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TITLEI awoke with a splitting headache in a room that was entirely too bright for my liking/TITLE
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FONT FACE="Geneva"PHello all! Third chapter: a meeting with the potions professor*smirks evilly* alright, I'm afraid that the characters may be slightly OOC, but I tried. If anyone has any suggestions as to how I might be able to fix that, you can email me. I forgot to mention before, there will be OotP spoilers later on. Oh, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. Okay, happy readings!/P
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PI awoke with a splitting headache in a room that was entirely too bright for my liking. Groaning I raised my head a bit off the pillow and looked around. Everything in this room was white. White beds lined the white walls and white cabinets stood opposite them. White linen sheets covered my white dressing gown and bright white lights shone from the ceiling. I blinked a couple of times before falling back onto the pillow. My head hurt, my wrists hurt, my ankles hurt, my back hurt, mywell, you get the idea. Everything hurt. I groaned again and this time it seemed to attract some attention. A witch in *gasp* a white robe came bustling up to my bed carrying a disgusting-looking potion in her hand./P
P"Good, youre awake. Here," she handed me the potion "Take this. Itll stop the aching."/P
PI took the potion but did not drink it. "Uhthanks, butwhere am I? And who are you?" /P
PShe chuckled good-naturedly. "Why, you are at Hogwarts, my dear! And I am Madam Pompfrey, the head Medi-witch."/P
P"Ohum, how did I get here?"/P
PShe frowned and moved to check my temperature. "Dont you remember? You have had quite a night, what with You-Know-Who kidnapping you and such." /P
PVoldemort! Right. The memories from the previous night swam before me and threatened to overwhelm me. I suddenly felt suffocatingly hot and dizzy. I wrenched myself away from the Medi-witchs grasp and hastily stood up. Ignoring the pain the action sent through my shaking limbs I stumbled a couple feet before dropping to my knees having just remembered the last look I had of my wonderful mother dead on the floor and that insane laughter that had filled the room while she writhed in pain on the ground. Anger, pain, and such deep sorrow washed over me and the floor around me started to crack with the force of my unchecked magic. I had lost control and my horrible memories kept me from regaining it. Bitter tears trailed down my cheeks as my hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. A pair of thin yet strong arms cloaked in bright blue robes picked me up off the floor, completely immune to the excess energy that flowed around me and wreaked havoc on the infirmary, and set me on the bed./P
PBefore I even had time to protest, I was being forced to lean on a bony shoulder. An elderly, calm voice was whispering soothing words to me. My shoulders shook with the effort to hold in the desperate sobs that threatened to wrack my body. II must not cry/I Choking, I could hold out no longer. I lost whatever reserve I had and let out an anguished cry, sobbing uncontrollably, making medical supplies and loose papers swirl in the air around me. The arms held me and I buried my head in the shoulder of the man, dampening his robe with my ever-present tears. /P
PI cried for what felt like hours and the draining of my tears left me exhausted and still in great pain. I sat shaking as the last of my tears slid down my rose red face and I brushed it away with my hand. I sat up embarrassedly, leaving the comfort of those warm arms. I sheepishly viewed the destruction zone that had all too recently been a spotlessly clean infirmary. /P
P"Im sorry to see that the infirmary was not quite to your liking. And I must say, it is much lovelier in its current state. However, I doubt our rather immaculate Medi-witch would appreciate the redecorating," none other than Albus Dumbledore said smiling kindly and waved his wand, restoring the hospital to its recent white glory. /P
P"Uh sorry, sir. I lost control" I replied, unsure of what to say. /P
PThe humorous twinkle in his eyes dimmed at that. "Indeed, it is to be expected, my dear." /P
P"Um, Im Sienna Dierdre, by the way," I said awkwardly, unsure of whether or not to shake his hand after having destroyed his school, sobbed in his arms and randomly appeared at his feet last night. /P
P"What kind of Headmaster would I be if I didnt know the identity of all my new students? Particularly those in direct decent from one of the Founders of my school." He chuckled as I looked nervously away, absentmindedly fingering the necklace about my neck. /P
P"Umsir? Where will I be staying? I mean my mom Will I be safe here at Hogwarts?"/P
P"You would, yes, but I have arranged for more- convenient lodgings for you. You will be well cared for there. I will be sending enough potions and salves to get you through the rough aftermath of last night and if you are ready, I shall accompany you personally to your new holiday home, for now, anyway."/P
P"Wait a sec. Where is this place? Who will I be staying with? What about my stuff, everything thats at home? I need to get a new wand and all my school supplies. Will I be allowed to contact my friends?" The last question was of utmost importance to me. With everything that had happened I could really use the support of my closest friends right about now. /P
P"So many questions! All of course will be answered, but Im afraid here is not the place. Allow me to escort you to the safe-house and I will explain everything there where it is more secure." I wanted to protest, but I just sighed and nodded. There was no point in arguing. Besides, I could understand his concerns. Security was not quite what it used to be./P
PMadam Pompfrey brought me my clothes and a small carryon bag filled with magical remedies. It seemed to me that she was not particularly happy with releasing her patient so soon, but trusted Professor Dumbledore enough that she didnt even argue. She helped me change out of the white gown and back into my black jeans and red scoop-neck top that I had been wearing the night before. I silently vowed to burn these clothes as soon as I was given a change./P
PProfessor Dumbledore helped me to stand and walk to the fireplace of the infirmary. He threw a dash of Floo powder and the flames rose high and emerald green. /P
P"The name is Grimmauld Place. Do you think you can manage to stand long enough to travel?" he asked even as he handed me the bag of antidotes. I only nodded and took the bag./P
P"Grimmauld Place!" I said clearly after stepping into the fire. I sent a last glance at Dumbledore before closing my eyes so the incessant spinning didnt make me even more sick. I landed in an unceremonious heap on the floor of a large kitchen. /P
PWithin seconds, I was completely surrounded by wizards in variously colored robes, each with a wand out and pointed at me. Great. Just fucking peachy. I was reminded instantly of the fact that I had no wand of my own as it had been taken the night before. /P
PA low voice said slowly and clearly in an English accent, "Keep your hands where we can see them and stand slowly."/P
PI attempted to do as I was told, but my legs werent exactly listening to me. /P
P"I said stand!" the voice said, slightly harsher./P
P"I-I cant," I muttered angrily. Dumbledore had said I would be safe here! Why had I trusted him anyway? I had never even met him before! "Look, obviously Professor Dumbledore didnt tell you to expect my arrival." I looked up at the group of wizards around me and pulled out my amulet. "My name is Sienna Dierdre. Professor Dumbledore should be here any minuteand if I manage to live through this Im gonna kill the bastard," I added under my breath at the end. Apparently, though, one of the wizards heard me and started laughing. /P
PI looked up to see a woman with violently pink hair that had been trying to push her way through the circle of people around me. "Leave her be, poor child. Here, let me help you up. You must be so sore from last night!" The others in the circle seemed to realize their mistake at once and they lowered their wands in almost perfect unison and began muttering their apologies. I didnt bother answering as it was taking enough energy just to try to stand with this mysterious womans help. "Im Tonks," the lady said kindly. "And the Professor Idid/I tell me to expect you, but I wasnt aware youd be here so early and I did not announce it to the rest of the Order yet. You startled us, dropping in in the middle of the meeting."/P
PExhausted as I was, I still couldnt help but ask, "Order? As in the Order of the Phoenix? I didnt know Dumbledore was sending me here."/P
P"Indeed," said a cheerful elderly voice from the doorway that sounded suspiciously familiar. "Though I expected you to receive a much more warm welcome," he chastised lightly. /P
PI smiled as I finally got to my feet, leaning heavily on Tonks who was much stronger than she seemed. /P
P"Here, Tonks, let me help," said a warm voice from outside the circle. The man who had helped me with the Portkey the previous night came forward and slipped his arm around my waist to help support me. "Im Remus. I was there last night and I must say I am incredibly impressed with what I saw." /P
PI blushed and looked down. "Uh thanks."/P
P"Sienna, child, you dont have time to meet everyone now, but the wonderful wizards surrounding you are all members of the Order and they will be passing in and out of this house for the rest of the summer. You should get to know them a bit, you would highly benefit from a relationship with any of them. Everyone, this is Sienna, transfer student to Hogwarts from PCSOM and the last Heir of Godric Gryffindor."/P
P"Who is about to faint if we dont get her off her feet soon!" continued Tonks lightheartedly, sensing my embarrassment and already starting to walk towards the door of the kitchen, Remus following, the two of them supporting me. /P
P"Thanks," I whispered to Tonks as we left the assembly behind. I heard behind me someone with a scratchy voice depicting the events of the previous night and my part in it for the rest of the Order as Tonks and Remus helped me out of the kitchen and towards a grand staircase. /P
PHurried footsteps could be heard as we slowly climbed the stairs and I soon saw who was making them. A group of people about my age was running from the banister to their respectful rooms, scurrying so as not to be seen. Remus chuckled. "Never give up trying to over-hear, will they?" he asked of Tonks ruefully. /P
P"Fraid not," she replied, laughing slightly, then she explained to me, "They are all around your age and will also be living here for the remainder of the summer. Im sure you will all become great friends. They all go to Hogwarts too. Theyll probably introduce themselves to you once Remus and I go back downstairs. Youll like them." I briefly nodded, but stopped quickly as it made my head spin. /P
PWe finally made it up the stairs and Remus opened the third door on the left. Two girls were already in the room, sitting on a bed, apparently talking. Both were pretty in their own ways. One had long, bushy, brown hair and the other one, who appeared to be younger, had fiery red hair and freckles. They stopped short as soon as Remus walked in and their eyes widened at the sight of me supported between him and Tonks. Tonks quickly transfigured an unused table by the window into a bed and she and Remus gently laid me on it./P
P"Guys," Tonks addressed the girls. "This is Sienna Dierdre. She will be staying here for the rest of the summer too." With that and a final nod at me, the adults left the room, closing the door behind them. /P
PThe girls got up off the bed they had been sitting on and walked towards me. "Im Hermione Granger," the brown-haired one said smiling./P
P"And Im Ginny Weasley," proclaimed the younger one. /P
P"Nice to meet you both. I guess you already know my name." Well, one would hope, as Tonks had just introduced me. I shifted in bed so that I was now in a somewhat sitting position and could talk a bit more easily. My body still ached and it took me quite a while to reach a position that gave the minimal amount of pain, but the other two girls didnt seem to notice. /P
P"Whoa, are you from America?" asked Ginny. No, I just have this accent for kicks./P
P"Uh, yeah. Lived there all my life, actually." /P
P"Wicked!" At that moment, the door burst open to reveal another person, this time male, with flaming red hair and freckles and one with unkempt, unruly, jet black hair. /P
P"So Ginny, did you say you thought that--" the red-haired boy cut off when he saw me lying in the bed. He appeared to be rendered unable to speak. /P
PHermione, noting her friends disturbingly open mouth and round eyes, introduced me. "Guys, this is Sienna Dierdre." She put emphasis on my name as though they should recognize it from somewhere and seemed exasperated when they didnt. "This is Ron Weasley, Ginnys brother, and Harry Potter." This seemed to bring the boys out of their staring stupor./P
P"Hi. Nice to meet you." Harry looked as though he expected my eyes to bug and my mouth to drop and for me to squeal about how happy I was to finally meet him (sort of how I had felt when Hermione introduced me). "Dont worry, Harry. I have no intention of jumping you, mobbing you, and I most certainly dont want your autograph. You can relax." The rest of the room laughed and Harry seemed to calm a bit./P
PIt was nice to be around people. They helped me to forget a bit of why I was so sore and it was great to be able to joke around. I was dreading the questions that I knew were to come. I was afraid the answers would make them treat me differently, with pity. Sure enough, the first question that Harry asked was one of the hardest to answer./P
P"So, Sienna, whyre you staying here for the summer?"/P
PI froze then looked down at the floor, waging an inner battle. I was quiet for a second, then sighed and looked back up at the waiting teenagers. INot yet/I/FONT"FONT FACE="Geneva"Um it is kind of a long story Im not sure I can tell you"/P
PGinny looked a bit apprehensive, and confused. "I dont understand. Why wouldnt you be able to?"/P
PI gave a sad smile. "Like I said, its a long story."/P
PBefore I had time to continue, the door opened yet again, only this time it revealed a tall man in long black robes with a hooked nose, angry black eyes, and long greasy black hair. The rest of the room blinked in shock at the sight of the man, but the reason for the gasps of horror was lost on me. /P
PHe stood in the doorway glaring daggers at us all and after about twenty seconds, I had had enough. "And you are who, exactly?" I asked sarcastically, as though I really didnt care either way. There was a collective gasp within the room and all teens present sent me a pitying look./P
P"Miss Dierdre," the man said crisply and coldly. "Professor Dumbledore has asked me to see to your health, however unpleasurable it may be for me. I need not say that babysitting another wanna-be hero was in the plan for my summer. One would think I get enough of that with Potter over the school year. Potter, Weasley, Granger, Weasley, out of my way." The teens parted like the Red Sea as the man strode forward, the bag that Madam Pompfrey had prepared in hand. /P
P"Gee thanks, love ya too," I replied under my breath. If the man heard, he made no comment on it. The room was dead silent as the man put the bag on the small nightstand next to my bed and began taking out various bottles. /P
P"Dierdre, give me a list of your current ailments. And do try to be more articulate and specific than your idiotic friends," he sneeredI. What an asshole! /P
/I/FONTP"FONT FACE="Geneva"Dude, pull whatever has lodged itself up your ass out before you give yourself an ulcer." The man went stock-still and glared at me as though picturing all the horrific things he could do to me in a dark and scary room on a stormy night. "Since you arent bright enough to come up with a suitable comeback, I suppose Ill answer your question. Well the muscles throughout my body spasm at random intervals, though by far the most frequent are my diaphragm and quadriceps, making my breathing labored and walking an impossibility. My wrists and ankles are still rather raw and the joints throughout my body are stiff and achy. My head feels as though it has been split in two, though the majority of that is most likely due to the overexertion of travel by Floo powder. I do not have the strength to support myself for more than approximately two seconds and I cant seem to stop the incessant twitching or shaking. Also, my vision fogs a bit if I turn my head too quickly. I believe that is all." /P
PA lovely twitch had appeared in the mans overly pale temple. He menacingly raised an eyebrow. "If that is all, drink one of these every morning and one every night," he instructed indicating a dark green liquid in about twenty or so bottles. "Use the Healing Salve on your wrists and ankles tonight and if they still bother you in the morning, apply it again. And, be sure to stay in bed, so that I do not have to waist my time in coming back." He turned and stalked to the door before pausing and turning back to add as an after thought, "Be glad we showed up when we did, otherwise the Dark Lord would have rendered you beyond even the aid of Imy/I skills. And, of course, we all know how- tragic- that would be." And he was gone, out the door, slamming it behind him. The room was quiet once more, only this time all eyes were fixed squarely on my pissed off face or glaring furiously at the door the man had just left through./P
PFinally I had to ask. "Who the hell was that? And do I have to suffer his pain-in-the-assness ever again?"/P
P"Snape. Henot the nicest person. Unfortunately, hes also our potions professor," answered Hermione in a huff. Harry was still busy glaring at the door that Snape had just walked through./P
PRon was still staring at Sienna with round, wide eyes. "You just-" he pointed at the door "to Him! J-ju to Snape! Y-you! You, you, YOU ROCK!!!" he stuttered oh-so-eloquently. I gave Ron a look that said plainly (to any American anyway) IWhat the Hell are you on?/P
/I/FONTP"FONT FACE="Geneva"Hun, if I were you, Id lay off the crackit seems to have done something to your brain that I would hate if it were irreversible," I said mock seriously./P
PRon cocked his head. "Whats crack?"/P
PI shook my head in dismay. "Never mind."/P
PThe tension Snapes presence had created was finally dissipating, then Harry asked seriously, staring at me, "You met Voldemort?" and the tension returned full-force. Hermione looked as though she wanted to smack Harry upside the head, but wanted to hear the answer to the question more, so didnt bother. /P
P"Yeah, thats part of the long story I was talking about but I really dont want to talk about it Basically, he captured me and the Order saved me. Dumbledore fears for my safety and I have no living relatives, so I was sent here. Thats it." /P
/FONTP"FONT FACE="Geneva"Sounds a bit familiar," said Harry ruefully. The room nodded in unison and another awkward silence followed, only to be broken by Ron. /P
P"So, Sienna, do you play Quidditch?"/P
PI smiled, some of the tightness in my shoulders leaving immediately. "Hell yeah! How bout you guys? Is there a Quidditch team at Hogwarts?"/P
P"Of course theres a team at Hogwarts! Theres four, actually. And everyone here plays except Hermione," answered Ron jovially. /P
P"Really? Four? Why? How do you do your championships then? I mean, do all the other school you play against have four teams?"/P
P"What? Other schools? No, our houses compete. No other schools!" Ron made a face. "Do you mean you play against other schools in America?"/P
P"Of course! Our whole school has only one team." /P
P"Are you on it?"/P
P"Yup!" I beamed. "Since sixth grade! I think that first year for you guys. Im a Chaser. You?"/P
P"Im a reserve Seeker," chimed Ginny./P
P"Im Keeper." That was Ron. "And Harry here is the best Seeker Hogwarts has ever had!" /P
P"Cool. Are you all on the same team, then?"/P
P"Uh huh. Were Gryffindors and therefore on the Gryffindor Quidditch team," answered Ron again. Harry wasnt saying much./P
P"Youll probably be in Gryffindor too," said Hermione. "I mean considering your history and everything."/P
PI rolled my eyes and looked down again. "Uh, yeah. Probably."/P
PHarry, Ron and Ginny looked a bit lost. "History? What history?" asked Ginny./P
PI sighed and answered in a monotone voice. "My grandmother was Elena Gryffindor, the last to ever carry Godric Gryffindors surname. Im the Heir of Gryffindor and the last of his direct decent. Thats actually why Voldemort wanted me in the first place."/P
P"Cool," commented Ron./P
PI closed my eyes and smacked my hand to my head quoting a la Lion King, "m surrounded by idiots!"/P
PBoth Harry and Hermione exclaimed in unison, "I love that movie!" I smiled./P
P"Maybe not so dumb after all."/P
P"I dont get it" this from Ron./P
P"Then again"/P
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PThere you go! What do you think?/P/FONT/BODY
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