Penny Dredfule Chapter Four
Dreams of Penny Dreadfuls
Penny made her way to her rooms after the Start of the Year Feast without incident. Penny wanted to have a little lie down before she went to speak to Professor Townsend. She did have one slip up however; Peeves decided to introduce himself to her.
She saw him coming towards her, a white apparition with an insatiable appetite for mischief. Up close, he was about her height and slightly bald. Well, as much as it was possible for a poltergeist to be bald, thought Penny.
"Eeeee! It's Penny pookey poo!"
"You must be Peeves." Penny said. No insults came to mind.
"And, how are WE Penny pookey poo? You smell like poo! HA HA HA HA!!!!"
"Oh," said Penny with a wry smile, "do I? How lovely!"
This made Peeves stop his laughing. "What did you say, Miss Poo?"
"I said that was lovely. And everyone has told me SO much about you, you must be quite fun to talk to! You know, I was interested in writing a book on ghosts and apparitions! I'd just LOVE it if I could interview you!"
That did it. Peeves didn't know whether to howl, cry, laugh or what. He wasn't expecting it. Someone was actually being NICE to him! Him! Peeves! He couldn't believe it!
"Um," he said.
"You must have been so HANDSOME when you were alive. Slayed all the ladies, I bet!"
"Um, yes," he said, "well, um, must be, um, going that way…" and he disappeared with a pop.
Penny chuckled to herself as she walked towards her rooms, and let the portrait of Brigit close behind her. Peeves appeared again in front of the painting. "I think I'm in love…" he whispered.
* * *
Once in her rooms, Penny gave Morris his obligatory pet and sat on her bed to take a quick rest. She closed her eyes almost immediately.
Her dream was an odd one, even for her. She entered into a large library. It was beautifully done, like something out of a fairy tale. Large floor to ceiling bookcases filled the room, a large picture window in front of her showing a picture perfect day. Then what the hell am I doing in here, she thought, if it's such a beautiful day?
She wandered around the library looking at all the books and titles, different coloured covers, gilded gold and inhaled the smell of aged paper. She explored every inch of the library shelves, and so absorbed in what she was doing that she was doubly startled by what she saw next.
It was a small glass case, in the center of the room. How could I not see that before? She thought. She approached it with eagerness and something bordering on anticipation. On the front door of the glass case it read:
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF PENNY DREDFULE
Which of course was ridiculous, she had never written a single story in her life! She opened the case, as her curiosity was getting the better of her.
She reached inside, and pulled out the first of what looked like twenty or thirty books. Small little chaplet books, piled in the case, some with blue covers, some with red covers, some with green covers. The one she now held was a yellow covered book entitled "Rosa's Lust".
Penny shrieked. "WHAT?!" and looked at the cover again. It was definitely titled "Rosas Lust", but Penny couldn't think what the little book could contain. She opened the book to the first page.
And closed it almost immediately.
"SMUT?" she yelled, "I write smut?!"
She picked out another book. It was entitled "They Came At Midnight". She felt it safe enough to flip through this one.
It turned out to be a mystery story about her hometown, Laurenceville, London. It was about a group of children that she had known as a child. She had always suspected them of being aliens from another planet, as they were always rather weird. Not the most original conspiracy theory, she thought, but then again, I was only nine.
She saw a groups of three books that were done up in a box set. The covers were coloured a dark green. The titles read "Harry", "Hermione" and "Ron". When she opened them, she found them to be completely blank
Her gaze was then drawn to one book in particular. It was covered in black leather, and looked quite old. Putting down the other three books, she went to reach for the black book.
That was as far as she got. The star on her left hand began to throb, and it felt like her hand was burning. It was burning! Her hand was on fire! Her hand was-
* * *
She woke with her painful hand clutched to her breast. She lowered the hand to look at the star. It was now etched in black, as if someone had taken a pen to it, and filled in the crevices of the lines. She heard Morris mew irritably.
"What baby? What is it?" she said, her voice quavering.
Morris then jumped up on her bedside table, and rubbed his nose against a book that wasn't there previously. She picked it up absently. It was a thin book covered in orange cloth this time. The title of this book was "How I Love Serveus Snape".
She screamed, and dropped the book as if it were on fire. "When the hell did I write that?!" she shrieked. "How could I write that? How could I have written that without vomiting?!" she shuddered.
Morris mewed again. He was pawing at the door to go out. Of course!, she thought.
Penny grabbed her wand, the book, scooped up Morris, and headed off to see Sheryll.
* * *
Dreams of Penny Dreadfuls
Penny made her way to her rooms after the Start of the Year Feast without incident. Penny wanted to have a little lie down before she went to speak to Professor Townsend. She did have one slip up however; Peeves decided to introduce himself to her.
She saw him coming towards her, a white apparition with an insatiable appetite for mischief. Up close, he was about her height and slightly bald. Well, as much as it was possible for a poltergeist to be bald, thought Penny.
"Eeeee! It's Penny pookey poo!"
"You must be Peeves." Penny said. No insults came to mind.
"And, how are WE Penny pookey poo? You smell like poo! HA HA HA HA!!!!"
"Oh," said Penny with a wry smile, "do I? How lovely!"
This made Peeves stop his laughing. "What did you say, Miss Poo?"
"I said that was lovely. And everyone has told me SO much about you, you must be quite fun to talk to! You know, I was interested in writing a book on ghosts and apparitions! I'd just LOVE it if I could interview you!"
That did it. Peeves didn't know whether to howl, cry, laugh or what. He wasn't expecting it. Someone was actually being NICE to him! Him! Peeves! He couldn't believe it!
"Um," he said.
"You must have been so HANDSOME when you were alive. Slayed all the ladies, I bet!"
"Um, yes," he said, "well, um, must be, um, going that way…" and he disappeared with a pop.
Penny chuckled to herself as she walked towards her rooms, and let the portrait of Brigit close behind her. Peeves appeared again in front of the painting. "I think I'm in love…" he whispered.
* * *
Once in her rooms, Penny gave Morris his obligatory pet and sat on her bed to take a quick rest. She closed her eyes almost immediately.
Her dream was an odd one, even for her. She entered into a large library. It was beautifully done, like something out of a fairy tale. Large floor to ceiling bookcases filled the room, a large picture window in front of her showing a picture perfect day. Then what the hell am I doing in here, she thought, if it's such a beautiful day?
She wandered around the library looking at all the books and titles, different coloured covers, gilded gold and inhaled the smell of aged paper. She explored every inch of the library shelves, and so absorbed in what she was doing that she was doubly startled by what she saw next.
It was a small glass case, in the center of the room. How could I not see that before? She thought. She approached it with eagerness and something bordering on anticipation. On the front door of the glass case it read:
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF PENNY DREDFULE
Which of course was ridiculous, she had never written a single story in her life! She opened the case, as her curiosity was getting the better of her.
She reached inside, and pulled out the first of what looked like twenty or thirty books. Small little chaplet books, piled in the case, some with blue covers, some with red covers, some with green covers. The one she now held was a yellow covered book entitled "Rosa's Lust".
Penny shrieked. "WHAT?!" and looked at the cover again. It was definitely titled "Rosas Lust", but Penny couldn't think what the little book could contain. She opened the book to the first page.
And closed it almost immediately.
"SMUT?" she yelled, "I write smut?!"
She picked out another book. It was entitled "They Came At Midnight". She felt it safe enough to flip through this one.
It turned out to be a mystery story about her hometown, Laurenceville, London. It was about a group of children that she had known as a child. She had always suspected them of being aliens from another planet, as they were always rather weird. Not the most original conspiracy theory, she thought, but then again, I was only nine.
She saw a groups of three books that were done up in a box set. The covers were coloured a dark green. The titles read "Harry", "Hermione" and "Ron". When she opened them, she found them to be completely blank
Her gaze was then drawn to one book in particular. It was covered in black leather, and looked quite old. Putting down the other three books, she went to reach for the black book.
That was as far as she got. The star on her left hand began to throb, and it felt like her hand was burning. It was burning! Her hand was on fire! Her hand was-
* * *
She woke with her painful hand clutched to her breast. She lowered the hand to look at the star. It was now etched in black, as if someone had taken a pen to it, and filled in the crevices of the lines. She heard Morris mew irritably.
"What baby? What is it?" she said, her voice quavering.
Morris then jumped up on her bedside table, and rubbed his nose against a book that wasn't there previously. She picked it up absently. It was a thin book covered in orange cloth this time. The title of this book was "How I Love Serveus Snape".
She screamed, and dropped the book as if it were on fire. "When the hell did I write that?!" she shrieked. "How could I write that? How could I have written that without vomiting?!" she shuddered.
Morris mewed again. He was pawing at the door to go out. Of course!, she thought.
Penny grabbed her wand, the book, scooped up Morris, and headed off to see Sheryll.
* * *
