Just Another Thursday

Maura was beginning to appreciate the color red. Especially the rich, velvety red that hung in front of the windows or engulfed studious Gryffindors in the form of the oversized, overstuffed armchairs. She loved the regal autumn red-gold of the lion in the tapestry that hung in the common room. Blissfully, she let herself fall into the burgundy swoon that was a night safely tucked in her canopy bed. The first day of classes quietly stored back in the back of her mind, Maura was more than ready for a sweet slumber. It was not to be so.

She was in the Great Hall, staring up at a grand chandelier that was swinging madly. A crack appeared in the ceiling, a crack with a gaping maw that seemed posed to swallow the entirety of Hogwarts. Maura watched, removed, until suddenly she was down on the floor, coughing, choking, screaming. She saw fire, burning so hot it was blue. She cried out, but could only her the voices of a thousand others, crying along with her. She was burning. Hogwarts was burning. It was all coming down, it—

"Maura!" She could see the moon suspended in the terrible red-violet sky, no, wait, not a moon. Lotty's face, pale and round, peered down at her. "Wake up!" Maura blinked. She was in her bed. Hogwarts was not crumbling around her. Maura sat up and stared at her tingling arms. They were covered in writing. Maura shrieked. Panicked, she leapt out of bed, holding her arms as far away from her as she could. "Maura! What is it?" Lotty's eyes were wide and frightened.

"Is Maura a chicken?" mumbled a sleepy Nancy. Maura glanced between her friends wildly. "You can't see this?" She waved her arms.

"I see Maura flapping her arms." Eve noted calmly. "Otherwise…no." Maura stared.

"But…the writing…" Lotty's eyes widened even farther. She snatched the first parchment off the dresser her hand touched and licked the tip of her quill to get it flowing.

"Go on, Maura, read it to me. Hurry up!" Maura blinked. "Mum told me about something like this. It's prophecy. Read!" Maura blinked again, took a deep breath, and then began reading. The silvery ink wound its way around her left arm, snaking in a tight coil, and then began again on her right shoulder, ending finally at the tip of her middle finger. As soon as her lips passed over each word, they glowed blood red, then faded. Lotty's hand cramped, and Eve took over, recording each syllable in her perfect Palmer handwriting. Finally, Maura's limbs were completely free of the foreign invasion, and Eve and Lotty gathered around Maura. Nancy had long since fallen asleep to the droning of Maura's voice, and shy Ingrid slept like the dead. Eve cleared her throat.

In the time of the changing of the guard the sleeping eagle will arise and claw for its crown. A tragic flower blooms across the body that destroys itself, while the usurper is crowned in thorns. A river of blood, a mountain of bodies, the epidemic spreads. The isolation ends in a crash of thunder, the peace sinking beneath the hungry sea. Where will the children hide? The masque of death is unveiled at midnight in the summer of the thirsty drinker. Sleep, child, the worst is yet to come. A thousand stars shatter and bleed themselves dry...

Maura shivered despite the relative warmth permeating the room. Some parts were hideously cryptic, while others seemed perfectly clear. A river of blood, a mountain of bodies. Lotty huddled in her dressing gown. Eve was trying to look brave, but the hands that held the parchment were shaking.

"We have to take this to the headmaster." Lotty said determinedly. She smiled weakly, revealing her dimples.

"Must we?" asked Eve softly. Her hands were white and still shaking. Lotty turned to Eve, shocked.

"Of course, Eve!" She whimpered. "I'd really rather not, but this sort of thing is important. A real prophecy. It could be imperative to the survival of….of everyone!" Lotty rolled off the bed and extended a hand to Eve.

"Wait," Eve said slowly. "Wait." She closed her eyes and recollected herself. "Accio letter" she sighed, and a well-read sheet of stationery floated over to her delicate fingers. Without any prelude, she began to read. "Dearest Evie. When you read this darling, you will be far away at the school I left years ago. This is a warning. Headmaster Brooden Shambleshook is an old classmate of mine. An old Slytherin classmate of mine. Darling Evie, I want you to remain fair and open-minded of the Slytherins, but remember that there is always a reason for what the hat does. Stay out of Hogwarts politics. Study hard and practice well and all will go easily for you. Beware of anyone affiliated with any house. There is a storm brewing, Evie, can you taste the electricity?" Her nose twitched, ever so slightly, "Love, Da"

Lotty and Maura stared at Eve intently. "Do you mean to tell us," Lotty finally said, "that your own Da thinks the Headmaster is dotty? That's hardly reassuring." Eve refolded the letter and sent it floating across the room. Maura caught herself wondering how Eve had learned so much already, before her mind snapped back to the attention of the matter closest at hand.

"There are several issues to be addressed here," she said softly, her logical brain taking over. "Firstly, Eve, you must write to your father and ask him who is to be trusted, if Headmaster Shambleshook is not. Secondly, Lotty, you must write to your parents and ask them their opinion of our headmaster. Thirdly, we must form a pact here and now. We will never split. There are some things that will always remain between the three of us, and this may end up being one of them."

"Agreed," Lotty nodded.

"Three forever" Eve whispered, shivering. She seized a letter opener and sealing wax from the desk. Using her wand, she sharpened the opener to a liquid edge and offered it to Maura. With mechanical precision Maura nicked her thumb, and a tiny ruby swelled. She passed the knife to Lotty, who gasped as her own blood trickled from her thumb. Eve was the last, cutting into herself with a steely, almost unnerving determination. Setting the letter-opener turned knife, she lit the sealing wax with a flicker of her wand. Red tears dripped from the flame, hissing as they hit the parchment. "Red for blood" she whispered.

"Red for love," Lotty countered. Maura took a deep breath. How amazing it seemed, that their actions and words flowed so beautifully together, as if they'd been rehearsed. Her mouth formed the words without her brain's total consent.

"Red for Gryffindor." She watched as the little scarlet pearl slid down her thumb and splashed, mingling with the blood of her friends. She took a deep shuddering breath as Eve pressed the seal down into the hot wax.

"What seal did you use?" Lotty asked in a whisper. Eve blinked in surprise, as if waking from a dream.

"I don't know" she replied as she lifted the golden seal. A red lion roared back from the wax at the three girls. Maura jumped back.

"Those things move?"

Keith, being a head taller than her other friends, was the first to teal Maura what the message board said. "Flying lessons!" He exclaimed to her, his eyes radiating excitement. "Pardon, but I've got to go polish my broom!" And Keith flew out of the room, rather as if he'd been already upon it.

"We have to sit through potions, first," Maura pointed out to Eve and Lotty when she broke the news. Lotty made a face.

"Ick, potions. My sister said they're completely dull. My brother likes them, but he's…well…he's Roger. He's a bit odd." She shrugged off this fact and gently pulled Eve and Maura aside. "I've got my letter to Mum and Da written. We can swing by the owlery after breakfast." A prettily addressed envelope slipped out of Eve's sleeve.

"Same here." Maura smiled, but the back of her mind was turning over the previous night's events. She was, they were, in a pact. And the Gryffindor lion had given his approval. After Lotty and Eve had fallen into fitful sleep, Maura had checked the seal. It was one of her own, as she'd suspected, and the image engraved on the bottom had been C.M.M., her initials. There was no lion. Certainly not a roaring, moving one. For some reason this comforted Maura. Godric Gryffindor, a good and brave man, according to her textbooks, had smiled down on their endeavor. They were, in a way, his protectors. Maura felt safe, knowing this illustrious figure was their guardian.

Breakfast may as well have not existed. Consumed with thoughts about the prophecy, Maura could hardly keep her mind on the porridge in her bowl, let alone the questions the curious Keith was posing to her. Finally she realized he must know something was up, judging by the somber behavior the girls exhibited. "I give up!" He exclaimed. "You're a statue Maura, a bloody rock!" Maura blinked and recomposed herself.

"Keith," she pleaded, following him as he went to dump his tray, "I'm sorry, I didn't get any sleep last night. I don't mean to be a prig." He stopped walking.

"that's okay, I—what were you doing up all night?" His curious nature overcame his hurt feelings as he pivoted to face her. Maura smiled and lied glibly.

"Eve was…talking. About…you know…" She lowered her voice three timbres. "Greg." She winked at Keith mischievously. His eyes were as wide and round as dinner plates.

"No kidding," he whispered back. "Because Greg was talking about Eve last night too." Maura blinked. Really? And she thought she'd made that up. This put a whole new spin on things. Maura giggled and wondered how best to tell Eve. Keith winked back conspirator-like, and returned to the table. Maura bounced over to Eve and Lotty, smiling like the cat who caught the mouse. Both she and Keith stopped short when they realized they were too late. Eve and Greg, across the table from each other, were engaged in conversation. Lotty raised her eyebrows, and, linking arms with Maura, dragged her away.

"What's going on?" She asked, befuddled. Maura repeated Keith's news. Lotty's eyebrows raised. "Really" she murmured. She stole another glance at Greg's dark brown hair and Eve's glowing complexion. Her eyebrows threatened to rise off the top of her forehead. "I think," she said with a bubbly smile, "that we have matchmaking to do for dear Evie."

Maura had never been to the owlery before. A soft, constant cooing and rustling of wings set the calm, quiet atmosphere the place held. Lotty's owl, a tiny and loud tawny thing, fluttered down almost immediately. It seized the letter in its small talons and huffed away with it, indignant that Lotty even had to say it was a letter home. Eve's owl was a stately grand affair, rather like her mistress. It swooped down on silent deadly wings, making Maura gasp with excitement. She watched both birds soar away enviously, knowing exactly what she wanted for her next birthday.

The Potions dungeon was dank and dripping. The walls appeared to be growing pond scum, or at least smelled like it. The rankness of it all swam through Maura's head, making her nauseous. To her great surprise, however, the professor was almost like a grown-up Lotty. Bubbly, curvy, and short, she introduced herself as Professor Fruehling, the head of Hufflepuff house, and added "I particularly abhor the décor, but Salazar Slytherin, the original potions master, put such a hex on the place I don't think any amount of scrubbing can cleanse it." She shook her head sadly and then proceeded to give instructions on the makings of a giggle potion. "I like to start out light and easy." She laughed, passing out protective gloves. Maura found herself paired with the light-hearted Keith, who barely even consulted his book while adding the varying ingredients to his cauldron. In between chopping chrysanthemum petals and stirring the brew, Maura was content to snort delicately at Keith's jokes and watch other pairs foul up.

Lotty was paired with Baxter, and the image of a fly bugging a cow came to mind. Persistently chatty, Lotty interrupted her gossip sessions with the somber Baxter only to shriek that he was going to sink her grade by doing that. Every so often Baxter would grunt something like "Hand me the Elderberry juice" and then continue ignoring Lotty, concentrating on his potion. Lotty fluttered around, offering suggestions and digression.

The quietest table belonged to Ingrid and Jonathan. Neither spoke more than a few hushed words, working together in a silent agreement. Ingrid appeared to have taken the initiative to do most of the work, with Jonathan content to slice, stir, and measure. Maura smiled as he peered into the cauldron, his dark hair falling messily into his face.

Eve and Greg were busily laughing and talking. Their potion wouldn't be done for a long time, as it was still only emitting purple fumes, and everyone else's had already turned a brilliant shade of orange. Maura grinned at the thought of the two of them. They were a lovely couple, or would be, or should be.

"—so after we're done taking over the world, I'm going to marry the Queen and we'll have twelve thousand children, all named Egbert." Keith was saying, gesticulating with the spoon he'd been using to stir the cauldron. Maura's eyes widened.

"What??" Keith laughed so hard his eyes wrinkled and a tear still escaped.

"Headmaster's Whiskers, Maura, you should have seen your face! I knew you weren't paying attention." Maura had the decency to blush.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you were ready to try the potion." He ladled some onto the spoon and offered it to her. It was bright pink (A/N: think Pepto Bismal, except it hasn't been invented yet).

"Is it safe?" she asked timidly. Keith smiled.

"Absolutely. The book said it ought to be that color. Go on, take a sip, and I will too." Maura leaned across the cauldron and placed her lips on one end of the enormous spoon as Keith did the same on his end. "Ready?" he asked, "On three then. One, two, three-slurp." Maura sipped a little of the thick pink swill. It actually tasted rather like cherry flavored chalk. She looked across the spoon at Keith and realized what a funny picture they must make, both drinking from the same utensil. She started giggling. And kept giggling. She tried to sit down, missed the chair and hit the floor, giggling even harder. Keith, too, was attacked by the infectious laughter. They were both on the floor, giggling loud enough to wake the dead when Professor Fruehling came over. She smiled at the sight of them.

"I'd say that deserves a good mark in the book and five points for Gryffindor" she handed them a vial filled with a murky black liquid, "now drink the sobering potion so your classmates can get back to work." Keith sipped a little and immediately calmed down. Maura, still giggling ferociously, accidentally swigged the rest of the vial. She wanted to spit it out, it tasted so nasty. Suddenly all she could think about was overwhelmingly sad. She burst into tears, sobbing into her hands. Keith crawled under the table and sat next to her, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. Finally, he slipped her a tiny drop of their giggle potion, restoring her to her usual state of amusement.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, looking at her teary reflection in the metallic surface of the spoon. With Professor Fruehling's permission, she left the dungeon to wash her face in the Gryffindor girl's bathroom. Flying lessons were next. She stared at her reflection again, this time in an actual mirror.

"Don't worry dearie, it doesn't matter what you look like to go on a broomstick" her reflection informed her. Maura blinked, but was by now used to odd things. She sat on her trunk and thought about what riding a cleaning tool would be like. Rather uncomfortable, she imagined. Thinking about it, she realized how horrible her corset would be, digging into her ribs. After pondering a little more, she decided to leave it off. No one would know the difference but her poor little waist, which ached all the time under the squeeze of the metal contraption. Quietly tucking it into her trunk, Maura could have skipped out of the common room to join the rest of the Gryffindors heading towards the fields.

The flying instructor was a heavyset, dark-browed man called Herr Hahnchen. Keith leaned in to Maura and whispered that Hahnchen was German for "little chicken" sending Maura into paroxysms of glee. Herr Hahnchen glared at her.

"Miss Matthews, since you seem to be the most extroverted of the group, why don't you demonstrate for us how to mount your broom?" Maura stopped laughing and froze.

"Say 'Up' in a confident voice," Keith whispered, "then leap on and lean back." Maura glanced back at him nervously, but he only grinned. She stepped over to the broom and quavered "Up?" with a definite question mark. The broom lay on the ground. A few of the Slytherins, with whom they shared this lesson, snickered, and Herr Hahnchen sneered. Maura tried again, angry at being laughed at. "UP!" she commanded, the broom launching itself into the air and slamming into her hand. Ow... she thought, but this was no time for grimacing. She squeezed the handle tightly and kicked up onto the broom, side-saddling the handle. Following the last of Keith's instructions she leaned back and rocketed upwards, her hair streaming out of her plaits. After her initial panic was over, Maura began to laugh. This was amazing! She decided to experiment and leaned left. The broom swerved into a corkscrew. She leaned down into a steep dive, shrieking with laughter, pulling out of it barely in time to save her neck. Finally, she removed her hands from the broom and grinned as she flew in figure eights guiding only with her legs. She stalled next to Herr Hahnchen in a huff, her cheeks flushed and her hair wild.

"Alright, you've seen the demonstration by the show off. Get to it!" he barked. The other students began barking or squeaking "up" and getting varying results. Maura hovered for a minute, waiting to get her breath back. A pressure on her waist made her start. Herr Hahnchen had wrapped his thick sausage-like fingers around her. "You aren't wearing your corset, are you?" he leered, pinching her flesh. Maura was too petrified to do anything. She stared in horror at his great hulk of a face as prodded her figure through her cloak. A golden-haired Lotty wobbling on her broom caught Maura's attention for just a second, breaking the hypnotic spell.

"Get away from me!" She screamed, tearing away on her broom. He had a mad, hungry look in his eyes that was so cold, so frightening. She was shaking with rage when Keith pulled up next to her.

"Hey Maura, isn't this a riot?" When he got no answer, he looked from her to the instructor, trying to unravel the mystery. "Maura? Are you okay?" She gave her friend a wild, crazed glance and sped away towards Gryffindor tower, leaning hard into her broom and blinking away tears.

A/N: Well, sorry that took so long. Like I said…finals…icky… Vielen Dank to my new best friend, Ariella, who reviewed both chapters!!! Yay!!! Keep reviewing!!! (that goes for the rest of you, too) I decided to up the rating because sexual harassment and prophecies about blood aren't exactly kiddy fodder.

I'd just like to add that I wrote this all in the span of two hours, in the middle of a gorgeous New England storm, the kind where you can smell the electricity crackling in the muggy air and taste the salty tension on your tongue. Wonderful conditions for writing mad fan fiction.

Love and Peanut Butter Sandwich!

Meitora