Chapter 13
Haze
Wood was walking around in a haze for the next few days, unsure of what to really do. He had become so accustomed to having Vera walk around with him, that it was a rude awakening when she wasn't there. He half expected her to walk into class as if nothing had happened.
Katie watched him with concern when they were in their Potions class. Wood didn't even seem to notice that his Asphodel wasn't making it into the caldron. Katie sighed and reached over, looking into the thick substance.
"Oliver, the Draught of Living Death is supposed to be watery." She sighed again and paused. "Oliver I know that this has affected you, it has affected us all. But you know Vera wouldn't stand to see you in such a state."
Wood grimaced and looked at Katie. "I know. It's just. . . I couldn't do anything. I should have gone with her to the library or something."
"And then you would be lying right next to her on that bed. Madam Pomfrey said the mandrakes would be ready soon and then she'll be back. Now I suggest you pay attention, otherwise Snape might poison you again."
This arose a chuckle within Wood and Katie smiled. Turning back to her own cauldron, she groaned when she saw the solution turn an odd green color. "And when you're done paying attention, you can help me fix my potion."
~*~*~*~
Wood hated History of Magic with Professor Binns. No matter how hard he tried, it was nearly impossible for him to pay attention in that class. The ghost could be describing one of the bloodiest battles in history, yet he could make it seem like he was describing the mating habits of Gnomes.
His mind was wandering again, wandering to things he wished it wouldn't. He kept thinking about Vera, about her normally life filled eyes that stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing. He couldn't stand the thought of her just lying there in the infirmary.
And now no one was allowed in to visit the patients. Madam Pomfrey had told him of that when he had tried to go in and check on Vera. "We're taking no chances," Madam Pomfrey told him through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off. . ."
Wood had blanched at that, not sure how he could take losing Vera forever as opposed to a month. Things were becoming more panicked around the castle. With both Hagrid and Dumbledore being removed, most people weren't sure what to think. Though Professor McGonagall was acting as Headmaster for the time being, it was clear that she had other things on her mind at the moment.
Glancing up at the ghost in the front of the classroom, he sighed and pulled out one of his many Quidditch books, hiding it beneath the table as he read it. Vera had been the first person that had every truly been able to take his mind off Quidditch. But now Quidditch was becoming the only way to get his mind off of Vera.
That was how he was found in the Gryffindor common room, sitting in a chair with his Quidditch book, staring intently at the pages though he wasn't reading them. Angelina sighed and sat in a chair opposite from Wood. "How's the book Oliver?"
He looked up in surprise before shrugging. "Same as it was the last time I read it."
"Really? I would think that reading it upside-down would change it a bit."
Wood grimaced and turned the book around. "What do you want Angelina? I would think that you would be rejoicing at the fact that we're not all practicing right now."
Angelina sighed again. "Oliver, seriously, stop acting like this! I thought that Katie had finally gotten through to you, but I guess not. Maybe if Fred and George hit you over the head with one of their bats, you'll come to your senses. I can understand that not having Vera with you is hard, but she can't be hurt anymore. I'd like to see someone try to kill a statue. Heir of Slytherin or not, you know that she's fine. Please Oliver. Just get your mind back on normal things. Hope that maybe we'll get to play our Quidditch game against Hufflepuff before the year is out. Okay?"
Wood seemed to consider this before nodding in agreement. "All right. But just because you're asking me to."
"And what am I?" yelled Katie from the other side of the room.
Wood shrugged. "Someone to do my Potions homework?"
Katie scoffed at them before making a show of starting to talk to Alicia. Angelina and Wood laughed as they began to talk again. "So Oliver, are you taking care of Athena, or is that what Katie is doing?"
Wood's brow furrowed in confusion. "I hope that Katie is because I don't think that I've seen the cat since Vera was. . . attacked. But Athena is always skulking about outside the castle for reasons that even Vera doesn't know. I wouldn't be surprised if that cat is sitting by Vera's bedside right now, waiting for her to awake."
He smiled ruefully before shaking his head. "I'm going to bed. Thanks Angelina, I'll talk to you in the morning." He disappeared up the staircase silently. Angelina grinned over at Katie, hoping that Vera would be back soon so that Wood would come back to himself.
~*~*~*~
Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.
"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.
"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.
"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.
"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood enthusiastically; praying that he would have something else to distract him.
When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly tell you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."
Wood couldn't say that he had ever felt more relieved. Breathing a sigh of relief with an enormous grin on his face, he turned and started to talk to Alicia, more than happy to concentrate on something else with Vera coming back.
~*~*~*~
*starts crying because Amy moved AWAY!!* You had to go back to Colorado, didn't you Amy? *glares at her all the way from Chicago* Anyway. I know this chapter was kind of short, but the big climax is in the next chapter and that's longer. Next chapter: The Past Returns. Dun dun DUNNNNN. I think I need some sleep. I wasn't going to post this till tomorrow, but I saw all the lovely feedback and just had to. See, feedback helps. That and I might not have a chance tomorrow since I'm spending my last halfday of freedom at Six Flags. I still have to get up though to go help the Freshman. GRR. Thanks for every bit of feedback, it means a lot! ~ Alexandra
Haze
Wood was walking around in a haze for the next few days, unsure of what to really do. He had become so accustomed to having Vera walk around with him, that it was a rude awakening when she wasn't there. He half expected her to walk into class as if nothing had happened.
Katie watched him with concern when they were in their Potions class. Wood didn't even seem to notice that his Asphodel wasn't making it into the caldron. Katie sighed and reached over, looking into the thick substance.
"Oliver, the Draught of Living Death is supposed to be watery." She sighed again and paused. "Oliver I know that this has affected you, it has affected us all. But you know Vera wouldn't stand to see you in such a state."
Wood grimaced and looked at Katie. "I know. It's just. . . I couldn't do anything. I should have gone with her to the library or something."
"And then you would be lying right next to her on that bed. Madam Pomfrey said the mandrakes would be ready soon and then she'll be back. Now I suggest you pay attention, otherwise Snape might poison you again."
This arose a chuckle within Wood and Katie smiled. Turning back to her own cauldron, she groaned when she saw the solution turn an odd green color. "And when you're done paying attention, you can help me fix my potion."
~*~*~*~
Wood hated History of Magic with Professor Binns. No matter how hard he tried, it was nearly impossible for him to pay attention in that class. The ghost could be describing one of the bloodiest battles in history, yet he could make it seem like he was describing the mating habits of Gnomes.
His mind was wandering again, wandering to things he wished it wouldn't. He kept thinking about Vera, about her normally life filled eyes that stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing. He couldn't stand the thought of her just lying there in the infirmary.
And now no one was allowed in to visit the patients. Madam Pomfrey had told him of that when he had tried to go in and check on Vera. "We're taking no chances," Madam Pomfrey told him through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off. . ."
Wood had blanched at that, not sure how he could take losing Vera forever as opposed to a month. Things were becoming more panicked around the castle. With both Hagrid and Dumbledore being removed, most people weren't sure what to think. Though Professor McGonagall was acting as Headmaster for the time being, it was clear that she had other things on her mind at the moment.
Glancing up at the ghost in the front of the classroom, he sighed and pulled out one of his many Quidditch books, hiding it beneath the table as he read it. Vera had been the first person that had every truly been able to take his mind off Quidditch. But now Quidditch was becoming the only way to get his mind off of Vera.
That was how he was found in the Gryffindor common room, sitting in a chair with his Quidditch book, staring intently at the pages though he wasn't reading them. Angelina sighed and sat in a chair opposite from Wood. "How's the book Oliver?"
He looked up in surprise before shrugging. "Same as it was the last time I read it."
"Really? I would think that reading it upside-down would change it a bit."
Wood grimaced and turned the book around. "What do you want Angelina? I would think that you would be rejoicing at the fact that we're not all practicing right now."
Angelina sighed again. "Oliver, seriously, stop acting like this! I thought that Katie had finally gotten through to you, but I guess not. Maybe if Fred and George hit you over the head with one of their bats, you'll come to your senses. I can understand that not having Vera with you is hard, but she can't be hurt anymore. I'd like to see someone try to kill a statue. Heir of Slytherin or not, you know that she's fine. Please Oliver. Just get your mind back on normal things. Hope that maybe we'll get to play our Quidditch game against Hufflepuff before the year is out. Okay?"
Wood seemed to consider this before nodding in agreement. "All right. But just because you're asking me to."
"And what am I?" yelled Katie from the other side of the room.
Wood shrugged. "Someone to do my Potions homework?"
Katie scoffed at them before making a show of starting to talk to Alicia. Angelina and Wood laughed as they began to talk again. "So Oliver, are you taking care of Athena, or is that what Katie is doing?"
Wood's brow furrowed in confusion. "I hope that Katie is because I don't think that I've seen the cat since Vera was. . . attacked. But Athena is always skulking about outside the castle for reasons that even Vera doesn't know. I wouldn't be surprised if that cat is sitting by Vera's bedside right now, waiting for her to awake."
He smiled ruefully before shaking his head. "I'm going to bed. Thanks Angelina, I'll talk to you in the morning." He disappeared up the staircase silently. Angelina grinned over at Katie, hoping that Vera would be back soon so that Wood would come back to himself.
~*~*~*~
Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.
"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.
"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.
"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.
"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood enthusiastically; praying that he would have something else to distract him.
When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly tell you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."
Wood couldn't say that he had ever felt more relieved. Breathing a sigh of relief with an enormous grin on his face, he turned and started to talk to Alicia, more than happy to concentrate on something else with Vera coming back.
~*~*~*~
*starts crying because Amy moved AWAY!!* You had to go back to Colorado, didn't you Amy? *glares at her all the way from Chicago* Anyway. I know this chapter was kind of short, but the big climax is in the next chapter and that's longer. Next chapter: The Past Returns. Dun dun DUNNNNN. I think I need some sleep. I wasn't going to post this till tomorrow, but I saw all the lovely feedback and just had to. See, feedback helps. That and I might not have a chance tomorrow since I'm spending my last halfday of freedom at Six Flags. I still have to get up though to go help the Freshman. GRR. Thanks for every bit of feedback, it means a lot! ~ Alexandra