned as she spun around to face Aria. "Yes you do," she said half-convincingly. "Look, remember when I said earlier in the month that we should sneak into the Infirmary?"
"And remember when I said that was a terrible idea?" Aria fought back.
"C'mon!" Spencer whined. "I don't have anymore classes for the day, and I know you don't either! And there's 7 hours until the dance - "
"So this is your way of passing boredom?" Aria said incredulously.
"NO! Well... ugh, you know what I mean," Spencer said frustratedly. "C'mon, please come with me. Just tell Pomfrey you're coming to see your brother and that I came for support!"
"It feels wrong."
"Please?" Spencer pleaded one last time. "We're team Sparia!"
A few seconds passed, and Aria found herself biting her lip until it bled. Spencer knew that Aria couldn't resist their nickname that they made for each other when they were younger; they were partners in crime, after all! Finally, Aria looked up to find Spencer staring at her intensely, eyes so big that Aria was surprised they didn't just fall right out of her head. Aria took a giant step back. "You're not going to stop staring at me like a lost puppy until I say yes, are you?" she finally said.
"Nope!" Spencer said shortly, shaking her head while her widened eyes remained fixated on Aria.
Aria sighed. "Fine. Let's go break into an Infirmary in the middle of the day like rational people," she added with mocking cheerfulness.
"That's my girl!" Spencer cheered as she grabbed Aria by the arm and dragged her over to the Hospital Wing.
Aria and Spencer walked down the corridor all the way to the Infirmary hall. It seemed darker, more ominous than the last time Aria had been in it.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Aria whispered to Spencer as they stood outside the doorway.
Spencer leaned toward Aria as she whispered instructions. "We go in, pretend that we're visiting your brother, but we actually search him for a fang."
"And if he doesn't have one?"
"Then we search Malfoy," Spencer confirmed. Aria's eyes widened.
"If you really think I'm gonna poke my hands around that sleazy bastard - "
"Relax." Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna be right there beside you."
Aria started to say that that didn't quite assure her, but Spencer cut her off. "Ready?"
Aria allowed herself one final breath before nodding her head. "Let's do this."
They entered the Infirmary, surveying the place. There were students lying on beds, while bottles meant to hold medicine were scattered everywhere. Clearly Madam Pomfrey was on her toes trying to take care of everyone, which explained her disorganization. Yet it was also odd because at the moment she was nowhere in sight.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Aria called, as she and Spencer gave the room a once over, checking to see if Madam Pomfrey was in sight and they had just missed her.
"She's not in," a male voice said, and Spencer and Aria whipped around to the sound. A young man, no more than 26, entered the room, his surprisingly cute bushy brunette eyebrows raised in inquiry. He was dressed in scrubs, and he had his gloved hands in the pockets of them. "Is there anything you need?"
Spencer and Aria just looked at each other strangely. Spencer gave Aria a look that said, Was this guy always here? and Aria returned a look that said, Don't look at me, I've never seen him before!
"Um," Aria began tentatively as she turned back to the man, "I just came to visit my little brother. Mike?"
"Ah, yes," the man said as he looked down at the clipboard in his hands. "Mike Montgomery. I take it you're Aria?"
"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. "And this is my friend, Spencer."
"Nice to meet you," he said as he shook both of their hands, flashing a charming smile. "I'm Nurse Kingston, but you can call me Wren. I'm here to help out a bit; assist Madam Pomfrey in whatever way I can."
"It's really so bad that she needs help?" Spencer asked as he led the girls to where Mike was lying.
"Oh yes," Wren said. "She keeps saying it hasn't been this bad since the last time the Chamber was opened."
Spencer felt her stomach lurch at this. Everytime someone mentioned the Chamber being opened, she felt uneasy. It also made her even more determined than before to figure out who was behind it all, but the chances of actually getting an answer to that question were looking less and less likely by the minute.
"If it's so bad, why don't they just close the school?" Aria asked. "Clearly it isn't safe."
"You know that, and I know that," Wren said cleverly as he stopped at Mike's bed. "But no one on staff is going to be willing to admit that Hogwarts might not be safe again."
Despite the unsettling words, Spencer found herself smiling. She liked this new nurse; he had basically just voiced everything that had been going through her head. He, unlike a lot of the people at this school, was someone her style.
"Alright, here he is," Wren said, holding his hands out as he gestured toward Mike, in a repose before their very eyes. He then propped a hand on Aria's shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you, so I just want to say that I'm sorry."
Aria gave a weak smile and a "Thank you", but Spencer knew that she was tired of all the sympathy; she was tired of everyone looking at her like she was made of glass, and feeling like they had to walk on eggshells around her. Spencer tried to catch herself when she acted like that, too, but she couldn't help it! Aria was like a sister to Spencer - an actual sister that she didn't have to compete with, and could actually confront and talk to like a normal person - and Spencer would do anything to keep her safe and happy. Spencer also saw Aria as a baby bunny in a way, and no one liked seeing baby bunnies get hurt.
With that, Wren saluted and walked out of the room. Spencer found herself staring after him, entranced.
"Earth to Spencer," Aria said, waving her hand in front of Spencer's face.
Spencer blinked rapidly, realizing she'd been staring after Wren for several seconds. "What?"
"C'mon, you're the one who dragged me into this!" Aria whispered. "Let's just search for the fangs, and then we can get the hell out of here."
"Um, actually..." Spencer began, looking down the wing to where Wren had just left. "You look."
"What?" Aria's eyes had fully reached the size of Bludgers. "Spencer, I can't do this alone!"
"Someone has to distract him!" Spencer said hastily. "It might as well be me! You're the one who's supposed to be visiting Mike!"
"Spencer, I really don't feel good about searching my own brother and Malfoy's pockets," Aria said bluntly. "You're supposed to be the one without boundaries!"
"Please, Aria!" Spencer whined. "I need to watch him; Madam Pomfrey didn't care what anyone was doing, but we don't know what his method of watching over patients is! The last thing we want is for him to walk in on us snooping!"
Finally, Aria sighed. "Fine," she complied. "Consider me on it."
With a wide grin, and a quick hug, Spencer made her way over to Wren, who was in the other room, sorting his way through pill bottles. She couldn't help noticing how cute he looked; he had a perplexed expression on his face as he shifted his way through bottle after bottle, prescription after prescription. But then she realized where her brain was, and it scared her.
What are you doing? she asked herself internally. Are you forgetting Toby? Your insanely cute, caring boyfriend who loves you more than you sometimes love yourself? Snap out of it!
Deciding that she was just confused, that all of this drama with the Chamber and with 'A' was messing with her head, Spencer moved forward. "Hi!"
Wren looked up, and then jumped up in the air, startled at Spencer's presence. "Um, we're not allowed to have students back here."
"Oh, sorry," Spencer said, blushing slightly. Well, that's embarrassing. "I just wanted to give Aria some privacy."
"Right, I understand," Wren said, nodding his head as he looked down, sorting through papers on the counter in front of him. "Well, I guess it's alright! This room isn't quarantined or anything, after all."
Spencer giggled slightly, admiring his strong British accent. It was weird; she never saw the big deal about British accents. On someone like Scorpius Malfoy, it just sounded obnoxious and squeaky; not manly at all. But on Wren, it was surprisingly adorable... and even a little sexy.
Pushing her inappropriate thoughts aside, Spencer continued trying to make small talk. "So, um, how long have you been a nurse?"
"Well, I just passed my NCLEX exam about a year ago," Wren explained. "Now I'm just in medical training. It's going to take a long while before I can become an actual magical doctor."
"Well, I wish you luck," Spencer said approvingly.
"Thank you!" he said brightly. "Are you interested in medical work?"
"Erm..." Spencer chewed on her lip. Was she? Her parents had put so many career options in her head and had spent so much time talking about her future and molding her into what they wanted her to be, that she didn't even know what she herself wanted anymore.
"I'm just exploring options," she said with a shrug. "Not entirely sure what I want."
Wren looked her up and down, observing her; her straight, brown hair, down to her shoulders with the sides pinned back; her perfectly pleated robes, proudly displaying her Slytherin tie and Prefect badge; and her eyes. He could immediately sense from her eyes that she was filled with intelligence and determination. But he could also see a flick of intensity in them, and not the good kind of intensity. It was the kind of intensity that wore you out, that made you tired.
"You're one of those girls, right?" he asked innocently. "Constantly pressured by parents?"
Spencer was stunned. "How did you - "
"I saw it all the time while I was in school," Wren said with a shrug. "Especially when training to become a magical nurse; you're surrounded by all these people who are all so stressed. It's like... this is what they need. Like they have something they need to prove. You can just tell by their eyes... and you've got them."
"That's me," she said with a sigh as she leaned up against the wall next to her.
Wren bowed his head. "Look, I didn't exactly grow up in a family like yours, so I don't quite know that kind of pressure; I just know from observing... but I can imagine it can be unbearable at times."
Spencer just gave him a quizzical look. "Well, you can't exactly be a slouch," she pointed out. "I mean, look at you! An assistant nurse at Hogwarts? Saving lives for a living? All that drive had to come from somewhere!"
"It came from me," Wren said with a shrug. "My life has been my choice."
"Well, you're lucky," Spencer admitted. How great it would be to have a choice. She looked up to see that he was smiling at her, almost like he found her entertaining. Amusing.
Deciding to move past it, Spencer moved on. "So... do you know what's going on with the Chamber?"
"A little," Wren said minimally. "I hear people talk around a bit about it. Also Pomfrey mumbles to herself a lot."
Spencer laughed slightly at this. "It just seems so out of nowhere," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, things have been so great at Hogwarts up until now."
"Yeah, it was great when I was in school, too," Wren said agreeably.
Spencer chewed on the inside of her cheek, deep in thought. "What else have you heard? About the Chamber?"
Wren was taken off guard slightly by this. "About as much as everyone else has heard. Why?"
"Just curious," she answered. "I want answers just as much as everyone else."
"Well, I'm afraid I'm the wrong source for information," he said apologetically. "But I know a mate of mine who works here who might have some answers."
Spencer jerked her head up. "You do? Who?"
Again, Wren was taken off guard; he wasn't used to this insane level of intensity coming out of such a lithe girl. She was determined, yes, but she also almost seemed... scared? "Neville Longbottom."
"Professor Longbottom?" Spencer said, surprised. Professor Longbottom had a pretty good reputation for standing up to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the Battle of Hogwarts like a true Gryffindor, and he was beloved by all of the students for his quirkiness. It also helped that he lived above the Leaky Cauldron with his wife, the landlady at the pub, and his students liked to visit him there during Hogsmeade visits. He was a cool guy, sure, but Spencer never thought she would ever seek him for information.
"Yes," Wren continued. "He was there the last time the Chamber was opened."
"How do you know?"
"He stops by every now and then," Wren said as he went back to sorting through the pill bottles on the counter. "He likes to check on the students; he's a good mate. He's obviously worried about them."
Spencer thought about this, and then blurted out something that she never thought she'd ask. "Did he say anything about getting fangs when the Chamber opened the last time?"
Now Wren just looked confused. "No, he's never mentioned that," he said slowly. "In fact, I don't think anyone's mentioned that."
"Spencer?" Aria called from the other room. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, coming!" Spencer called back, before turning to Wren. "Well, I should get going."
"It was lovely talking to you!" Wren replied, but his voice didn't have the same cheerfulness that it did when they first started talking. It now had some terseness, some apprehension.
Something Spencer had said had made him nervous, but Spencer couldn't figure out what.
Side Note: Team. Fucking. Sparia. I was so excited when I wrote this chapter, it made me all kinds of happy. And Wren is now in the story, here to shake things up. How nice! References, anyone? Theories? Review! Also, the next few chapters are gonna soley focus on the Halloween ball, where a lot of stuff goes down. It's a little slow at first, but things pick up I promise!
