Chapter 4
"Looking good!" said Ron grabbing a chicken leg and bitting a huge chunk of it.
Sydney looked at Harry and they both laughed. It was normal for Ron to jump out and start eating as soon as the food appeared, but Sydney was still too new to know that.
"I think we still need to talk about what I don't know about you..." said Harry softly to Sydney.
As they both began to talk, Ron looked at Hermione, whose face was filled of anxiety and frustration.
"Hermione...are you ok?" he asked softly, so just Hermione could hear him.
"No...Ron...this is weird! I knew how to milk a Bulbo, I wrote everything the Professor was saying. But just when I was about to do it, my mind went blank. As if something had vacuumed my thoughts...I don't understand!" she said sounding very flustered.
Ron's eyes narrowed. He looked at Sydney. She was looking beautiful as always. Almost too beautiful. It was strange really...she seemed to perfect to be true...
"When did you forget everything?"
"Just when I was about to reach out for the Bulbo...and Sydney told me not to reach it that way...which just made me angry...I mean, who does she think she is?" she asked out loud, making Sydney and Harry stop talking and glance at her quizzically.
"Are you ok, Hermione?" asked Sydney softly.
Ron kept looking at her, studying her fine features. Something in her voice was enchanting...something about looking at her or being near her was...bewitching. She couldn't be real. That perfection couldn't be real...
"Yes...I am fine..." she said sheepishly, returning to her meal.
Sydney smiled, and her eyes shone brightly, making Ron flinch.
"Hermione....don't you think she is kinda...weird?" said Ron very softly in Hermione's ear.
"Yes...I can't quite place why I get this strange feeling around her. Like she couldn't be real...like...I don't know...like she wasn't human or something!" she took a deep breath and continued: "She didn't say who her mother was...what if she used to be a Death Eater or something? What if Voldemort sent her here? Sometimes he used to hide in the most beautiful things...beauty can be deceiving..."
"Just like Veelas" remembered Ron, taking a final glance at Sydney and once again focusing on his half eaten food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After lunch, Hermione headed to her Arithmancy class and Sydney joined Ron and Harry to their Divination Class.
"This class is just a lame period we could be using for something more productive...like Quidditch" whispered Ron sitting in one of the cushions.
Sydney snickered loudly, making Parvati and Lavender look back at her angrily. She smiled at them both and waved, making them glare at her and turn back to their normal positions.
"Where is the Professor?" she asked impatiently.
"She will be making her appearance soon..." said Harry.
As if trying to completely awe them, Professor Trelawney appeared out of the fog wearing a very dark blue, satin robes. Sydney glanced at the teacher once before letting out a snort that sounding pretty much like a giggle.
"Miss Lander, I presume?" the Professor asked walking to were Sydney was sitting.
"Yes Professor" she said softly, smiling innocently.
"You should be aware, my child, that a sense of dread emanates from your aura...death will be approaching you soon..."
Sydney looked completely bored and non-concerned by what the old lady told her.
"I don't think dread is emanating from me, really. It must be the cheap perfume my aunt sent me yesterday" she said making the class burst in laughter. The Professor, nevertheless was not very amused.
"Maybe you are related to someone in this room, dear. Someone who, like you, has a tendency to have death omens in his future.."
That made the class stop laughing in a second, and Sydney looked extremely blushed and disturbed. She glared at the Professor with growing distrust and stood up.
"You have no right to reveal a detail like that about my life...whether is real or not!" she said firmly. She then bent down and grabbed her things, kicked the door open and went down the stairs angrily. Harry could hear her sobbing loudly.
"Pity...she has a gift...perhaps one too big for her too handle...weak thing..." said Professor Trelawney starting to walk away.
Harry could feel his cheeks reddening. He couldn't just sit there listening to this worhtless rubbish when his new friend was out there, crying alone. Without really thinking, nor causing a great deal of noise, Harry grabbed his things and ran down the stairs.
"Sydney!" he called after her.
She looked back at him and seemed to gasp and immediately broke into a run.
"Sydney! Come on! I skipped this class to be with you. Don't run away from me! I am your friend!!!" he said running also to catch up.
She continued to run faster and faster until she got to the portrait of the fat lady. She quickly muttered the password but as she waited impatiently for the door to open, Harry catched up, grabbed her arm and spun her around, facing her.
The sight of her made his heart skip a beat. Her face was completely blushed and wet with tears and perspiration. Her eyes were begging to swell and she looked completely sad and even desperate.
"Harry...please let go of me. You don't understand, you won't possibly...even if I tried to explain..." she said sobbing loudly.
"Sydney, calm down. Sit down, we can talk..."
"NO WE CAN'T! You would never understand!" she said breaking free from his hold and running away, leaving her books behind.
Harry bend down and picked up her book. He sighed softly and got into Gryffindor Tower. Maybe it was better he left her alone. Maybe she really didn't want anyone to follow her. Maybe....maybe she wasn't ready to let anyone know her secret yet...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sydney continued to run. She ran out of the castle and to the grounds, looking to be alone. Tears flowed down her cheeks, blinding her. She ran around, not really knowing where she was heading, until she bumped hard into someone.
Someone pale, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Well well well...how the mighty have fallen" said Malfoy nastily, glaring at Sydney, who just stayed down on the floor, her entire body shivering. He quickly stood up and cleaned himself a bit.
"Well, no witty remarks now, Miss Lander?" he said a bit louder.
She once again ignored him. Her crying got worse and it seemed she wouldn't be able to stop. Malfoy felt his heart ache for her. He was mean, yes. But, what should he do? Leave that girl crying there alone and just laugh at her? Seek for help?
"Lander..." he said a bit more softly, kneeling down beside her and passing his hand through her soft hair.
The gesture caught her off guard. She moved a bit until she was facing him. Her face was even more blushed than when she had seen Harry. And more swollen. Malfoy took a deep breath and made eye contact with her.
"What are you going to do now? Take a good look at me and then tell the whole school how you made little Miss Lander better?" she said between sobs.
"No....it would be a good idea, though" he said trying to get her to say something rude back to her, to know she was ok.
But it was not so. Her eyes rolled back and she passed out, her head hitting the ground hard. He gasped.
"Darn...Lander, you owe me for this" he said gently turning her around until her back was on the ground and picking her up in his arms.
Sydney simply remained limp. Completely unconcious. He moved her a bit until her head was cuddling closely to his chest. He felt a strong impulse to walk away to a place they could be alone and wait for her to wake...but that was not like him. It would be like doing her a favor, and that was simply not an option.
Or was it? He looked at the castle and then at the Hogwarts grounds. He had a free period and if she was out it meant she must have a free period too. Carefully, he walked around the grounds until he found a secluded spot under the shade of a tree where no one could see them. He sat down and gently placed her on his lap, looking at her as if she was a baby.
"You hate me, Lander. You despise me so much. And I wish I could hate you as much as you hate me, but something stops me...something just keeps me wanting to look into your eyes, to have you close...and I don't understand! This is not me! What are you doing to me?" he whispered looking at the beautiful girl in his arms.
Suddenly, her face scrunched up a bit and she moaned softly, bringing her hand to her head. Malfoy opened his eyes wide. He had bought here there and held her, but he hadn't thought of what he would do when she awoke. Doing the only thing he thought he could do, he quickly grabbed her and placed her on the ground, and before she could open her eyes, he had already run off, not allowing her to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I didn't see who it had been...really..." said Sydney when Harry came to visit her in the hospital wing.
When she had regained full consiousness she was aware of the huge bump on the side of her forehead and decided it would be better to have Madame Pomfrey look at it. She had decided that rest and a bit of Hematoless Potion would be the ticket to making her feel better.
"But...you just awoke under the shade of a tree...after crashing into Malfoy..." Hermione frowned.
"Maybe it was Malfoy himself!" said Ron suddenly. Harry and Hermione looked at him with an "Malfoy helping Sydney is as possible as them drinking Buboter Pus" expression on their faces. He quickly blushed.
"I don't know who it was" said Sydney unaware of anything going on around her. "But it was strange. Someone spoke to me, told me something I can't quite remember...and...someone caressed my hair, and held me...close to them...I felt safe...but who?"
They all shrugged and remained silent for a moment.
"All out! Miss Lander needs some rest! And besides, you all have classes now, do you?" said Madame Pomfrey glaring at the three of them.
"Yes, Madame...bye Sydney...get well soon!" said Hermione walking away.
"Bye Sydney" said Ron walking after her.
Harry smiled at her and took her hand in his. The warmth immediately invaded his body. He quickly kissed it and gently let it go.
"Take care of yourself, and just relax...ok?" he said very softly, almost brotherly like.
"Yes. I promise. Do take notes on Potions...since I won't be able to be there..." she asked smiling a lot
"Looking good!" said Ron grabbing a chicken leg and bitting a huge chunk of it.
Sydney looked at Harry and they both laughed. It was normal for Ron to jump out and start eating as soon as the food appeared, but Sydney was still too new to know that.
"I think we still need to talk about what I don't know about you..." said Harry softly to Sydney.
As they both began to talk, Ron looked at Hermione, whose face was filled of anxiety and frustration.
"Hermione...are you ok?" he asked softly, so just Hermione could hear him.
"No...Ron...this is weird! I knew how to milk a Bulbo, I wrote everything the Professor was saying. But just when I was about to do it, my mind went blank. As if something had vacuumed my thoughts...I don't understand!" she said sounding very flustered.
Ron's eyes narrowed. He looked at Sydney. She was looking beautiful as always. Almost too beautiful. It was strange really...she seemed to perfect to be true...
"When did you forget everything?"
"Just when I was about to reach out for the Bulbo...and Sydney told me not to reach it that way...which just made me angry...I mean, who does she think she is?" she asked out loud, making Sydney and Harry stop talking and glance at her quizzically.
"Are you ok, Hermione?" asked Sydney softly.
Ron kept looking at her, studying her fine features. Something in her voice was enchanting...something about looking at her or being near her was...bewitching. She couldn't be real. That perfection couldn't be real...
"Yes...I am fine..." she said sheepishly, returning to her meal.
Sydney smiled, and her eyes shone brightly, making Ron flinch.
"Hermione....don't you think she is kinda...weird?" said Ron very softly in Hermione's ear.
"Yes...I can't quite place why I get this strange feeling around her. Like she couldn't be real...like...I don't know...like she wasn't human or something!" she took a deep breath and continued: "She didn't say who her mother was...what if she used to be a Death Eater or something? What if Voldemort sent her here? Sometimes he used to hide in the most beautiful things...beauty can be deceiving..."
"Just like Veelas" remembered Ron, taking a final glance at Sydney and once again focusing on his half eaten food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After lunch, Hermione headed to her Arithmancy class and Sydney joined Ron and Harry to their Divination Class.
"This class is just a lame period we could be using for something more productive...like Quidditch" whispered Ron sitting in one of the cushions.
Sydney snickered loudly, making Parvati and Lavender look back at her angrily. She smiled at them both and waved, making them glare at her and turn back to their normal positions.
"Where is the Professor?" she asked impatiently.
"She will be making her appearance soon..." said Harry.
As if trying to completely awe them, Professor Trelawney appeared out of the fog wearing a very dark blue, satin robes. Sydney glanced at the teacher once before letting out a snort that sounding pretty much like a giggle.
"Miss Lander, I presume?" the Professor asked walking to were Sydney was sitting.
"Yes Professor" she said softly, smiling innocently.
"You should be aware, my child, that a sense of dread emanates from your aura...death will be approaching you soon..."
Sydney looked completely bored and non-concerned by what the old lady told her.
"I don't think dread is emanating from me, really. It must be the cheap perfume my aunt sent me yesterday" she said making the class burst in laughter. The Professor, nevertheless was not very amused.
"Maybe you are related to someone in this room, dear. Someone who, like you, has a tendency to have death omens in his future.."
That made the class stop laughing in a second, and Sydney looked extremely blushed and disturbed. She glared at the Professor with growing distrust and stood up.
"You have no right to reveal a detail like that about my life...whether is real or not!" she said firmly. She then bent down and grabbed her things, kicked the door open and went down the stairs angrily. Harry could hear her sobbing loudly.
"Pity...she has a gift...perhaps one too big for her too handle...weak thing..." said Professor Trelawney starting to walk away.
Harry could feel his cheeks reddening. He couldn't just sit there listening to this worhtless rubbish when his new friend was out there, crying alone. Without really thinking, nor causing a great deal of noise, Harry grabbed his things and ran down the stairs.
"Sydney!" he called after her.
She looked back at him and seemed to gasp and immediately broke into a run.
"Sydney! Come on! I skipped this class to be with you. Don't run away from me! I am your friend!!!" he said running also to catch up.
She continued to run faster and faster until she got to the portrait of the fat lady. She quickly muttered the password but as she waited impatiently for the door to open, Harry catched up, grabbed her arm and spun her around, facing her.
The sight of her made his heart skip a beat. Her face was completely blushed and wet with tears and perspiration. Her eyes were begging to swell and she looked completely sad and even desperate.
"Harry...please let go of me. You don't understand, you won't possibly...even if I tried to explain..." she said sobbing loudly.
"Sydney, calm down. Sit down, we can talk..."
"NO WE CAN'T! You would never understand!" she said breaking free from his hold and running away, leaving her books behind.
Harry bend down and picked up her book. He sighed softly and got into Gryffindor Tower. Maybe it was better he left her alone. Maybe she really didn't want anyone to follow her. Maybe....maybe she wasn't ready to let anyone know her secret yet...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sydney continued to run. She ran out of the castle and to the grounds, looking to be alone. Tears flowed down her cheeks, blinding her. She ran around, not really knowing where she was heading, until she bumped hard into someone.
Someone pale, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Well well well...how the mighty have fallen" said Malfoy nastily, glaring at Sydney, who just stayed down on the floor, her entire body shivering. He quickly stood up and cleaned himself a bit.
"Well, no witty remarks now, Miss Lander?" he said a bit louder.
She once again ignored him. Her crying got worse and it seemed she wouldn't be able to stop. Malfoy felt his heart ache for her. He was mean, yes. But, what should he do? Leave that girl crying there alone and just laugh at her? Seek for help?
"Lander..." he said a bit more softly, kneeling down beside her and passing his hand through her soft hair.
The gesture caught her off guard. She moved a bit until she was facing him. Her face was even more blushed than when she had seen Harry. And more swollen. Malfoy took a deep breath and made eye contact with her.
"What are you going to do now? Take a good look at me and then tell the whole school how you made little Miss Lander better?" she said between sobs.
"No....it would be a good idea, though" he said trying to get her to say something rude back to her, to know she was ok.
But it was not so. Her eyes rolled back and she passed out, her head hitting the ground hard. He gasped.
"Darn...Lander, you owe me for this" he said gently turning her around until her back was on the ground and picking her up in his arms.
Sydney simply remained limp. Completely unconcious. He moved her a bit until her head was cuddling closely to his chest. He felt a strong impulse to walk away to a place they could be alone and wait for her to wake...but that was not like him. It would be like doing her a favor, and that was simply not an option.
Or was it? He looked at the castle and then at the Hogwarts grounds. He had a free period and if she was out it meant she must have a free period too. Carefully, he walked around the grounds until he found a secluded spot under the shade of a tree where no one could see them. He sat down and gently placed her on his lap, looking at her as if she was a baby.
"You hate me, Lander. You despise me so much. And I wish I could hate you as much as you hate me, but something stops me...something just keeps me wanting to look into your eyes, to have you close...and I don't understand! This is not me! What are you doing to me?" he whispered looking at the beautiful girl in his arms.
Suddenly, her face scrunched up a bit and she moaned softly, bringing her hand to her head. Malfoy opened his eyes wide. He had bought here there and held her, but he hadn't thought of what he would do when she awoke. Doing the only thing he thought he could do, he quickly grabbed her and placed her on the ground, and before she could open her eyes, he had already run off, not allowing her to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I didn't see who it had been...really..." said Sydney when Harry came to visit her in the hospital wing.
When she had regained full consiousness she was aware of the huge bump on the side of her forehead and decided it would be better to have Madame Pomfrey look at it. She had decided that rest and a bit of Hematoless Potion would be the ticket to making her feel better.
"But...you just awoke under the shade of a tree...after crashing into Malfoy..." Hermione frowned.
"Maybe it was Malfoy himself!" said Ron suddenly. Harry and Hermione looked at him with an "Malfoy helping Sydney is as possible as them drinking Buboter Pus" expression on their faces. He quickly blushed.
"I don't know who it was" said Sydney unaware of anything going on around her. "But it was strange. Someone spoke to me, told me something I can't quite remember...and...someone caressed my hair, and held me...close to them...I felt safe...but who?"
They all shrugged and remained silent for a moment.
"All out! Miss Lander needs some rest! And besides, you all have classes now, do you?" said Madame Pomfrey glaring at the three of them.
"Yes, Madame...bye Sydney...get well soon!" said Hermione walking away.
"Bye Sydney" said Ron walking after her.
Harry smiled at her and took her hand in his. The warmth immediately invaded his body. He quickly kissed it and gently let it go.
"Take care of yourself, and just relax...ok?" he said very softly, almost brotherly like.
"Yes. I promise. Do take notes on Potions...since I won't be able to be there..." she asked smiling a lot